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 few words about "epoxy" boards...

First off, these surfboards are constructed with EPS foam, fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. Epoxy resin can be used on either standard polyurethane (PU) foam or EPS foam. Polyester (PE) resin cannot be used on EPS foam. The PE resin will dissolve the EPS foam. Not good.  Knowledgeable surfers call these boards "EPS/Epoxy", not "epoxy".

EPS foam is composed of tiny beads of foam that are compressed together. Despite the compression, there remains tiny air spaces between the beads. Its these air spaces that give EPS foam its extra buoyancy and its the same air spaces that quickly fill with water when the outer fiberglass skin has been breeched. Additionally, the air in these tiny pockets will expand when heated and, seeking the path of least resistance, will vent between the foam core and the fiberglass skin. This causes delamination (more so with the less dense 1lb/1.5lb EPS used in SUPs. I use 1.7lb or 2.0lb). Polyurethane foam has a very different cell structure. The cells share cellular walls so that there is no empty space between cells. As a result, PU is more dense then EPS and less buoyant. Additionally, PU foam shapes much easier and can be finish-sanded to a uniform and almost velvet smoothness, ideal for resin-tint coloring. EPS, on the other hand, will have areas of pock marks where tiny beads have been pulled out. Spray-paint or colored resin tint will collect in these tiny holes, creating a slightly darker color, giving the finish a "freckled" look. And again, only epoxy resin can be used to laminate EPS. Standard polyester resin will dissolve EPS foam.

Delamination, due to "gas-off" or the release of air due to expansion caused by heat, was an early problem with EPS/epoxy surfboards. This was especially the case in hotter, tropical climates, or when storing the board in a non-air-conditioned space, such as a shed, garage or in a locked car. A one-way, goretex vent which allows hot air to be released, but doesn't allow water to enter, is used when the surf-craft is destined to be used in hotter climates. The vent, which is about as big as a nickel in diameter,  is set into the board, flush with the deck. If you live in  Inland So-Cal, or other places where +80*F temps are common, you may want to consider having a vent installed in your eps/epoxy board.

The main advantage of EPS is its buoyancy and light weight. Take two identical shapes, one in EPS and the other in PU, same glassing schedule, and the EPS board will feel 15%-20%% lighter. This allows the construction of thinner/smaller shapes to achieve the same "float" that would be achieved using PU foam. Note: rule of thumb is subtract 1/8" thickness to a shape done in EPS over one done in PU. I think this holds true for shortboards, but I think it should be more like -1/4" or maybe -3/16" for longer shapes. I shaped and rode a 7-11 egg that was 2-7/8" and it felt more lake 3-1/8" or maybe a little more.

Another happy customer...

This board has been on the market for quite a while. Not sure why. I rode it more than a half-dozen times and always found it to be a great, all-around longboard. Finally Dan, who has owned a few of my mid-size shapes over the past couple of years, snatched it up over the weekend. This was his feedback on the board: "Took the new Nova out at County Line this morning.  Had a blast!  Thanks for the board!" That's pretty much the typical response I get from Nova owner's. I've refined the Nova model over the past 8 yrs. It catches waves easy, turns easy, and noserides whenever you feel like it. What more can you ask for in a longboard?  I always have one in my quiver, and you should too!!

Customer feedback...

Back in November I shaped a Kingfish for surfer David O. in San Clemente.  I finally got a chance to catch up with David and this is what he had to say about his Kingfish... 

"Just wanted to update you on the King-Fish you shaped for me back in November. GREAT results! It worked amazing at Church, Salt Creek, Uppers and even Doho on the recent good sized south swells. Mahalo to you, sir and I have to say, it's made both the winter and summer much more fun! Aloha!"

Now's a good time to order your Kingfish!

Combating the summertime blues...

North of LA, surf quality takes a turn for the worse in the summertime. Long periods of 1'-2' dribblers, punctuated by the occasional (some would say "rare") south swell is pretty much the case. Finding an alternative ocean activity is a must. For me its kayak fishing. Through some trading and bartering I acquired this Malibu 2 XL tandem kayak.

 The Malibu 2 is a great tandem yak, but what makes it particularly useful is that it has a center seating position which allows it to be paddled solo. This allows for plenty of deck space for fishing gear and (hopefully) fish! So after some internet research, a little purchasing and a lot of scrounging I built this

Here's how I  get it to where I want to fish...trusty old F150

Turns out that the days when the surf is flat are ideal for kayaking. Most sit-on-top kayaks are built out of polypropylene plastic which is almost indestructible. Which helps when dragging it over rocks, across the beach or across a parking lot.

9-1 Speedster....

Here's the latest 9-1 x 22-3/4" x 3-1/8" Nova Speedster, finished in tri-color resin tint.

The Nova Speedster is built for surfing off the tail in quality waves, shoulder-high or better. The design features slight nose concave, flat mid-section and double concaves in the generous tail V. Wide-point is just behind center.

 Notice that  the thin brown stripe marks the spot where tail-V is at max depth and where the outline curve begins to pull into the pintail. A rocker photo would show the tail rocker starting to accelerate at this spot as well. This is also the spot where the tail concaves start. It is this combination of compound curves that creates ball-bearing-like turns and high-speed carves.

Don't be left out when the next big swell hits. Order yours today!

Ready for glassing...

Finished the 9-1 yesterday and placed it in the glassing rack.

 Board features shallow nose concave with double concave through moderate tail-V. Dimensions are 9-1, 18x22-3/4"x14-1/2"  3-1/8". Board will be finished with a tri-tone rootbeer resin tint tail, topped with beige opaque band, and then clear in the forward 2/3 of the board. fin set-up will 2+1 with Future boxes.

Back to SUPs....

A new longboard...finally

After doing way too many SUPs and Mini-Simmons boards, I have the opportunity to do a cool little LB. This one will be a 9-1 Nova Speedster 2+1 with some trick rocker and bottom contours. The customer selected the cool T-Band using 1/16" Cedar-1/8" Basswood-1/16" Cedar.

Here where I left off. The blanks has been skinned and about 90% foiled. i still need to tweak the rocker in the nose and tail, and then adjust thickness at both ends as well. At this point, I'll  lay out and cut the template. After that I finish the bottom contours, do the aforementioned tweaks and then  turn the rails.

Waaay too many SUPs...

The shop has contracted with three different manufacturers to build SUPs, and I've been up to my eyeballs in   finish-shaping.

I've done maybe 10 of these in the last few weeks and still have another 10-20 to go. Most are pretty straight-forward, but some (like the one above) arrive with a ding or two that needs to be "fixed". Just part of the gig. EPS foam is much harder to finish than polyurethane foam due to its bead-like structure. Impossible to get that polished satin finish, especially along the stringer. Its factory production work, for sure. Not very rewarding, but it has given me a ton of experience with EPS foam. My summer board this year will be an EPS longboard in the 10-ft range. A cruiser to challenge the SUPers on small days in the cove. Can't wait...

Only thing I miss about San Diego...

The occasional clean, shoulder high Spring morning in Cardiff with only one pesky SBer.