Wooden Surfboards

Little Gems ...

2012-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

Pete Davis has made a few wooden longboards over the years and just thought he'd have a go at making some fun little cheap ones. Both boards cost under $200 dollars each to make, on the darker board he has used Fijian ply and Paulownia rails and syrinia balsa nose. The lighter board has hoop pine top , Paulownia rails and laminated nose blocks with just spare wood from home. His wife and daughter had free rain on the bottom to do some artwork. Just goes to show making a board doesn't have to be hard or expensive it can be enjoyable and still a lot of fun.

Hollow wooden board

2012-01-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

I have received an email from a lady who has this board and would like to find out more about it.

" Hi Grant, just wondering if it would be worth coming to the Gold Coast at your meetings all about boards, as I have an old board that I would like some information on , this one could be 1930's Hollow 3 metres x 500 and in good condition it is only now taking on water so we retired it, but was going to fix it until the surf guy said if I were you find more information, my son was given the board 7 years ago by a good old (94year old) neighbour, she used it to collect crabs in the peel inlet near Mandurah W.A. for many years. We currently live in S.A and its too big to bring to the meeting. Have attached photos Regards Ann and Byron Bruce. email annbyron@adam.com.au "

So if you have any info you could contribute to this board or type of board could you help Ann and Byron out by contacting them.

" The Kala "

2012-01-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

This is Charlie Loiselle's latest board the "Kala"

" Bookmatched redwood top and a lauan bottom (ripped and alternated at the stringer and glassed on both faces). All in all I still prefer a properly planked bottom but the lauan is quick and easy to work with, and looks good. I went with a bonzer fin setup with an FCS trailer rather than the regular large single fin – I intend to surf this one as a slippery twin as well as the bonzer setup. The smaller side fins are glassed on and made of meranti marine plywood."

"Artwork is a Kala I shot a while back (hence the name) and printed up myself. I wanted to see how the heavy rice paper would glass, and it came out nice. The blue highlights cover the deck-rail joint, which due to the heavy dome of the deck came out uneven. The lizard on the bottom was heat-transferred directly on to the wood."

" Rails are strip-planked with alternating white fir and mahogany. The leash plug is stacked ply, cut and worked by hand with a stainless bolt as the anchor." Check out other shots at :
http://islanddreamssurf.blogspot.com/2012/01/kala-ii-electric-bugaloo.html

Grain Board building class in Oregon

2012-01-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

For all the details check out their site : http://www.grainsurfboards.com/classes/traveling-class/

The unglassed Simmons

2012-01-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

I had some time over Christmas between some great long surf sessions to build a board I had been thinking of for some time .What I have tried to achieve here is a simple way of making a wooden board with less time , materials , weight and cost involve. Not necessarily a greener board in any way , but it is probably a long way towards that as well. My theory is that the materials used are far more compatible flex wise so that if they need to move they will all go together. Where as if you were to use resin whether epoxy or urethane which is hard and not as compatible flex wise. So it may be more likely to come away from the foam as it is the softer material. The other thing is the Paulownia , the Polyurathane glue and the Styrene blank are all waterproof. The proof will be in pudding as they say when she gets waxed up and surfed. It feels good and the weight is great .You will also notice I have not used a breather as the blank is very hard and there is very little air between the styrene beads.

I started with one of my foam boards that I have designed in AKU Shaper and took 7mm off the thickness and 20mm off the rails all round. This was then cut from a hard Core Fusion EPS blank.

After sanding the blank I glued a 3mm Paulownia rail band / parabolic stringer round the outside of the blank.

The stringer is there to hold the rocker in the board and to aid in some following processes. It also seals the blank on one face.After the glue has gone off I trimmed the timber down to the blank and shaped it to the foil of the blank as well.

The polyurethane glue is spread over the foam blank and I sprayed a mist of water on the timber as the glue goes off with moisture.The 4mm deck and 3mm bottom skins are cut to approx 5mm oversize all round , taped together and placed in the bag. The glue has a 30 minute working time , so plenty of time to set things up.

A piece of shade cloth give the air some space to be sucked out without sucking straight onto the wooden.

The glues takes 2 hours to go off so the pump is left on for that time.It pulls down very well and very evenly. Best to gather up the excess bag on one side prior to pumping the air out. That way the bag is tight to the board on the edges and when the air comes out it pulls straight down on the skins rather than being able to get sucked in between the skins and rail bands. Which can happen. The masking tape also helps to keep it out during this time.

Then when it is all set , slide it out of the bag and trim the excess 5mm all round. This is also where the parabolic stringer comes in handy. Make sure to keep the face square as this is important.

There are 6 x 3mm laminates to make up the nose as it is easier to bend these thinner strips , although you may be able to steam or heat them to make it easier. I have not tried that yet.

All 6 nose laminates on and then trimmed with the Japanese saw at a slight angle which will help hold or key the next rail bands in position. I have also rough trimmed them down to the deck and bottom skins.

Not a big mess yet.

3 x 6mm thick rail bands glued on and tail block laminated as well.

Here I have planned the rail bands down to the foil of the board prior to rough shaping the rails. So the outer edge of the rail band is still square at this point.

I used a small hand plane to bring the rails down rather than the electric planner just to get more feeling for the wood and what was happening. I felt better doing it this way . A bit slower and hard work but you only get one shot at this.

All shaped and leash plug epoxied in.

I used Futures fin boxes and took extra foam out right through to the deck timber to key it all together as there is no glass over the boxes as you would do in a glass board.

These are the new Rasta Bamboo quad set from Futures Fins.


I have finished the board with 4 coats on Lanotec which is lanolin or the waterproof oil / grease from sheep's wool. It is not to waterproof the wood but to condition it in the first instance. The waterproofing properties can't hurt as well.

Looking forward to some feedback once it gets in the water. I will keep you posted.

If you have any questions email me : grantnewby@bigpond.com

Flama Mini Simmons

2012-01-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Sergi from Flama Surfboards in Barcelona , Spain has just sent me an update on their new factory and one of their new models. The Mini Simmons.

They use Paulownia to make blanks that have solid rails.

Here is one rough shaped , ready for fine tuning and sanding.

Here you can see from the paper template the outline of where the solid rails are so as to know how far into the blank they can take away when shaping the rails.

For more on their boards and what they are up to , check them out at : www.flamasurf.com

John Sutcliffe from Mangawhai on his home built wooden twin keel fish surfboard enjoys a small peeling wave at Ruakaka beach.

2012-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

John is a regular support of the wooden board day each year and loves his wooden boards.Great to see them out in the surf where they are supposed to be.
Nice one Johnny.

We kick off the New Year with a couple of boards from Florida

2012-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

Just got these shots from Edward Hamilton 111 , Jacksonville Florida. He has built a few and is about to launch his website. Great to see guys out there everywhere building boards and look forward to another year and more innovative , creative and exotic wooden surfboards. Guys send in your shots and lets share them. All of us who have ever built a wooden board know there are no easy ways to build one so, if you have you know we are just as stoked as you are.

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T23:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all . Thanks for your support and I hope that the coming year treats you well.

First every British surfer takes to waves in 1929

2011-12-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

Homemade: Lewis Rosenberg entered the water in Newquay, Cornwall, with a primitive homemade 8ft board he carved out of balsa wood.

Riding the waves: Some of the earliest ever video of surfing which shows Lewis Rosenberg on a surfboard at Holywell Bay in Newquay, Cornwall.

Check out the full story and some great video : Here

Hand made in Brooklyn...

2011-12-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Davis Murphy has a great range of handplanes to share with us.

" Some of these little guys are from the scraps of a chambered board I've been working on-more pics of that when it's done! They're all made with supersap bioresin, and 0 voc clear coat, paulownia, walnut, cedar, mohagany and the straps are covered with recycled patagonia wetsuit scraps."

Check out what else he has or if you would like to order one : innercirclesurf.tumblr.com

Greg's new mal

2011-12-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

Greg Wheeldon from Brisbane has been busy at it again. Lots of detail once again. Great to see the effort he puts into his boards.

" I finished a new 8’ Mal for myself, and pick it up from the glasser on Xmas Eve. Once the sting goes from the cyclone swell, I will be christening the new board."

" The board is 8’ x 21 1/2 x 2 1/2, paulownia and western red cedar, with a woven bamboo feature panel in the nose and tail pads. Glassed on fin with a checker pattern to match the deck detail."

"Another one for the quiver. Hope to see you out at Currumbin over the Xmas New Year break."

"My son is finishing a 6’ retro pintail with a rising sun radial pattern in the nose. I’ll send you photos, when complete."

Greg Wheeldon.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of you who have supported me this year. There have been some great boards built and many guys experimenting and trying new things.I look forward to what you come up with next year.

Have a safe and happy time with family and friends where ever you are.

Grant

Woody quad for Deux in Venice

2011-12-23T22:57:00.000-08:00

Great to see Andrew from Grown Surfboards in Lennox Heads is getting his boards out there. This one is on its way to California to go into the new Deus Ex Machina store that they are opening in Venice Beach. It is all paulownia with a cedar stringer and glass fins.

Nice job Andy. To find out more of what he is up to : www.grownsurfboards.com.au

Another beauty to add to the quiver

2011-12-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Tony Crimmins has done himself proud with his efforts on this board. I saw it getting glassed and it is a great shape and has a beautiful foil. Mate nice one.

Tony is living proof you don't need a lot of tools or space to build a nice board. He quietly works away on his projects and puts a lot of time and effort into them but the results speak for themselves. Some would say too nice to ride , but it will get wet over Christmas for sure.

The work of a craftsman

2011-12-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Craig Cater lives down Nimbin way in the northern New South Wales hills. He has just sent me a link to his site and these great shots of a couple of boards he has been building.

" Heres a few pix of my latest boards which I've been working on in tandem for the last few months.
Both are the same design & dimensions modelled on McCoy's designs."

6ft 4 inch x 20 inch x 3 inch
17inch tail
13 1/2 inch nose
Wide point - 3 inches behind halfway
Bottom - 4mm convex
Fins - one board has glassed on thruster setup
Other board has 10 inch fin box & side fin plugs

Skins - 5mm paulownia, silky oak , red cedar , huon pine
Ribs -6mm paulownia
Spine - 5mm marine ply
Parquet mandalas - huon, silky, black wattle, camphour, paulownia & red cedar
Fins - Tasmanian Sassafras - Huon pine , red cedar - epoxy coated
Finish- kinetix epoxy lam & fill coat - polyester finish coat -wet sanded to 2500 grit , buff & polish
Inside of board - sealed with varnish

Great attention to detail which comes from some great skills with tools and time.

To check out his other work :

www.wollumbin-woodsticks.blogspot.com

Love what this guy does...

2011-12-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

THE THINGS I CARRY: Jeff Beck from FLY CANVAS on Vimeo.

www.ninelightssurfboards.com

Balsa and Cedar guns by Joe Bauguess

2011-12-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

Joe also makes, from scratch, Balsa wood and redwood big wave guns. A shapers shaper, Joe’s been shaping for almost 50 years now. The gallery below will take you from balsa wood planks and redwood fence planks to a full on hand shaped Balsa and Redwood Gun.

He may be credited with the Mini Simmons design but Joe is also a keen shaper and board builder of all sorts of craft such as these beauties.
http://joebsurfshapes.com

Christmas project inspiration

2011-12-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

Why not get a small wood project going over the Christmas break. Expand the quiver and get closer to the wave. You could get the kids involved and even have them help with some art to personalise it.

Beach fun 1939

2011-12-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Some great historical shots of early Australian wooden boards sent to me by Daffy Chisholm via Lyn Tunbridge.