A new brand for windsurfing boards is being presented at boot under the name We One. The boards come in a chic black and turquoise colour, with a small red-white-red flag indicating their origin: We One boss Gerhard Scharl shapes and develops his boards in Austria. A complete range from wave and freeride to foil boards can be seen at boot. In addition to the standard boards, customised boards can also be ordered on request. We asked Gerhard about his plans with We One.
How did your brand come about, how long did you prepare the launch?
I started repairing boards 20 years ago and then quickly built my own boards under the name Freak Customs because I wasn't satisfied with the quality. Last year we decided to start series production, we bought a CNC machine and can shape the boards using software, build the prototypes ourselves and then test them.
Right at the start, you put down a complete board range...
Exactly, we used the whole of last year to build up a complete range, from wave to freestyle wave, freestyle, freeride, slalom and foil. Ben van der Steen is part of our team, he develops the race, freerace and foil boards, and Paul Simmerl does the rest.(formerly with F2, editor's note) and me.
How did you approach the development?
I have incorporated my experience from 20 years of custom building and the feedback I have received from customers. Our boards were created on this basis.
Where do you produce your boards?
We produce the custom boards and prototypes in Austria, where we have two sites. The series boards are built in Asia.
With Cobra?
No, not at Cobra, we have set up our own production. But I don't want to name any names because we've really invested the whole last year in perfecting the quality with them, we had a lot of test boards. This has the advantage that we can set up series production from five units upwards. If a customer has special requirements for a shape, we can develop it for them and deliver it in series from five pieces upwards.
What technology do you use to build the boards, what materials do you use?
With the current boards we have double sandwich in the top area, but not just under the straps, but around three quarters of the deck. This also holds the Willy Skipper, which is the ultimate nose-killer. It starts with a diagonal glass fabric, which has very good tensile properties, then 3mm PVC in good quality, then comes a hybrid fabric made of carbon and aramid, then PVC again, then carbon/glass fabric and then carbon again under the foot straps. So, this is an armour!
Do you have a house number for how heavy the boards are?
So, the 90 litre style in this design weighs around 6.5 kilos. This is not necessarily one of the lightest boards, but if you want it to be very light, we have corresponding customised boards on offer. These then weigh around 5 to 5.2 kilos. The We Wave that we have here, for example, weighs 4.9 kilos - in double sandwich construction!
Where are your boards priced?
We make sure that we remain interesting in terms of price. We have also organised our sales accordingly and left out the importer part, selling directly or via shops. The price is then less than 2000 euros. A wave or freestyle board is around 1800 euros, a foil board in the series is around 2090 euros. Customs start at 2000 euros depending on the construction and go up to around 2800 euros depending on the customer's wishes.
Can you only realise these prices by eliminating the importer?
Yes, that adds up to a few hundred euros. But the freight costs have also relativised again. They were very high last year, but are now back to a level similar to before the pandemic.
What are the other features like? The pads look a bit simpler, without heel bumps or anything.
This is the normal standard. Heel bumps are available on request from Customs, but we have seen that only a few customers really want this. Incidentally, all our boards also have an NFC chip built in. This can be used to register the board in the We One app, then the warranty can be extended and the customer can receive additional information or report the board as stolen, for example.
Can you already tell us in which shops we can see your boards?
We've only been active on Instagram since 1 January and we've already had a few enquiries from shops, so things are already happening. The response is already very good. But the first port of call is our website.
Where do you want to go with the brand, how big do you want to become?
We'll let ourselves be surprised. First of all, the aim is to focus on quality and not on quantity in order to get good word-of-mouth publicity. This can then develop its own momentum and we will act accordingly. We have a relatively financially strong company in the background that will enable us to invest and drive us forward.
Is this a well-known company in the industry?
No, this is a building automation company. It's my own company and we use it to finance our brand.
What quantities are you aiming for?
We have around 30 pre-orders for customised boards and are aiming for around 300 to 400 series boards in the first year.
Are you also planning to set up a driver team?
We are talking to a few people about this, but we want to keep a low profile.
Will Ben van der Steen start on your boards in the World Cup?
We are currently in the process of registering the slalom boards so that they can be released for contests, and then we will also be competing in 2024!
Which lines exactly do you have in your programme?
We have wave, a stubby called We Onshore, freestyle, freestyle wave, freeride, slalom and foil. These can be quickly customised as required.
Where can I test your boards?
We'll be at the surf festival on Fehmarn in the spring, where you can test ride all the boards!
You suddenly appeared here at the trade fair without any announcement, was that planned as a big surprise?
We know that we can do it. We know that the boards work. And when we do something, we do it well!
- Further information under weone.at
More about boot 2023:
- The windsurfing highlights at boot Düsseldorf
- The trade fair innovations at Tabou and GA Sails
- The trade fair innovations at Starboard and Severne
- The trade fair novelties at GunSails
- The trade fair innovations at Point-7 and AV Boards
- The trade fair innovations at F2
- The best pictures of the freestyle show at the boot pool
