The majority of winfsurf, wingfoil and surfboards sold worldwide are built by the Thai manufacturer Cobra. It goes without saying that we have long wanted a detailed report on this in the magazine. The only problem so far was that nobody was allowed in at Cobra - whether shapers, designers or, as in our case, journalists, the doors always remained closed, with the reference to "trade secrets". In the past, the isolationist policy went so far that the brands had to hand in their desired specifications and shapes at the front door and then received the finished boards afterwards. How exactly the company's own orders were realised remained a secret.
When we were given the go-ahead last December to be the first water sports magazine to take a look behind the scenes at Cobra, we naturally didn't think twice. After a 12-hour flight in an orthopaedically precarious posture, I ran into a 38-degree wall at the airport exit - the ultimate contrast to the northern German winter. A driver picked me up and drove me through the endless industrial parks in Bangkok's south-east. For two days, I gained insights into a previously hidden world - with some quite surprising realisations. Click here for the full report.
Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
