About Rayne"At Rayne Longboards, we’re committed to a single goal: to be the premium longboard maker, exceeding every expectation. We’re the golden standard for professionals & amateurs worldwide."
 | Rayne Longboards is a skater owned company based in Vancouver, BC. All of the boards are made in Canada using Canadian Maple, Bamboo and other choice materials ,by skateboarders with over 8 years of pressing experience and Produced using CNC (computer controlled) technology to make sure you get the highest quality and best performance in every single Rayne Longboard.
Everyone at Rayne Longboards is involved in the riding community and their board designs reflect that. From pure downhill to carving across campus, the unique shapes, molds and material choices they use are specifically chosen to put smiles on the faces of everyone who rides. |
Some insight into Rayne Longboards beginning:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Longboard+maker+rides+wave+popularity/2959939/story.html
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Longboard+maker+rides+wave+popularity/2959939/story.html
Interview done by Simon Fraser University Venture Connection with Graham Buska
In February 2010 Simon Fraser University Venture Connection interviewed Graham Buska. We have published this interview on this page. It gives more insight in the company Rayne Longboards and the people behind it.
Graham Buska is an entrepreneur, longboard rider, and engineer. (not necessarily in that order) He started Rayne Longboards, one of Canada's leading longboard manufacturers. He is our next Venture Meetup Speaker and I got a chance to catch up with him a little before hand. If you spend your time sketching on notebooks and designing things on napkins, you should definitely come meet him this Tuesday at SFU Burnaby! More details can be found HERE.
So what does 'Rayne' in Rayne Longboards stand for? Besides the rain in Vancouver, I mean.
That came when I was sort of on the cusp of quitting my job, and I had ordered a palette of wood, and I was still working a summer job so I thought: "O boy, I'd better add some legitimacy to this business with a name! That'll do it." so it really came to sitting down for beer with a friend and I was trying to come up with a unique theme for the business, and I was thinking of rainforests and she was thinking of longboards and needing control, and 'reigns for a horse'. So two beers and a spelling error later, here we are. What I use it for now is rain as in: a natural stimulant for growth. It's a good name; it's not entirely unique but that's really what I want I take it for right now, and as my company, to try and grow as organically as possible and as quickly as possible.
You still do all of your manufacturing here?
Yes, it's sort of been an odd challenge, in that we do everything here but we've been able to double our production in the last three years in house. This year, we're probably going to be able to do it again, just by making processes more efficient, so there's definitely ways to compete while still manufacturing in North America. Our shop is really small space so everytime we want to increase capacity we have to think about exactly how we're going to do it and plan it out so that we're doing less work to get more out of it.
How big is your team these days?
In the summer, we got up to 8 people, and this summer we're probably planning on 10. It does shrink down quite substantially in the winter.
Is that including the riders?
No, that is just people who work at the shop. The team right now, it actually just keeps growing, it's really hard for the actual team riders because Team Riders, in one sense you can look at them like an employee because you're trying to "get something out of them" that's somewhat intangible. You're trying to build a following for your customer base and show off your product, so on one side its a delicate dance as is I'm sure most management operations. It's a delicate dance of being both friends, co-riders, and racers, and also trying to get something out of them and make them feel that it's worthwhile because skateboarding isn't a high paying job. But it can be, and that's the weird part is that some people are making a living out of it professionally and we're happy to support a few riders who are going 'pro' as it is in the longboard world.
Still waiting on that video game though right?
[laughs] Yeah, exactly. But there's a number of riders that probably aren't so different from other students. They're going to school and studying their masters and they just happen to be really good skateboarders. So we have different relationships with different people, so we sort of have a few different sets of rules - we have a bro team and a pro team so that all of our expectations are clear - just clear communication going both ways.
Now when you first started, you weren't as into longboarding as you are now, what advice do you have for students who have ideas, but perhaps have trouble executing?
I was discussing this with someone who is the top ski patroller in Alberta. He does what he loves and he gets to ski every day and I was asking him questions about that. The biggest difference for him and I related to it exactly when he said it and the biggest thing was having support when he first came across the idea. He basically put it that his parents were supportive of him moving to a ski town and living in Banth for the last eight years. My parents were really supportive of what I was doing as well, they didn't say: "oh you're going through engineering, you should just graduate and get a good job". Instead they said: "oh you should give it a try and see what's out there". Having a support network is probably one thing, and then having the motivation to do it is - if you don't have the motivation to do it, then I guess it's not something that's very important to you and maybe it's time to move on to a different idea.
When did you start considering entrepreneurship?
What happened for me is that during the first year of university, I got really bogged down in doing the work. In the second year, I started looking around. My first university job was working for the Alberta Government, and then when I got back to school, I was really curious about asking everyone else why they were taking what they were taking just to figure out why other people were going to university. When I signed up for university, I thought it would be all lego and circuit boards, and building things all the time. And it really wasn't.
Right, its about writing essays.
Yeah, and doing math tests. It was a little disillusioned, but I was still doing it. So in the second year, there was a poster on the wall for an entrepreneurial design competition. And I had normally spent most of my time sketching on notebooks about things I wanted to make instead of what was going on in class so I signed up and I got through the local competition and the judges said: "you can go to the Western Canadian competition but you need to not just have a presentation, but also a prototype and a full business plan, and you need to think about these things". So I was like "Oh boy..."
So at that point you hadn't taken any business related courses...
No, I had taken nothing. I had a sketchbook full of ideas and a powerpoint presentation on the idea I was presenting. So, that was really the first thing that happened to me, and I kinda got thrown into it, and wrote that first business plan. Then the next year, I was involved with another student group to do the same competition but with a team of people which was important I knew how much work it was the first time so I had four others helping me. That year, we actually made it to the national competition so we got two trips across the country, which was the other perk in doing these things. At the time, I was going to school in Edmonton so the school was paying for a week of partying in Vancouver or Quebec City and I was really happy about the opportunities.
So this was completely extra-curricular and unrelated to your degree?
Yeah, this was just me doing stuff on my own at the school. That's really what got me started. The other project I was working on gave me access to all the tool rooms at the school and gave me after-hours access. The whole skateboard business came about because I bought a longboard to get to classes on, and I sort of fell in love and then had all the tools so I starting making more. Then I took a real business plan class and used the group I worked previously to create the business plan for Rayne.
When did you start longboarding?
I had been longboarding for maybe a year leading prior, but four months into longboarding, i was already sketching the longboard I wanted to make.
Why did you decide to make the move to Vancouver?
I made the move to stand on the shoulders of giants. There's another company out here, and Vancouver is the epicenter for longboard activity. For the last five years, four out of five world champions have been from BC. There's such a big community here and there's nothing else like it in Canada or for that matter, the world. That was the choice to move to Vancouver, just because looking at a local audience, there were longboarders here and there were very few in Edmonton.
Have you gone down SFU Burnaby on a longboard yet?
Yeah I have, once or twice, but I haven't made it out there that often, because its a lot more accessible for me to go out to Seymour and Cypress, although the benefit to going to SFU is that there is a bus to the stop.
I've seen a couple! Those guys go fast, like 60-70 km/hr!
60-70km is a speed you can reach if you stand on a longboard and don't go into attack (ed: standing up is longboard braking). I've heard of people breaking 100km/hr going down SFU.
What do you think are the chances of long-boarding making the 2012 or 2016 Olympics?
I'm not sure, I think right now because I haven't heard of any big campaigns pushing it and I think its for the better. There's some people that are competing on the world circuit right now, and they travel around the world. But I think longboarding is a really nice grassroots sport. Like the sport itself is driven by the people, and if the IOC or bigger organizations are involved, it changes the nature of the sport and it also raises the profile. It's also a really urban sport. I think it would do good things for sales, but it would also change the nature of the industry.
Any predictions for the Men's Hockey Gold?
I'd like to see Canada win because that's always exciting.
- Interviewed by Sam Chan, February 25 2010
So what does 'Rayne' in Rayne Longboards stand for? Besides the rain in Vancouver, I mean.
That came when I was sort of on the cusp of quitting my job, and I had ordered a palette of wood, and I was still working a summer job so I thought: "O boy, I'd better add some legitimacy to this business with a name! That'll do it." so it really came to sitting down for beer with a friend and I was trying to come up with a unique theme for the business, and I was thinking of rainforests and she was thinking of longboards and needing control, and 'reigns for a horse'. So two beers and a spelling error later, here we are. What I use it for now is rain as in: a natural stimulant for growth. It's a good name; it's not entirely unique but that's really what I want I take it for right now, and as my company, to try and grow as organically as possible and as quickly as possible.
You still do all of your manufacturing here?
Yes, it's sort of been an odd challenge, in that we do everything here but we've been able to double our production in the last three years in house. This year, we're probably going to be able to do it again, just by making processes more efficient, so there's definitely ways to compete while still manufacturing in North America. Our shop is really small space so everytime we want to increase capacity we have to think about exactly how we're going to do it and plan it out so that we're doing less work to get more out of it.
How big is your team these days?
In the summer, we got up to 8 people, and this summer we're probably planning on 10. It does shrink down quite substantially in the winter.
Is that including the riders?
No, that is just people who work at the shop. The team right now, it actually just keeps growing, it's really hard for the actual team riders because Team Riders, in one sense you can look at them like an employee because you're trying to "get something out of them" that's somewhat intangible. You're trying to build a following for your customer base and show off your product, so on one side its a delicate dance as is I'm sure most management operations. It's a delicate dance of being both friends, co-riders, and racers, and also trying to get something out of them and make them feel that it's worthwhile because skateboarding isn't a high paying job. But it can be, and that's the weird part is that some people are making a living out of it professionally and we're happy to support a few riders who are going 'pro' as it is in the longboard world.
Still waiting on that video game though right?
[laughs] Yeah, exactly. But there's a number of riders that probably aren't so different from other students. They're going to school and studying their masters and they just happen to be really good skateboarders. So we have different relationships with different people, so we sort of have a few different sets of rules - we have a bro team and a pro team so that all of our expectations are clear - just clear communication going both ways.
Now when you first started, you weren't as into longboarding as you are now, what advice do you have for students who have ideas, but perhaps have trouble executing?
I was discussing this with someone who is the top ski patroller in Alberta. He does what he loves and he gets to ski every day and I was asking him questions about that. The biggest difference for him and I related to it exactly when he said it and the biggest thing was having support when he first came across the idea. He basically put it that his parents were supportive of him moving to a ski town and living in Banth for the last eight years. My parents were really supportive of what I was doing as well, they didn't say: "oh you're going through engineering, you should just graduate and get a good job". Instead they said: "oh you should give it a try and see what's out there". Having a support network is probably one thing, and then having the motivation to do it is - if you don't have the motivation to do it, then I guess it's not something that's very important to you and maybe it's time to move on to a different idea.
When did you start considering entrepreneurship?
What happened for me is that during the first year of university, I got really bogged down in doing the work. In the second year, I started looking around. My first university job was working for the Alberta Government, and then when I got back to school, I was really curious about asking everyone else why they were taking what they were taking just to figure out why other people were going to university. When I signed up for university, I thought it would be all lego and circuit boards, and building things all the time. And it really wasn't.
Right, its about writing essays.
Yeah, and doing math tests. It was a little disillusioned, but I was still doing it. So in the second year, there was a poster on the wall for an entrepreneurial design competition. And I had normally spent most of my time sketching on notebooks about things I wanted to make instead of what was going on in class so I signed up and I got through the local competition and the judges said: "you can go to the Western Canadian competition but you need to not just have a presentation, but also a prototype and a full business plan, and you need to think about these things". So I was like "Oh boy..."
So at that point you hadn't taken any business related courses...
No, I had taken nothing. I had a sketchbook full of ideas and a powerpoint presentation on the idea I was presenting. So, that was really the first thing that happened to me, and I kinda got thrown into it, and wrote that first business plan. Then the next year, I was involved with another student group to do the same competition but with a team of people which was important I knew how much work it was the first time so I had four others helping me. That year, we actually made it to the national competition so we got two trips across the country, which was the other perk in doing these things. At the time, I was going to school in Edmonton so the school was paying for a week of partying in Vancouver or Quebec City and I was really happy about the opportunities.
So this was completely extra-curricular and unrelated to your degree?
Yeah, this was just me doing stuff on my own at the school. That's really what got me started. The other project I was working on gave me access to all the tool rooms at the school and gave me after-hours access. The whole skateboard business came about because I bought a longboard to get to classes on, and I sort of fell in love and then had all the tools so I starting making more. Then I took a real business plan class and used the group I worked previously to create the business plan for Rayne.
When did you start longboarding?
I had been longboarding for maybe a year leading prior, but four months into longboarding, i was already sketching the longboard I wanted to make.
Why did you decide to make the move to Vancouver?
I made the move to stand on the shoulders of giants. There's another company out here, and Vancouver is the epicenter for longboard activity. For the last five years, four out of five world champions have been from BC. There's such a big community here and there's nothing else like it in Canada or for that matter, the world. That was the choice to move to Vancouver, just because looking at a local audience, there were longboarders here and there were very few in Edmonton.
Have you gone down SFU Burnaby on a longboard yet?
Yeah I have, once or twice, but I haven't made it out there that often, because its a lot more accessible for me to go out to Seymour and Cypress, although the benefit to going to SFU is that there is a bus to the stop.
I've seen a couple! Those guys go fast, like 60-70 km/hr!
60-70km is a speed you can reach if you stand on a longboard and don't go into attack (ed: standing up is longboard braking). I've heard of people breaking 100km/hr going down SFU.
What do you think are the chances of long-boarding making the 2012 or 2016 Olympics?
I'm not sure, I think right now because I haven't heard of any big campaigns pushing it and I think its for the better. There's some people that are competing on the world circuit right now, and they travel around the world. But I think longboarding is a really nice grassroots sport. Like the sport itself is driven by the people, and if the IOC or bigger organizations are involved, it changes the nature of the sport and it also raises the profile. It's also a really urban sport. I think it would do good things for sales, but it would also change the nature of the industry.
Any predictions for the Men's Hockey Gold?
I'd like to see Canada win because that's always exciting.
- Interviewed by Sam Chan, February 25 2010
Rayne Deck Features:
Sharp Edges - Final touch for locked in feet
Vert-Lam Bamboo Core - Stronger than steel, light like a feather
Pre-tensioned fibreglass - Adds long life, durability, strength and energy return.
Directional Shape – Gives extra edge feel for carving, cruising and speed.
Twin Shape – Freedom to choose any path or direction.
Sublimated Artwork - Scratch-resistant ink is tattooed into the deck.
Leverage Concave – Grips from the ball of the foot to the centre of your heel for outstanding turn control.
Deep Tub Concave – Designed to cup the toes and heels for quick, precise turns.
Variable Concave – Uses natural structures to fine tune flex patterns.
Slim Cave – Small feet need concave too! Outstanding turn control in a narrow profile.
Offset Camber – Helps initiate powerful turns and smooth exits.
Radial Drop Platform - 3/8” rounded drop platform creates subtle drops in the front and rear so as to cradle your feet.
Pleasure Dome Arch Support - Get connected! Arch support will dial in your steezy cornering by giving you full contact with the board.
Speed-stiff - Don’t get bounced! Stiff boards will make you stable at high speeds.
Firm Flex – Drifting and thrashing with little effort.
Elasta Flex – Surf style turns and pumping made capable through flex and rebound.
Oversized Wheel Wells – Avoid wheel bite on looser trucks and bigger wheels.
Linear Drop Platform – Keeps your feet locked into place. Ideal for freeriding.
Universal Drop Thru Mounting – Lowers your board for easy pushing and extra stability.
Bee Orange Finish: Enhances and tones the natural wood grain while protecting with an excellent wax barrier that
repels water. The citrus-based polish is completely free of harmful chemicals and is an environmentally sustainable product.
Vert-Lam Bamboo Core - Stronger than steel, light like a feather
Pre-tensioned fibreglass - Adds long life, durability, strength and energy return.
Directional Shape – Gives extra edge feel for carving, cruising and speed.
Twin Shape – Freedom to choose any path or direction.
Sublimated Artwork - Scratch-resistant ink is tattooed into the deck.
Leverage Concave – Grips from the ball of the foot to the centre of your heel for outstanding turn control.
Deep Tub Concave – Designed to cup the toes and heels for quick, precise turns.
Variable Concave – Uses natural structures to fine tune flex patterns.
Slim Cave – Small feet need concave too! Outstanding turn control in a narrow profile.
Offset Camber – Helps initiate powerful turns and smooth exits.
Radial Drop Platform - 3/8” rounded drop platform creates subtle drops in the front and rear so as to cradle your feet.
Pleasure Dome Arch Support - Get connected! Arch support will dial in your steezy cornering by giving you full contact with the board.
Speed-stiff - Don’t get bounced! Stiff boards will make you stable at high speeds.
Firm Flex – Drifting and thrashing with little effort.
Elasta Flex – Surf style turns and pumping made capable through flex and rebound.
Oversized Wheel Wells – Avoid wheel bite on looser trucks and bigger wheels.
Linear Drop Platform – Keeps your feet locked into place. Ideal for freeriding.
Universal Drop Thru Mounting – Lowers your board for easy pushing and extra stability.
Bee Orange Finish: Enhances and tones the natural wood grain while protecting with an excellent wax barrier that
repels water. The citrus-based polish is completely free of harmful chemicals and is an environmentally sustainable product.
