which brings me to the next assembly challenge. how do i finish the outer edges of the solid pine tail block to make the 1/4" vee in the tail, bonzer-style? accurate dimensions would help :
how far down should the twin concaves be if there’s supposed to be a 1/4" vee in the tail?
appreciate solid inputs from experienced Bonzer home shapers, thanks!
hmm finally got the concaves shaped by feel-- accurate dimensions be damned " )
here’s a preview of the rich grain of philippine rosewood, which i’m using to shape my own bonzer side fins. btw, is that really a 7" Bonzer center fin? my (non-surfer) brother got it for me in sfo but i have a feeling he got it wrong. or got sold the wrong merchandise at the right price tsk tsk…
here’s another look :
bonzer experts, help! is that really a bonzer center fin? appreciate your inputs, thanks
im certainly no expert, but that appears to be the same 7’’ fin that came with my bonzer… hard to tell exactly with the angle of the fin in your pictures.
brasco
hi brasco, here’s a closer look :
is this really a bonzer fin? thanks for clarifying this with finality.
cheers,
surfiber,
without actually holding the 2 up together for comparison, i feel pretty confident that they are the same fin. mine was made by true ames fin co, but the rake and fin area seem to match.
brasco
2 views of the front Bonzer side fin anchors made from scrap pine off the tail block :
nose to tail glue-up with concave weights :
gluing block for the nose block glue-up :
in the belly of the TailGunner :
glue pools to even out a pair of dips next to the nose bottom, before & after :
tail block twin concave glue-up, before & after :
3 more views of the tail block glue-up :
if the rains take a break this weekend, i can begin rail glue-up already hehe " )
wow! thanks for the confirmation, brasco! what a relief it is to know that it’s a real bonzer fin " ) here are the latest assembly pics for everyone’s enjoyment :
primary bottom layer glue-up 2/3 underway :
Swaylocks is a very good place to start apprenticing. If you’re looking for someone to hold your hand though I think you might be out of luck in all avenues including working for someone else. Good luck though and have fun.
missed the parade? hehe you probably missed the HWS DIY tags to my post ever since i began assembly " ) enjoy the build pics!
cheers,
rail glue-up was somewhat manageable with the spanish windlass technique. this leaves me the in-between flares, nose & tail rails to fix next weekend. here are 3 views :
hmmm as things turned out, i had to revert to my initial assembly plan to stabilize the deck using the 1/4" ply planshape, since a laminated deck made of multiple layers of woven plant fiber would hold little promise of structural integrity in even small-wave surf conditions. btw the nose splint added an inch to overall length, so the board’s now 8’9"
rail-wise, i also wish i stuck with my initial plan to either make rail blocks or chine strips to come up with a stable, solid rail frame. i’m now contemplating gluing up ply & woven plant fiber layers a la paul jensen’s method so i can shape the rails with precision. the rail gaps from my assembly updates last june were simply backfilled with cork sheet, wood glue & wood putty, and as you can see, the gnarly outcome left much to be desired. current weight is 11.7 kgs.
at this stage i still have 2 more woven plant fiber sheets to add to the deck and 4 to the bottom using contact cement with rail overlaps at every layer, fixed in place with roof sealant. if i take the path of least resistance by using putty alone to smooth out rail transition, i might end up with an expensive, exotic HWS that stalls.
if i commit spending more time fixing the rails by going with the jensen method, i will be able to shape the rails with precision BUT increase the weight some more AND expand board width from 19" to 22".
on the other hand i could leave the tail width as is, by letting the add-on rails sweep up to where the macdonald e-wing tips end on the campbell brothers’ 9’ longboard bonzer-- shaped accordingly of course. hmmm decisions, decisions…
looks like the worlds longest ironing board
and why is this thread called ‘Looking ot apprentice with a master board builder’?
duhhh, maybe because the site admins are out surfin' that's why..
You got your fin box from becky mcpeek…txt me 09175402692 or email me
bobet, kaw ba yan?
haven’t yet been able to replace my cell that got pickpocketed aug. 3rd, priority spend muna ang board hehe " )
will get in touch soon as i get a new unit
cheers,
whe he hehe ako nga ito si bobet…just keep me posted, email me if you have time…cheers!
visible dips on the 2nd bottom layer glue-up show how much putty i’ll need to add to the bottom & rails before the subsequent woven plant fiber sheets are laid down :
3rd bottom layer glue-up : nose section offcuts making do at the tail as the handwoven sheet was only 8’4"
rail shots : 3/16" ply strips under the woven plant fiber rail laps lend a flat surface for the 1" x 1" solid wood rail strips that’ll come next, a la RDM’s rail assembly method
still undecided whether the e-wing solid rails should go all the way to the edge of the bonzer channels, or stop 2/3 of the way where the hidden ply cutouts defining the concaves begin :
suggestions welcome 
did I see this correctly, there is no wood or ply on the deck, only bamboo weave and fabric? Is this strong enough to support your weight?
