Well, it’s -1deg C and snowing outside here in UK. I need to get this board finished but i can only get my workshop to 10 deg C, so lucky I have an understanding girlfriend!
How do you all get on? My girlfriend seems to have a phobia about EPS foam particles in the house, and worries that the dog will die from eating glass strands, but apart from that, she’s a star.
Better get buy her a really really nice Christmas present.
"Understanding Girlfriend/wife-Essential for board building"
One of the most important and yet least-discussed aspects of successful home surfboard building!
Mate if you can get away with that marry the girl.
cheers
Rich
PS equally cold down here in Cornwall...
I will get round to it, been together 10+years so no rush. I am in the middle of packing to go to Ireland for 2 months so the board must be finished in the next 2 days.
I guess this is better than the 6 litre diesel boat engine I re-built in the last house.
that vacuum pump system with the double tips just may be whats keeping you in the relationship
Weird that EPS phobia, my wife has that too. She is very understanding, but was not too happy when the cat came up from the basement looking like a little snowman…
If you plan to build more board in the winter, I’d suggest insulating the workshop. Last winter I basically gave up building boards in my workshop as I could not get a good working temp for epoxy. Now we had -5 to -10C outside and I can get closer to 30C with 1KW heating.
regards,
Håvard
"that vacuum pump system with the double tips just may be whats keeping you in the relationship"
Hook up a third vacuum port, attach it to one of these and she'll be really happy.
Been sick since the beginning of Nov. with a bad chest cold. I stupidly told my wife that I better take a break from making boards to give my lungs a chance to clear up.
This weekend while cleaning up the house, I found a paper template for a 5’-5" mini-simmons/stubbie short board I just can’t get myself to build. I laid it out on the floor to look at it and my wife says “I thought you were taking a break”. Later I find 2 pieces of wood with the rocker of my 6’ Griffin fish drawn on it. I’m standing there looking at it and she again she tells me “I thought you were taking a beak”. I think she told that about 6 times in one day.
I guess I’ll be taking a break.
no woman, more surf. I know that I am in the extreme minority of guys in their 20’s but I would totally pass up sex for even chest high and fun swell.
Understanding a wife or girlfriend? I have no advice. Wife or girlfriend that understands board building? My wife had a carpenter-friend build me a shaping room a few years ago. Of course, she was worried I was killing our daughters and dogs with all the dust… She’s a keeper. Been with her for 30 years.
Really rider? That’s interesting. Even fewer guys your age would admit that. Mike
Man, you guys don’t know how good you got it. My wife surfs.
I thought it would be cool to marry a surfer girl. Beach Boys & all
that. No such luck.
Every time I start an experimental board she is in the shop asking;
“Where’s my new stick? I thought you were
going to start it last week…”
Then I need to go to the supplier and buy shortboard blanks for
my crew, and she says;
"I want an 8’ summer board. Buy me a blank.
Did you order my tripple stringer 9’8 with the relaxed nose rocker?
I don’t glass her boards anymore because it is never the
right color…
the list goes on
Surfteach, that's classic!!.
My wife's pretty tolerant to the board shaping, and beer brewing, and early morning surfs haha. I just give her a sleep in when im not surfing, and all is good haha.
Yeah, my wife is fine with my shaping and glassing at home…Especially after I told her about the pic on this thread in the kitchen!! “NOOOOOO WAY”…she said…“Stay in your cave”…LOL.
Brewing beer keeps you out of the pub where you could get in trouble. No wonder she likes it. As long as she doesn’t have to wash your brew equipment, I see no conflict of interest.
The wife is an artist and as such demands 3/5’s of any available space for her work. Over the years I’ve managed to carve out a niche or two by doing work just nasty enough to justify dedicated space. Periodically taking over the kitchen for projects? I don’t think it’s possible to top her use of the counter, stove and oven for jewelry making. As long as I don’t drag crap into the bed we’re good though she’s gotten a little testy from time to time when cooking implements are repurposed for shopwork without her say-so. Especially notable may be something about using the Cuisenart for chopping filler strand if I recall correctly…
She’s even down with moving a kitchenette fridge into the new studio provided a couple cold ones are on hand when she comes down to practice darts and archery.
As for brewing, well she’s okay with that too though she wasn’t around for the Great Peach Schapps Fermentation Explosion of '87 so some of the more ambitious projects might have to be reigned in.
Hi Well I think you have hit upon a little secret about the real joy of surfing....and thats the ability to share. Share waves,share boards,share rides,share skills and knowledge and having someone to share your passion with.
I too count myself lucky in having a wife that understands unlimited budget constraint, endless visits to hardware warehouses,garage and living room takeover of the board building process and the need for unlimited cups of tea/coffee to keep the production line rolling !
I gotta say Amen to this one too…
I have my shed, so that’s all good - Heck, she knows where I am, and I come right in/home… Ha!
She, and her children, my “step children,” don’t even blink anymore when I’m measuring boards, and doing full size layouts in the living room…
Ah, as I think about it… She’s not just “understanding,” she fully encourages me, and gives “understanding” nods when I ramble on about how good my latest tail rocker is working with my newest fins/set up.
But, relating to the wetsuit thread, she does complain on occasion - since I converted to the new stretchy neoprene suits years ago - I don’t taste salty anymore, and my suits stink big time… Ah the compromises… Ha!
