Global Surf Industries Xeroxes Shawn Ambrose


Screen shot from the Ambrose Surfboards website. Surfer/shaper Shawn Ambrose has been making these parabolic longboards for years and years.

Screen shot of the GSI website. They thought we wouldn’t notice.

Ambrose team rider Steve Benedict on a “Quadzilla” parabolic longboard.

Some GSI dude.

Former FCS employee, novice surfer and GSI owner is Australian Mark Kelly (or “Kel”). In this video he explains how he “designed” the parabolic longboard.

Global Surf Industries (GSI) surfboards are made by low wage non-surfers in the Cobra factory located in Thailand. You can find them for sale in surf shops owned by people who forgot why they started surf shops in the first place.

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51 Comments
  • Ian...
    August 26, 2008

    They took urr jobs!

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    “You can find them for sale in surf shops owned by people who forgot why they started surf shops in the first place.”

    One of the best statements ever on poopouts and the shitty shops that support them! Say what needs to be said.

    -Ron

  • Dave
    August 26, 2008

    I just get so sick of this garbage. Thank you Moonlight for still calling it how it is.
    Dave

  • bubbie
    August 26, 2008

    JP, the GSI surfer at Noosa has an uncanny resemblance to the beloved surfer monument in your area! Sick arm waving!
    What will GSI develop next? The Mini Fish Simmons? Seems like the board to inappropriately appropriate these days. Thanks for the exposé!ydur

  • Banditodepopouts
    August 26, 2008

    IM going to have a few more cups of coffee before i respond to this. mark kelly aka “The non surfing DEVEL” is a complete dumb dumb. He helped design this board? Yeah right! the only thing he was involved in when making this board was paying someone off to steel the template from Shawn.

    I could see him now, sitting in a hot tub full of underaged tranny Thai sex slaves making the call to (well you sellouts on the hill at know who you are) Hey ill give you guys $10, some blow, and a 12 pack to go steel me that template. Total ass clown that guy.

  • jeff
    August 26, 2008

    And as you scroll down you see Midget Smith’s picture. Could there be any more of a contrast? Sad…

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    i cant believe nobody here, or elsewhere, has left a bashing comment in the youtube comments area,..!!

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    so, shawn ambrose is the sole inventor of the “parabolic rail” ? (whatever the fuck that is – i won’t go in to this parabolic bs)
    don’t get me wrong, gsi can suck saggy ass balls, but to think that ambrose invented this shit is kinda ridiculous

  • reverb
    August 26, 2008

    …happened similar thing with Firewire
    Those kind of Yuppies think that there s tons of money in surfboards…

    they should go back to the clothes industry

  • surfer
    August 26, 2008

    Shawn Ambrose was the first person to use parabolic rails on a longboard. The fact that both boards are quads are revealing because Ambrose was making Quadzillas before quads became trendy again. Everyone knows that Kel monitors the blogs and message boards for new ideas. Ever notice how much GSI’s 7 super fish looks like Pavel’s speed dialer?

  • Who's Your Daddy
    August 26, 2008

    The race to the bottom continues!

  • DK
    August 26, 2008

    Fark off mate!

    Him and his popout quad parabolic longboards can fark off!

    he’s lucky hes not in ca. or ambrose might be sending one of his henchmen to do a cleanup.

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    walrus said—-i wish i could say that i’m stunned that this has happened–but i can’t, the whole industry is full of back stabbing idiots—if i get a board , i talk to the shaper, face to face—i got screwed once by a guru

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    I’m sick of the summer kooks and their pop-out boards!!!!!!

    I’ll gladly trade 10 degrees in water temp for empty lineups and good waves.

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    couple random thoughts:
    * “You can find them for sale in surf shops owned by people who forgot why they started surf shops in the first place.” GSI boards are available at places like Ventura surf shop right next to MC Bonzers. maybe not right next, but two isles over.

    * yeah it sucks this looks to be a copy of Ambrose’s design, but ain’t that pretty much how the whole surfboard industry has operated for years now?

    * I really don’t see GSI as eliminating completely custom shapers. they’re been around for a good time now and we still have lots of good custom shapers around. in fact I know of one GSI “label” guy who tried to retire on via his royalties and is still back in the shaping room. GSI boards are one of MANY options available. even the Downings have a line with them. Who here is going to talk shit to them? I’d like to be there if you try.

    * you get what you pay for. consumers have to realize they need to cough up the cash now to get a good board. if you’re a cheap bastard then GSI is the way to go

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    Why is Blinky giving those guys rack space?

  • Anonymous
    August 26, 2008

    Correlation does not imply causality.

  • Justin
    August 26, 2008

    LOOKS LIKE gsi POP OUT CRAP FROM WHAT I CAN SEE. HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

    http://downingsurf.com/boards.html

  • Anonymous
    August 27, 2008

    Thanks JP. I’d always wondered who invented the single into doubel barrel concept.

    what a PLASTIC WEINER!!

  • Anonymous
    August 27, 2008

    re the downing site – does anyone actually order a surfboard online?

  • Anonymous
    August 27, 2008

    yes i did …… from surfy 🙂

  • Julien
    August 27, 2008

    Don’t let your friend ride Asian Board!! Moonlight, Thanks for your job and your state of mind!!

    Julien from UWL workshop in France

  • Anonymous
    August 27, 2008

    kind of off topic but not really…whats up with tudor surfboards being made by surftech. I had no clue. I found myself cruising PCH and got sucked into the Hansen’s “one weekend only summer” sale in the parking lot and figured I Might as well scan the board rack to see if I could find a foam board among the sea of pop-outs. First board I saw was a blue eggy tudor surftech. The worst part was they didn’t even take to customs sticker off the board that clearly said “Thailand”. kind of one of those moments when you realize alot of the “soul” in surfing isn’t really what it seems. Good to know that there are still places like Moonlight.

    Any body have any thoughts on why todur surfboards went to the dark side?? Just curious.

    -JJ

  • Kirk
    August 27, 2008

    If you are going to order a board online or any other way, a Downing is an excellent choice. Pretty stoked on mine even before you factor the history of that family and shop into the mix. Poor old Ambrose, not that anyone with a clue is going to buy a GSI over one of his boards, but it’s just a slap in the face to have some jackass claiming a design you’ve worked up. Too much of that going on on all levels of the ‘industry’.

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    Some people,like kids and weekend warriors, can’t afford $700.00 for a handmade board.

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    What’s wrong with ASIAN made board ? Does all the F1 car maker drive like F1 driver ?

    Don’t ever ever blame equipment for bad surfing. Look at the person in control first.

    AnDi , asian ….

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    Dang, I can remember when back in the 60’s, weekend warriers and little kids made perfect homes for still-superb, handmade in America surfboards. Granted, back then California’s shop boards weren’t throw-away material….before they even left the store.

    Support your locally made surf industry.

    n2balsa

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    still superb…used..boards that is.

    n2balsa

  • shacky
    August 28, 2008

    You can still get custom thrusters in solcal for $400 not every board has to have a $150 color job.

  • shacky
    August 28, 2008

    Andi don’t play the race card they mean low cost Asian countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam with oppressive governments that let western countries exploit their populations for cheap labor. I don’t think anyone would have a problem getting a board from a Japanese shaper who surfs.

  • don't be a clone
    August 28, 2008

    The banner ads for the Lean Mean Surfing Machine say click to read more about this SENSATIONAL NEW DESIGN. That is the problem Jp has identified. GSI in it’s hubris is claiming invention of an established design already pioneered by the bros.

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    hmmm a kook ripping off a kook who rips off customers….what a shame

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    I say start a “no pop-outs” movement. How will novices and groms know the the ills of overseas boards, if we only talk about them on blogs and magazines. Call people out in the water, ask them how it feels to waste a session on an inferior board. Ask them if they purchased it at Surfride or at ….Surfride solana beach. Ask him if he prefers the small hands of a Thai child or that of a Chinese one in epoxy construction. (I hear they start them off in sweat shops alot earlier in Thailand which means better boards in the long run)
    Also ask him what size SUP he plans on picking up, unless he is already on one. And make sure to give these guys all the sets waves, tell everyone to watch while they surf and then have an open discussion out in the water on how the pop-out board kept the surfer from maximizing the potential of the wave (include the surfer himself in discussion). I see the no pop-out stickers all over the place but we should really start giving those out to kids like candy. Actually thats a good idea, this Halloween hand out no pop-out stickers along with candy. Tell them its Volcom’s new underground brand that nobody knows about yet. Man we will see those things everywhere…
    Viva la revolucion!!!

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2008

    Buy local, be a yocal.

    Seriously though, why worry about something you cannot stop? It is an ideological opposition only.

    Quite simply:

    Make good boards, and they will come …

    Pop out rubbish and you will come, and then go.

  • Anonymous
    August 29, 2008

    I agree. But where have your shoes been made? Where has your new shiny cellphone been made? Why is you tshirt DESIGNED in the USA (how hard is it to actually design a tshirt?) but assambled, made, aso in mexico, honduras…. ?
    The US economic system has been selling out itselfe and has become obsolete. Why are General Motors, GMC and Ford in such bad shape? Keep yourselve away from modern technologies and someone else will make the benefit.
    A shame but the aweful truth.

    Rob