Sunday, August 30, 2015

Unglassed 9ft 3" wooden Alley Slider for Gero Wolff

 The VH grade EPS comes off the machine pretty cleanly
The APS 3000 machine leaves a tucked rail which needs to be taken off as this is a rolled rail design.
After sanding and cleaning up the blank I scribe an 18mm line all the way round the blank and cut it off with the Janpanese pull saw.
 I clean it up with the surf form and sanding block to set a square face to now add the first 3mm Paulownia rail band to.
Time to take it home and start adding wood.
 3mm Paulownia strips added all round , stiffens the blank up and holds the rocker
It is amazing how good quality masking tape can hold it all together and the force you can put on it.
All trimmed up and tidy for the skins to go on
Skins on hand and ready to go
 Setting up the rocker table
 6mm deck skin and 4mm bottom skin, my trusty old band saw still doing the job
 Lay the bag out over the rocker table and get ready to bag it up.

In she goes
Just masking tape to seal her up , keep it simple and cost efective.
2 hours in the bag
6mm pulled a long way round that rail with the bag, no problem.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

In the Gold Coast Bulletin

 SURFER turned craftsman Grant Newby has gone from designing wooden surfboards in his Ashmore garage to creating “timber technology” now used by the best in the world.
 
The production manager at an advertising agency said crafting the wooden boards began as a hobby 10 years ago.
He jokingly refers to the surfers of wooden boards as being part of a “splinter group” but now the boards have become a global phenomenon.
Thousands of boardriders have taken to the water on boards made with paulownia timber since Grant shared his technology TimberTEK with Currumbin-based Firewire surfboards three years ago.
Now the timber skinned boards are sold globally and the technology enticed 11-time world champion Kelly Slater to invest in the company.

At the weekend Grant pulled his collection of wooden boards out of his Ashmore ­garage to show and surf at Currumbin with a number of timber enthusiasts.
“Wood has a tremendous allure, we have had people who build furniture and boats who start making boards – we get everything from frothing grommets to wood crafts people interested in the boards,” the 59-year-old surfer said.
Grant has made about 150 timber sleds and said while some people were attracted to the historical or environmental qualities of the boards, the main appeal for him was the craftsmanship.
“To stand up and surf something you made yourself is incredible,” he said.
“When you spend time and sleepless nights with a board you feel a strong connection to your craft and it is a great thrill to ride.”
Grant said he got a kick out of seeing local surfers, Kelly Slater and Tahitian Michel Bourez ride boards using his technology and hoped one day to see professional surfers ride them in competitions.
“I would love to see one of the pros riding Teahupo’o with one of those boards, I’m sure it will happen soon, and if it was Kelly (Slater) riding them it would be fantastic,” he said.
Firewire’s marketing manager Raz Mehlsen said the company kept an eye on Grant's work as it developed before using wooden skins on their boards as an alternative to resin and fibreglass.
“We are always looking to make our boards more sustainable but keep them viable with strength and performance,” Mr Mehlsen said.
“We were aware that he was always tinkering and what Grant has come up with is very refined.
“The boards were tested a number of times on the Gold Coast and in San Diego.”
The technology now makes up about 30 per cent of global sales and Mr Mehlsen said pros could even use the boards at the famously dangerous World Surfing League competition at Teahupo’o this month.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, Michel is frothing on them, but it is up to how the pros feel as to what they ride,” he said. “We can’t choose which boards they use in competition.
“It has a different feel and flex pattern and then timber is really appealing because it also looks organic.”

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Stringerless EPS Hydro V 7ft 6" for Daryl Johnson





 

Ride Report:

" I got some real fun wave in the maldives on the little yellow hydro, took two other boards but ended up surfing the yellow baby 99.9 percent of the time. Its got heaps of speed and just loved surfing it on both fore and back hand as it fly’s and so nice and loose and is so twitchy.
Had to put in some bigger back fins in the quad setup to stop it sliding when I put it in to a hard turn,because the tail is so wide you could really feel the slide  …apart from the slide the board is awesome , the boys on the trip even were impressed how good it was working for me ,,,, love it and will talk about maybe another one with a pulled in round tail design .

The big sister has only had a few trips to sea,,the surf wasn’t that great when I first got her ,,, but the last three trips out I have had nice long rides and have been able to work out the fins that work in it ,,put the bigger front fins in the back plugs and the smaller back ones in the front so like a reverse quad set up and its been really fun ,,,,you can feel how corky it is ,,and its really loose and fun ,,the only draw back is that I can’t duck dive the bad girl,,my mates think its funny watching me try and getting thrown around and smashed ,,,Loving them both and looking to having a real fun summer on them both ,,,,,,Ta for making them for me and will talk again over the summer "
Kindest regards Daryl………...

 

 

 

5ft 8" x 22 1/2" Hydro V arc tail simmons for Johnny T












Stringerless EPS Hydro V 5ft 10" for Daryl Johnson




7ft 6" x 24 1/2" next to 5' 10"
Quad setup yet to be marked out