Friday, July 30, 2010

Nobby's board almost ready to pack for Australia


Nobuhito Ohkawa from Japan has been very busy trying to finish his board to get it down to the Gold Coast next weekend. He flies in next Saturday with his wife and a couple of boards. All Paulownia , all from the same tree. He has a very detailed approach to building his boards.Come and check them out next weekend if you are able.

www.nobbywoodsurfboards.com

Kiwi John and his Kauri board

John Sutcliffe from New Zealand has just finished this great looking New Zealand Kauri board to bring with him next week . He is looking forward to some warm water at The Alley and to slide a few waves at the point.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The solid Paulownia test...

David from Paulownia Paradise in Melbourne just sent these pics and the following story to share.

" We were often asked how a solid Paulownia surf board would perform so we used 3 lengths of 2”Paulownia timber that were quite bowed and just glued them together then shaped a 9’10” long board from solid timber with no holes drilled not chambered at all and weighed in at 12.5 KG and just a linseed oil finish."






" We laminated a D fin out of 6mm Paulownia and gave the end result to Ken Reimers of KR surf to test it with an honest result ."

The result - "Not enough rocker , not enough buoyancy and the fin buzzed so we have proved that this is not the way to go."

So if you were thinking this would be the way to go. Don't. Not solid anyway, chambered works e all know. Solid Balsa works , but not solid Paulownia. So thanks David for the exercise.
David will be up from Melbourne on Sunday 8th of August ( next weekend )with samples of his timber and Paulownia Alaia blanks to check out.

www.paulowniasurfboardsupplies.com

How to get there

Nobby and Paul Jensen at last years Wooden Board day in the Gold Cost Sun newspaper.

The Gold Coast Surf Museum is not far from the Alley right opposite the entry to The Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary in Tomewin Street. Look for the big surfboard.Saturday night at the Surf Museum to meet a few people and a few beers , put faces to names and all that.Great venue and some great boards and memorabilia to check out as well.

Check it out at :
http://surfworldgoldcoast.com/events/wooden-surfboard-night/

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Bobby Crisp and his Mini Simmons










Bobby Crisp from Deluxe Industries in New Zealand has been busy building more beautifully detailed balsa boards. He loves fine inlays and wood details. He used to be in windy wet Wellington , but has moved as far south in the even colder South Island as you can go before dropping off the end of the world. The cold hasn't cooled his passion for these great boards.
Bob will be here on the Gold Coast next weekend with some boards for you to check out.

www.deluxeindustries.blogspot.com

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The wooden Simmons

Add ImageNathan Grey from Sydney has just finished building this great looking wooden Mini Simmons.

5ft 6" Jet Tail 18" , 21" , 18" x 2 5/8" with a hull entry which blends into a subtle rolled V then blends into the channels.

Nathan says that the board is glassed with epoxy 6oz on the top and 4oz bottom.Then sprayed with satin auto acrylic.

Nathan will be bringing it with him to the Wooden Board Day on Sunday 8th of August at the Alley.

Check him out at : www.nathanielgrey.com.au

Monday, July 26, 2010

Bush Pig off to the glasser


Mike Connor has finished the "Bush Pig" and headed for the Gold Coast for glassing. The board is all made from Paulownia , frame, skins and rails. A classic shape that is well suited to this construction method and should be a great ride. Mike will be one of the speakers at the Gold Coast Surf Museum on Saturday night 7th of August. The board will be there as well for sure.

Call the surf museum to book a place or buy a ticket on :
(07) 5525 6380

A great opportunity to meet a few guys and put faces to names before the day in the Park the following day.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Robert Ivers has two boards getting glassed for the Wooden Board Day

Robert just sent me these pics of a couple of boards he will bring along to the Wooden Board Day.
" I have just finished a couple of retro boards to bring to the Wooden Board day. A 6'4" Twiny and a 6'8" Single fin.
I've sent them off to the boys at North Coast Surfboards for glassing and to be fitted with some of those nice Wiz Finz.
See you in August."

Check out his other boards at : www.hwsb.com.au

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Alley this morning.



Winter is a great time for a wave here on the Gold Coast. The swell is more consistent and the offshore wind funnels down the river mouth from the inland valley.Less people and the keen ones hit it early like this morning. Yes we are lucky and that is why we live here.

Wooden Board Day in Europe


Swayholland 2010 shapersmeeting + European wooden board day on august 29 2010

Just been sent an update on the 1st Wooden Board Day in Europe . To be held in conjunction with Swaylocks followers in Holland.
" Hello all!!

it's coming: the 3rd Swaylocks Holland shapers meeting, this year together with the 1st European Wooden Board day!

We are very happy to get this thing going and are very gratefull that the Hui Nalu surf club in Wijk aan Zee will host the event for another year.

So drop by with all your friends on Sunday the 29th of August, from 11.00 till 18.00 to have a drink, talk board design and show what you made in your shed! Maybe we can even have a surf when the waves co operate."

If you need more info please contact :
andrew.sparks@oracle.com
or effmonsterboards@gmail.com

Mikes pig nearly done

Last summer Mike Connor and I shaped and glassed a board each to test out some design ideas.

Mike went with the classic pig shape of the 60's. He loves the feel of it and decided it was the ideal test board to then build in wood. 9ft 6" x 23 1/2" x 3 1/8".

Here she is nearly ready to head off to the glasser next week to be ready for the wooden board day.

All Paulownia and a touch of Cedar.

Ready to be trimmed up and shaped.

Plastic wrap is a great for holding things with odd angles and shapes that you can't clamp real easy.

Tail blocks on the same way.

All hands on deck to get the rails glued on and in place.

Check out the finished board in a couple of weeks at the Wooden Board Day at Currumbin Alley Sunday 8th August. Mike will also be one of the guest speakers at the Surf Museum on Saturday night prior to the day in the park.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Karl Mackie fish story

Add ImageKarl lives in Cornwall the hub of surfing in the UK some might say and this is his story.
" Cheers for showing an interest in my boards, Well...I had been making my own foam boards for a while, experimenting with single fins, Quads and Twin fins, inspired by the greats from the ‘Morning of the earth’ period, I was getting more & more interested in going back and building from raw materials, and surfing all kinds of crafts."

" I went traveling in 2009 and ended my trip in Noosa Heads, While staying with a friend I met a Noosa local called Parish Watts (vintagepacificsurfcraft.blogspot.com), an established board builder of the vintage tooth pick and handplane. I returned to Cornwall, UK full of ideas and inspired to make a wooden surfboard using materials from my local area, the plan was to build a wooden surfboard as eco friendly and cost effective as possible. "

" The board has been made almost entirely from Ply, apart from the rails where I have used pine strips. The top and bottom of the board is from a whole piece of 2mm ply, I would have loved to have used strips of good quality wood, however in the UK the cost would have run away with me. The tail is made from Balsa and the rails from cork. "


" Handplaning in the the UK is hardly recognized, certainly in Cornwall its still very new, i have been a bodysurfer for years now and I wanted to take what I had learnt in Noosa and apply it here, My Handplanes are made from boat builders high quality Gaboon Marine Ply, there are 4 boards in the line up, based on the aesthetics of the fish, the rounded Pin, the mal and for smaller hands the Mini, each board is hand crafted with channels, concave and hard/soft rails, I finish them untreated or coated in Raw Linseed oil. "

" By far the most exciting time in surfing for me has been the shift into wooden board building, the possibilities and the stoke from building from nothing is a wonderful thing to treasure."

It is a small world we live in. Parish Watts was at the Wooden Board Day last year with a great display of his wooden tooth picks. It is a shame Karl can't be here this year as well. But you will be able to check out Parish and many other great boards for sure.

Check out Karl's site here : www.cloudsalt.blogspot.com