A shortage of surfboard blanks that threatened to crimp Hawai'i's celebrated surfing industry is starting to work itself out, with some people saying there could be a glut of the foam cores by the end of the year.

While some shortages remain, the first blanks from a new factory in China are scheduled to reach Honolulu on Saturday to help alleviate the problem. Others say they're on track to bring in foam from South Africa and that new factories in California and Mexico will help more when they ramp up. Shapers are also experimenting with new types of foam from different manufacturers.

"Everyone is trying to fill the void," said Glenn Miyasaki, a Mo'ili'ili-based shaper who has had to search out new blank sources after the dominant surfboard blank maker, Clark Foam, abruptly shuttered its manufacturing facility in Southern California in December because of environmental concerns.

By one estimate, Clark provided blanks for 90 percent of the U.S. boards made with polyurethane foam. In recent months there has been a frenzy by shapers to find new blank sources, with supply coming from as far away as Argentina and Australia. It led to a trading company headed by Waikoloa resident Ronald Woodard finding a factory in Han Jin, China, to formulate and perfect making blanks in two months.

"We were just lucky in choosing the right factory," Woodard said, noting he was able to work with a chemist with a doctorate to come up with blanks that he said were lighter and stronger than those produced by Clark.

Quality has been a problem with some of the blanks imported in recent months, Miyasaki said. Some don't have consistent foam density shapers seek, while other problems exist in getting the right sizes, he said.

"There's definitely a shortfall," said Honolulu resident James Richmond, who is working to ship in blanks from South Africa in coming weeks. "I still get calls from people that want 10 or 15 blanks."

Woodard and his Hawai'i blank distributor, KingsSurf LLC, plan on bringing in one 40-foot shipping container stuffed with about 800 blanks each week through the end of the month from the factory in Guangdong Province. After that the shipments will double. Woodard is also shipping to California.

KingsSurf LLC's partner Rich King said pent-up demand is still high because not all suppliers have had the volume they expected. King said there won't be any problem selling out his first shipment.

"We anticipate having it gone before it hits the ground."

Other suppliers are bringing in polyurethane blanks from Australian makers and from Walker Foam in California. Safari Surf Co. from South Africa has appointed Richmond as its Hawai'i representative.

Shapers who have traditionally used polyurethane foam are experimenting with polystyrene foam, which has a different set of manufacturers.

Kapolei-based Pacific Allied Products Ltd. said its polystyrene blank business has grown steadily, while Waialua-based Surflight Hawaii Inc. said it is bringing in its second container of pressure-molded polystyrene blanks from California.

"It kind of opened up people's minds to different things," said Surflight founder James Richardson. "People are learning what different materials do and are experimenting more."

All this, along with imports from Australia and talk of new Mainland factories that are springing up, has some people saying Hawai'i and other markets could be overwhelmed by blanks if all the factories and capacity that's being added comes on line.

KingsSurf's King said Woodard's China factory is capable of making 800 blanks daily.

Richmond and King said they expect the quality of their product should help differentiate them from the competition. Woodard said he doesn't expect a glut because getting the factories up and running is more difficult and expensive than people think.

Richardson, who also teaches at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's College of Business Administration, said he expects a logjam for blank manufacturers.

"There's at least five companies claiming they're going to be as big as Clark Foam and there was only one Clark Foam."

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.