New 9-8 Nova for Scott...

Man, I love "Pick-up Day", the day the customer first lays eyes on his/her new board; the smiles, the high-fives, brings out the kid in everyone. Its one of the things I like most about building surfboards. This day it was Scot and his new 9-8 Nova.

This Nova is 9'8" 17-1/2" x 23" x 14" x 3-1/8" It was glassed with double 6oz deck and single 6oz bottom, and finished clear, sanded gloss-coat, with black pinline. And just for a little pizzaz, we added a wooden tailblock. The 2+1 fin set-up adds to the versatility of this shape. I recommend 9-1/2" single-fin for waves 4ft or smaller, and 7-1/2" center fin with 3.7" side-bites for waves 5ft or larger.

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!

Getting social...

Social networking is a great tool for a shaper (me) to communicate news, ideas, thoughts, photos' etc.with fellow surfers. You can now follow Thomas Patrick Surfboards on Facebook , Twitter (@tp4surf) and Instagram (#tp4surf)

The T-Belly saga continues...

Here's the latest iteration of my "T-Belly" belly board. With stringer-less EPS/Epoxy construction, and quad fins, this board is fast and responsive. 

The dimensions are 48" x 22-1/4" x 2" 23L. You can read all the technical stuff  HERE  These little gems are a blast to ride, and excel in marginal conditions. Plus they fit easily into the trunk of your car or the back of your truck. Don't leave home without one...you never know when an unexpected surf opportunity will present itself. Also, if physical ailments are keeping you from other forms of surfing, this is your ticket back into the lineup. Plus, a lot more soul than an SUP. Prices start at $299+tx

And now, for a little color...

In case you haven't noticed, surfboards, especially longboards and alternative shapes, have become multi-colored works of art. A case in point is this new custom Thomas Patrick Classic model being built for Kirt (seen in the previous post riding his Nova). Done all in resin tints, this board is a true one-of-a-kind custom.
Starting with a hand-shaped 9-3 noserider, Master Glasser Ray Lucke applied streaks of white opaque resin on the double layer of 6oz cloth on the  deck.

Applying white stripes

This was followed immediately by a coat of  light-grey resin tint. Clearly a two-man job, Ray is joined by glasser protege Mike.

Nearly finished

After the the main deck lamination hardened or "kicked", the board was flipped, the reversed lap trimmed and a blue tint inlay was applied to the bottom. Next, thin black stripes were added to the deck. This was left to harden overnight, and then lightly sanded the next day. In the next step, patches of color were added, again using tinted resin. These were also allowed to kick, and then the entire deck received a clear "hot coat".

Taping-off for the hot coat

Logo placed

My Grandson Kyle and his dad Bruce watch Ray applying hot-coat

This board will be a stunner when its completed next week. Be sure to check back....

9-0 Nova in action....

I love to see my boards in action! This is Kirt on his 9-0 Nova single-fin at Church's during the 2/1/15 swell. Kirt is always one of the best surfers in the water at Church's and he always rides Thomas Patrick Surfboards.  I usually do the Novas as 2+1, but that's what a "custom" board is all about. Your board, your way.

The dimensions are 9'0" 18-1/2" x 22-3/4" x 15" 3-1/4". I built this board almost 3 yrs ago and its good to see it being put through it's paces. You can see it when it was brand new here. So Cal has had good waves in abundance this winter, and good waves deserve good boards. Order your custom board today!

The last TBG3s...

These are the last two TBG3s. The one on the left is for a 300lb rider, while the one on the right is for a 170lb rider. The biggest difference in these last two G3s is the switch from a well-defined tail concave to a blended double concave tail with slight V. While I prefer quad fins, both customers chose the twin fin set-up.

I start work on the new TBG4 next week. This board will be 3" longer (at 48"), than my old TB3. The extra length will necessitate changes in the outline, the foil and fin position. 

Recent interview with MyPaipo.org...

Check-out my recent interview conducted by Bob Green of the MyPaipo.org belly-board forum. I'm building more and more of these fun little boards.

Pricing starts at $299. Contact me for more info or if you want to test drive one.

"All the way to the stairs...

Photo shows Cove a low tide with sand from summer SW swells

My local break is known for its long, peeling winter waves which, with the right conditions, can offer leg-burning rides down almost the entire length of the point (see photo below). That is, of course, only if three or four of your "closest friends" don't drop in on you somewhere along the way. Like many California point breaks, the wave ends in a cove. At my break, there is stairway access to the Cove beach, and the goal becomes one of riding a wave until you get "...all the way to the stairs." The larger the swell, the further up the point you can take off and still make it to the stairs. Today was my turn. I was surfing my 7-3 Widget, with low expectations, jockeying between the shortboarders and the longboarders, and settling for leftovers. I caught a couple of fun ones, but nothing to write home about, you know, 2-3 turns and a close-out. Then a big set had everyone paddling for the horizon, myself included. After the 3-4 wave set passed, I found myself pretty much alone on the outside, lined-up with the public restroom and with lots of bobbing heads on the inside. Without much of a lull, a second set appeared, and at head-high, almost as large as the first. I paddled for the first wave, but missed...too far out. I let the second wave pass and was now in perfect position for the last wave. Three or four strokes, and I was up and riding.

To my pleasant surprise, everyone else had either been washed in or had caught one of the previous waves. Looking down the line, I had no one in front of me for a hundred yards. I put the Widget through its paces, making long, carving turns, dodging paddlers and  pumping through sections as necessary. While there was certainly no danger of me being mistaken for Kellly or Dane, I was surfing at my humble best, and enjoying every second. The Widget was flying down the wave, and it wasn't until I entered the cove that I realized how far I had come. By then, the wave was down to chest-high, but still lined up. My plan was to pump all the way to the stairs, but the wave took me past the stairs before closing out. After wading in and walking back up the point, I decided to call it a day. Always better to leave the water on a high, I always say. Later, using Google maps, I calculated the distance traveled  to be 1,650ft or over 500yds!!

Here's the board I was riding. The Widget Quad, 7'3"  15-1/2" x 22-3/4" x 16"  2-3/4" 52L. Low rocker for speed, quad fins for hold and bump-wing tail for qucik turning. The full outline offers plenty of paddling speed and gets the board up and planing. If you're ready to step-down from that longboard, don't waste your time with an oversized "fish". Get a Widget and watch your surfing performance progress to higher levels. The Widget is available form 7'0" to 8'0".