I’m cleaning up all my homedepot projects out of the way before any agreed upon surgery and one of the last templates I have is of a 6’6" round pin “waterskate” I saw on Grant Miller’s Seajuice website.
Looks like a low entry rocker with a rolled Vee into a flat somewhat like my parmenter vectors or a point blanks rocketsled design… The shape is alot cleaner than my diamond tails. Something about rounded pind or round tails and alot of curve that just visually pleasing…
So tempting to put a deep double barrel bonzer on that shape but I’m willing to try and say true to his design if it has merit. And I kind of like the concept of his simple straight forward approach to building a better all around board… Nothing fancy just clean lines like Parmenter/Brewer does.
Anyone of you Aussies know anything about Grant Miiler and this design?
Oh yea…
Did 4 boards this weekend…
A couple 1.5"-2" thick Bert Burger specials to test his thin/wide/balsa rails theory
and a couple of fishes.
Starting to get pretty good shaping with the belt sander on the EPS stuff.
If I had better racks it be just like using a planer.
So much easier shaping the rails without the wood/foam conflict but I’m getting the hang of doing the wood rail stuff as well. Just glue your pieces ahead of time and cut an entire band as one big piece then 5 minute epoxy glue them on. One rail band one side at a time tape it down flip and do the other side till you build up 1"-1.5" or so… Would be interested in figuring out how everyone is doing them in bags.
Grant was shaping in San Diego in the early 90’s. He also sanded for me at that time. A few years later I was shaping in Australia at Bret and Wayne Warner’s place in Brookvale, Sydney. Wayne was way cool and let me shape my boards for free in their extra shaping room just as long as I got them glassed through their shop.
After a few sessions, I mentioned Grant Miller and his working with me, and both the Warner’s jaws dropped. The shaping room I was using was Grant’s old room.
A couple of years ago, I talked to an Aussie who told me he was still shaping and possibly moonlighting as a cab driver (?); I can’t verify that one though. His shapes were always clean and simple, just like you described. He was a proponent of forward vee to flat at that time. He said it gave way more carve to his boards especially in juice. Lost track of him after that…
I had Grant make me a “waterkate” gun/travel board (7’) and have several friends who have had Grant make them pure “wateskates”. I can’t speak highly enough of Grant and his designs.
All I know who have bought them are extremely happy with them. The standard “waterskate” is a fantastic board for waves up to about 6’. So fast, easy to turn and good paddlers. Simple, clean and very effective.