So most people know I have been trying to get a skill for a long time but I refuse to pay 700 for a old tool. So when my clark foam ate another bering my wife told me to treat myself to a new one. SO I got the new accurate planer and its a bad SOB! I love it so much big thanks to the guys at accurate! I am about 7 boards behind but I have nocked off about 30-45 min off my shaping time! The funniest thing is when I was about to mow my first blank a friend came over and mentioned he had a old skill 100 that is beat up he would give me for some shaping leasons. SO I have a long uncut skill to restore also, LOL. This is all quite nice since I just quite my job. Also To the boys in Kauai I think we are moving back to the island soon maybe 4-5 months so anyone knows of any boat or glassing jobs shoot me some info. Thanks and sorry about the little bit of bragging I have just never had anything this nice. Definetly the Buggati of planers.
Also PeteC I need some advice on fixing this thing up or just sending it to you.
Howzit girvin, I know I have been gone from Kauai for a year now but I don't remember any factories that hired shapers. All of the shapers had their own shaping rooms and shaped and sent the blanks to the glassers like me or a few other guys. Dave Implomb ( Imua surfboards ) took over Max Mederos (spell) shop in Lihue and that is probably the biggest factory on the island and I think they do more glassing than shaping and Dave probably does that since he is a good shaper himself. You sound like you lived there before so things have not changed. My glassing shop was set up in my back yard and since it wasn't to big I did about 4 boards a week and that was every thing except shaping most of the time since I hate foam dust. You will probably have to set up your own shaping room and do your own glassing or send the blanks to 1 of the glassers. Where on Kauai are you going to live. Don't know how long you havebeen gone but Kauai has changed a lot since the last Real Estate boom and the surf spots are a lot more crowded now. Aloha,Kokua
Hey kakua, I lived on oahu. I am hopping to get a place around outside of princeville or down by tunnels. Yeah I am a glasser so was just seeing if any where needed. I will prob end up running a tugboat or something similar I am just seeing if I can set up work before I move. I will still shape but it’s never been my main source of income. We are hoping to later on build some rental cabins to help well see how it goes. I know it’s prob really hard there right now but after losing a close friend we decided to make sure we are living where we want and will be happy. Canada is not my idea of happiness lol.
Howzit Girvin, You can't have any kind of business that even resembles surfboard building in Princeville so Haena would be a better place if you can find a place to set up a glassing shop and it is not that easy even in Haena these days. I don't know if you can get a job glassing but you might try Imua surfboards in Lihue in the industry section since Dave might be the only guy who might hire an outside glasser and you are going to have to prove yourself to him first. John Delaney has a glassing shop in Kilauea but I don't think he hires any body since he likes to do all the work himself and the only guy he has had work with him is the guy who taught him. It;s tough and I really don't know about trying to set yourself up before moving there. The economy has not helped and the shapers are crying for more work. I was lucky I had my shop right on my property but had to take the shop down when I moved and I had lived there for 40 years and had the shapers knocking on my door and they were bummed when I shut down but that was in 07 and I had a god clientel. All I can say is good luck since you are going to try to do something that is really hard to pull off on Kauai. Maybe the south or west side but the north shore is pretty much a hard core group and is not that easy to get into. Aloha Kokua
Yeah iwas thinking it would be hard. I will probably just keep running boats and try and get something where I can come home at night like harbor tug assist. I am excited about living back on the islands even if we will be poor I can at least surf and fish without freezing to death lol. I have a good friend in the valley above tunnels I am going to see this winter to try and get set up there. He grew up there so at least it’s an inn. I always noticed how much friendlier the lineups where when you got introduced lol.