Hey Hicksy, Let me know when you want to catch up, I’m pretty flexible, if you give me notice I’ll throw the fish in the ute.
gray
Hey Jase, Its all mental mate, living away from the water is nothing as long as your constantly thinking about it and are prepared to travel when you can. Thats why I build boards, so I’m always thinking of surfing.
Mate, you have sent me on a trip down memory lane! I learnt to surf in Croyde bay and used to travel 5 hours from London when I lived in the UK to surf croyde and Putz, man I loved putsbourgh! After freezing to death we’d grab a few beers in the thatch, that is the best pub in the summer. I now live in Perth WA.
Watch out for another hollow in Devon, I’ve just made one for my mate who gets married in St Maws in September, I cant get back for the wedding, so I’ll miss the surf trip.
On the glassing front, the fish has been laminated top and bottom and a hot coat applied, nothing else. The glass is killer for adding the weight.
Hey guys…
I’ve been watching all your posts…
I’m really stoked how you guys are all helping each other…
And connecting on a more personal level…
Keep it going…
Paul
Paul, If not for your efforts, none of us would be beavering away in our respective sheds Your generous sharing of knowledge is inspirational.
My thoughts exactly gentlemen, I studied shapes and designs from Tom Blake through to Paul and others. I think it’s a different aspect to surfboard building that makes it more of an art form. A hell of a lot of work planning , measuring, sanding, filing, gluing etc and using ingenuity to solve problems with somewhat inflexible materials.
I’ve seen in the threads examples of board building in a few days but nothing beats the love and attention we give to our building process and the satisfation of riding our pieces of art.
Keep up the good work and have fun…
Hicksy
Jase, I had the same thoughts about branding the board, but havent done anything about getting the stencil. I spoke to a commercial artist friend, who told me that any commercial sign maker could laser cut a logo sign out of metal and then you could use a blow torch over it to scorch the wood. My next board will have “driftwood” scorched onto it, this was what a friend jokingly called my first board…and I like the name as my board logo.
Driftwood, hey I like that!! This is what I have planned for a logo for this board (see attached).
Gray I’d like to catchup with you on friday around lunchtime. Do you want to meet somewhere in the middle, say West Leederville railway station around lunchtime. I’m going to Surf and Sail for finbox, vent and plug.
cheers
Hicksy
Hicksy, Like the logo mate.
Friday sounds good to me. We could meet at JB O’Reilley’s for a beer, say 1pm or there is a cafe a couple of doors down from the surf shop. you choose.
I will be wearing a wooden fish in my lapel!!
gray
I’ll meet you in the S&S carpark at 1pm.
I’ll have a dead fish between my teeth…
Look forward to seeing you.
Hicksy
I don’t have the fish pictures with me, I’m not in home right now, but soon I’ll post them. The best way to reduce the weight of the board is using the right materials. The first board was glassed with choped strand mat and poly resin, inside and outside, and the rails are made of plywood only. The fish was glassed with e-glass and epoxy inside and polyester outside, and the rails are cork-plywood. Tell me more about you internal rails mods, sounds interesting. I didn’t use bending forms or gluing jigs for the fish too, but was a nightmare to keep the things aligned. Jack.
How do Jack!
I tried to construct the framing without the use of a jig or glue form but found it ended up just twisting things out of shape (mainly my melon) whenever any tension or pressure was applied (internal rails). The glue form has made it loads easier and gives a really good base to clamp the whole frame into when youre working and stops it from warping when you’re not. I managed to make mine from a wardrobe. Talk about false economy, seen the price of wardrobes nowadays?
Is it absolutely necesarry to glass the inside of the board? and the inside of the deck and bottom? I’m starting to get impatient, I’m due to go to Croyde this weekend and was rather hoping that I could test the board, still best not to rush these things I suppose.
Take it easy mate.
MMM (Jase)
Cheers Paul,
this has been one of the most satisfying and gratifying undertakings in my life so far, (maybe I should get out more). I owe you big style for the inspiration and the generous sharing of your knowledge. This is the first board I have ever built, it certainly wont be the last.
Thanks again, take it all easy.
MMM (Jase)
When I did my rail supports I put a notch on the outside of the rail about 1/16th of an inch wide and deep. I used sash cord and ran that from the front block to the tail section on both sides then applied the same pressure to fix them both in place. This held the frame taut and allowed some remeasuring and movment of the ribs to even both sides up. I figured that if everything was straight I could mark out one side on cardboard cut it out and make both rail supports exactly the same.
I didn’t glass on the inside either, I used liquid nails to fix everything internal, about 1 tube. In using this I had the opportunity to slip edges around for 10 or so minutes to make sure everything was straight.
That worked for me and I’d do it again on my next project.
Finished my first fin (see attached), trying to get some further info from Bert re glassing it on another thread.
cheers
Hicksy
Gray,
Wow, you learned to surf at Croyde? small world! I intend to do that this week coming, we head down there dead soon for a week. Not tried Putz yet but will do this trip, your recommendation’s good enough for me man. I’ll also go for a beer in the thatch. There’s supposed to be some other good waves around the area, anywhere else you’d recommend?
Pictures of my son giving the board it’s first test… passed, still in one piece. (Board and son!) not a murmer nor a creak from the board.
All the best,
MMM (Jase)
Jack, I’ll draw some diagrams of the internal rails this afternoon and get them uploaded. How did you go with the chopped strand glass, has that worked out ok, is it lighter?
Jase, The reason I laminated one layer of glass to the underside of the deck was to give it some impact strength, you’ll probably be fine without it. I got some advice off Bert about this, because the board is chambered if you come down hard on the board there is a chance of putting your foot thro the board.
Nice pics of your board, that restricted head height in the garage is giving your son some good barrel practice!
happy whittling
gray
I found some 4 oz. chopped strand mat at a fiberglass store, the weight was fine, but when laminating is almost impossible to squeege the resin, because you take the fiberglass apart. The strands are very short so they don’t stay in it’s place. For this reason I oversaturated the fiberglass and then had to sand all the excess of resin away. I took about 4 pounds of resin without going through the glass.
Quote:
I found some 4 oz. chopped strand mat at a fiberglass store, the weight was fine, but when laminating is almost impossible to squeege the resin, because you take the fiberglass apart. The strands are very short so they don’t stay in it’s place. For this reason I oversaturated the fiberglass and then had to sand all the excess of resin away. I took about 4 pounds of resin without going through the glass.
Did you use epoxy resin? I think the chopped mats are held together with something that dissolves in polyester resin which would make it impossible to wet out with epoxy. It’s certainly not made to be used with a squagee, a roller of some sort would be better. You’d be better off with any kind of woven cloth, shop around or mail order if you have to. Get a hevier cloth or whatever cos chopped strad mat is good for nothing anyway.
regards,
Håvard
Just letting everyone know that Gray and I caught up with each other and shared vital information about our constructions.
I was able to see a completed HWS for the very first time. Nice job too Gray!!!
If it wasn’t for this forum and the sharing of information and skills I wouldn’t have fulfilled my dream of building one.
Put the fin box in yesterday, now I know what Gray means by “You have heaps of time to laminate with Epoxy” it was my first experience and it took 4 hours to set!!! Mind you it was 15 Degrees C so in the end I took it inside and put it in front of the fire…
More to come, laminating this week…
Hicksy
I used poly, and used my hands to squeege the resin out of the cloth. Choped strand mat worked fine for me, I wasn’t able to find e-cloth or something similar. Jack.
If you use chopped mat, use some kind of roller to ‘squeegee’ it. That’s how it’s done in the boating industry. I do however suggest that you try to order some woven cloth because it’s that much stronger and need less resin to wet out. Mat is usally used for cheap application and real thick layups.
Bdw. I have a hollow wooden in the progress as well. Damn, it’s ALOT OF WORK! Thanks alot to paul jensen for the instructions.
regards,
Håvard