My other projects are on hold until I can afford to stock up on epoxy resin again.
Bought this 8-2A fat boy blank, wanted something "fishy", but similar to my big guy (old guy) Banana Boat, to try a variation of outline with the same quad setup. I drew up a big fish, with a plan to make it a quad. But the tail didn't look right on such a big board (8 foot), so I stepped it in with a wing. I transferred my drawing to a full size grid on butcher paper, then to a plywood swing template. Once I drew it on the board, I added an intermediate wing, to step it in twice, instead of the one big step.
I cut out my shape, skinned and foiled with power planer, and shaped with surform and sandpaper.
Once I had the drawing, I noticed the similarity to the Rusty Big Cat, so I read up, and looked at the videos, showing bottom, rails, etc. I take notes when I find stuff like this, invaluable to the backyard shaper! I realize my shape is a little different, but there is still valuable insight from a close up and personal look at a board like this, IMO.
I know fish purists would not call this a fish - I'm calling it a winged swallowtail quad, so The Wing Squad (for short) is its name - which gives me some ideas for some graphics...
So, with the old world aviator and his vintage bi-plane as my inspiration (like I say, just a play on the words wing squad, from winged swallowtail quad), I decided to go for a real old-world look, so I'm hand-painting the blank. Thinking of doing all the artwork, including lettering, hand painted on the foam. Anyway, these things just kinda move along with a mind of their own, so we'll see where it goes.
For now, I have painted the rails, and the deck, by hand using a small brush. Latex paint from Lowe's. I thinned the paint about 80% water, and let it soak into the foam. On the rails I will do another coat, same on the deck. Paint is so thin I didn't even mask the stringer, it shows right through.
"We ain't on our way to Wembley,we ain't gonna win the league. No matter how much they let us down - Westham's still our team"...
Hey wideawake, thanks! Not sure what you mean by "hard 90", but the wings angle back about 120 degrees. No real reason either way, since these are my first wings, so I have no point of reference in my own experience. But from the pictures I studied of the Rusty Big Cat, it looked like that's what he was doing, so I just followed suit.
Yeah, glassing will be a "challenge", for sure, I've been thinking about that. I'll figure it out.
Yours appears to have a wider tail then the Rusty. Are you going with a quad, thruster, or a five fin setup? I know you set out going quad, but wonder if it changed as the design changed.
Looks really nice, thanks for the build thread.
yeah, definitely wider tail. My concept, from the beginning, was to keep it similar to this board, including fin setup. I really like this board so far, but have been wanting to make a big-boy fish for some time. So I kinda combined the two, but this was my starting point. I pulled the nose in a little, but same width, same length, same thickness (maybe a bit more if I can get it), same measurement across the very tail, made from the same blank.
Then once I had my shape drawn up, I started wondering about rails, bottom, etc, and that's where the Big Cat came in, so I'm the big copy cat, haha, but my old art professor used to drill into us, learn from the professional. My outline is original, width is a bit less than Rusty goes at this size, my rails and bottom are very similar, but I went a little thicker overall than Rusty goes.
Here is a better shot of the wings from below
Got started sketching in the artwork - keep adding little dings from handling!
Brush painting on foam is a trip! the stuff is so porous, you can't get any detail worth a darn, or maybe I've just got the wrong brushes? Oh well, it was kinda fun anyway. I have brush painted on foam before, but never to this extent, never a whole board, with lettering, etc. I guess its just another one of those weird things I've always wanted to try, hahaha. Up close the artwork is kinda crude, but from a distance it looks pretty good - anyway, that was the idea, it has a unique look. another board ready for glass!
Love it all! Eh "surfboards not bombs".
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
No worries! It has been done.
Bet your worried about fins.
Here is a bonus robbed of course, fins and feathers.
wings.jpg
I would rather be someone's shot of whiskey, than everyone's cup of tea.
www.mattysurfboards.com
Haha...I made that round tailed double wing quad about 8 yrs ago for a trip to Australia. I moved out here 7 years later...might have to make another now I've been reminded of it! Cheers rich
Very nice Huck... I am blown away!
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