UPDATE: 6’3” BALSA FISH FOR CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

Jay has just sent this update on the board he is building to raise funds for the earthquake appeal...

" Thanks to everyone for your support and encouraging words upon receiving my first message.

At this time we are still keeping it real, doing roadies to catch some waves. According to Canterbury medical officer of health, Alistair Humphrey, surfing in Christchurch was posing “serious risks.”

"The microbiology results show that the surfers at Sumner will be surfing in sewage. The E. coli count is off the scale," he said.

I think it will be a while before we’ll be hitting Christchurch beaches any time soon!!

Check-out the progress that has been made on the Balsa Board on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/sadhana-surfboards/update-63-balsa-fish-for-christchurch-earthquake-appeal/155872101140003

Pretty exciting stuff!! All shaped up by hand and glassed with a 6oz deck and 4 oz bottom.The density of the balsa allows for a lighter glass job which will still look beautiful for years to come.The polyester resin gives a good finish and really brings the grain out.

Will let you know soon when the auction will start.

Not to forget, our hearts and thoughts still continue to be with those facing the disaster in Japan."

Regards
Jay

www.sadhanasurfboards.co.nz

Belly Board art

Some nice art on one of Billy-joe Shearsby's belly boards

Layia the Paipo

I just got these great shots from Yohei Shiraishi to share with you.

" The little Paipo, 33″ x 22″ x 5/8″, is named after our native dune plant, Beach Layia. It has a domed deck and 1/4″ concave bottom. The board was donated to a benefit event for Friends of the Dunes and Humboldt Surfrider, who are working hard to protect our coastal environment."




Check out what other projects he has been working on.
www.taiyosurfboards.com

Ben's new fish

Tyler Wright showing how to have fun on the Pocket Rocket.

6’3” x 22” x 2^15/16”

BASICS ROUNDNOSE FISH // SLIGHT CONCAVE FALLING INTO VEE BEHIND FINS, QUAD SETUP
FINS USED FIXED FINS, HANDMADE BY DESIGNER
TECHNICALS EPS FOAM BLANK, HAND-SHAPED, 4OZ GLASSED BOTTOM WITH RESIN-GLUED PAULOWNIA WOOD PANEL DECKING, ONE-WAY AIR VENT VALVE UNDER LEGGIE PLUG, EPOXY RESINS

www.wallbridge.com.au

Belly Board art by Lachlan Leckie

During Nossa festival of surfing 2010, Vintage Pacific surf craft hosted an exhibition of belly boards. Decorated by artists/surfers including, Dane peterson, Jai Lee, Tim Crabtree, Keith Hamlin and Many more. We follow the process from start to finish (with a few distractions) of Gold Coast artist Lachlan Leckie.

Thinking of our friends in Japan as they try to get back on their feet

These photos were taken near the nuclear power plant outskirts in Fukushima in 2010.

They may never be able to surf there again due to contamination

All photos by : Kenyu /On The Board/Marine publishing company Japan

" Dear Friends,

This is the biggest disaster ever seen in JAPAN.
The earthquake of magnitude 9 overcame the wide coastline at 2:26pm on March 11, and the tsunami attacked from Tohoku to North Kanto in the 30 minutes by being generated in the Tohoku coast. The tsunami waves were 14 metres max in front of the nuclear power plant. The tsunami was made momentarily, attacked the long coastline, and destroyed up to ten kilometres or more inland.

A lot of surf points are scattered in this region. A lot of fatal blows were received. Moreover, a lot of surf shops near the beach disappeared too. Several thousand corpses went up to the coastline in the afternoon though it was uncertain whether there was persons who was surfing there. The above-mentioned life of 10,000 people was over in a moment, they were deprived, resulting in several hundred thousand victims. In addition, damage reached the nuclear plant, the radiation began to leak, and the evacuation order went out to the residents in the 20 kilometre radius. The fire fighting of the nuclear plant continues still as of today, March 26. The number of disaster evacuees keeps increasing too and it has became the worst disaster in the history of Japan.

The surf point from the Tohoku region to North Kanto received a huge amount of damage, and the surf point of Fukushima in particular, received a fatal blow. When it comes to restoration for the future, damage will continue to be serious throughout the rescue operation as it is now. I would like you to please lend help for the revival of Japan. Please hold out help to Japan that fights against the earthquake, the tsunami, the radioactivity, and the harmful rumours. The people who lost family, friends, houses, pets and everything are asking for help.

It is not time for tears in Japanese right now, we never give up and we will work hard until the country is revived. "

Please send contributions to: www.redcross.org.au/japan2011
USA - www.redcross.org

Best regards

Tadashi Yaguchi /Japanese surfer who lives in Newport Beach, Sydney Northern beaches since 1998.



A helping handplane from Mike

" Hi Grant, as part of a fundraising effort for the Christchurch Quake Victims, I was asked to make a handplane as a spot prize at the New Zealand premier of 'Stoked and Broke', so here it is, laminated paulownia with poker work, stain and linseed oil, built in handle (like you advised), stoked to do something fun and help raise money for those poor buggers in Christchurch."

Cheers Mike C.

The High Tech approach

We all know that the bee and the honey comb are a dam good team when it comes to building ideas. Well meet Mike Grobelny from New Zealand. He has taken that idea and some technology and lifted the bar for us all.

Old ideas new ideas , it is all out there in front of us we just need to know where to look sometimes.

It helps when you are a computer design major and have a work shop like this to use.

Light , strong and only the beginning for Mike.

Check out this clip and if you would like to meet him he will be one of the speakers at the Gold Coast Surf Museum on the first weekend in August for The Wooden Board Day 2011

A wooden Fish and a time to help out others.

The following is a letter I have received from Jay Jackman in Christchurch , New Zealand.

"Well it has now almost been one month since we felt that devastating shake here in Christchurch.

We have been involved since that day in a City moving forward to heal itself. As a collective there has been incredible personal loss and emotional strain.

Heartbreakingly parts of our City are reduced to rubble on a daily basis.Our ocean and beaches continue to be punished and polluted as a result.

However in the face of all of this, there is the determination and courage to stay positive and carry on.

As part of this movement, we have decided to shape a unique board to donate to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

I will be shaping a balsa South Island Fish, one of our most popular local models, crafting the stringers and fins from timbers belonging to a demolished factory that once stood right behind our own. The board will be 6’3” to represent the 6.3mag quake that changed a lot of lives. We will show the progress of the construction on Facebook and will finally put this on Trademe to auction. Please feel free to let anyone know that may be interested.

As a shaper I cannot think of a more poignant moment to shape a board. This one is for our home town of Christchurch and to help those who still continue to struggle in the aftermath of the Feb 22nd Earthquake.

At this time also, our hearts and thoughts go out to all those people coming to grips with what is happening in Japan."

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&note_id=153667688027111#!/notes/sadhana-surfboards/63-balsa-fish-for-christchurch-earthquake-appeal/153667688027111

Jay Jackman Shapes & Designs

www.sadhanasurfboards.co.nz

So guys guys follow Jay's progress on the board and if you can help out I am sure it will be appreciated. Our surfing friends in New Zealand and Japan are having a tough time at the moment.

The extra Mini Simmons from Richard Harvey

Peace brother.

Burned in logos

Concave deck and bottom with a high low rail. Lay down, kneel or stand up.

It's a 4' x 24" wide Mini Simmons style Piapo.

Wooden board building course at Mt Eliza

I have just received this update on the wooden board building course at Mt .Eliza in Victoria which was organised by Robert Ivers.

" The Labour Day Long Weekend in Victoria was the date for the first Two, Tree 2 Sea Workshops in Australia, they were held in my workshop in Mt.Eliza Victoria.

Participants came from as far a field as South Australia,The Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Lakes Entrance."

" Rich Blundell an original founder of Grain Surfboards in the USA and most recently from treetosea.org was the instructor and mastermind behind the workshops, he travelled from the United Kingdom, where he had just completed Workshops in Wales."

" His knowledge and ideas about wooden board building is amazing. Using his specially developed system which allows a wooden surfboard to be built to the final sanding stage in two days, 9 beautiful wooden boards were created and have travelled to their new home with their creators to be sanded and glassed. Everybody had a great time and we all made some new friends.The boards ranged in size from a 4`6” Paipo to a 9' Malibu with the fish being the most popular build. The timber of choice was Australian grown Paulownia from the Coffs Harbor region, it`s an excellent material for board making with interesting grain patterns and very easy to work with."

" The Workshops will become regular events throughout the year and I will continue running them now that Rich has past on his techniques about this system."

" I have had a lot of interest about this program from local schools that would like to add the program into their school curriculum, so I am tailoring the program to suit the kids ability and hope to have it up and running soon."

Written By Robert Ivers

Hollow Wooden Surfboards

www.hwsb.com.au

Simple piece of wood , but lots of fun for all

Chad Waldron's Momentary Film Regarding a Wooden Board from Waldron Bros Production on Vimeo.

Kate's fish

Kate was another to do the Paul Jensen class last year and has just picked up her board. It is a buzz to see all that colour come out and look forward to that first wave. A great experience.

Brett's board all polished up.

Brett Phillips built this board in Paul Jensens class last year and has been enjoying the ride.

Great looking laminated fin.

Paulownia skin and cork and ply rails.

Old school shape but a ton of fun. And that is all that matters. Brett I hope this is the first of many projects that you will share with us.Thanks mate.