This is to replace a “magic” board that was lost to the Palisades Fire. Hope it recreates the magic. California small wave board.
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Very nice.
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What are the dimensions?
Beautiful board! What timber is that, it’s a great colour and stunning grain.
The wood is walnut. Dimensions are 5-11 x 20-1/4 x 2-5/8. Relaxed rocker. California small wave board.
Very nice board ! Greg Loeher timberflex tech (= glass thin wood sandwich on mid density eps) or Bert Burger compsand (glass thicker wood sandwich on light density eps)?
Timberflex, 1.5lb EPS. The only difference from Leohr’s formula is there are no perimeter stringers. I used to put balsa rails on similar to early Hess boards. But it was a LOT of work and unnecessary. The boards are plenty strong. I can usually get a short board around 6lbs with this method (using 2 lb EPS). This one was 7lbs but had two extra 4 oz deck patches and an extra patch around the single fin box. It also has a solid ebony nose block (the previous board cracked in the nose). And I used fiberglass rope around the edges of the fins this time.
ps regarding thicker wood… I worked for a custom furniture maker for a couple of years. One thing he said that always stuck with me was that it should be a crime to use thick, solid pieces of certain species of wood because they are so rare. Any rare wood should be sliced into veneer to maximize its potential.
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Beautiful board! I’ve seen lots of bonzers with that tail config - is there a benefit to that outline/planshape in the tail that works best with a bonzer? How difficult is it to recreate the famous channels with your veneer construction?
I think there are two ways you can think of the function of a diamond tail. One, the one I usually think of, is it’s like a a squash tail with a couple inches less rail line, so it rides shorter. Other people have described the point adding stability. They are subtle sensations though and most of the ride characteristics will come from a rocker, outline and foil/rails. And the Brother’s fin/bottom contours…which by the way suck down nicely under vacuum.
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I completely agree with that philosophy on exotic timber. Walnut isn’t rare but is quite slow growing I think so it would be sensible to maximise any you have. That board is stunning, I love EVERY element.
Black Walnut is still plentiful. And there are lots of English Walnut groves out West in the U.S. Black Walnut though tends to yield shorter length lumber. So Veneer and gunstocks are among its most frequent use. A Swaylock member was horrified a few years back when I stated that you could buy Redwood at Home Depot (Walnut, Ash, Oak, Basswood etc. as well). These woods are not endangered species and they tend to grow back at a 20 to 30 years span. Management Not Rape. Nice board and vacuum bag saves the day.
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Its almost for sure walnut