More mini's...

I just finished another mini-Simmons (MS) shape with a little different tail design. The typical MS tailblock is quite wide, which helps to get this short shape up and planing, but makes it a little difficult to turn. The idea behind the “notch tail” is to lessen the resistance to water flow in the tail as the board rolls over on the rail for turning. Same basic idea as swallow tails and fish tails. For those interested, the dims on this shape are 5’8” 19-3/4” x 22-3/4” x 19-3/4”  2-3/4".  Fin set up is twin Futures boxes for traditional keels, mod keels or standard twins.

We have a couple of these mini-Simmons shapes as demos at the shop. Contact me if you’d like to take one for a test drive.  

Third time's the charm....

This is Rick with his new 9-6 Nova. We spent weeks talking about this shape in the parking lot at C St and in the lineup. Most experienced surfers know how they want their board to look and feel, and Rick is no exception. The challenge for surfer and shaper is getting that vision communicated. In Rick's case it took us three attempts to translate Rick's vision into a reality. The other two boards were solid shapes, but just not what Rick had in mind. The second shape was close, but needed some small tweaks in thickness and nose rocker. With Rick in the shaping bay, we went over each dimension multiple times, adjusted tail-v and re-shaped the tail from mini-square to round-pin. Satisfied with the shaped blank, we put it in Ray's capable hands and here is the result.

I expect my customers to be heavily involved in the creation of their new shape. It takes time, effort, patience and, most of all, mutual trust in the process.

Back to work....

Holiday season was busy with visiting relatives and good waves. Now its back to building boards. Here's a 9-6 Nova Pintail getting fin boxes. Its has a sweet Ice Green resin tint on bottom and rails, with a green pinline.

Also at the glasser's is a 9-6 Nova for Rick and a 9-0 Nova Benjamin.

While you're waiting for the next swell...

Here's a cool vid of Joel Tudor and Wingnut talking 'bout noserideing

Waves!

Ventura area surfers were treated to three days of outstanding surf this weekend. Calm winds allowed clean conditions nearly all day. I surfed a couple of late afternoons on the dropping tide. Something I haven't done in months.

Here's the Pier at C St showing some size where there's typically barely a ripple. The little black  dot at the edge of the white water is a surfer.

One of the smaller set waves at Pitas Point. This shot was taken from where I hope to be parking my newly acquired travel trailer this winter.

6-8 HYB 5-Fin...

I shaped this hybrid shape for the older, larger shortboard surfer who has a job, responsibilities and doesn't get to the beach as often as he'd like. Or, for a surfer who is looking for a sub-7' board to add to his quiver of mid-size and/or longboard shapes. The board has a full outline with wide-point very close to center, which is typical of hybrid shapes.. The bottom has relaxed entry rocker with a slight kick in the last 6" to cope with later take-offs. Bottom contours are a subtle single-to-double concave. At 2-5/8", the thickness is in between standard shortboard thickness and standard funboard thickness, striking a balance between paddling power and lower volume.

(BTW, the rocks you see in the photos were covered by 3' of sand prior to this weekend's big swell! Time to break out the booties.)

The five fin-box option allows the rider to experiment with either tri-fin, quad-fin or 5-fin configurations. As a transition board, this shape tries to provide the broadest performance range possible. Dimensions are 13"x20-1/2"x15"  2-5/8". Those interested in the shaping of this board can check here.

Contact me if you're interested in taking this board for a spin.

Hey Michael! Come and get your Nomad!

Here's the latest iteration of my Nomad shape, a.k.a. egg, speed egg. This is the epoxy/EPS version, which was glassed with 4oz+6oz S-cloth (deck) and 6oz S-cloth bottom. Board is about a 2lbs lighter than a standard PU/PE shape. Boards dimensions are 7'6" 16-1/8"x22-1/2"x15-1/4"  2-7/8" 53.7L.

Here's Ray polishing the deck

This shape has an interesting story behind it, and it demonstrates how my shapes evolve over time. Earlier this year I hand-shaped an 8-0 EPS King Fish for a customer, and then had the same shape cut by machine, using EPS again. I use the AKU  program for machining my blanks and since AKU doesn't cut swallow or fish-tails, the tailblock of the cut blank is left straight. Since personally, I'm not a big fan of big fish shapes, I decided to just re-shape the tail into a round-pin. Thus was born the 7-11 Egg which I really enjoyed last spring. But, I felt the shape in EPS was a little to floaty for my weight, so I sold the 7-11 to Mike G., and hand-shaped a 7-6 from PU foam that was much more to my liking. About 5 weeks ago, Michael stopped by and turns out he works and surfs with Mike G.  He had ridden the 7-11 and wanted something similar, but smaller. So, I loaned him the 7-6 for a week or so, and after riding it, he felt the shape was still not quite right. So we narrowed the outline, and reduced the thickness and went with EPS foam to maximize float, and here is the final product. And that's how my shapes evolve; a combination of personal trial and error, coupled with feedback from customers. Don't forget, you can get a custom shape for the same price as a board off the rack. All it takes is about 4 weeks of patience.

King Fish for David...

After riding Kirt's KF, David decided he wanted one for himself, but with a few modifications. This 8-0KF is a little smaller overall, with pulled-in nose and tail, thinner rails and just a little less thickness. Final dimensions are 8'0" 16-7/8"x22-1/2"x15-3/4"  3" 64L. The cedar stringer adds a subtle touch of elegance to the uncluttered look of this clear finished custom. David's choice of Hexcore fins by True Ames will allow this shape to perform to its potential.

One for the shop...

In between all the recent board orders I've taken, I managed to slip in one for the "shop". This is a 9-6 Nova which is my all-around, go-to, modern longboard shape. It's a board you can take to the beach almost any day and have a great time. Chest-high or smaller, pop out the side-bites and add a 9.5" center-fin (Velzy NR by True Ames is my favorite) and "enjoy the glide, the slide and the occasional noseride". Shoulder-high or bigger, pop in the 3.7" side bites and your favorite 7"-7.5" narrow tip center-fin, and enjoy top-to-bottom turns and cheater-fives through speedy sections. A narrow tail and moderate tail V, make this board turn effortlessly, while the half-length, blended nose-concave and moderate nose width invite endless noserides. If you only have budget for one LB in your quiver, the Nova is your best choice. Dimensions: 9'6" 18" x 23" x 14-1/4"  3-1/8"

Foiled at both ends

Love this medium thick tucked rail!

This board was glassed with two layers of 6oz E-Cloth on the deck and one layer of 6oz E-Cloth on the bottom. Ray used just a "stick-dip or two" of yellow pigment in the resin, added a red pinline and finished with gloss and polish.

I love yellow surfboards!!

Stubby 2+1....

Just picked up the 6-4 "lemonade" stubby. Ray did an awesome job with the abstract bottom and the pinline.

Full outline and boxy rails for extra volume in a short length. 2+1 fin config for that retro cruise style.
Dims:
6-4 14-1/2"x22"x16"  3"       Price $510 without fins