Just thought I’d share the pics of the first board, it seems like the thing to do. Built it for my fathers 60th birthday, he should love it. Solid balsa, cedar stringers, glassed in 2 oz poly all round. Not quite finished yet, we’re at the sand back before top coat stage. Dimensions, 9’4" x 23" x 3". Nose width 18 1/2", Tail 14". Nose rocker 2" Tail rocker 5 1/2 ". Only thing I’d do differently next time is make the rails less thick and maybe not put the stringers in until the board is mostly shaped, this would allow me to chamber the board a little cause it’s HEAVY!! Enjoy the fotos, I’ll put more up as it progresses.
Josh; My family lives in Sydney (Sutherland Shire) but I live and work in Newcastle during the week, head back to Sydney on weekends. Consequently I surf around Newy during the week (Blacksmiths, Caves, Stockton) and surf down south on weekends (Sandon, Bellambi).
Platty; Thanks for the kind words, I find working with wood kinda therapuatic (spelling?). I probably would have got the irrits with foam and stuffed it up about 10 times over! Stuff like the tail block and legrope block take a bit of time but look so much better than just plain timber. I was gunna do a nose block but I had just spent 2 hours getting the nose just right and it seemed like a shame to cut it off! Next time maybe. As far as weight goes it tipped the scales at around 20 kg before glass, I’ll weigh it again after!
First bord ever…but you’ve got to have a lot of craftsman experience. The board looks sweet. If you were in So Cal I’d be quizzing you on where you got the balsa for the blank, but since it sounds like you’re Down Under that info won’t help me much. Anyways, compliments
Have you considered using a respirator during glassing and hot coating and sanding and finishing? Not to sound pedantic but there’s a reason, unless you’re using epoxy and think it doesn’t matter…(?)
Thanks llilibel, I’m not a craftsman actually an engineer by trade, I’m just a pedantic SOB who likes to work with wood, probably why it took 2 weeks to shape working after work and weekends.
Charlie, I don’t know if I made this clear, I did the shaping and I’m getting the glasswork done elswhere. Mort, the glasser is also happy to teach me on the proviso that I never bring anything like that back to him again! Consequently the bloke you see shaping the board with the tatts and no shirt is me, the stunner in the pink shirt is Mort and I s’pose what he does in his own shop is up to him! point taken tho, I’ll be wearing the gear when I do my own.
hey wheels, mate that is looking great for a first board… actually it’s looking great regardless how many boards you have done!!!
I live in sydney too (northern beaches) and am halfway through building my first board ever (hollow wooden) and would LOVE to know where you got balsa that long, the ONLY place I have found is Mark Riley at Miranda (I think) is this where you got it?
again, great job mate, I’m a chippy by trade and I’m well impressed.
Hey Robbo, thanks mate. You’re spot on as far as the balsa source goes, Mark Riley is the only one in Sydney that I know of. It’s kinda expensive but well worth it. And yes, the fin is Aus cedar.
Nah Stevo, Mort was pretty good value. As I said, happy to show me how as well so that he never has to do another one! Both he and Scam are very patient and answered every stupid question I asked and then some!
wheels that is a really nice board!!! Only thing I saw that would bother me is how low the saw horse set up is while you were shaping it. Man I would have one hell of a back ache if my stands were that low.
Yep, you got it in one!! If I decide to make another one I might have to work up a better set of stands first. Good way to practice my old school quasimodos tho!!
awsome board man. i did the same thing, never shaped a board in my life and one day i said im going to do it, mainly because ive never seen a short wooden board. i really like your fin. how and with what did you shape it with? im looking to make one for mines…check it out.
Hey Austin looks good, are you sure you want it to be just a single fin? Your call, but I’d have a bit of a chat with Chipfish first, he seems to have all the good oil on fins and exactly what they do.
As far as my fin goes, I just copied an old design I saw. I was gonna make it a D but changed to a dolphin after I made a couple of templates and figured which one would look best and be the most “period.” I cut it out of 20mm Aus Cedar sheet with a jigsaw then 80 grited it to the template lines. Used an angle grinder with 80 grit to foil it (used my 9" cutaway from my glass board as a guide to foiling)(tread lightly here, you can take it off but you can’t put tit back). Finished with 100/120 grit.
Hope this helps, talk to Chipfish about fin(s) for your board.
