Hey guys,
I just finished my first try at board building. After seeing guys this summer catching any mushy wave they wanted on fishes, I figured I’d make my first project a retro fish.
I bought the Clark 6’2"C and Shaping and Glassing 101 from the local surf supply shop and got to work. This forum proved invaluable as well, so thank you to all the Yodas on here.
The board is 5’11", 18" nose and tail, 22" wide and 2 5/8" thick. I used some tint in the bottom lam with cut laps, clear deck with free laps. 6 oz glass all around.
I made the fins by planing down and shaping pieces of old broken skateboards. I had to find two pieces big enough for the 9"x5" keels, with both donor boards having the same veneers dyed the same colors.
I used a rail tool to mark for my cutlaps, but just free handed the masking for the pinstripes. You can easily tell in the photo, and this makes the whole outline look sloppy. In person it looks pretty good, esp with most of the line blurred by wax.
Problems:
-I borrowed a cheap planer which gouged the swallow tail pretty good. One pin lost its tip and the other lost a good chunk along the bottom edge. I glued pieces of scrap foam on and surformed them down.
- Getting the 6 oz glass to stay wrapped was a pain in some spots, especially the swallow pins. I ended up mixing some hot coat resin with glass trimmings, then making little cups out of my drop sheet that held the mixture to the tips. I ground them down to shape and hotcoated them with the rest of the board. That turned out great, plus I think it added strength to a ding-able area.
I had the board out for the first time yesterday. It paddled great, caught waves my 6’5" thruster wouldn’t, and spun out right away. I wasn’t discouraged, though, as this fell under my understanding of fishes (I had never ridden one before). I adjusted my bottom turn and holy cow! What a FAST board. I was surfing a rock reef and had a blast. The best part was getting a clean head-high wave, absolutely speeding down the line, and having the guy who shaped my last board, who happened to be out, watch from the shoulder and throw out a hoot. I even got a couple compliments on the board while I walked down the beach!
Thanks again to all you guys on here who share your knowledge. What a great resource this site is. That first great wave on a board that I made myself will always be etched on my brain.
