5'6" Mini-Simmons w/ West Coast Hercs Logo

Justin flew to Jax from Ventura and picked up his mini-simmons today.  We scored a chilly and windy session at Blue Tops on Mayport and he was tearing it up.  I knew he liked the board when after a few rides he said that he wants to order a quad fish too.  Here are a couple pics of the finished product.  I look forward to hearing how it rides out at C-Street!

 I couldn't resist the photo op!

6'8" x 12.5" x 20.5" x 15.5" x 2.75" Shortboard

I've slowly been working on a new shortboard over the past couple of months.  It is inspired by two "magic" boards that I've ridden in the past; a 6'10" Costa Azul that I rented in Cabo and a 6'6" CI Whip.  This board is 6'8" x 12.5" x 20.5" x 15.5" x 2.75" with a single concave starting at ~12" and transitioning to a double concave at midpoint and extending to the trailer fin with vee off the tail.  I took a lot of time and experimenting on other boards to get the concaves and fin positioning right.  The concaves begin right after the rails tuck, so I had to use 9 degree cant FCS fusion plugs for the uppers and 5 degree cant for the rears. Also, I stuck pretty close to the McKee fin positioning doctrine to provide maximum speed and reliability.  Here is how it looks so far...

Just prior to installing fin plugs

Happy Birthday Christiana! - 5'10" Quad Fish

Christiana,

Happy Birthday from your mom and dad!  Here is a picture of your brand new 5'10" quad fish!

It is made of 2# density EPS foam and has been completely shaped, sealed, and sanded.  Next, will be installing the FCS fusion plugs and glassing.  I'll continue to update the blog with current photos of the progress.  It should be ready by mid-December!

12/9/2012 Update:

 Bottom laminate coat - pink & white resin swirl

Clean cutlap on deck

Quad Fish complete!

This board came out great!  It is sanded down to 320 wet and is very light.  It should fly!

 FCS M3 fronts & GX rears wood replica fins

Mini-Sims progress report

I got Justin's deck laminate coat glassed on Thursday afternoon and did a separate patch lamination today for the "West Coast Hercs" patch and my logo.  His lamination came out really nice.  Next is a light sanding, grinding off the FCS plug covers, leash plug install, hot coats, and final sanding.

 2 layers of 6oz cloth ready for lamination

laminating completed.  

10'0" Longboard Blank & Wood Tail Block

Next board up will be a 10'0" longboard.  I went by the Holladay Surfboards factory and John Holladay, Clay Bennett, and I decided to use the Clark Foam 10'4" template on an existing 10'0" SUP blank to build a good nose rider.  John is experimenting with colored glues, so I had him use black pigment on the blank.  We decided to cutout a crescent on the deck/rails and glue it up to give it a triple stringer look like a classic looking WRV that I rode for years.

I'm also toying with the idea of adding a tail block to the longboard.  I glued two pieces of red oak with a thin piece of marine plywood for a simple design.  Below are pics of the raw blank and tail block.

Glassing updates for Quad Fish

Serena decided to go for a tie dye blue & white resin swirl pattern for her deck.  I used white opaque, light blue opaque, and blue tint for the pattern colors.  I made the pattern radiate from a central white spot where the logo goes.  The inlay was cut with a razor just before curing to leave a clean transition line that mirrors the curvature of the rail.  Here are some pics of the process:

Just after pulling off excess resin

 Lap cut & logo laminated

Glassing updates for Quad Fish & Mini Simmons

Here is Serena's quad fish bottom laminate coat after cutlap on the deck.  I used resin opaque to get uniform coloring.  It looked lime green when I mixed the colors; however, once spread on the board the resin looks a bit darker...maybe a grass green.  Colors usually get muted by the hot coat after sanding, so we'll see what the end product looks like soon!  I'm going to glass the logos separately so that the resin coloring doesn't drown them out.  It is all coming together now....

Bottom after glassing logo separately

Justin's mini-simmons with the bottom laminate coat after cutlap on deck.  Used resin opaque on this one too for best results.

Updates on 5'8" Quad Fish & 5'6" Mini-Simmons

Here are the latest pics of the progress.  There was a slight delay due to my supply chain...I was waiting for some FCS fusion plugs to arrive from CA, but got them in this week and they are installed.  I also took pics of logo placement for both boards to make sure it is what they had in mind.  The glassing process starts next!  Serena's will be a limey green and Justin's will be red.  I'm using resin opaques for best results on both.

 Serena's fish with the logo she designed!

 Serena's fins (FCS equivalent of M3 fronts and GX rears)

I chose a plywood with green glue to match the board...subtle, but it will look sharp

 Serena's quad plugs installed

 Justin's deck w/ "West Coast Hercs" logo in center

Justin's bottom with potential logo...if he likes it

5'8" Flyers Fish progress

I've got the fish squared out and ready for the diamond cut method of doming the deck and puting in the rails.  Here is what it looks like before it comes alive.

Serena's 5'8" Fish Template, 5'3" Mini-Sims complete, & 6'3" Quad Sea Trials!

I finished up the 5'3" Mini-Simmons and got a really fun session in this week in some small, clean waves.  The half-moon keels were really loose in the small surf and really allowed the tail to be thrown around.  I'm looking forward to taking her out in some bigger surf soon!

My next project is making a 5'8" x 21.5" x 2.63" Quad Flyers Fish for Serena Bass.  She did the awesome graphic design work that I've started using on fins and I'm really excited that she chose me to build her next board.  Here is a pic of the outline traced before the first cuts were made:

Also, I've been able to surf w/ Jared on his new 6'3" Quad Flyers Fish and he is loving it!  Here is a pic of my twin keel and his quad:

Jared's 6'3" Flyers' Fish complete!

Here it is....this board came out great and sports a super clean look.  He's going to add a black Ocean Earth track top and transport it in a new Balin day bag!

Fish & Sims hot coats

Both boards have their hot coats and are ready to be sanded.  I also finished glassing the half-moon keels for  the mini-simmons too.  They also need sanding, but couldn't resist putting them in the fin box for a photo op!

6'3" Flyers' Fish & 5'3" Stub Nosed Mini Sim update

Both boards are finished with their laminate coats.  The Flyers' Fish has 2 layers of 6oz cloth on the deck and 1 layer of 6oz on the bottom.  The Simmons has 7oz Volan + 4oz nose batch (for resin stripes) on the bottom and a 7oz + 6oz deck.  The classic half moon keels are getting their hot coats and should be ready when the boards are complete.

6'3 Flyers Fish & Stub-nosed Mini-Sim bottom laminate coats

I got both boards' laminate coats on the bottoms this weekend.  So far so good!  I used blue tint on the simmons & 7oz Volan cloth.  I'm not sure what I'll do on the deck.  I'll post pics of what I decide next weekend.

6'3" Flyers' Fish & 5'3" Stub-nosed Mini Simmons

Here is what I've got on the shaping stands right now:

The Flyers' Fish is 6'3" x 16 3/8" x 22 7/8" x 16 7/8" x 3" for Jared.  We added a little extra foam than previous templates, but kept the nose streamlined to give that performance feel.  He has opted for a quad setup and a single to double concave with tail vee.

The Stub-nosed Mini Simmons is 5'3" x 20" x 23" x 20" x 17"(tail block) x 3 1/8".  I did a lot of research and development on this one...by that I mean that I surfed the hell out of my 5'6" model!  The result is a shorter, stubbier profile.  I've thinned out the tail foil, kept the boxy rails and step-deck, but brought the rail line up for 40/60 rails.  It is still going to have a rolled entry and deep 1/4" single concave through the tail.  Fin setup is still in the air....half moon keels, traditional fish keels, quad, or possibly a twinze variation???  I'll post pics with whatever I decide in early July!

Handplanes, alaias, and wooden surfboard fins

Over the last couple of months I've broadened the operation and started making handplanes, alaias, and wooden fins with my brother-in-law, Jake.  He comes from a family of carpenters and makes custom furniture out of his workshop at home.  So, we've been firing up the routers, band saws, jigsaws, table saws, and all kinds of other tools and making some really great surf products!

The handplanes are made of poplar wood, stained, and sealed with polyurethane gloss.  They look sharp and are a ton of fun...especially when paired with swim fins or bodyboarding fins.

The alaias are made pretty much the same way, but feature a single concave running through the majority of the bottom.

The fins are a little trickier and require a blend of work-working and fiberglassing.  The end result is a sharp, classic looking fin!  I need to post a better picture, but this at least gives you an idea of what to expect.