surf bulletin

I've posted some updates to the progress on my surfboard over at Flickr. The recent warm spell is making me antsy for beach season.

surfboard glue up

My adjustable rocker table worked out great when it came time to glue the internal frame to the bottom deck. Adam, Brad, and Paul were a HUGE help because I was fairly nervous about screwing up the glue-up. The deck is now trimmed and the chine strip is in place. I can't wait to get back and start work on my rails.

wooden surfboard construction

Skeleton on rocker table.

I spent a lot of time researching the various web sites devoted to surfboard construction, particularly hollow wooden surfboards. The first company one encounters during this process is Grain Surfboards. They manufacture finished wooden boards as well as kits for DIY'rs. They also offer workshops for those who would like a guided tour of the process. Long story short: I like Grain's process and product, but I don't think it's necessary to purchase their full kits to produce an excellent board. That is, *if* you have access to a well equipped wood shop.

Many of the surfboard designs you can find online are based around the concept of a hollow box with straight sides. The rails are then built up out of laminated cork or other lightweight materials, which are then sanded and shaped into rails. The key to the Grain/Blundell designs is that they rely on rails that are built using the cove and bead strip method, which is also the method used in the construction of cedar kayaks. This translates into less waste materials being produced during the shaping of the board as well as (potentially) cleaner transitions from rails to deck.

Rich Blundell, one of the founders of Gain Surfboards, maintains the extremely useful Tree to Sea Wooden Surfboard Builders Forum. I am working from Rich's 9' Wing longboard plan.