But... think of those comments (mostly) as other persons of possibly unknown experience, trying to relate your build to their world. Some are simply haters, but unless there's no way they simply weren't being malevolent, you learned a bit about the range of opinions online.
We just got issued lockdown orders here in Honolulu, effective Monday afternoon, and I'll bet many other municipalities will be doing the same, if not already. This is a freaking golden opportunity to put in patient, thoughtful work. The admins at my office inform we're to have a company meeting, first thing tomorrow. The boss is in his mid-80s and has been working from home for at least a week. But he wants us to gather together and talk it up? I may have to "gently" skewer that, wish me luck. Maybe we can phoneconference from our desks rather than gathering (there are only 11 of us) in the cramped conference room.
As for the weight, by 9'6" single 3/4" redwood stringer first board in about 1965 weighed about 40 pounds before I stripped and cut it to 7'6", something I should never have done. But it did glide like no one's business!
Taking my time with the finish shaping. Enjoying the challenge of working with wood. It's different from foam, and different from a hollow wood surfboard over a frame.
Everything was shaped pretty close before chambering, but now it's about fine-tuning down to a finished shape. Putting thought into every stroke, and hoping for the best :-)
If I had it to do over, I would clean up the bottom, then cut it into 2" strips with a band saw. Using the band saw, cut my center stringer profile from each piece. Tack it together for shaping, then break apart, chamber, and reassemble for final shaping.
But I thought I might be able to shape and finish it without cutting it apart (wishful thinking I guess). And I really did want to experience shaping a big chunk of wood. So it's all good. :-)
That missing center stringer in the tail, I assume you are going to glue in something a bit more exotic and stronger with a built in leash loop holder?
Had to do a little mental imaging to get the picture. I understand what you are saying. Other than flattening the bottom; all your shaping would be at the end.
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@McDing - knowing now that I ended up chambering, this would have been cleaner, faster, and the leftovers would be more useful than chips and sawdust.
And 2" wide sections would make chambering much easier, and no matter how twisted, be easier to bend back to conformity in glue-up. Now I know :-)
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Mixed some resin, thickener, and pigment, and filled in the little cracks crevices and wormholes.
I used resin & thickener cuz I needed to pack it down deep into some of the stringer gaps, and I had to fill & sand to shape in a couple gaps around the edge.
But it was hard going on the clean-up sanding, for sure.
At this point in the process I feel like Reverb - all I can see is a thousand little imperfections, irregularities, low spots, high spots, lumps and bumps. It's pretty well shaped, so this is what I will work on tomorrow.
I wanted a very old school flavor to the shape. No concaves, and no hard edges. A little belly up front, little V out the back, and a little pinch to the rails.
Current weight just over 24 lbs. and still feels heavy as a bucket of nails to me.
Don't overly sweat the tiny stuff - while getting it as clean as you can, wood has a mind of its own.
At 24, you're doing great.
If I may make a suggestion (I'm sure you're going with epoxy, right?)... don't over glass it. Wood is such a great base, epoxy bonds beautifully and only gets stronger with age, and unless you're really planning to charge someplace particularly heavy, a double six top and bottom is just way overkill. Use your own judgement and experience, but I would likely consider a 4+4 deck and single 4 plus patch on the bottom.
I may get flack for that, but it's what I did on my last, more traditional balsa longboard last year and am stoked.
You won't get flack from me. I totally agree. 4oz. Is good. The only reason you would use six is for aesthetics. To explain; You might want that old school look wherein the Weave of the cloth is visible. In that case you'd be looking at 6 bottom, 6/4 deck. If you were really after that old school look you could make it Volan. Otherwise for functionality 4oz is the ticker.
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I think it's time to talk about what kind of equipment you're going to need to get that beast to the beach. You know, weight capacity, horsepower, etc.
all the best
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Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. - Winston Churchill
Huck, I don't know the exact look you're going for in terms of glassing but in addition to McDing's suggestion, you might also consider using s-cloth if you want that vintage, somewhat visible fiberglass look. I did that on a board for my brother, getting a bit of extra strength out of the 4oz s-cloth, and a neat look to go with it. It just doesn't seem to wet out as transparently as standard weaves.
OK. I had it sealed, but then I got to thinking about it, and I sanded it down again. It happened when I was explaining to someone "whats so special about that wood".
And as I was telling them about "old growth", how it came from a forest not a tree farm, and how you can't get it anymore, and how rare a piece that big is with no knots whatsoever, and what vertical grain is and why its the strongest and most stable and most beautiful, and it dawned on me I needed to spend a little more time on it, with a deeper appreciation of the wood itself.
It really is a remarkable piece of lumber. So I had been thinking about shaping, and how much harder wood is than foam to shape, but then I shifted to being completely grateful to work with such a beautiful rare piece of wood. And I sanded and sanded, 60 grit, 80 grit, 100, 180, 220, and that grain really began to shine. I got rid of all the little scratches and finishing flaws I just blew by before.
Plus, it gave me the chance to make a few tweaks. A little more V in the tail, just a hair more belly in the nose, and little more work on the rails, a little more work thinning out the foil. So I am much happier with it now. And the weight went down to 23 lbs.
But its sealed now, and ready to glass.
So I have some decisions, and I invite any feedback: Leash loop, do you like it? I know its not "period correct" - there is no period correct leash loop for the wood board era, and I never set out to be 100% tied to a time period. But I did want something appropriate to the board.
Fin: I shaped a fin from the same wood as the board, but it looks foggy with weave showing (epoxy over dark color sometimes does that). It looks a little worse in the pic because it has been sanded, but it really does show the weave. Should I just leave it, sand it down to the wood and try again, or just buy a cool wood fin? Glass on or fin box? I hate to put a fin box in, but it sure is handy being able to take the fin out - even if it ends up a wall hanger, a removable fin is nice. If I go with a glass on fin, I am thinking of mortising my fin in, for strength & less gusset, any thoughts on that?
The board looks great as just all wood, but some of the old boards did have some cool artwork or lettering.
Also, thinking of a name for it that will reflect its purpose: to honor the great old wood boards and wood board shapers that are our heritage.
Great job Huck , I vote for a removable fin , and in my humble opinion the fin should the light color wood , but what ever you choose it will be spectacular , aloha T .
Hmmm, I don't have much choice, I can only use the offcuts that are big enough, and whatever grain they have is what they have. I can rummage through my box of scraps and see if there is one big enough for a fin with the lighter grain color. But if I put a removable fin in a finbox, then I will probably just buy a fin. And if I buy online (the only way right now), I can't be sure exactly what color I get. Then again, maybe I could build a fin with scraps of the light wood and strips of balsa to match the board... decisions decisions. Gotta check that box of offcuts!
This is the fin I liked the most from my visit to SHACC. I'm pretty sure its (board and fin) a Phil Edwards design.
Thnx for weighing in on it. Now you've got my wheels turning!
Is the darker rail noticably heavier than the lighter colored one?
I've certainly had my issues with so many layers of cloth greatly obscuring the grain on fins. To reduce the exterior glass I've been epoxying wood to a center fiberglass fin panel which then also acts like the Halo and acts like a storong base for fin systems, but then the Halo is translucent white instead of clearer of the more professionally made wood fins using PE resin.
I have made some fins using the same cedar as the board they are intended to go into, for the same color. I like the consistency of color/grain from hull to fin, but something with more contrast is not going to be able to make your board ugly, no matter what. Let your inner artist and the materials you have on hand, or can easily acquire, guide you.
Perhaps use the same or similar color but much stronger wood as you used in teh stringers, like a white ash or Holly, perhaps 2 lighter stripes from base towards tip raked back. I'd skip the fin box and definitely mortice and tennon the base, with as minimal a fillet as possible.
My 9'7" cedar HWS LB is likely now 25Lbs, don't stress the weight, its not like it is a HPLB/9 foot shortboard shape, and these style boards surf better with more weight, and smart people GTF out of one's way faster.
I did have some luck with getting more layers of cloth saturated with epoxy to get more transparent by heating the fin before laminating, using warmed system3 clearcoat epoxy( very slow and thin), and using new cloth, not old scraps of cloth that have absorbed moisture and dust over the years. Honestly using older cloth scraps has likely been the biggest factor in the cloudy results I've achieved, but I'm cheap and hate waste, but have certainly regretted it afterwards.
Instead of a leach loop pronounced above the deck, could you dig some cedar away and recess one?
I think it should be 'hidden' rather than pronounced, but of course that's just opinion.
I like your fin. It's suitable for the board if you can get it to "clear" up. But many of the wooden fins on the old boards were a little cloudy. I understand a contrasting fin and like that as well. If it were possible to visit a Home Depot I would look for some Basswood, Alder or Poplar for contrast. All three glass up nice and clear. I would guess because of the lesser oil content. Old boards or Replicas usually wind up with a resin/glass leash loop or a "stick on" like O'Fishl used to make. Ther idea was that they could be ground off if you ever wanted to retire to original or make it a wall hanger.
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Yes, A removable fin is the call. Too many disadvantages otherwise.
You have done a masterful job with it. I hope I get to see it live someday.
As for the fin, Juan Rodrigues in the Sarasota area is know as a master wood fin builder. He builds wood fins for all the old classic boards. His website is One World. But you can google him.
All the best
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Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. - Winston Churchill
I kinda like your leash attachment - definitely "in the spirt of" rather than a copy of anything. Otherwise a simple glass leash loop would be suitably discreet.
For the fin... this is your call and I understand the dilemna. On one hand, a box and removable fin (Juan does beautiful work indeed, I used his fins for years, and Dingpatch on Jamboards also makes very functional stunners) is great - you can open a lot of possibilities. On the other... a board like this is going to be particular in the water with a nature all its own and an adapted glass-on (I like your template, by the way) would not only look great but reinforce the mindset that you're riding and learning about the board as it is and for what it is... plus less chance of an eventual leak, etc. Light or darker wood? Both would look great.
Lots of great comments, and lots of food for thought. I'm glad I posted up my questions, all the answers have got me thinking.
My initial thinking was a simple but "primitive" leash attachment, like something that the old wood board makers would have done if they had to find a way to attach a leash. Hence, the wood leash loop. I've never been a fan of resin/glass leash loops. I guess they always look like an afterthought to me.
But something about it bugs me, and I guess I don't like the way it bumps up. I kept thinking an "innie" would look too modern, but seems you guys agree it would look better than the bump. So now I'm thinking something like my tail block attachment. Wouldn't be too big a deal to cut it off and put a regular tail block on if somebody wanted a wall hanger with no leash attach.
As far as the fin: I'm really torn. I agree with Greg and Trevor, the convenience of a removable fin is a huge plus. But I'm really drawn to a glass on fin, for aesthetic and conceptual reasons.
I just really hate to put a plastic fin box in this board, it seems almost a violation to me. Like a plastic leash cup would be (to my thinking).
If I do a glass on, the carpenter in me wants to mortise a slot for a fin base to fit into, for strength. Any thoughts on this?
I looked at my fin, and I could get the shape I want (I like the shape it is now, but I keep looking at that Phil Edwards board I showed a pic of, and I just really like that fin), and add some contrasting lines of 3/32" balsa stringers to match the stringers in the board. I could make it a removable fin box fin, or a glass on.
Yes mortise it in. Much more secure. At this point I would just stay with the leash loop you have. It looks to me that if you ever decided to do away with it that you could just grind it flat and replace it with something else. I have always been a fan of the "drill thru" leash attachment on classic longboards because they are stronger and don't detract from the classic look of a longboard. That's not an option for you here without a finbox. The board deserves a classic glass on fin. The resin loop was always an add on to old boards. So that wold be appropriate because that is what a lot of guys did to old boards that had been in the rafters for years. Of course they also drilled thru the fin and attached a leash with parachute cord.. I am definitely not in favor of that. I am quite sure that if you put your mind to it you could come up with a flush or as you say "innie". It's your board and your style. And you are known for these types of leash loops. If I saw a board anywhere in the World that had a leash attachment similar to the ones you have done; I would immediately wonder if it was one on huck's boards. It's your signature. Leave it. At least for the time being. Lowel
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Back in the early days of big surf riding, George Downing and Wally Froiseth both made boards with wooden fin boxes so they could experiment with different fins.
Ok. Added some balsa strips to my fin, and re-shaped it. Like it better now. But I need to glass it all over again.
I did a tail block leash attachment and I like it better than the beetle bump.
As far as a wood fin box, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I kinda doubt it. Too many things to go wrong, bugs to work out. It'll either be fin box or glassed on fin, and I'm leaning toward glass on.
But I am thinking about ways I might be able to put a regular fin box in and cover it with wood, maybe. On the fence.
Huck, I understand the appeal but I would sure hate to see a plastic box go into that board...
Didn't Jim do one out of wood years ago? I seem to recall a post where he discussed process...
If you had to do a box with a wood cap, Balsa Bill did a nice job of one years ago as well.
But again, I think glass-on (or in, since you're thinking to mortise it) is the way to go. Or pursue Bill's line of thought, perhaps one of those impervious-to-rot varieties he mentioned, with brass inserts for the fore/aft bolts...which could be countersunk to keep the heads from standing proud. (I just like brass/bronze on wood, stainless could be functional as well.)
Your fin looks to be pretty high aspect ratio. Such fins usually need to be further back than their lower aspect brethern. Not sure if your pic shows where you intend to put the fin but I think it is too far away from the tail.
I like the idea of a hardwood receptacle routed into teh board, to fit the current tenon. I've put a lot of though on how to replicate a Bahne box in wood and always gave up as the 3/8" width it too limiting, but you could much more easily make a box to fit the tenon your existing fin has.
I've casted epoxy machine threads before, just polishing the screw's threads with a dremel and buffer wheel then applying several layers of a good car wax. They are quite strong too, but a little difficult to initially thread the screw.
i've had issues, sealing the cedar like you, then sanding through it, then sealing it again. Where I sanded though the sealing layer, there is a highly visible transition zone. I hope it does not happen to you, but you might not want to seal it again, then potentially do the tenon's mortice in a bunch of different steps getting back through the sealing layer to bare cedar.
Nice daily progress, Wish I could be as productive with my free time.
Thanks all for the comments, I appreciate it. In isolation, this project, and this thread, are kind of a highlight to my days. Especially with the news so full of death, doom, and gloom.
I have given a lot of thought to a self-made removable wood fin system, I just don't think this is the project for it. But it is a project I hope to get to someday. But I will give it some more thought. Maybe inspiration will strike me.
The fin I have now looks high aspect ratio, but probably not so much once I glass it and the halo is added to the outline, and the wood at the bottom is gone. It is based on this Phil Edwards fin, and I will probably use this photo from the SHACC visit with UncleGrumpy as my placement guideline. So you're right about placement being too far forward, but I just set it there for the photo without any serious thought, like when I actually set it in place for glassing.
I don't have a lot of experience with glass on fins, but I do want to avoid sanding a lot around the fin and sanding though the seal coat, or the weave, whichever it is. I do know from experience, and from repair work, that working around a glass on fin is always more work than a fin box.
At any rate, I am really really grateful to have made it this far. I am working at the limit of my surfboard bulding skills and experience, and as a result I have dodged a lot of bullets on this project for it to get to this point.
Its been a fun and challenging project, and knowing that I will likely never come across another chunk of wood like this in this lifetime has made it a bit stressful too. Bill Thrailkill had this blank before me, and he really encouraged making a period correct board. I took that to heart, because he is the one that made this opportunity available. WideAwake bought the other chunk, and made a hot curl. I haven't gone 100% period correct, but I have really tried to honor the heritage of the wood board era, in a variety of ways, during the construction. So as a result, I put way more thought into every decision. Which isn't always a good thing, haha.
I fortunately didn't have any issues with sanding through the resin at my tail block, although I have had similar experiece to you WRC, and it worried me. I really didn't want to sand through the seal coat like I did, but once I glued up the tail block, I could see it was inevitable. I tried to do something a little different on the tail block, using the woood I cut off in the block. And the seal of the tail blended just fine. Another bullet dodged. I think the fact that I sealed with a very thinned out seal coat, and was careful to try to transition gently from the sanded to unsanded helped. On the fin there is a slight difference, but probably no one but me would notice.
Go with that. It looks great! Sealing the wood helps get rid of the cloudiness. Glass On or mortise it in if you are going to ride it. If done properly a glass on breaks off cleanly should it strike anything. A mortised fin is super strong. You would want to be sure the mortise is in solid wood. I don't think you center stringer will mortise properly. A wooden fin box would be a disaster if you ever struck a rock at those rocky So. Cal. Points you surf. Once it is jarred on a rock it could be a continued problem source with hairline cracks and water leakage to the interior of the board. A wooden box is a recipe for future problemas. You're on the right track. PS. I think you did a great job shaping that board. Based on pictures I have seen of previous boards; I think this shape is the most refined of anything that you have shaped. Very nice rail, especially where you stringers emerge at the rail. Great shaping in the tailblock. Can you post a pic of it up on rail in the rack? Would like to get a view of the rail line and bottom flow contour from tail to nose on edge.
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As far as a wooden fin box: my vision is different from picturing a plastic fin box made out of wood. I have been toying with the idea of some kind of simple home made removable fin system for some time, but yes, cracking and water intrusion are issues to contend with. We see even the plastic and composite fin boxes in use today can have problems, magnify that if you are building anything home made, and especially out of wood. But that doesn't mean its completely un-doable, and I am still tinkering in my mind. But no, I am not likely to try anything "experimental" or prototype on this board.
I do have a rail shot somewhere, but will post up a few more. I did really foil the nose and tail more than usual, the downside is that when I did my leash attachment tail block I didn't have whole lot to work with. I guess if a wave ever yanks it hard enough to damage, I will just do another, since tail blocks are not really too hard, and then I will count my blessings to even be back out in the surf post-pandemic, haha. In reality, the design itself is very strong, I didn't use plywood on this one, but the side layers are 90 degrees to the center spruce, then they are pinched between the tail block pieces, with fiberglass. There is a copper tube epoxied inside. Its not bulletproof, but probably won't be an issue.
The sealing is good, but one issue I am finding: little tiny cracks that just keep drinking in resin like a black hole. I am trying to chase down every last little crack, crevice, and worm hole, and fill them to the surface before I glass. Last resort I am mixing up some 5 minute epoxy and working it down into the cracks with a painters pallete knife. But the issue is way more persistent than I thought it would be.
I put two layers of 6 oz. on my fin, just waiting to sand and clean it up. I posted up some questions in a separate thread. My plan is to mortise it in, but no glue or resin, just held in place by the fiberglass on the surface. So if it hits a rock and breaks off, it won't tear up the bottom of the board too much. The tab and corresponding mortise will be a little wider than the balsa stringer, so the balsa stringer won't be holding it, the cedar will.
I agreee with lowel about this shape looking more refined than any previous you have posted pics of. I really like the outline and the bladier foil. How thick is it, about 3 to 3.25 I'd guess.
I also really like the look of the fin with the balsa stripes. I do question its strength with only 2 layers of 8oz up the sides. The balsa has no strength and the cedar is hardl a super strong wood. I'd expect breakage along the grain by the tip if it hit sand fin down and pivoted. I know you will add more glass when glassing it in/on. I'd encourage knowingly losing some clarity for greater strength as I think this board is going to be a rider.
Regarding glassing the fin on/in, assuming you are still morticing the base, I think the fin should be installed after laminating. The question is do you route the mortice before laminating, or after.
Before allows you, with epoxy, to come back with a razor when it is ticker and gooey, to slice the fiberglass and fold it down teh sides of the box. But resin puddling in teh bottom can be an issue, and its not like you can completely cover the inside of the mortice with the cloth wrapped around the edge.
You could wrap the base of the fin with some freezer zip lock bag, and push some cloth into the mortice using the fin base after slicing the thickened epoxy lam over the recess with a new sharp razor, or perhaps some scissors to get into the corners.
You could not use a razor at all and just lam over the routed recess then route out the cloth, and then line the box with cloth as you have done with some previous probox installs.
You could also just cut off the tenon and glass the fin on like they used to do, with a rope fillet way up the base and several layers of cloth up the sides at the same time.
I've installed one mortice and tenon singlefin in a HWS semigun, while camped on a bluff in Baja, using a chisel and a razor to make the mortice. Kind of butchered it and I used some purpleheart to try and cover the butchered edges. I can't find a close up Pic of the mating zone, but I used a minimal fin rope fillet at the base. Unfortunately the purpleheart turned mostly brown, but it is a strong hard wood.
I regretted not having a router for that stage. Well, I owned the router but not the big enough battery and inverter to power it, so I left in north of the border.
Yea, single fin pintails semi guns are beautiful no matter what, even thuogh Semi guns are so '1990's.', Like handshaking is so pre 2020.
That board has never been ridden and now resides in my dark storage unit along with some other HWS and foam boards from before I learned how to make HWS.
I did not build it for myself, its narrower and thinner than I like personally. It was the last HWS I built hoping someone would offer me a ridiculus sum for, before giving up on that delusion. I already had made a 7'7" thruster semigun HWS for myself that I have ridden in double overhead+ waves a few sessions 15 years ago, and left the water laughing like a maniac.
I seem to recall an early fin box that used a stiff piece of very heavy mono filiment like a weed wacker cord that went crossway thru' a hole in the center of the box and the fin holding them together; the idea being it would break if the fin hit something saving the box and maybe the fin..
Back way way in time , when experimenting with fins we used what we called jamb in fins , we made a finbox that we glassed into the board , the box opening would be very slightly larger than the fin base , we simply folded some newspaper over the fin base and jammed it into the fin box , no tools required , the fin would never come out when surfing , but if you hit a rock etc it would knock out the fin but no damage to the board or the fin , we lost a few fins so we started to drill small hoes in the base of the fin and loop some fishing line through it and a screw in the box , we learned quite a lot about fins and fin materials like that , not suggesting that is what you should do Huck , if you are going to just ride it a couple of times then make it a wall hanger , thats one thing but if you plan on making it your daily driver it would be a crying shame if you hit the fin and destroyed the board thats why I vote for a detachable fin of some description , with so many assholes in the water these days no one is going to give you anything just because you are on a fabulous solid wood surfboard they will still cut you off and drop in on you and maybe put you in a situation to damage that board , aloha T
Haven't decided when to cut my slot, appreciate the insights. I have cloth, but gotta order some more resin for glassing.
The homemade fin box could be a whole new thread. I'm sure surfoils would have some great insights too :-) definitely something I would like to attempt one day.
The fin has 2 more layers of 6 oz each side, not sure how many I can get before it just gets too cloudy, but I'm hoping at least 2 more each side, for a total of 6 each side.
Yeah, if I crash the fin I crash the fin. Anytime you paddle out you take a risk, to board and self. But this is not likely to be a daily driver, unless I just like surfing it that much.
Honestly, I would just be tickled pink to have a daily driver again.
And here is Ezekial Topanga, my wood board toting brah, just in time to cheer me up :-)
I just spent a good hour and half reading the 99 new entries on this thread.
SOOOO glad you decided to use your own fin and set it in and not a plastic fin box.
This thing should sit along side the masters creations in SHACC long after you and I are both gone. I'm dead serious.
Pretty sure every person who has read this thread would agree with me.
Unclegrumpy would look after you. I can imagin it being dispalyed with a powerpoint of the entire catalouge of photos from this thread. Dead set it could be a featured display.
But for now you need to be outrageously proud of yourself, ride it!!!!
But consider donating this to SHACC in your will!
THIS THING COULD/SHOULD BE YOUR LEGACY TO THE SURFING WORLD.
Thnx Adam - you crack me up, but I appreciate the stoke!
So if you know me, you know I want to add some graphics to this board, just cuz. Thats the artist in me. And I don't want to violate that great wood look, so I'm thinking of a wood inlay graphic. While its again a bit of a straying from period boards, its not so far off. I did see some graphics and some inlay work on the old wood boards at the SHACC.
Anyway, I used JohnnyK3's sketch of the stringers to mock up a crude concept sketch of what I'm thinking. Just to see what anyone thinks.
H'm mine may have been one of those comments.
But... think of those comments (mostly) as other persons of possibly unknown experience, trying to relate your build to their world. Some are simply haters, but unless there's no way they simply weren't being malevolent, you learned a bit about the range of opinions online.
We just got issued lockdown orders here in Honolulu, effective Monday afternoon, and I'll bet many other municipalities will be doing the same, if not already. This is a freaking golden opportunity to put in patient, thoughtful work. The admins at my office inform we're to have a company meeting, first thing tomorrow. The boss is in his mid-80s and has been working from home for at least a week. But he wants us to gather together and talk it up? I may have to "gently" skewer that, wish me luck. Maybe we can phoneconference from our desks rather than gathering (there are only 11 of us) in the cramped conference room.
As for the weight, by 9'6" single 3/4" redwood stringer first board in about 1965 weighed about 40 pounds before I stripped and cut it to 7'6", something I should never have done. But it did glide like no one's business!
Zoom is your friend. I just attended my first Zoom video meeting, was very impressed. Also using WhatsApp for group texting. Be safe.
Taking my time with the finish shaping. Enjoying the challenge of working with wood. It's different from foam, and different from a hollow wood surfboard over a frame.
Everything was shaped pretty close before chambering, but now it's about fine-tuning down to a finished shape. Putting thought into every stroke, and hoping for the best :-)
If I had it to do over, I would clean up the bottom, then cut it into 2" strips with a band saw. Using the band saw, cut my center stringer profile from each piece. Tack it together for shaping, then break apart, chamber, and reassemble for final shaping.
But I thought I might be able to shape and finish it without cutting it apart (wishful thinking I guess). And I really did want to experience shaping a big chunk of wood. So it's all good. :-)
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Looking good.
That missing center stringer in the tail, I assume you are going to glue in something a bit more exotic and stronger with a built in leash loop holder?
Or are you making it a swallow tail?
Yes, toying with some ideas, nothing definite yet.
Had to do a little mental imaging to get the picture. I understand what you are saying. Other than flattening the bottom; all your shaping would be at the end.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
@McDing - knowing now that I ended up chambering, this would have been cleaner, faster, and the leftovers would be more useful than chips and sawdust.
And 2" wide sections would make chambering much easier, and no matter how twisted, be easier to bend back to conformity in glue-up. Now I know :-)
‐----‐---------------
Mixed some resin, thickener, and pigment, and filled in the little cracks crevices and wormholes.
I used resin & thickener cuz I needed to pack it down deep into some of the stringer gaps, and I had to fill & sand to shape in a couple gaps around the edge.
But it was hard going on the clean-up sanding, for sure.
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Gotcha. Understand what you are saying.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
At this point in the process I feel like Reverb - all I can see is a thousand little imperfections, irregularities, low spots, high spots, lumps and bumps. It's pretty well shaped, so this is what I will work on tomorrow.
I wanted a very old school flavor to the shape. No concaves, and no hard edges. A little belly up front, little V out the back, and a little pinch to the rails.
Current weight just over 24 lbs. and still feels heavy as a bucket of nails to me.
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Looking great, Huck.
Don't overly sweat the tiny stuff - while getting it as clean as you can, wood has a mind of its own.
At 24, you're doing great.
If I may make a suggestion (I'm sure you're going with epoxy, right?)... don't over glass it. Wood is such a great base, epoxy bonds beautifully and only gets stronger with age, and unless you're really planning to charge someplace particularly heavy, a double six top and bottom is just way overkill. Use your own judgement and experience, but I would likely consider a 4+4 deck and single 4 plus patch on the bottom.
I may get flack for that, but it's what I did on my last, more traditional balsa longboard last year and am stoked.
You won't get flack from me. I totally agree. 4oz. Is good. The only reason you would use six is for aesthetics. To explain; You might want that old school look wherein the Weave of the cloth is visible. In that case you'd be looking at 6 bottom, 6/4 deck. If you were really after that old school look you could make it Volan. Otherwise for functionality 4oz is the ticker.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
I was a bit late to the show but what a job you have done. Really incredible
Don't think I could warrant a big wood board for my local breaks but I'm feeling inspired to do some thing smaller!
I think it's time to talk about what kind of equipment you're going to need to get that beast to the beach. You know, weight capacity, horsepower, etc.
all the best
Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. - Winston Churchill
@McDing I'm glad to know that, cuz glassing with epoxy over any dark color you run the risk of weave showing. So I'm not gonna stress about it now :-)
@GregTate see pic below
@BilyCVS thank you
I tried Thraikill's trick of wetting with boiling water before final sanding.
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That's looking stunning!
Huck, I don't know the exact look you're going for in terms of glassing but in addition to McDing's suggestion, you might also consider using s-cloth if you want that vintage, somewhat visible fiberglass look. I did that on a board for my brother, getting a bit of extra strength out of the 4oz s-cloth, and a neat look to go with it. It just doesn't seem to wet out as transparently as standard weaves.
Stoked to be following this. Enjoy.
That's also a possibility.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
OK. I had it sealed, but then I got to thinking about it, and I sanded it down again. It happened when I was explaining to someone "whats so special about that wood".
And as I was telling them about "old growth", how it came from a forest not a tree farm, and how you can't get it anymore, and how rare a piece that big is with no knots whatsoever, and what vertical grain is and why its the strongest and most stable and most beautiful, and it dawned on me I needed to spend a little more time on it, with a deeper appreciation of the wood itself.
It really is a remarkable piece of lumber. So I had been thinking about shaping, and how much harder wood is than foam to shape, but then I shifted to being completely grateful to work with such a beautiful rare piece of wood. And I sanded and sanded, 60 grit, 80 grit, 100, 180, 220, and that grain really began to shine. I got rid of all the little scratches and finishing flaws I just blew by before.
Plus, it gave me the chance to make a few tweaks. A little more V in the tail, just a hair more belly in the nose, and little more work on the rails, a little more work thinning out the foil. So I am much happier with it now. And the weight went down to 23 lbs.
But its sealed now, and ready to glass.
So I have some decisions, and I invite any feedback: Leash loop, do you like it? I know its not "period correct" - there is no period correct leash loop for the wood board era, and I never set out to be 100% tied to a time period. But I did want something appropriate to the board.
Fin: I shaped a fin from the same wood as the board, but it looks foggy with weave showing (epoxy over dark color sometimes does that). It looks a little worse in the pic because it has been sanded, but it really does show the weave. Should I just leave it, sand it down to the wood and try again, or just buy a cool wood fin? Glass on or fin box? I hate to put a fin box in, but it sure is handy being able to take the fin out - even if it ends up a wall hanger, a removable fin is nice. If I go with a glass on fin, I am thinking of mortising my fin in, for strength & less gusset, any thoughts on that?
The board looks great as just all wood, but some of the old boards did have some cool artwork or lettering.
Also, thinking of a name for it that will reflect its purpose: to honor the great old wood boards and wood board shapers that are our heritage.
Anyway, thats all for now.
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Amazing build Huck. So nice!!!!!!!
Great job Huck , I vote for a removable fin , and in my humble opinion the fin should the light color wood , but what ever you choose it will be spectacular , aloha T .
Hmmm, I don't have much choice, I can only use the offcuts that are big enough, and whatever grain they have is what they have. I can rummage through my box of scraps and see if there is one big enough for a fin with the lighter grain color. But if I put a removable fin in a finbox, then I will probably just buy a fin. And if I buy online (the only way right now), I can't be sure exactly what color I get. Then again, maybe I could build a fin with scraps of the light wood and strips of balsa to match the board... decisions decisions. Gotta check that box of offcuts!
This is the fin I liked the most from my visit to SHACC. I'm pretty sure its (board and fin) a Phil Edwards design.
Thnx for weighing in on it. Now you've got my wheels turning!
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Looking great Huck.
Is the darker rail noticably heavier than the lighter colored one?
I've certainly had my issues with so many layers of cloth greatly obscuring the grain on fins. To reduce the exterior glass I've been epoxying wood to a center fiberglass fin panel which then also acts like the Halo and acts like a storong base for fin systems, but then the Halo is translucent white instead of clearer of the more professionally made wood fins using PE resin.
I have made some fins using the same cedar as the board they are intended to go into, for the same color. I like the consistency of color/grain from hull to fin, but something with more contrast is not going to be able to make your board ugly, no matter what. Let your inner artist and the materials you have on hand, or can easily acquire, guide you.
Perhaps use the same or similar color but much stronger wood as you used in teh stringers, like a white ash or Holly, perhaps 2 lighter stripes from base towards tip raked back. I'd skip the fin box and definitely mortice and tennon the base, with as minimal a fillet as possible.
My 9'7" cedar HWS LB is likely now 25Lbs, don't stress the weight, its not like it is a HPLB/9 foot shortboard shape, and these style boards surf better with more weight, and smart people GTF out of one's way faster.
I did have some luck with getting more layers of cloth saturated with epoxy to get more transparent by heating the fin before laminating, using warmed system3 clearcoat epoxy( very slow and thin), and using new cloth, not old scraps of cloth that have absorbed moisture and dust over the years. Honestly using older cloth scraps has likely been the biggest factor in the cloudy results I've achieved, but I'm cheap and hate waste, but have certainly regretted it afterwards.
Instead of a leach loop pronounced above the deck, could you dig some cedar away and recess one?
I think it should be 'hidden' rather than pronounced, but of course that's just opinion.
I like your fin. It's suitable for the board if you can get it to "clear" up. But many of the wooden fins on the old boards were a little cloudy. I understand a contrasting fin and like that as well. If it were possible to visit a Home Depot I would look for some Basswood, Alder or Poplar for contrast. All three glass up nice and clear. I would guess because of the lesser oil content. Old boards or Replicas usually wind up with a resin/glass leash loop or a "stick on" like O'Fishl used to make. Ther idea was that they could be ground off if you ever wanted to retire to original or make it a wall hanger.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
Yes, A removable fin is the call. Too many disadvantages otherwise.
You have done a masterful job with it. I hope I get to see it live someday.
As for the fin, Juan Rodrigues in the Sarasota area is know as a master wood fin builder. He builds wood fins for all the old classic boards. His website is One World. But you can google him.
All the best
Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught. - Winston Churchill
I kinda like your leash attachment - definitely "in the spirt of" rather than a copy of anything. Otherwise a simple glass leash loop would be suitably discreet.
For the fin... this is your call and I understand the dilemna. On one hand, a box and removable fin (Juan does beautiful work indeed, I used his fins for years, and Dingpatch on Jamboards also makes very functional stunners) is great - you can open a lot of possibilities. On the other... a board like this is going to be particular in the water with a nature all its own and an adapted glass-on (I like your template, by the way) would not only look great but reinforce the mindset that you're riding and learning about the board as it is and for what it is... plus less chance of an eventual leak, etc. Light or darker wood? Both would look great.
Lots of great comments, and lots of food for thought. I'm glad I posted up my questions, all the answers have got me thinking.
My initial thinking was a simple but "primitive" leash attachment, like something that the old wood board makers would have done if they had to find a way to attach a leash. Hence, the wood leash loop. I've never been a fan of resin/glass leash loops. I guess they always look like an afterthought to me.
But something about it bugs me, and I guess I don't like the way it bumps up. I kept thinking an "innie" would look too modern, but seems you guys agree it would look better than the bump. So now I'm thinking something like my tail block attachment. Wouldn't be too big a deal to cut it off and put a regular tail block on if somebody wanted a wall hanger with no leash attach.
As far as the fin: I'm really torn. I agree with Greg and Trevor, the convenience of a removable fin is a huge plus. But I'm really drawn to a glass on fin, for aesthetic and conceptual reasons.
I just really hate to put a plastic fin box in this board, it seems almost a violation to me. Like a plastic leash cup would be (to my thinking).
If I do a glass on, the carpenter in me wants to mortise a slot for a fin base to fit into, for strength. Any thoughts on this?
I looked at my fin, and I could get the shape I want (I like the shape it is now, but I keep looking at that Phil Edwards board I showed a pic of, and I just really like that fin), and add some contrasting lines of 3/32" balsa stringers to match the stringers in the board. I could make it a removable fin box fin, or a glass on.
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Yes mortise it in. Much more secure. At this point I would just stay with the leash loop you have. It looks to me that if you ever decided to do away with it that you could just grind it flat and replace it with something else. I have always been a fan of the "drill thru" leash attachment on classic longboards because they are stronger and don't detract from the classic look of a longboard. That's not an option for you here without a finbox. The board deserves a classic glass on fin. The resin loop was always an add on to old boards. So that wold be appropriate because that is what a lot of guys did to old boards that had been in the rafters for years. Of course they also drilled thru the fin and attached a leash with parachute cord.. I am definitely not in favor of that. I am quite sure that if you put your mind to it you could come up with a flush or as you say "innie". It's your board and your style. And you are known for these types of leash loops. If I saw a board anywhere in the World that had a leash attachment similar to the ones you have done; I would immediately wonder if it was one on huck's boards. It's your signature. Leave it. At least for the time being. Lowel
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
Back in the early days of big surf riding, George Downing and Wally Froiseth both made boards with wooden fin boxes so they could experiment with different fins.
I suspect you could figure out a modern version.
No; It's not an ironing board.
I agree with grumpy , having seen some of your work first hand , a wood fin box should not be a problem for you and would be more , you , aloha T
Ok. Added some balsa strips to my fin, and re-shaped it. Like it better now. But I need to glass it all over again.
I did a tail block leash attachment and I like it better than the beetle bump.
As far as a wood fin box, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I kinda doubt it. Too many things to go wrong, bugs to work out. It'll either be fin box or glassed on fin, and I'm leaning toward glass on.
But I am thinking about ways I might be able to put a regular fin box in and cover it with wood, maybe. On the fence.
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Consider making a wood fin box out of IRONWOOD or LIGNUM VITAE. Bolt the fin in, front and back. Think about it.
Huck, I understand the appeal but I would sure hate to see a plastic box go into that board...
Didn't Jim do one out of wood years ago? I seem to recall a post where he discussed process...
If you had to do a box with a wood cap, Balsa Bill did a nice job of one years ago as well.
But again, I think glass-on (or in, since you're thinking to mortise it) is the way to go. Or pursue Bill's line of thought, perhaps one of those impervious-to-rot varieties he mentioned, with brass inserts for the fore/aft bolts...which could be countersunk to keep the heads from standing proud. (I just like brass/bronze on wood, stainless could be functional as well.)
Keep the stoke, good sir!
Your fin looks to be pretty high aspect ratio. Such fins usually need to be further back than their lower aspect brethern. Not sure if your pic shows where you intend to put the fin but I think it is too far away from the tail.
I like the idea of a hardwood receptacle routed into teh board, to fit the current tenon. I've put a lot of though on how to replicate a Bahne box in wood and always gave up as the 3/8" width it too limiting, but you could much more easily make a box to fit the tenon your existing fin has.
I've casted epoxy machine threads before, just polishing the screw's threads with a dremel and buffer wheel then applying several layers of a good car wax. They are quite strong too, but a little difficult to initially thread the screw.
i've had issues, sealing the cedar like you, then sanding through it, then sealing it again. Where I sanded though the sealing layer, there is a highly visible transition zone. I hope it does not happen to you, but you might not want to seal it again, then potentially do the tenon's mortice in a bunch of different steps getting back through the sealing layer to bare cedar.
Nice daily progress, Wish I could be as productive with my free time.
Thanks all for the comments, I appreciate it. In isolation, this project, and this thread, are kind of a highlight to my days. Especially with the news so full of death, doom, and gloom.
I have given a lot of thought to a self-made removable wood fin system, I just don't think this is the project for it. But it is a project I hope to get to someday. But I will give it some more thought. Maybe inspiration will strike me.
The fin I have now looks high aspect ratio, but probably not so much once I glass it and the halo is added to the outline, and the wood at the bottom is gone. It is based on this Phil Edwards fin, and I will probably use this photo from the SHACC visit with UncleGrumpy as my placement guideline. So you're right about placement being too far forward, but I just set it there for the photo without any serious thought, like when I actually set it in place for glassing.
I don't have a lot of experience with glass on fins, but I do want to avoid sanding a lot around the fin and sanding though the seal coat, or the weave, whichever it is. I do know from experience, and from repair work, that working around a glass on fin is always more work than a fin box.
At any rate, I am really really grateful to have made it this far. I am working at the limit of my surfboard bulding skills and experience, and as a result I have dodged a lot of bullets on this project for it to get to this point.
Its been a fun and challenging project, and knowing that I will likely never come across another chunk of wood like this in this lifetime has made it a bit stressful too. Bill Thrailkill had this blank before me, and he really encouraged making a period correct board. I took that to heart, because he is the one that made this opportunity available. WideAwake bought the other chunk, and made a hot curl. I haven't gone 100% period correct, but I have really tried to honor the heritage of the wood board era, in a variety of ways, during the construction. So as a result, I put way more thought into every decision. Which isn't always a good thing, haha.
I fortunately didn't have any issues with sanding through the resin at my tail block, although I have had similar experiece to you WRC, and it worried me. I really didn't want to sand through the seal coat like I did, but once I glued up the tail block, I could see it was inevitable. I tried to do something a little different on the tail block, using the woood I cut off in the block. And the seal of the tail blended just fine. Another bullet dodged. I think the fact that I sealed with a very thinned out seal coat, and was careful to try to transition gently from the sanded to unsanded helped. On the fin there is a slight difference, but probably no one but me would notice.
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Go with that. It looks great! Sealing the wood helps get rid of the cloudiness. Glass On or mortise it in if you are going to ride it. If done properly a glass on breaks off cleanly should it strike anything. A mortised fin is super strong. You would want to be sure the mortise is in solid wood. I don't think you center stringer will mortise properly. A wooden fin box would be a disaster if you ever struck a rock at those rocky So. Cal. Points you surf. Once it is jarred on a rock it could be a continued problem source with hairline cracks and water leakage to the interior of the board. A wooden box is a recipe for future problemas. You're on the right track. PS. I think you did a great job shaping that board. Based on pictures I have seen of previous boards; I think this shape is the most refined of anything that you have shaped. Very nice rail, especially where you stringers emerge at the rail. Great shaping in the tailblock. Can you post a pic of it up on rail in the rack? Would like to get a view of the rail line and bottom flow contour from tail to nose on edge.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
As far as a wooden fin box: my vision is different from picturing a plastic fin box made out of wood. I have been toying with the idea of some kind of simple home made removable fin system for some time, but yes, cracking and water intrusion are issues to contend with. We see even the plastic and composite fin boxes in use today can have problems, magnify that if you are building anything home made, and especially out of wood. But that doesn't mean its completely un-doable, and I am still tinkering in my mind. But no, I am not likely to try anything "experimental" or prototype on this board.
I do have a rail shot somewhere, but will post up a few more. I did really foil the nose and tail more than usual, the downside is that when I did my leash attachment tail block I didn't have whole lot to work with. I guess if a wave ever yanks it hard enough to damage, I will just do another, since tail blocks are not really too hard, and then I will count my blessings to even be back out in the surf post-pandemic, haha. In reality, the design itself is very strong, I didn't use plywood on this one, but the side layers are 90 degrees to the center spruce, then they are pinched between the tail block pieces, with fiberglass. There is a copper tube epoxied inside. Its not bulletproof, but probably won't be an issue.
The sealing is good, but one issue I am finding: little tiny cracks that just keep drinking in resin like a black hole. I am trying to chase down every last little crack, crevice, and worm hole, and fill them to the surface before I glass. Last resort I am mixing up some 5 minute epoxy and working it down into the cracks with a painters pallete knife. But the issue is way more persistent than I thought it would be.
I put two layers of 6 oz. on my fin, just waiting to sand and clean it up. I posted up some questions in a separate thread. My plan is to mortise it in, but no glue or resin, just held in place by the fiberglass on the surface. So if it hits a rock and breaks off, it won't tear up the bottom of the board too much. The tab and corresponding mortise will be a little wider than the balsa stringer, so the balsa stringer won't be holding it, the cedar will.
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Impressive, most impressive...
Swaylocks Surfboard Design Forum: thoughts & theories ... practical & theoretical
RAIL PROFILE http://bgboard.blogspot.com/2014/03/march-82014-afterr-seeing-recent.html
I agreee with lowel about this shape looking more refined than any previous you have posted pics of. I really like the outline and the bladier foil. How thick is it, about 3 to 3.25 I'd guess.
I also really like the look of the fin with the balsa stripes. I do question its strength with only 2 layers of 8oz up the sides. The balsa has no strength and the cedar is hardl a super strong wood. I'd expect breakage along the grain by the tip if it hit sand fin down and pivoted. I know you will add more glass when glassing it in/on. I'd encourage knowingly losing some clarity for greater strength as I think this board is going to be a rider.
Regarding glassing the fin on/in, assuming you are still morticing the base, I think the fin should be installed after laminating. The question is do you route the mortice before laminating, or after.
Before allows you, with epoxy, to come back with a razor when it is ticker and gooey, to slice the fiberglass and fold it down teh sides of the box. But resin puddling in teh bottom can be an issue, and its not like you can completely cover the inside of the mortice with the cloth wrapped around the edge.
You could wrap the base of the fin with some freezer zip lock bag, and push some cloth into the mortice using the fin base after slicing the thickened epoxy lam over the recess with a new sharp razor, or perhaps some scissors to get into the corners.
You could not use a razor at all and just lam over the routed recess then route out the cloth, and then line the box with cloth as you have done with some previous probox installs.
You could also just cut off the tenon and glass the fin on like they used to do, with a rope fillet way up the base and several layers of cloth up the sides at the same time.
I've installed one mortice and tenon singlefin in a HWS semigun, while camped on a bluff in Baja, using a chisel and a razor to make the mortice. Kind of butchered it and I used some purpleheart to try and cover the butchered edges. I can't find a close up Pic of the mating zone, but I used a minimal fin rope fillet at the base. Unfortunately the purpleheart turned mostly brown, but it is a strong hard wood.
I regretted not having a router for that stage. Well, I owned the router but not the big enough battery and inverter to power it, so I left in north of the border.
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That is beautiful! Fin board etc. really nice and obviously very rideable. Lowel
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
Yea, single fin pintails semi guns are beautiful no matter what, even thuogh Semi guns are so '1990's.', Like handshaking is so pre 2020.
That board has never been ridden and now resides in my dark storage unit along with some other HWS and foam boards from before I learned how to make HWS.
I did not build it for myself, its narrower and thinner than I like personally. It was the last HWS I built hoping someone would offer me a ridiculus sum for, before giving up on that delusion. I already had made a 7'7" thruster semigun HWS for myself that I have ridden in double overhead+ waves a few sessions 15 years ago, and left the water laughing like a maniac.
Could be time to bust it out and fondle it.
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I seem to recall an early fin box that used a stiff piece of very heavy mono filiment like a weed wacker cord that went crossway thru' a hole in the center of the box and the fin holding them together; the idea being it would break if the fin hit something saving the box and maybe the fin..
No; It's not an ironing board.
Hmm.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
!,
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
Back way way in time , when experimenting with fins we used what we called jamb in fins , we made a finbox that we glassed into the board , the box opening would be very slightly larger than the fin base , we simply folded some newspaper over the fin base and jammed it into the fin box , no tools required , the fin would never come out when surfing , but if you hit a rock etc it would knock out the fin but no damage to the board or the fin , we lost a few fins so we started to drill small hoes in the base of the fin and loop some fishing line through it and a screw in the box , we learned quite a lot about fins and fin materials like that , not suggesting that is what you should do Huck , if you are going to just ride it a couple of times then make it a wall hanger , thats one thing but if you plan on making it your daily driver it would be a crying shame if you hit the fin and destroyed the board thats why I vote for a detachable fin of some description , with so many assholes in the water these days no one is going to give you anything just because you are on a fabulous solid wood surfboard they will still cut you off and drop in on you and maybe put you in a situation to damage that board , aloha T
WRC, those are some beautiful boards!
Haven't decided when to cut my slot, appreciate the insights. I have cloth, but gotta order some more resin for glassing.
The homemade fin box could be a whole new thread. I'm sure surfoils would have some great insights too :-) definitely something I would like to attempt one day.
The fin has 2 more layers of 6 oz each side, not sure how many I can get before it just gets too cloudy, but I'm hoping at least 2 more each side, for a total of 6 each side.
Yeah, if I crash the fin I crash the fin. Anytime you paddle out you take a risk, to board and self. But this is not likely to be a daily driver, unless I just like surfing it that much.
Honestly, I would just be tickled pink to have a daily driver again.
And here is Ezekial Topanga, my wood board toting brah, just in time to cheer me up :-)
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I just spent a good hour and half reading the 99 new entries on this thread.
SOOOO glad you decided to use your own fin and set it in and not a plastic fin box.
This thing should sit along side the masters creations in SHACC long after you and I are both gone. I'm dead serious.
Pretty sure every person who has read this thread would agree with me.
Unclegrumpy would look after you. I can imagin it being dispalyed with a powerpoint of the entire catalouge of photos from this thread. Dead set it could be a featured display.
But for now you need to be outrageously proud of yourself, ride it!!!!
But consider donating this to SHACC in your will!
THIS THING COULD/SHOULD BE YOUR LEGACY TO THE SURFING WORLD.
F the haters
@reclaim_surf formerly Skatement
(Adam) Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia
Thnx Adam - you crack me up, but I appreciate the stoke!
So if you know me, you know I want to add some graphics to this board, just cuz. Thats the artist in me. And I don't want to violate that great wood look, so I'm thinking of a wood inlay graphic. While its again a bit of a straying from period boards, its not so far off. I did see some graphics and some inlay work on the old wood boards at the SHACC.
Anyway, I used JohnnyK3's sketch of the stringers to mock up a crude concept sketch of what I'm thinking. Just to see what anyone thinks.
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I think a circular wood inlay would be the bee's knees on this one Huck. Thanks for the thread!
http://pushheretosavealife.com/ Be safe, have fun. -J
I agree. Classic Phil in a circle.
That which can be assorted without evidence was read in an illegal magazine.
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