A new Classic on the rack...

Here's a 9-9 Classic Model noserider that just had the bottom laminated.

That's Ice Blue tint with clear stripe and opaque blue nose dip.
I know, Ice Blue looks like green, but its really blue. Same color as the belly board below.

Here's a view from another angle. This board is based on a Terry Martin Hobie round-pin noserider I used to own, at least the back half is. The front half is from a template of a board I did about 3 yrs ago. Best noserider I've ever owned, but it was a square tail. I liked the curves of the Martin so I just blended the two together. Dimensions are 9-9 18-1/4 x 23-1/4 x 14-3/4" 3-1/4" thick with pinched, 60-40 rails, hlf-length nose-concave and tail V. Can't wait to get this one in the water.

Ice-T-Belly

Here's John's Ice Blue T-Belly. The latest iteration of the T-Belly has thinner foil and lower rocker. The slope-deck rails are thin, offering good wave penetration. I moved the fins slightly forward, but kept the V outside of the fins, with a progressively-deep single concave exiting the tail. There is a "hip" in the outline just forward of the fins, which is where the V starts at the rail and where the concave begins, flowing in between the fins and exiting the tail.

T-Belly for John M....

I really enjoy shaping these little boards. Shaping all of the contours, while trying to maintain symmetry, balance and functionality, requires a high level of concentration and forethought. Its really a meditative exercise. Time flies by as the unwieldly blank (in this case a 6-8RP by US Blanks) morphs into a rideable shape. I had intended to take photos throughout the shaping process, but once I picked up the planer, I got lost in the process until I reached the point where the deck and bottom were roughed-out, but the rails hadn't been turned.

As can be seen, the rocker is extremely flat in the last 2/3 of the bottom. This makes the shape paddle fast and glide fast across the wave face. Here's the finished shape...

I use a sloped-deck approach which allows a nice, thin rail for hold on steep faces. There is a concave down the center of the deck to hel keep the rider centered. The thickness along that deck ridge is 2-1/4", while thickness along the stringer is about 1-7/8". Those gooves on the nose are rail-grips. They will be less apparent after glassing. The nose is scooped-out a bit (more noticeable in the photo above). There is a break in the curve or "hip" about 12" up from the tail. This should coincide with the location of the rider's waist while riding, and serves as a pivot point in the outline for turning.







Looking down the bottom from the nose to the tail, you can see the concave that runs out the back 14" or so. The bevel in the tail bottom starts at the hip in the outline and increases the rocker along the rail in this area. This bevel makes the board easier to turn as the board is rolled up on the rail to turn. The bottom is convex in the nose up to the point where the rocker starts to flatten. The bottom then stays flat until the bevel and concave in the tail. Asymmetrical twin fins are placed 4" up from the tail, in the flat area between the bevel and the concave. Fin toe-in favors speed over turning.

Bottom showing both concave and bevel

Right-side tail bevel

Next, the board goes to Ray for Ice Blue resin tint, bottom and rails, clear deck inlay and yellow pinline.

Three to get ready...

Here are the three mini-Simmons shapes I did a few weeks back, drying on the racks after hot-coating.

The board in the foreground is a notch tail. the middle board is a diamond tail and the board in the background is a square tail. The popularity of these boards has spread up the coast from San Diego, and is now catching on in Ventura county. The M-S is a great shape for the slopey waves at the point, especially during those high-tide sessions. Shaped under the "R. Lucke" label, two of the boards above have already sold. We just received a shipment of four more blanks. Orders yours today!

New Nova...

Here's the round pin-tail Nova 2+1 I've been dying to ride. This round pin is a little spike-y, making it a good choice for bigger/better waves.

This boards dimensions are 9'6" 18" x 23" x 14-1/4" 3" thick. Tucked rail, 1/2-length nose concave and tail V make this board an outstanding performer. Ice Green resin tint, bottom and rails, with a dark green pin line and clear deck inlay. Gloss and polish finish.

I chose the True Ames Parrish Cutaway 7.25" center fin with the TA 3.7" side bites. True Ames now offers their side bites in a 3.25" depth as well as the standard 3.7" depth. The smaller SB allows you to use a larger center fin.

This board retails for $680 + tx without fins or $767 + tx with fins. The board is also available for demo. Contact me to arrange a test drive.

That's why we call it a custom...

Buying a custom surfboard is an unique opportunity to own a handcrafted, functional object that has been shaped and decorated to the owner's specification. Case in point is Ben's 9-0 Nova...

Ben was looking to replace a favored Takayama LB that was recently stolen. After much discussion via email, we settled on this outline and my standard Nova rocker, minus just a tad in the nose. Ben chose a Shamrock green, resin tint with brown competition stripes. He also wanted an anchor graphic on the deck and a ship propellor on the bottom representing his chosen vocation. Ben sent me the images, I printed them out to the dimension he specified and Ray did the rest (I haven't been able to stump Ray yet!). End result is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind surfboard. Are you ready to order your custom?

One in the oven....

For those of you wondering what happened to the 9-6 that customer Rick didn't want, here it is in the UV oven following hot-coat.

Ray often uses resin that is catalyzed by ultra-violet radiation. He built this nifty oven with UV bulbs, top and bottom, for this purpose. Place board in oven, close the hatch, turn on lights, and "presto" 20 min later you have one hardened glass job. This board should be ready to ride when I get back from Oregon on Saturday.

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.