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were used to redesign the shape of the board and to shrink its size from 300 cm (10 ft) to 180 or 210 cm (6 or 7 ft). Clark's catalogue eventually offered customers more than 70 shapes of blanks, in 8 densities, incorporating 4 different woods for stringers. Customers could choose
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On
December 5, 2005, Gordon Clark abruptly shut down Clark Foam, then worth about $ 40 million, and began destroying his molds and equipment, citing difficulties with government regulatory agencies over the chemicals and equipment he used and claims filed against him by former employees. Clark Foam
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to create finished surfboards. Founded in 1961 by Gordon "Grubby" Clark, Clark Foam established a near-monopoly on the
American market, and a strong presence in the international market, which it held until the company's unexpected closure in 2005.
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The abrupt closing of Clark Foam sent shockwaves through the industry and left surfboard shapers scrambling for new suppliers. Since Clark Foam closed, surfboard manufacturing has turned to new and innovative materials, such as
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For decades Clark's company exercised a near-monopolistic control over the market. At the time of its 2005 closing Clark Foam provided about 90% of the United States supply and 60% of the world supply of surfboard blanks.
149:(EPA) had threatened to shut down the company in the past. In a seven-page fax, Clark cited several issues pending with the EPA as his reason for shutting down, although no known action was under way against him.
66:. Glassing is a complex job in which a surfboard blank is laminated, coated, assembled, and finished with multiple layers of dry- and wet-sanding, before receiving its final coatings. Clark graduated from
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62:, a legendary figure who invented the surfboard fin. To help pay for his post-secondary education, Clark began to work in 1955 as a glasser at Hobie Surfboards, for surfboard pioneer
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slabs, reinforced with one or more wooden strips or "stringers" — cast in the rough shape of a surfboard and used by
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In 1961, Clark set up his own company, Clark Foam. Originally located in Laguna Canyon, it later moved to
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in 1959, surfing became more popular. Clark was soon manufacturing 250 blanks a week for Alter.
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Clark Foam was founded in 1961 by Gordon "Grubby" Clark. Clark was born on
January 19, 1933, in
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Clark's new foam designs were essential to the "shortboard revolution". New materials such as
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285:"Gordon "Grubby" Clark of Clark Foam Fame to be Inducted into Surfers' Hall of Fame"
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413:"Surfers' Hall Of Fame to Honor Clark Foam Founder Gordon "Grubby" Clark"
333:"Gordon Clark, the surfboard blank manufacturer who ruled the world"
55:. He surfed on heavy redwood surfboards in the 1940s and 1950s.
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Groovy
Science: Knowledge, Innovation, and American Counterculture
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358:"Surfboard Glassers: Overworked And Underappreciated"
571:Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States
384:"Surfboard Glassing the Under Appreciated Craft"
312:(July 4, 2015). "'Grubby' Clark to be honored".
77:Hobie Alter soon set up a separate operation in
446:. University of Chicago Press. pp. 61–62.
183:. Minneapolis, Minn.: MVP Books. p. 115.
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581:2005 disestablishments in California
521:Treadgold, John (January 11, 2010).
492:"Surf business foam source dries up"
222:William Finnegan (August 21, 2006).
523:"Making waves: surfing goes green"
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566:1961 establishments in California
490:Luna, Nancy (December 7, 2005).
469:"Love, Peace, and Technoscience"
411:Wiley, Chad R. (June 30, 2015).
155:carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer
18:Gordon "Grubby" Clark
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467:Eardley-Pryor, Roger (2017).
283:Coker, Matt (July 7, 2015).
58:At age 19, Clark worked for
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496:The Orange County Register
315:The Orange County Register
551:Company website (archive)
417:Adventure Sports Network
362:Adventure Sports Network
70:in 1957 with a B.S. in
47:Gordon "Grubby" Clark
364:. September 22, 2003
260:Surfers Hall of Fame
177:Marcus, Ben (2010).
143:toluene diisocyanate
81:experimenting with
53:Gardena, California
318:. p. Local 2.
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112:polyurethane foam
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479:(2): 38–41.
72:engineering
64:Hobie Alter
560:Categories
161:References
120:fiberglass
87:balsa wood
28:Clark Foam
532:March 31,
388:Boardcave
289:OC Weekly
233:March 31,
60:Tom Blake
32:surfboard
501:25 April
422:25 April
368:25 April
342:25 April
294:24 April
265:25 April
196:26 April
99:Founding
136:Closure
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127:Impact
118:, and
92:Gidget
141:used
534:2014
503:2018
448:ISBN
424:2018
395:2016
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185:ISBN
36:foam
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