GONG Exex. Patrice Guenole perched on the nose.

 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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