 GONG Exex. Patrice Guenole perched on the nose.
SUPSURFMAG: Your board lineup is
impressive. Where are all of those shapes coming from?
PATRICE: Since our beginnings with SUP, we
have seen many competitors attracted by this new market. They offered stand up
paddleboards just to get on the water. At the same time, we were offering stand
up paddle surfboards to surf. What is the difference? If you want do noserides,
you need a longboard. If you want do big vertical manoeuvres, you need a
shortboard. We don’t promise all of these things in one board because it
doesn’t exist that way. If you want to surf your SUP and not only paddle and
cruise on the face of the wave, you can find the right board on the GONG line.
Whatever your style, GONG has designed a board for you. The shapes are coming from our needs. We
travel a lot, specifically to crappy spots. I believe that if you can perform
on junk waves, you can be the king on good ones. That’s the way we work. 90% of
our R&D sessions are on less than perfect waves and 10% on the perfect
ones. It works! We have designed many different boards to find an answer to
each kind of conditions.
Of course, we own our factory and this one
is only an hour from my house. It is super easy to design and mould many
different models.
SUPSURFMAG: What is unique about
GONGSUP surfboard construction?
PATRICE: Like I said, we’ve made all
mistakes you can imagine. But over the years, we’ve learned a lot and have
spent more time than you can imagine in the water. One of the GONG rules is to
produce strong gear because durability is a part of performance for me. I don’t
want to lose a session because my fin broke on the reef. So we build everything
strong.
We build strong gear, of course, because
we think to the future of our planet. We want to minimize pollution. The
biggest pollution now is when things go to the garbage. So we build strong gear
that will allow our customers to ride our gear for many years without any
problems. That’s why we put vent plugs, rails paddle protection, stand up
reinforcements, etc…
Our technology is super strong and super
light too! It’s probably the lightest in the world on the Highteck and
Carbonteck Series. How? We spend a lot of time on each one and we have a unique
process. This is the secret: time and engineering.
Another advantage we have is to be able to
manage the response of the flex. We are able to produce light and strong
boards, and they have perfect dynamics. They are not too stiff and they work so
well in choppy conditions. We spent hundreds hours on this point…
And, our technology warranties that you’ll
have exactly the same board as the original prototype. The rocker, the rails,
the volume, everything is exactly the same on all boards. We have unique vacuum
technology because the board is made in one mould at a time!
SUPSURFMAG: Where are the boards shaped
and manufactured?
PATRICE: All boards are shaped and
manufactured in Europe. Flame Ball is the
shaper and is comprised of many individuals. I respect infinitely all shapers,
they are an essential part of riding waves, but for GONG I don’t want to force
people to ride like just one person thinks they should. That’s why Flame Ball
is a concept.
Flame Ball is the combination of 4
competencies:
- One designs the global program: performance, waves and conditions
target…
- One designs the global shape: rocker, rails, volume…
- One designs the look: beautiful shape, accessories…
- One designs all the lines and details.
So, Flame Ball is always 4 guys working on
the same board. All these guys have different water-sports backgrounds. That’s
the key of the GONG success. Our boards are not confined to one specialty. They
work for many different guys and they offer an incredible versatility.
SUPSURFMAG: Where do your team riders
surf and what type of waves is your team riding?
PATRICE: Our Team riders are all over the
world. I want to have one Team rider on each beach. That is one of my dreams.
Our riders feed us with extensive feedback on the gear. It’s different waves,
different conditions, different cultures and feelings, but the same boards.
This is so important for me.
Also, we want to build a family around
GONG. GONG is not just business and SUP. GONG is: First, friends and time
shared; Second, surf and SUP; Then, business. Our website is made to encourage
people to share.
Some guys say our website is not 100%
core. But for me being core is not showing just high performance. Being core is
being in the entire surf culture! When I go to Makaha, I see families, friends,
high performance surfers, and beginners. Makaha is core and GONG loves this
spirit.
END PART 2 OF 3 For more information visit www.gongsup.com.
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