OK two contest Ideas One a shape off contest for Amateurs run like the pro shap off contest. pick a shape that the contestents have to replicate and a team odf Three pros as judge the the boards. might be a fun project for a sways gathering.
The Other idea is to have a maybe three pro surfers judge boards made by amatures on proformance. All Boards would be white no logo or any other marking to indicate who made the Board. All Board secretly numbered the boards only the people that numbered the boards would know who the builder is. Each board would be surfed at least three days by a Pro or other top notch surfer. They then rate the board for proformance. Might have a couple of a Long Board , short proformance Board and alturnitive Board divisions. I believe that this would be an excellent way to learn and get feed back on your Boards.
I dig both ideas. - I think the second idea would work out better. It’s a strange what that plexy glass does to “top shapers” haha. A few years ago a similar concept was tried at the boardroom where anyone could put there name in to be a part of the shape off and 3 names were drawn at random. Only 1 of the three finished the board. (A side note, that 1 of the invitees didn’t finish the board either - seemed like it had been a while since he was behind a planer).
I’ve worked the boardroom show for about the last 5 years or so and always thought there should be a “just some random no name shaper” booth. I’m sure there would be quite a few nice boards.
Or that places like foam Ez should display boards that are build by underground guys that get supplies from them.
I have a pretty open door policy with all my boards and often have guys ask to ride them. The good the bad and the ugly of feedback it’s always welcomed.
I like it. I’d like to see a shaping contest that requires you to create a board only from supplies you find at Home Depot (or any similar store). Or a contest where you get to pick only one shaping tool, one glassing tool, and one sanding tool.
I have often thought it would be fun to put pictures and a verbal description of a board on the internet, and then have a competition to see who could replicate it the closest, using only that. At judging time everyone brings their copy, and they’re put up against the original.
Or how about a board handmade without power tools?
My old friend in NJ is doing a shape fest at his shop in Beach Haven. All are welcome no matter what your skill, pro to first-timers. I will post more on this when I see him next week at the Surf Expo in Orlando.
We had a “Board Building Challenge” here a couple years back. It was an idea I got going based on a guitar build challenge that they have every year on a Telecaster Guitar forum I visit. I still think its a great idea. On that forum, once a year people around the world build a guitar and document their process. When its all done they post pictures and a video of the guitar being played. Its all for fun and to learn how other people do what they do. Some real innovation and creativity comes out in the process. This forum has been hurting the past few years and really needs more build threads.
i am more for function then beauty,
would be pretty neat to be told to design a board for a particular surfer, and be told what sort of ride they are into.
Then have the surfer give detailed feedback. The feedback would be a prize in itself. as long as it wasnt the board in pieces…
Any Tele build threads in there from yourself mako224?
Wonder how that transparent Tele sounded with a plastic (acrylic?) neck on it? Mind you, I’ve seen footage of a Vai Gem with a transparent acrylic body and it sounded fine so who knows?
And that violin-bodied one with the P-90’s looks sweet → Cheers mako224!
Exactly, they sell wood. Also, if you’re daring you can use the foam they have and then spackle it. As long as you do a good spackle job you should be okay to glass it.
I just finished a 7’8" single fin made with the pink foam and used epoxy to glass it. The board came out fine but the bottom contours I put into it didn’t work that well.
boards made from familar materials
toweechis own
plumbers who make surfboards from pipe
italian plaster masters
sky scraping iron men
basket weavers
lumpers using pallets all
have had a historical try
some recorded
some dismissed
in times gone by.
the spirit chronicled
by samark twain
of jankee ingenuity
in our new world DNA
Ppplay on Mac Duff
will the craft make the end section
before it decomposes in the weeds?
Dougie Gernler gave me ‘‘unka Dukes board’’
now a cherished object in the archive
like the Lost Ark protected from
the abusive elements
of weather and man
They all go
these wave concept craft
who’s the pilot
and wheres the tenacious heart?
bless the zen soul
that chooses to paddle the aluminum
hydrofoil out to the third reef.
home depot?
howbout materials from radio shack
or ross clothing store?
a silk board with sunbrella baffles
sealed with polymer from orbit
now there is a test
of commitment to the Obtuse.
…ambrose…
procrastinating
can be fun
who needs world news
