Those initial Bean attempts went to friends and fellow riders, getting their tryouts in the real world — and coming back broken and shredded to be examined and redesigned, again and again.
Work in progress
Basically, a snowboard is like a sandwich, the Bean boys tell me on a recent frosty night as they walk me through their process (since much improved). Layers of polyethylene surround layers of triaxial fiberglass, which in turn surround a maple and poplar core, all of which are glued together with epoxy. (After some trial and error, the group now orders its wooden cores from a custom woodworker, Tom Brogle of Chicopee.)
Following their less than successful vacuuming attempts to bind it all, the three engineers worked with a friend's father to create a custom-designed I-beam press. Powered by a pneumatic compressor, the press delivers about 70 pounds per square inch and helps bake each board at about 200 degrees for roughly 40 minutes. The entire process takes about four to six hours per board.
"With our current process, we produce about 10 boards a week," working evenings and weekends, says McGraw. (Each of the Bean boys has full-time day jobs). "The basic flow is that we prepare materials during the week and then press boards on the weekends. Then, every few weeks, we take a weekend to finish the boards by trimming them to the right shape, drilling out the inserts [for bindings], and grinding and waxing the bases.
"All in all, it will take three of us around three months of roughly 30-hour weeks to press and finish them all," he says.
The resulting boards now come in two models, each available in three sizes: the Violator and the Commonwealth (as in Comm Ave). The former, a freestyle board, retails for $425. A true twin tip, to provide flexibility in the East Coast's often cruddy snow conditions, it's a "smooth-flexing all-mountain board," says Patrick. The Commonwealth, at $450, is "snappier," says Patrick, with a strip of carbon fiber that runs from the front inserts under the foot and onto the tail. Designed for more advanced riders, Leary calls it "a bullet down the hill with great handling and response."
Last year the team produced 70 of these snowboards for sale. This year, it aims to produce 100 boards, updated with stainless-steel edging that's designed not to rust, even if left wet and icy after a hard day's riding. They're available through the Bean Snowboards Web site, beansnowboards.com; East Coast Skate and Snow, of Merrimack, New Hampshire; and Boston's Wilderness House.
"It's a real cool concept," says Kevin Huffman, owner of East Coast Skate and Snow. While he has known the Bean players long enough to ridicule some of their earlier attempts, the current line, he says, has reached a true professional standard. The boards are "great for city riding," he says. "They're really good for the parks: nice and soft, and flexible. They're really good for hopping on rails. Not good for big mountain stuff, but really good for hanging out on the mountain, which is what most East Coast riders prefer."
Plus, adds Tom Casserly, snowboard buyer for Wilderness House, the whole idea of a hometown brand has its own appeal. "Bean being locally designed and built in Boston makes them stand out from the rest," he says. "They pay great attention to the details and make a product that people want right here at home.
