Getting ready for summer...

This winter, in Ventura County, we had lots of great surf, but Spring is here and with Summer just around the corner it was time to build a small-wave longboard.

This is my Classic Model, at least its the latest iteration of the Classic. For 2015 I've moved the widepoint behind center, giving the shape a more "Pig-ish" look and feel. The rails are pinched 60/40 with no tucked edge. The bottom has a blended, half-length nose concave that becomes slightly convex in the middle, and then transitions into a rolled panel-V in the tail. The rocker is fairly flat to match up with the small flat waves we have here in the summer. The NR is 4" and the TR is 3-5/8"

This blank had a couple of tiny surface holes caused by air bubbles, so my first choice of a resin tint color was not to be. Instead< we went with this "Dejon" yellow opaques, with red and black pinlines. Glassing schedule was 6oz + 6oz deck, and 6oz bottom.

The board's dimensions are 9'6" 17-1/4" x 23" x 15-5/8"  3" 79L. At 19lbs the board has the heft of a proper noserider to it, largely due to the 3/8" redwood stringer. Finished off with a through fin-box leash loop and True Ames 9.5" Velzy Nose Rider fin, the board performs as as well as it looks.

Kirt's Classic...

I really enjoy being challenged by my customers. It gets me out of my comfort zone, and spices things up. As much as I appreciate the classic look of a coke-bottle-green noserider, you can only do so many solid resin tints before it gets, well, boring. I can always rely upon customer Kirt to stir things up, and his request for this 9-3 Classic Model was no exception.

This 9-3 x 23" x 3-1/8" round-pin single-fin, has 50/50 rails, half-length nose concave and extraordinary resin work by Ray Lucke. The board was done with a multi-colored, reversed-lap deck and solid blue tint bottom inlay. A double pinline on the bottom neatly cleans things up.

To get a glimpse of the complicated process required to produce this very special lamination work go here. Ray and I have been building boards together for over 4yrs and I think this definitely one of the best that we've done. We'd love to build your next board. Challenge us!

Introducing the V-Pig...

In 1966 Nat Young won the World Surfing Championship on a 9-2 longboard, which was almost a foot shorter than the other competitors. Surfers around the world took notice, and immediately began to shorten their equipment. In 1968, an Australian shaper names Bob McTavish added an extreme V-tail to his already shortened (8'10") board, and was able to greatly reduce the radius of his turns. This shortened turning radius led to more across-trimline surfing and eventually to the vertical surfing style we see today. This board is an exploration of those early design features, and is inspired by other modern examples of this shape, such as the Gene Cooper's V-2, Ryan Lovelace's V-Bowls and Steve Boehne's Aussie '68. When my customer, Kirt, saw a couple of these, he immediately recognized the potential and just had to have one.

The main goal of this design was to build a small-wave noserider, that turns on a dime, feels lively under foot, but still offers good noseriding. Starting with the basic wide-point behind center Pig outline, I shrunk the length to 8-10 and added some width in the tail and nose. The rails are slightly pinched, 50/50 with just a touch of down rail in the last 6". I started the extreme V  about 39" from the tail and maintained it all the way out the tail. This V adds almost an inch of rocker at the rail, and is the key to quick, flowing turns. A 2/3-length concave on the bottom enhances noseriding.

And here is the V-Pig in the eager hands of its owner (and co-conspirator) Kirt.

This is a good shot showing the extreme "V"

All V-Bottoms need a thin, flexy fin. Kirt chose a True Ames Velzy Classic

Summer salvation...

I'm calling this 10-0 Classic the "White Knight" because it's white and its going to save me from the summer-time dragons. Made of 2-lb EPS with a solid 4oz+4oz+4oz S-glass deck and 4oz+4oz S-cloth bottom, this board is light (only 17.5lbs!!) and strong.

This 10'0" Classic is 18" x 23-1/4" x 15-1/2"  3-1/4" 83.4L Blank was sealed with epoxy and micro-balloons, and then laminated with a whisper of white resin tint, giving the board a slightly opaque look. The board also sports the new "Thomas Patrick" logo on the rails, with little pointy pinline gizmos just to spice things up. 

Finally, I added my old, trusty red TA Velzy Noserider Fin. 

Took it out this weekend at Mondo's which is the acid test for small-wave, summertime LBs. Had no trouble paddling into weak, waist-high peelers, or making slalom turns through the surf-class foamies.  If, like me, you're tired of loosing set waves to SUPers on barges and groms on 9-6 logs, order up a 10-0 to 10-6 White Knight and slay those summer-time dragons.. 

A Classic for Eddie...

Eddie from Santa Barbara picked up his new 9-6 Classic today.

Board's a beauty with light-grey resin tint bottom and rails, poppy-gold resin-tint tail-dip, and two-tone, black/orange deck pinline. Double, 1/8" Cedar stringers adds a real "classic" touch.

Eddie can't wait to recover from that broken-ankle....

A couple of Classics....

   Hot, breezy days have people lining up to get their next custom summer board. Here's a pair of Classics on the lamination rack.

Both boards are resin tint, with resin tint deck inlay. Traditional lap-line, pinline will be added after hot-coat.  Old school lamination to match the feel of old school 50/50 rails and single-fin glide. A couple of more Classics in the wings, including a triple-stringer and one for yours truly...errr, the shop, I mean. Don't get caught without a log for the summer, order your Classic today.

Pick-up day for Kirt...

Kirt arrived at the shop today to pick up his new Nova Hi-Perf Noserider. This is a very unique custom board, something you won't find at your local surf shop.

 The EPS blank was special-ordered from Marko Foam with a cedar-basswood-cedar T-band stringer. After shaping, the board was glassed in a 2-tone red and blue epoxy resin tint, "shabby chic" style. After lamination the board was sanded and polished to a deep shine (impossible to take pictures without reflections)


                                                                                 

Wide nose, narrow tail, nose concave and ultra-light weight make this a shape that can be surfed off the tail or on the nose at the highest level of longboard performance.

Shouldn't you have one in your quiver?

Last month, Ray and I celebrated our third anniversary of building quality surfboards  together.

Ray Lucke (L) and  Thomas Patrick (R)

New Nova Daily Driver...

Over the last few months (since the 2013 Holiday season, actually) I've come to the unnerving realization that, as my weight has crept up towards 195lb, I just can't compete for waves on a 9-6. This is especially true on a typical day at my local break, where the waves are a mushy, waist-high. The 10-0 Classic I used last summer was OK, but felt, well, a little log-ish and one-dimensional. My 9-6 Nova Speedster needs shoulder-high or better surf before it hits its stride as a fast, responsive LB. This 9-9 Nova is my attempt to achieve longboard Nirvana, that is, one longboard for all occasions, big or small, fast or slow.

 Dimensions are 9'9" 18-5/8"x23"x14" 3-1/8" I kept the rails a little full, wanting to maintain some of the volume that my 10-0 offered. The tail is a pulled-in, mini-square tail, which I believe is the best tail shape for a "performance" LB. I added a little extra "V" in the tail to compensate for the lower 3-5/8" tail rocker. This LB should be both fast and responsive. I added a half-length, blended nose concave with a beveled-rail, a la Infinity Rad NR, Stewart Hydro Hull, Walden Magic. The beveled rail is believed to make trimming from the nose a little easier, but we'll see. I did it more as a shaping exercise, having never done one before.

The board has a t-band center stringer and was finished with a beautiful, resin-tint Ice Green bottom and rails, and an Ice Blue resin-tint deck inlay, set off by a red pin line. A red "wishbone" pin line sets off the bottom concave. Gloss & Polish, of course! The price for a board like this is a reasonable $890 (without fins). Contact me and lets talk about your next "one-board-quiver".

9-8 Classic anyone...?

Polished up, nice and shiny...looking for an owner

Late summer noserider, Part 2...

Finally picked up my new 10-0 Classic. Just the ticket for those small days at the Point. Dims are 18-3/4"x23-1/2"x15-3/4"   3-1/4" thick.



This board has the typical "Classic Model" features: half-length, blended nose-concave, moderate tail-"V", low entry rocker and slight flip in tail rocker.

I usually do the traditional "eggy" 50/50 rail on the Classic, but this time I went with a more modern 60/40 tucked rail. That tucked edge provides good water release for a slippier" ride.

That fin is the new Slick Regulator by True Ames. Every new board deserves a new fin!

Late summer nose rider...

Shaped a 10-0 Classic model "for the shop" last week, and today it's getting glassed. Here Ray is masking-off the deck before he does the bottom.

Doing it in the hip-and-groovy, shabby-chic, two-tone resin tint. Ray has this style down to a science.

 Here Ray is adding the clear resin coat that covers 2/3 of the board. Deck will be done the same way. 

A Red Stripe for Summer....

This “Classic” model is a great summer board, built for gliding and noseriding in knee- to waist-high waves. Dimensions are 9’4”  18-3/4” x 23-1/2” x 16”  3-1/8”. While only 9-4, the board has a very full outline to maximize planing surface. It has all the features of a classic noserider; wide tip with half-length nose concave, 50/50 egg rails, and moderate tail “V” for smooth turns and flowing cutbacks. Traditionalists will love the low nose rocker and the kicked tail rocker. The reduced area of the crescent tail, aka “moon tail”, functions a lot like a swallow tail, allowing the tail to be sunk more easily.

 The blank was ordered with a 3/8” basswood stringer and two “glue” cuts, with red glue.

Colored glue is an inexpensive way to add a little custom detail to any board. Most of the basic colors are available and there’s no extra charge. With glue cuts, the blank is cut as specified by the shaper and then glued back together. The end result is a very thin pinline in the color of choice. Glue cuts are $15 per cut.

I ordered this board with the tougher, but more expensive Silane cloth, double 6-oz deck and single 6-oz bottom. Finished with gloss and polish, and my favorite noseriding fin, a 9.5” Velzy NR by True Ames. Glass work by Lucke Glassing.   
Retail price = $760 including fin

Water temps are starting to warm up and south-west swells have started to make their way up the coast. Current delivery time is only 3 weeks. Time to order that new summer board before the June rush.

9-0 Classic

Here's a 9-0 Classic with a wide-body design. The fuller outline increases planing surface for easier wave catching in small-wave conditions. Dimensions are 19" x 24" x 16-1/2" 3". Board has all the Classic model features like pinched 50/50 rails, noserider rocker, tail V and blended, half-length nose concave. The outline has a decided "hip" in the outline located at the same place that tail rocker begins to accelerate and tail V is at max depth. On a longboard, the integration of these three features is critical for effortless turns and amazingly smooth cut-backs.

9-0 Classic with proud new owner

I added a crescent (aka "Moon") tail with flow-through deck scoop. A variation of the square-tail design and much like a swallow-tail, the crescent or moon tail shortens the turning radius and allows slightly greater tail penetration. The tail scoop directs water flow over the tail-block, helping to weigh the tail for improved noseriding.

Photos courtesy of  SliderMagazine.com

I just finished shaping a 9-4 version for the shop which will be available in early May. With the small waves of summer just around the corner, now is the time for you to order a custom Classic.

Dolphin Fan's Noserider



Dolphin fan Ilan and brother Tito

       I shaped this 9-6 Neo Single-fin for Miami Dolphin Fan Ilan. Boards dimensions are 9-6 18-3/4" x 23" x 15-3/8"  3". Board has typical Neo features: half-length, blended nose concave, moderate "V" in tail and eggy, 60/40 rails.

The two 1/8" cedar stringers can be seen clearly through the tourqoise and orange resin tint glass job (by Ray Lucke).  A clear True Ames "Slick" model center fin finishes off this noseriding beauty.

Ilan was able to watch the entire shaping process from raw blank to finished shape.





Heading to a nearby break for a little tip-time...