LOL!!
Geeez…I live about a mile away from Birds “shack”…I’m gonna go check it out next Friday afternoon. Thanks for the reminder.
Well, in a sense, sharks have TWO penises. They’re modified anal fins used to deliver sperm. They are the two elongated pointed deals behind the anal fins. Looks kind of like your twin fins! Hope that’s not too much info, Bill.
[quote="$1"] They are the two elongated pointed deals behind the anal fins. [/quote]
AKA, Claspers.
Yup, and the system has worked for a long time. Thank God we only got one! It’s bad enough being slave to one. Mike
[quote="$1"] It's bad enough being slave to one. [/quote]
Your comment reminds of a reply a friend once made to me when I questioned his choice of a woman he took home. His response was, ''What can I say, when the little head speaks, the big head listens.'' I almost broke a rib I laughed so hard. As they say, the best humor is founded in truth.
good stuff bill,
you are a "true" fine craftsman, in the elite.
my best.
herb
[quote="$1"]
Stingray,
I've been afraid to ask, BUT I've got to know, ''How do you know what a shark penis looks like?'' No, wait, don't tell me, it might be T M I ! I'm so conflicted!
[/quote]
Fun stuff.....we went to the Birtch Aquarium Friday morning...and then lunch in Old Town.....and then to the Surf shack...
MarkSSD came by and introduced us to Bird. I can tell that he's a real no BS stand up guy. I respect that. And we were talking about the chambered stringer and the hollow fin and all about the Balsa board....and how the two projects came together...When I made the penis comment I got a look from Bird knowing that I had crossed the line...and I don't really know what a shark penis looks like but I got Mrs Stingray to laugh....She been through alot with health issues so it was fun.
Who makes your fins? They look really great...... Mark and I did a long board last year and I put an FCS plug in front of the center box based on some of the Thraikill threads I had read... but the board at the Shack has both fins inside of the longboard box.
I just bought a new Samsung digital camera.....maybe I need to go take more photos of the Balsa Gun!
Ray
Ray,
I get the basic fin stock from FU. The pre-fin is made from scrap material and hand foiled and hand fitted to the box, by me. the main fin is cut out and the base machined by FU, then I take it and cut out the center to reduce weight, then add wood or glass slabs to it, and return the fin to FU for foiling and final finish. It is a process that is not suited to any kind of mass production. Each one is a ''one off.'' The end result, especially as it relates to performance, is worth the effort. And it aint cheap either, but worth it.
Thanks Bill...
one more photo.....I going back down to the shack sometime next week....there's just too much cool stuff to see...
I got busy with work and did not get any new photos. Modified a photo....There is a white blob between the Leash rope and the tail block. That is a reflection of the light on the top of the dome...30 feet up...awesome gloss job on this board!....cool wood working too....Hey Bill...aprox how long is the tail block? I love the way the shape and the wood and the artwork all come together on this board......Ray
Aloha Ray,
As I recall the tailblock is 5.5 inches at the square end. The tailblock is old growth Redwood, that for about 100 years was was part of a wine vat in the central valley. When you cut or sand the wood there is an intense wine smell, and the color is really dark when the resin hits it. Bird has a 7'6'' mini gun that I made in 1972/73 that is one of the most serious big wave boards I've ever made. I don't remember who I made it for, but they must have wanted to attack big North Shore waves. It's sure not a California board. Ask him about it next time you're there, you may find it interesting to see.