Let’s find out a little more about the people who live here…
How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
Are you more into designing or riding…
Surf:
Locally: try to go as much as possible that translates into 30-40 good sessions a year.
Trips: two to three weeks a year in South Africa.
Shapeing: This is year one and three boards completed since June.
Accessories: Just started, three longboard fins and two keels. Leashloops and dings…
I got into shapeing cuz I’d always wanted to make a “da Cat” hehe… I had actually made a couple of windsurfers in the early 90’s and this last year we moved to a bigger home and voila a shape room was born… I do it cuz I got a lot of stoke and I love the lines of a nice board, I love riding even more but we don’t get much surf of notable quality here. I have a “white collar” job and using my hands after work helps keep me sane…
10 times a year. I couldn’t deal with that. I get in the water at least 5 days a week. At least. If I don’t shortboard I longboard. If I don’t longboard I body surf. If I don’t body surf I swim. If I don’t swim I snorkel.
I went through a dry period that lasted two years and I was one angry mo fo.
Recently I’ve been learning about design and I think that I forgot about the ride. I’m now trying to get back to the ride first.
I hope you find more time to surf, Hicksy.
How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
5 times a week
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
2 boards, set fins, 1 reshape, 3 vac bag attempts and a shed load of wasted eps
Are you more into designing or riding…
The ride.
If I lived in Cali or Sydney with all the boards available,I probably wouldn’t bother shaping. That said Its an incredible buzz to surf well on your own equipment. But I’m conscious of the Hazardous materials when shaping.
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How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
nup, I always try to get amongst it a minimum of at least every second day , in a bad week…I try not to just float around on the board , though.
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
one strip and reshape / reglass , one from a newish blank . Numerous fins …
Are you more into designing or riding…
surfing , DEFINATELY !! […but I guess trying out the fins I make is part of my surf schedule] …
I live in St Augustine FL and I am a newbie shaper.
With the guidance of a really talented shaper here in town, I shaped
my first board this year. I am currently working on a 9’6"
HWS, almost done. I hope to start on another shortboard before
Thanksgiving (Nov 25th for non-Americans).
I surf a ridiculous amount. Every day.
Twice most days even if its flat. 6:30 AM here on the east coast and I’m
heading out now, gotta work at 10AM.
I am more into riding at this point. Design is beyond me. But hopefully
as I shape more and become more confident, I will be able to apply
design more. Right now, the entire time I’m holding a shaping tool
I sweat uncontrollably, my heart races and I just hope I don’t screw up.
"Right now, the entire time I’m holding a shaping tool
I sweat uncontrollably, my heart races and I just hope I don’t screw up."
I get the same when I’m holding the tool in my photo. But , I hope I DO get to screw it (up?). I try to learn from my flailings.
I took the vow of poverty three years ago and began shaping full time. I have since opened a small surf shop. I live in the most surf starved area of the East coast so I get to surf around two or three times a week, however , most of the time calling it surfing is being generous. Next week I’ll be in El Salvador. Maybe I can find some real waves down there. I do 6-8 boards a month start to finish…I’m such an a##hole I can’t find good help! Jim
How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
I grew up 5 minutes from the sea, so from age 12/13 to age 23 I surfed around once or twice a month in the summer and twice a week or so in the winter. Then after hitting some other surf-based places like the Canary Islands and Australia I became a bit jaded with the whole thing. Too much fashion, too much expansion, too many people and not enough soul. I came to Canada 3 years ago to join a little band that I had met on my travels, and since then I have been pretty much dry except for a couple freshwater days on Lake Ontario (that’s the lake in my avatar pic). I would not have been here so long, but I met this girl… you know how it is.
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
None! I have been too busy for things like that. But sometimes a bit of time away from things is good. Perspective. You either move on from them or you realise how important they are to you. I’ll be making a move to the west coast as soon as my new business (renovations) is ready.
Are you more into designing or riding…
I am a surfer first and foremost, and as I began to experiment with riding different boards I realised how much of surfing you miss on a 6’4" squash tail thruster. So I began having boards made for me by different shapers. But my appetite for change was too great for my wallet to keep up with. Hence a move into shaping.
I surf as many days a week as the waves will permit. Typical week is 3 days. Exceptional weeks might allow a session every day. Standup paddle is a nice fill in. Playing with my little Ava (aka the spidermonkey) is number one now though.
My new 12’er should let me get out there several more days a week if I can drag my butt outta bed…
I built 7 boards last year.
More into the ride, but its a pretty close call. I LOVE surfboards dammit! Of course, I think my fixation with design is based on a desire to improve the ride, so… I’d rather ride, but on a well designed board, preferably of my own making.
hunta
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Let's find out a little more about the people who live here...How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
Living in holland it’s quite hard to get quality waves. Still, I get in the water at least a couple of times per month. And then you go to france and spain a few times per year as well. Me and my friends also try to go on a surftrip once a year. This summer we went to sri lanka for a month… So yeah, I’m gettin enough water time…
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
None! I still have to shape my first board…
Are you more into designing or riding…
Of course I have to say I’m more into surfing since I still have to shape my first board. But as an aerospace engineer student I’m constantly thinking about how to apply the things that I learn on a surfboard. I’m definitely going to shape surfboards, let’s just say that for now the design is still in my head…
Petra,
Do you like big hard tools?
How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
If it’s really good I surf 5 days a week. usually skip weekends unless it’s going off. Takes me 10 minutes to get to my closest break. Just disclocated left shoulder couple of months ago. And had surgery of right shoulder 3 weeks after that. On average, 4 days a week (all of it in pain) I guess that’s why I surf bigger boards. Two sessions a day are out of the question.
How many boards/accessories did you make last year… 10
Are you more into designing or riding… that an easy one…Barrels, drops, cutbacks…designing is just a means to rip another wave.
Unfortunately, this morning was 1 foot and hard on shore winds. Had to come home and glosscoat instead.
Aloha
Hey Hicksy.
Living near surf in England is super-expensive so us landlocked mortals don’t get the privelage that often. For me 4 weeks so far this year, two weeks of which were totally flat, last week however made up for it, 2 or 3 really nice sessions early morning. Still the worst surfer ever so really enjoy building and dreaming about being soooo much betterthan I am.
surf around 5 full weeks a year (I’m stuck in the main land of north carolina)
I’ve made 5 boards and just started my 6th (still making the blank)
the ride is the most important thing
I’ve been landlocked for 2 years in upstate New York.
Built one board this past summer, ridden it once in ankle high NJ slop.
Built the board because I couldn’t ride. I needed something.
How many of you surf less than 10 times a year, that is, board in water floating on it…
10 times a year?! Shit… For me it’s in the 50-60/year neighbourhood. I aim for at least once a week most of the year and once a day when on annual leave.
Anyone who counts in “times a week” is asking for a kicking 
OK, joking. But I won’t be surfing around them.
How many boards/accessories did you make last year…
None. Spent lots and lots of time getting my vac gear togethor tho. Made some progress on the actual board and on a couple of 9" fins.
Are you more into designing or riding…
Can’t choose…
2 -4 times a week swell permitting
5 boards this past year
riding. but when I’m not riding I’m planning the next design for my riding.
Where’d I put my steel-caps?
mutterBastardswear
probably 10 out of every 14 days. maybe more. longboard, shortboard, fungun. i only give a miss to horribly windblown onshore victory at sea stuff. and even given that, there’s a lot of wind shelter, if you know where to go.
probably made…wife’s board, fish for a friend, fish currently for sale (hanging in a local pub), fungun, my redfish. got a 9’6 blank in the shed right now. glassed a couple of boards for a friend. ding repairs on our stuff. some ding repairs for friends. one snapped longboard restored…thanks to bill barnfield’s excellent formulae.
sounds like i’m more into riding, but then i’m not a production guy, not trying to make a living out of this.
the boards i build are …different… i like to refine designs and try stuff that i couldn’t afford to try if i had to pay retail for every board i have. right now i’m looking at the collection of old boards i have…from the 60’s and 70’s and thinking of those templates on modern foam with modern bottoms. so i’m gonna template that 9’6 blank with my '67 surfboards hawaii model a, and use that outline with a high performance bottom, modern rails and a light glass job and see what that gives.
as it is, so be it.
pete.