Model surfboards ride a successful wave

By Bambang Tiong

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A breakthrough in the use of wood; this time not only is the product popular among foreign buyers, but it also is a good foreign exchange earner.

In the hands of Sidik, a piece of wood which people would generally discard or at best use as firewood will be turned, thanks to his great creativity, into an attractive souvenir in the form of a miniature surfboard.

Sidik, 32, began the business in 1993 when, as a husband despised by his father-in-law because he could not support his family, he left home for Bali in search of a way to earn a living.

The native of Situbondo, East Java, who now resides in Koplak village, Kebondalem Kidul, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, vowed not to return home until he could support his family.

"I lived in front of shops or on the beach," said Sidik. One day on the beach he saw a fiberglass surfboard and was struck by an idea to make a surfboard of wood, even if only as an ornament.

He began to collect unused wood and, using his gift for painting, he created a wooden surfboard in miniature. Many domestic and foreign tourists came to him to buy the unique souvenir.

True to his vow, Sidik, having now found a way to earn a living, returned to Situbondo to be with his family and develop the business.

With orders flowing in, Sidik was forced to hire assistants to cope. He also used a wood-cutting machine and one to smoothen the wood surface. To paint, he used an air brush.

Early in 1999 Sidik decided to move to a more strategic place in Prambanan to develop the business. "Well, Prambanan is located between Yogyakarta and Surakarta so it is a crossroads of sorts for foreign tourists. Besides. there are a lot of tourist attractions in Prambanan alone."

Working indefatigably, Sidik now employs 297 people. Occasionally when he is among his employees, he is touched to think that most of them were once homeless people who drank themselves into oblivion. Sidik, who admits he once did the same, said they did so from desperation because they no did not have the skills to earn a living.

Samsul, 26, one of the employees, said he stopped drinking when he started working for Sidik in 1995.

"Before I did not have any skills. Now I think I can be of use, at least to my family. Every month I can send money to my parents," said the man, who also hails from Situbondo, East Java.

There are nine sizes of surfboards, from 10 cm key hangers to one-meter boards. They sell between Rp 2,500 and Rp 85,000. The best seller is 25 cm, costing Rp 9,000. Sidik also orders surfer dolls from East Java to "carry" the surfboards.

In a week, Sidik's workers can produce 15,000 small surfboards and 5,000 big ones. Most of the craftsmen are paid on a contractual basis. The remaining 47 staff are paid between Rp 250,000 and Rp 450,000, depending on their position and their length of service. Among the craftsmen, there are painters, who earn between Rp 100 and Rp 20,000 per piece, the sandpaperers, earning between Rp 50 and Rp 1,500 per piece, and those applying the finishing coat of melamine, earning between Rp 50 and Rp 10,000 per piece, depending on the sizes of the surfboards.

Sidik said he needed two to three weeks to prepare his workers on condition that they were diligent, careful and disciplined. On average, the craftsmen earn between Rp 300,000 and Rp 500,000, an amount more than enough to cover the cost of living in Prambanan, especially because most of them are unmarried.

"Well, I usually still have quite a lot remaining so I can send money to my parents," said Iwan, who has worked in Sidik's workshop since 1993. He added that he purchased a motorcycle for Rp 4.2 million.

Sidik's business assets are worth Rp 250 million and are made up of dynamo machines for the sandpaper, dynamo machines for profiling and making circular shapes, lathes, boring machines, sawing-machines, compressors and other trade equipment. His products are marketed in tourist resorts such as Bali, Pangandaran, West Java, and Borobudur, Central Java, and also abroad, including Honolulu, Spain, Korea and Nigeria. Sidik said the business was developed over five years.

When asked about the key to his success, Sidik said it was important to maintain quality, including through the use of raw materials.

The woods used are pine, mahogany, sonokeling and acacia. To obtain the best results, old wood must be chosen. The bark is removed and the wood is cut into pieces of boards. The next step is to provide a preservatives and then the pieces are put into an oven overnight and most of the next day. The wood is shaped into surfboards and then lacquered. Basic color is applied and they are decorated with an air brush. They are provided with melamine to make them shiny and, finally, they are put under the sun to dry.

In the process of making a surfboard, the most interesting part is when pictures are painted because it takes a special skill to use an air brush, including patience and care. The size of the spray tip will decide the quality of the painting because drops of paint sprayed will have to be adjusted to ensure that the picture will look three-dimensional. Of course, before the painting starts, a pattern must first be drawn and the colors determined.

Sidik said the weather was the factor in how long it took to make a surfboard.

"So, it is the rays of the sun which will determine how soon a surfboard can be made," he added.