backyarding

loving the shapes that come from backyarders

a dark few days

its been a tough few days, my buddy ed left these shores, a few surf sessions tucked under his belt and many a frozen memory locked away in my mind. Good times and great waves.

It leaves me bereaved again, a strong work, but the only adjective that accurately captures the bleakness of having your longest, truest friend spend that kind of intense time with you, to be ripped asunder. He leaves a void that never gets properly filled.

To make do, I shaped myself a new board...B13, to commemorate some good times. I listened to moseley shoals, and old blues records, and the thievery corperation whilst I shaped and glassed. Its not the neatest of works, but im happy with it, its rough around the edges glassing wise, which is kind of how i felt whilst i made it. I reckon it'll go good.

another surfing life

I surfed in the UK for a long time, a weekend warrior, my skills neer really impriving despite what I told myself and others - but I had a nice quiver, i wish i still had those boards. recent digging through old boxes, i came across a snap of my old quiver...

I remeber each board well, from left to right:
a beachbeat - chops lacelles (chops himself) mini mal, 8ft something, quite thin, but with enough float to get me onto waves, i loved it, it was the board that made a difference.

Next up - a second skin minimal, eds stick - was manufactured under the second skin brand, more famous for custom wetsuits in the UK, the chap that runs this outfit, Andy Schollik wears a tape around his neck like a true tailor, ive had a few of his suits, Yakamoto rubber, excellent suits, too damn hot for these aussie waters but they served me well. The board was un-distinctive, and I never rode it much, but ed always flew on it! (second skin)

The log - a Gulf Stream 9'2" - 60/40 rails, pinched, a long concave, 2+1 fin set up - I never rode the nose on this, but I enjoyed surfing it, it wasnt a log, more a semi performance longboard. Gulf Stream make wonderful surfboards, and their glassing is second to none. They used to encourage you to touch their boards, not so much anymore. I was always a big fan of their stuff. Last time I was in the UK I called in, and the atmosphere seemed to have changed, maybe not, maybe my perspective has, I'm used to surf shops now, used to them being friendly to the point of intrusiveness, used to pulling up a stool and taking waves with friends and strangers alike, sharing opinion and advice and conjecture on surfboards...Gulfstream felt like a museum, austere. I tried conversation about "Saunton tail" I'm intrigued by the design, a Nuuhiva looking wide tail, but noone seems to want to chat, shame that, still, they are still doing lovely boards. (gulf stream) TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL????

And finally, the first board I owned, the worst thing I could ever have owned at time - a "mango" shortboard, 6'10" from memory. i remember buying it, well, ed bought it for me at the time I think...froma shop that now sells carpet in Braunton, at the top of the hill on the right hand side...the guy sold it to us, a pair of them, to learn on! - they seemed to have disappeared now. I couldnt comment on its function as I never caught a wave of any merit on it. They two of them blew off the roof one day as we were driving down the motorway, and we took up climbing and stopped surfing for years...one weekend, years later, we were down the coast once again, to climb maybe, maybe just to drink, and wandered into second skin, him if wetusit tailor fame, and got properly advised, bought two minimals and two suits and never turned back...
Many years later, Ed, to return the favor of my lavish spending, suggested a trip to Portugal, and it was then I met my wife, have since emigrated to Australia, taken to surfing with a studious love and passion, learnt to shape my own boards etc... so maybe the 6'10" shortboard was the best thing I ever bought....look at what it has given me?

shapes and waves

With Instagram, ive been neglected the blog of late, in fact if shaped another 4 boards since I posted up ed's shred sled - so I thought i should post up a little of the recent work.

Ive refined my log, and have a template now that really works for me, a heavier surfer, with a harder edge in the tail giving it plenty of release, but still holding enough in the face of the wave for noseriding. Here it is mid way...

I kept the deck patches rough, with strands of black pigments 6oz falling on the deck, the like the rough finish, its a little different to the neat cut edges. I put a leggie loop in 6oz glass on this one, as I'm thinking I might sell it one day and someone else might like to use a legrope, and I made the fin from Paulownia - based loosely on the fin I put in Eds stick - i like the way the wider fuller fin feels, forcing you back down the board for nice turns.

All in all, im pretty happy with it, paddles nice too.

Ive also made a shorter board for myself and said goodbye to fast eddie. Its with mixed feelings that I let it go, and im sure i'll regret it one day, but its stayed in the family so to speak, so i know its gone to good home and will get ridden not just gather dust.

In replacment i;ve shaped myself a 7'6", im not sure what, I put a few templates together, played with them, with some ideas I had around tail shaped, and gave myself more edge - lots of width for a board so short, but brought down the volume, and its the best thing ive ever shaped, it really does "paddle like a longboard" every board ive ever bought thats claimed that, never has but this thing, just glides... hardly any rocker - super wide, it flies...

All in all, im pretty stoked with how my shaping and glassing is coming along. I had intended to stop, but Sean (The Brown Shed) sold me half a roll of cloth yesterday, so Im commited to another 100ft of surfboards! - still i need the practice - Seans boards astound me, and his glassing is something I cant ever imagine being able to even come close to.

As for the other interest, ive been snapping a few, but have been enjoying shooting waves that have noone on them, or shorebreaks. heres a couple:

ed's shred shed

Ive shaped a new stick for my best buddy from england who should be arriving on these shores in feburary for a few weeks. I surfed it at poss yesterday and it goes good.

another backyarder

raz has shaped a log ~ its REALLY nice - here it is, with its proud creator - Go raz!

model H

this crazy little beast got glassed today - im hoping she pushes less water and gives me more speed on the steeper waves.

handplane

just finished a double hander for the camera to be attached

another pommie creation

so i made another board, a midlength this time - 8'3", cut laps, deck patch - Lflex volan flex fin - its rocking - now we just need some swell so she can get wet!

bill is seriously rad!

possibilities

...are endless

a little stop motion clip

my first attempt at stop motion, 700 frames for 25 secs....

two waves

done

all but the final polish - should be christened on Wednesday

half way glassed

and tonight....

this will hopefully be glassed....

slowly taking shape

shaping day 2

tonight... the template, first cut into foam, and removing the crust...dirty work

things are slowly taking shape, and my eyes are full of PU...fun times.

shaping day 1

my first adventure into shaping, with Nick. Adventures and inevitable mishaps to follow! -the more you measure, the more complex the whole picture becomes.

 nicks blank

 (squint) how thick!?

wide