CHERRY SURFBOARDS BLOG

New Rudders for Josh Hall and Kaneoshi

2011-12-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Josh Hall is shaping a custom 6'-8" for one of Yuichi's friends in Japan. He and Yuichi wanted me to translate one of Skip's box templates into a glass-on, marine-ply version. This is the single-foil x 4 quad set that I came up with. 4.0" lead fins ~ 3.5" trailers.

Woods: Elm burl veneer over Baltic birch ply with black glue line.

This simm-21 set below is for Yuichis friend, Kaneoshi's 7'6" Simm-21 model

Woods: Quilted maple veneer over Finnish birch ply, black glue line.

http://www.wavesforever.com/

http://www.joshhallsurfboards.com/

FUN STUFF!!!

Phil Edwards Models x 2 ~ Early 60's & Early 90's

2011-12-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

I have owned the late-80's, early 90's Phil Edwards Model for several years. It has always been one of my favorite boards. I had often dreamed of somehow, someday acquiring a pristine early-60's model to go with it. By agreeing to take another precious board of mine in trade for this original Hobie, Phil Edwards Model my Brother-from-another-Mother, Francesco Di Tommaso made my dream come true (it's a long story).

I am truly grateful F.D. They make a great photo together.

Top: 9'-8" P.E. Model shaped late 80's or early 90's. Bottom: 10', early 1960's P.E. Model

The early board has the solid-ash, Reverse D fin, standard to the model. The late model board has a fin box, as did most. The reverse D box fin is one based on Phil's original template that I made for the board.

5'6" Simm-21 ~ For My Friend, Tatsuya in Japan.

2011-12-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

This clean little Simm-21 is headed to Tatsuya in Japan via Yuichi Imai's wavesforever.com

http://www.wavesforever.com/

Many thanks to Yuichi and Tatsuya. I had fun shaping this one! Aloha, JC

New Box Fins Have Arrived!

2011-12-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'd have a hard time choosing which is more fun, shaping custom boards.....or building cool fins for them.

But Fins are so much easier to ship!! I always love getting photos back from friends and clients of their boards with my fins in them or glassed onto them.

7.0 marine ply box fin for Kris Chatterson in Brooklyn, NY

9.0 box fin for Francesco Di Tommaso's Tyler gun, Bari Italy

Thanks to Kris and Francesco for taking the time to send the cool photos of their boards

Aloha, JC

New Box Fins

2011-11-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

The 9.0 fin is for my buddy Francesco in Bari Italy. The 7.0 Marine ply Frye template is for Kris Chatterson in New York.

Woods: Flame maple, Macassar ebony, red glue lines

Pigs a Pair-9'8" and 9'10" Modern pigs headed for Japan

2011-11-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

I built and shaped these two Pigs for Yuichi Imai of http://www.wavesforever.com/ . The clear volan 9-10 is for Dan and the pink volan 9-8 is for Ruichi. They are on their way to Japan. Dan and Ryuichi wanted me to do a "modern" version of the pig. It didn't require much changing. The template and 50/50 rails are true to the originals. I simply added some subtle rocker, moved the fins up a couple inches and per request, added shallow, blended nose concave. The 3" balsa stringers are chambered.

Glassing: http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/

Thanks Yuichi, Dan and Ryuichi. I had a blast building and shaping these boards. Aloha, JC

Home at last~Jess's Hobie, T.Martin Balsa Gun

2011-11-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

Jess's long tome dream has finally materialized. God bless all the wives who appreciate that a beautiful board can serve as beautiful living decor as well.

(when its not dropping into green bombs)

Got Fins?

2011-11-06T00:54:00.000-07:00

This batch of Finnish Birch, marine ply fins is for Teppi Uchida in Newport beach

In this photo the fins are shown in bare wood, ready to be sealed and laminated.

Thanks Teppi. I'm anxious to see some of these boards!

9.0 Center Box fin for Francesco's Tyler Gun

2011-11-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Francesco picked up a new 9'-2" Tyler fun-gun this summer, A beautiful double-ender with a deep red opaque lay-up, a yellow-gold tint on the deck and an olive brown pinline on the cut lap. He needed a box fin for it, so this is what I came up with.

Woods: Flame Maple over (2) flame maple veneer layers with a center of Macassar ebony

I used red glue for the lamination.. In this photo the fin is cheater-coated, ready to be laminated and the base laid up for the box. Aloha Bro, JC

Gun Racks for Jess

2011-11-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm usually busy shaping boards and foiling fins. It's nice to take a break once and a while and bust out a nice set of racks for a friend. These are for the Hobie, Terry Martin balsa gun belonging to Jess Seiffert shown in one of the my recent, previous posts.

Woods: African mahogany, Macassar ebony, Brazilian cherry, 3/8" Finnish marine ply

Kustom Rudders for Holly and Joe

2011-10-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

Holly Yang and her boyfriend Joe are back in Maine right now, building a couple hollow-wood boards with Mike Lavecchia at Grain Surfboards. Holly and Joe wanted a couple custom fin sets to take with them.

I finished these just in time for their trip.

Aloha Holly and Joe. SEND PHOTOS!!!

Sacred Craft Expo 2011 Del Mar

2011-10-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

Sacred Craft, October 8th and 9th, in Del Mar was the biggest and the best one yet!

Thanks to all who stopped by to visit and to all those who attended and supported the show and all of the shapers, craftsmen and artists that made the show as great as it was.

Here's a couple shots of my space this year.

Thanks a million to Chris Tomlin, Kevin Dotson, Frank Cherry and Kenny Pruitt for all the help this year.

L-R: Josh Martin, JC, Chris Tomlin and My brother in law and mentor, Terry Martin

Koa Quads and Tri's

2011-10-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

Thes fins are shown cheater-coated, ready to laminate. The Tri-fin set is for Steve Schirmacher. They will go on an 11-0 that Skip Frye is shaping for him. The quad set is for my young friend and shaping side-kick, Christopher Tomlin. I am getting ready to shape for Chris the 11-0 Fish-Simmons that these fins will be on.

Hawaiian Style, Barry Kanaiaupuni ~Robert Rudine ~ JC Finz

2011-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

This beautiful gun was built by Robert Rudine, one of the best blank builders and shapers in the business.

This one was shaped By the legend, BK in Hawaii. This board was selected as one of the top 6 boards considered for "best in show" at Sacred Craft Del Mar. Some a-sym, carbon fiber thing took top honors.

Go Figure!

Below is the fin set I made for it, figured Hawaiian Koa.

Sacred Craft ~ 5'10" Simm-21

2011-10-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

This Jewel is one of two simm-21 models I took to Sacred Craft, Del Mar with me. A sweet 7-2 went out the door at the show and this one was purchased by Yuichi Imai of http://www.wavesforever.com/ for one of his Lucky customers. Thanks Yuichi!!

Fins: Figured Hawaiian koa:

Glassing: http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/ Thanks Michael!

10' Hobie balsa gun by Terry Martin for Jess

2011-10-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

Jess Seiffert finally treated himself to a long awaited dream, a 10' Hobie, balsa gun, shaped by Terry Martin

I had the pleasure of doing the koa, maple and ebony fin.

Jess and Hobie Jr.

Woods: Koa, Maple and Macassar Ebony

Too Busy to Blog AGAIN. Some New Stuff

2011-10-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize to everybody who likes to follow my blog. I so appreciate everyone's interest and support. Since mid-July I have been so busy in the shop that although I have taken the time to snap some photos along the way, I have not had much time to devote to keeping up on my blog. Here's a loooong post of photos of projects that I have been doing between now and back then.

This is a 9'7" classic longboard I just completed for my good buddy, Kevin Dotson of Carlsbad. This one will be on display at the Sacred Craft Exhibition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, October 8th and 9th. The fin, nose block and tail block are of figured, claro walnut, koa and flame maple. It is glassed with volan cloth, double 8oz deck and single 8oz bottom. This will be a daily rider for Kevin.

Glassing: http://www.michaelmillersurfboards.com/

For Ray Fornicola, of Norfolk, Va. I shaped this 8'0" Simm-21 from a nice Clark Blank I had in reserve, with a 3/8" spruce stringer with black glue. It has a set of figured zebrawood fins. Ray wanted a "plane Jane" glass job, so I had michael do a double 6oz, standard cloth deck and single 6oz bottom.

I giggled when I got my first look at it, all glossed and polished, so clean!!!

sometimes less really is more. Glassing: Michael Miller

My brother from another mother, Francesco Di Tommaso, wanted to shape a board while he was here this summer. He had just arrived in California after spending a week or so in Fiji, surfing Cloudbreak. This 8'4" board is intended for next years Fiji trip. We shaped it out of an 8-6EA blank with custom rocker and a T-band stringer (1/12" cedar~1/2" basswood~1/12" cedar) The finset has redwood burl veneer on the outsine and green-ish/gold abalone panels on the inside. In these few photos the board has just been glossed and still needs to be rubbed out. It is glassed with single 8oz volan with a 3/4 volan deck patch.

Glassing: Michael Miller

"D" template fin of figured Jatoba for a 9'10" "Modern Pig" The basic board template is a late 50's pig, almost identical to Mike Blacks (surfapig) late 50's balsa, Velzey~Jacobs.

It is shaped from a US Blanks 10-2B with natural rocker and has some subtle, blended concave under the nose.

Early 60's "D" template fin of Primavera wood. it's going on a 9-8 Modern Pig.

9'10" pig with 3" chambered-balsa stringer. Ready to glass.

9-10 and 9-8 Modern Pig blanks, templated ready to shape. These boards, when finished, are headed for Japan through Yuichi Imai http://www.wavesforever.com/

The 3 photos below: Chambers and glue-up of Dan's and Ryuichi's pig blanks.

Simm-21 single-foil keels and double-foil trailer fin. for a 7'2" simm-21.

This board will also be at Sacred Craft.

Quad set for Robert Rudine and a tri set for Barry Kanaiaupuni out of highly figured Hawaiian koa.

I just sent these to the Islands to go on 2 of RR's incredible balsa guns.

Hopefully, I will have some board photo's to share with you when they are done.

Single-foil twins for Brian Kennedy in Ireland. These will be on a hollow-wood fish he is building.

Francesco putting some final touches on his 8-4 "Tavarua Model" he just finished shaping and the fin set, cheater-coated and ready to glass.

Kevin Dotson's noseblock and tailblock during the shaping process.

Note the tape layers used to protect the foam.

8.5" box fin for Carlos Vieira in Portugal. Woods: Curly redwood and flame maple.

The following (8) photos are of the 7'2" "speed fish" I just shaped for my younger brother Scot and the fish I shaped for him a couple years ago. Scot wanted me to shape an identical board for him because the 7'2" fish, that he eventually destroyed, was a "magic" board for him. I did it, but I added some extra wood and used a bit sturdier glass job on this one. He likes it even better!

The last major damage on the first one happed when he didn't quite make a tube section at his secret spot in Mex......right in front of a healthy rock point.

Glassing: http://www.michaelmillersurfboards.com/

(10) assorted hand planes headed for 10 of Yuichi's lucky customers in Japan.

Woods: varieties of balsawood, agave, cedar, redwood and Peruvian walnut.

Bottom (3) photos of handplanes; courtesy of Yuichi Imai.

http://www.wavesforever.com/

9'-2" "Pelican Glider". This is a 9-2 version of the Simm-21 Model I shaped for Satoru, one of Yuichi's customers in Japan. Originally, the Simm-21 was intended to be a model that would be a maximum of 8' and anything under. The purpose being to have longer-board paddle and wave-catching ability and shorter-board speed and maneuverability. When Yuichi requested a 9-2 Simm-21 I hesitated, but agreed to do a 9-2 version. I owe Satoru a thank-you. I was blown away at how beautifully the design transferred to a longer version. With the longboard length it has many of the same bonus capabilities as the smaller Simm-21's, but is much more of a fluid glider and less fish-like in terms of the ride. It immediately reminded me of a comment my friend, Big Steve Schirmacher made about a velo-simmons he had ridden. He said,

"It feels the same way a pelican looks as it is floating on the updraft off the face of a wave."

I saw that in this 9-2 version and decided to christen this and subsequent long versions of the Simm-21

"THE PELICAN GLIDER"

Glassing: http://www.michaelmillersurfboards.com/

Thank you Yuichi Imai and Satoru.

I shaped this 8'0" Simm-21 for Francesco.

I built a blank with a custom, tapered, T-band stringer (2-1/2" nose to 3/4" tail sandwiched by 1/8" redwood on each side). The fin set woods are Hawaiian koa, flame maple and dark parota. Michael Miller did a gold-kelp full tint using 8oz volan with a 2/3, 8oz volan deck patch.

Glassing: Michael Miller

Francesco at Terramar on his 8-0 Simm-21. August 2011

8.5" marine ply center box fin. For Michael Miller

9.5" glass-on for Terry Martin Balsa gun. Cheater-coated, ready to laminate.

Woods: koa, maple Macassar ebony

Vertical display racks for John Atwill in Australia. Adjustable for height and width.

Woods: figured teak, African walnut, Brazilian cherry, paduk, purpleheart, maple Peruvian walnut.

Doing one of my favorite things; at Hobie, hanging with my favorite brother-in-law, T. Martin in the shaping bay.

Photo: Christopher Tomlin

Aloha, JC

Ready to Rock the Cactus ~ 8'0", 70's-Style Pipeline Gun.....Finished

2011-07-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's such a trip when you go to the glasser to pick up a board that has been long and involved in the making. You know how it will probably look. You harvested, collected and finish-milled the precious material. You built the blank, made and laid out the template on it and hand-shaped the board. You are very familiar with the patterns in the wood of the board and the custom fin. You know....pretty much....what to expect how the appearance of the finished, glossed and polished board will be. But walking into the glass shop and laying my eye's on the beautifully finished board, the completion of a much earlier vision, always exceeds my expectations!

I want to thank my good buddy, Michael Miller for the superb glass job that completed this project.

This boards is glassed with double 6oz on both sides. It's very sturdy.

Finished weight: About 14 lbs

http://www.michaelmillersurfboards.com/

Agave (solid) with four 1/12" Peruvian walnut stringers.

Abalone and silver lip clam overlay beneath the logo

Fin woods: Koa, Flame maple and Macassar ebony

This board will be available for sale after the Sacred Craft Exhibition at Del Mar, Oct 8th and 9th

Hope to see you there!

aloha,

New Simm-21 for Sale

2011-06-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

This 7'2" Simm-21 was custom made for a customer back east. He wasn't completely satisfied with the final color..........No Biggie, I shaped him another one. Now he is happy and this beautiful olive-green board is looking for a new home.

It has a T-band stringer and solid koa fins. Glassed by Michael Miller

http://www.michaelmillersurfboards.com/

Sorry......This one is already sold.

I have a lot more blanks in the shaping bay awaiting custom orders!

JC and Michael Miller

70's Style ~ 8'0" Pipeline Gun ~ Agave with Peruvian Walnut Stringers

2011-06-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to build and shape with the agave I am sitting on in the second photo. I finally decided on a 70's style, Lightening Bolt inspired, single-fin, Pipeline gun.

Pre-glass weight: about 9 lbs.

8-0 gun agave, raw and milled ready to glue up

Glued up, ready to template .

Templated blank above, first rail band cut below.

Above: Almost finished shaping. Below: abalone and silver lip clam inlay for logo backing

Fin: Hawaiian koa, Flame maple and ebony

Off to the glasser! Stay tuned for photos of finished board. Aloha,

SSTT (Super-Sonic Troop Transport) for Wounded Warriors

2011-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bobby Donnelly and Christopher Tomlin, two of my young shaping apprentices and surfing buddies, are both E.O.D. techs with the Military. Both have been wounded during service to our country. Bobby lost his right leg, below the knee. Chris just got blown up 3-4 times in Humvee's. His injuries are slightly less apparent outwardly, but equally traumatic. Bobby and Chris, both accomplished surfers, are very involved and dedicated to the Wounded Warriors Surf Camp at Del Mar, California.

I spend a lot of time with Chris and Bobby and have been hearing many uplifting stories about our disabled veterans and the enjoyment they derive from their time in the water.....being introduced to surfing and the ocean. It is great therapy physically and mentally and just plain FUN. I was mostly hearing stories about guys with one or both legs amputated, below or above the knee, who were having fun on longboards at the camp. After catching a wave, they ride sitting or prone. This inspired me to envision and shape a board that

would hopefully provide them with the best possible surfing experience and the most exhilaration while riding. Here is what I came up with. it's a prototype that we can tweek as necessary.

At 5' 1-1/2" x 22-1/2" x 3" with a wide overall template these young athletes can hopefully paddle it into waves. It has a fast hull design, employing a subtle single-into-double bottom, low profile single-foil, Simmons-ish twin keels, set forward for maneuverability and (2) hand holds just forward of the deck concave for extra control. Peter, Sally, Gary Stuber and the crew at Moonlight Glassing have donated the glass job. Dave King of King SUP'S is donating the pad that will cover the deck concave area. I would like to thank them all for helping me with this project. Enough text. Check it out!

Moonlight Glassing will be finished with it any day now. Stay tuned for photos of the finished board!
www.moonlightglassingsurfboards.com

Back in the Shaping Bay.....AT LAST! New Simm-21's

2011-05-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

This 7'-2" is Simm-21 #18. It is getting a light-olive green tint. The finset, done in solid Hawaiian koa, is shown below it. Chris Tomlin has a tentative "dibbs" on this one. If he doesn't pull the trigger, it may come up for sale.

This is a 5'10 Simm-21, #19, Moonlight Glassing is doing a kelp-colored tint on it. I shaped the fin set for it out of marine ply. (no fin pics.........use your imagination). This one is for sale, ready in 3-4 weeks.

This is a 5'8" Simm-21, #20, Moonlight Glassing is doing a light, gun-metal blue tint on it. The fin-set for it is shown below. Wood: figured zebra wood (zebrano). This board will be for sale, ready in 3-4 weeks.

The first photo shows the pencil layout I do on all the Simm-21 models to start the subtle single-inro-double concave bottom.

I'm finally getting started on some more wood boards. More to come! Aloha, JC

New Rudders for Dave "Rocket" Siteman

2011-05-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Dave Siteman has been infected with the shaping bug and probably will be for life. Dave's 2nd board is a cool fish......carved exactly to his specs. Dave came to me for the fin set for his new ride. We chose this Channel Islands template for his single-foil keels. Its one of the best fin templates I have ridden, plenty of area, combined with some smooth-turning, rounded trailing tips. The fuller foil, extending well into the upper portion of the fin provides some added lift into the rocket zone. Dave is a bigger guy who likes to use some heavy back foot control. These should work well for him.

Woods: Flame maple, lacewood, purpleheart and maple pinlines separate the rays.

Aloha Rocket man, JC

Custom 9'-8" chambered balsa for Bobby "diamonds" Donnelly

2011-05-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

I built and shaped this 9'-8", 21 lb, chambered balsa longboard for myself a few years ago. I was very happy to pass it on to my good buddy and shaping apprentice, Big "D". (OK...ex-shaping apprentice. He's making great boards on his own now) Bobby is one of our "wounded warriors". He is very active in the camp that introduces wounded warriors to surfing as a therapeutic sport. Big D still maintains a truly positive attitude about his own recovery and that of others. He has a huge heart.......and post-bk amputation, He still surfs better than most. He makes me really proud to be his friend.

Aloha Big D

#3 for Kevin Ho, Hawaii ~ Tyler Surfboards "Zeke" template fin.

2011-05-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

In early 2009 I made the 9.75" glass-on for Kevin and Tyler, shown in the bottom 2 photos. It looked great on Kevin's apple-green tint, Tyler longboard. I'm guessing it works great as well. I just sent Kevin his 3rd version of the same fin, this 9.75" box fin.

#3 9.75" box fin

#2 8.75" box fin

#1 9.75" glass-on fin

Aloha KH

7'2" Simm-21 for Michael Tully, New Jersey

2011-05-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Simm-21's are a great board for the east-coast quiver. The wider-overall template, hull speed and fin set-up can milk the most out of waves on the mediocre days and they can absolutely RIP in any good surf condition. This one is getting a light-olive green tint for Michael and the koa and peru walnut fin set in the

Hawaiian Gold post, 2 posts down. Aloha Michael

Tri-fin sets for Dick Brewer Tow-In Boards

2011-04-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Larry Fuller just got back from the Islands where he and Dick just build a series of solid redwood tow-in boards. But not just any redwood.........They used Sequoia redwood milled from a 4000 year old giant Sequoia which had fallen in the giant redwood forest and river-bottom redwood which was hauled up from the riverbottom where it sank while being rafted down river to the mill many decades ago. I used the same woods to make the fin sets for the boards. The lighter fin sets are the Sequoia redwood, two of which have a redwood burl ray in the centers. The ebony colored wood is the river-bottom redwood. this ebony tone penetrates the lumber through and through. In this photo the fins are cheater-coated, ready to laminate.

Cant wait to see the finished boards!

Hawaiian Gold

2011-04-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

This fin set is for a 7-2 Simm-21 that I am shaping for Michael Tully.

in this photo they are cheater-coated, ready to laminate.

Michael is going with a light-olive green tint for the board.

Woods: Hawaiian koa, maple, dark peruvian walnut.

Aloha Michael, JC

TBTB (Too Busy To Blog).........again!

2011-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. These are projects I have been busy doing for the last 6-8 weeks. I find it impossible sometimes to get to the computer to blog on a daily or weekly basis. Here are 20 or so projects that I have been busy with since then.....and a few other interesting things my friends have had going on.

9.75 box fin fo Kevin Ho, Hawaii. Cheater-coated, teady to laminate. for Kevin Ho

Finnish birch quads, 1 of 2 sets for the T. Martin 7'5" and 7'11" quads shown below.

for Steve Schirmacher

9.5 glass-on for Dick Brewer Balsa longboard. Owner: Brian Fortuna. Curly redwood and flame maple

Above; 10.0 pivit fin fin. Imbuya (brazilian walnut)

Below 9.5 raker. Old-growth redwood with maple and peruvian walnut curved t-band pinline

For Mike LaVecchia, Grain Surfboards. www.grainsurfboards.com

Quad set for 9-0 Pavel WhaleFish. Finnish ply with bigured bubinga veneer. 80/20 trailers.

For Cary Kinkead

Double-foil Simmons Keels for Marc Andreini Simmons Board. Fiberglass Hawaii red tint

Owner: Daniel Stupar

http://www.andreinisurfboards.com/

Random shop photo

7.5 marine ply center box fin, 9.0 marine ply Greenough 4-A flex fin and Marine ply thruster set.

These fins are for (3) Larry Mabile boards for Scott Hulet, editor The Surfer's Joutnal

Scott's new road-kit quiver

9.5 x 8.5 raker. Finnish ply, Fiberglass Hawaii red tint. This one is for sale at Mitch's North, Solana Beach
www.mitchssurfshop.com

9-5 raker for 11' Hobie, T. Martin Legacy model. Lacewood. Owner: Chris Tomlin
10.0 pivot fin for Pavel noserider. Flame maple. Owner: Steve Schirmacher

Box floor stand for 8'-10" Dick Brewer, koa alaia. Figured teak, inlaid redwood burl and flame maple.

Owner: Luke Brown

Christopher Tomlin with his matching, 10'5" and 10'7" Christenson noseriders
(can you say...."board envy"?)

Quad set for T. Martin fish. Finnish ply with figured koa veneer. Owner: Cooper Colins

10.5 noserider fin for Tyler Surfboards (Tyler's template). Imbuya. Owner: Harry Daglas

Tri-fin set. laminated, ready to glass. Koa with spalted sapwood koa center ray.
Ebony and maple pinlines
For Eddie Rice from wife, Jessica. Eddie is shaping a 5'8" biscuit for these.

Designed and shaped by Michael Allen West. 80's Phil Edwards-esque.....with a moon tail!
9-0 Finnish ply flex fin, Fiberglass Hawaii red tint. VERY COOL Michael!

Marc Andreini at Sacred Craft 2011, Santa Cruz. Balsa gun, tapered redwood stringer with noseblock. J. Cherry, 60's gun template fin (Marc's template). Curly redwood-heavy bead.

Ultra-light balsa blank by J. Cherry for a Jeff McCallum 8'0" Simmons. For a Japan client.

T-band stringer 1/16" cedar-1/16" Peruvian walnut-1/16"cedar

NO.........I won't build you a balsa blank........sorry.

That's it for now folks. Thanks for waiting and for keeping up with my blog. I'm still swamped in the shop, but I'll do my best to keep up with the posts.

Aloha to all my friends, JC

Art About Art

2011-02-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Steve Schirmacher recently aquired this cool, 6-9, Skip Frye fish with Thomas Campbell artwork.

He asked me to build a vertical stand for it so it could be enjoyed in his home.

This is what I designed and built for him.

Woods: African Mahogany and Parota (the base).

Primary Colors

2011-02-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

I got a visit from Dave Siteman (L.A.) and Michael West (O.C.), both aspiring shapers, and some orders for rudders for their new boards. Both wanted some classic marine ply.........with some color. Here's what we did.

Baltic Birch, tri-fin set tinted coke-bottle aqua and Finnish birch, Simm-21 set tinted yellow for Dave.

And this Killer 9.5" flex out of Finnish birch, tinted with Fiberglass Hawaii red for Mike.

FUN STUFF GUYS! aloha, JC

Lotta Fins Goin' Off = Too Busy To Blog

2011-02-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

Business in February has been keeping my head down, bustin' out fins (a good thing).

Terry Martin shapes X2 for Big Steve. One-fin-Pin (L) and a classic noserider (R)

10" Cherry flex template for the OFP and a 10" pivot for the noserider.

JC quads for the 7'5" and 7'11" T. Martin round-pins below.

T. Martin quads for Big Steve, sitting at Moonlight, waiting for cloth, fins, and color.

Reverse D template. Figured crotch Jatoba. Laminated ready to glass on.

9.5" lacewood fin. This one is going on a T. Martin 10' balsawood Legacy Model.

Center Box Fins! Check it out. These (3) are For sale; Tattoo $265, Reverse D, $245, Bonzer $175
(plus Ca. state tax) No Charge for local shipping.

9.5" flame Maple. Tatoo designs are woodburning and watercolor on a fine-sanded wood surface.

Reverse D, full template. Woods: Imbuya (Brazilian walnut) and inlaid diamond of basketweave pattern, end-grain doug fir, with purpleheart border.

All are custom fit bay hand.......Straight..........Snug.

6.5" Bonzer woods: Narrah and maple pinlines.

DT 7.5's For Takayama and Larry fuller

2011-02-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Donald Takayama and Larry Fuller brought to me one of Donald's 7.5" Fiberglass Fin Co, glass, box fins (lower right) and asked me to do (5) glass-on wood fins from the same template for some wooden boards he and Larry are doing. I did (3) in figured zebrawood and (2) in redwood burl. Donald asked me to do a 1/2" bead on top of the 7.5 template for the zebrawoods, slightly less on the redwoods. Here they are. These are laminated, ready to glass-on. Finished height; 8.0"

Redwood burl

Figured zebrawood

Like all of Donald's stuff, and previous boards I have done with Larry, I'm sure these will turn out insane looking. Stay tuned.

Italy~ Secret Point~ Francesco Di Tommaso on his "Tube Machine"

2011-02-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

January, 2011, Francesco Di Tommaso

Northern Mediterranean, Southern Italy

When Storms in the Mediterranean kick up a long enough fetch for swells to hit Italy.....This happens.

Frigid winter air and Santa Cruz winter water temp's Don't keep Francesco out of the water.

Back in 2007, Francesco told me, "I'd like you to shape me a gun.....disguised as a longboard".

This is what I shaped for him. This 9-0, pulled-in double ender, with low relaxed rocker, subtle single-into-double bottom contour and a set of reverse-D-template quads that I designed for it....... is deceivingly fast. This is what he is riding in these photos.

Dimensions:

Francesco and his wife Manuela both have an impressive command of the English language, but I still find myself doing this sometimes......trying to interpret his exact meaning.

in Italian this means, "I'm cool with it".

After riding it, he has named it, "Tube Machine" or T.M. for short.

Thanks for the photos. Aloha Bro.

Finland Ply Glass-ons for T.Martin Longboards

2011-01-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

10.0 pivot fin and 10.0 raked, flex fin. ready to laminate.

The pivot fin will go on a Terry Martin Shapes, 10'0", square-tail noserider.

The Raker fin will be going on a Terry Martin, 10'0" One-Fin-Pin.

The raker fin is laminated with 3 layers of 6oz cloth, both sides, with a healthy bead, to stiffen it's flex-release properties.

The pivot fin is laminated with 2 layers of 6 oz, fitted with a similar bead.

(2) Ready to glass-on and headed to Moonlight Glassing. www.moonlightglassingsurfboards.com
These two boards will be an addition to "Big Steve's" already-amazing quiver.

(2) really "Choice" 11'-0" Gliders

2011-01-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

Steven Schirmacher with his (2) new, 11'0", fish-Simmons style gliders by Rich Pavel
Glassing: Michael Miller http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/
Fins: J. Cherry

I was truly stoked when Big Steve brought these by for me to have a look. Photos don't do these incredible boards justice. Like all of Rich's boards, the shapes on these are true perfection of form and function. The pale-yellow board has very subtle concave under the forward trim position, transitioning into a flatter mid-section, with flat "v" through the tail. it is fitted with a single box. Nose to tail it has a general down-railer profile. The lime green one has very subtle, single-into-double bottom, with a sleek, more-neutral rail profile and is fitted with a glass-on tri-fin set that I had the pleasure of making.

Michael Millers glass jobs on these are beautiful, sturdy and flawless.....as usual.

I made the tri-fins of solid flame maple, simple and elegant by the natural beauty of the wood. The lime green Steven chose makes any wood look great, especially the lighter maple.

No logo lams on these two customs, just Rich's artful signatures on the blanks.

My thanks to Big Steve and Rich for inviting me ho have a small hand in the creation of these superb boards.

Aloha Guys, JC

African Mahogany Wall Racks for Big Steve

2010-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

I just finished these African mahogany wall racks for "Big Steve" Schirmacher to hang one of his big gliders in the house.......where it can be appreciated 24/7.

as shown: $295

New Life for an Old 9'6" Hobie

2010-12-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

Many are the debates over whether or how much to restore an old board to it's former glory.

In the case of my '62 Hobie it was an easy decision. This board was super solid, i.e. no delam, solid foam everywhere under the double-10oz or 12oz glass, and after a few repairs, water-tight all around, with a fin, stringer and logo all in superb shape, but......UGLY AS SHIT with discoloration.

I decided to go for it. I sanded off the gloss coat and most of the sanding coat, filled minor defects in the surface and then block sanded it for straight-as-new surface. I applied a new surface-coat, pigmented to achieve the color panels, pin lined it with resin and gloss-coated it....just like it would have been done at the factory.

Is it worth more.......or less than if I had left it alone? I don't really care. It's beautiful (to me) and it's good to go for 50 more seasons. Check it out.

This began as a humble, 1962 Hobie, 9'-6" x 22" x 3-1/2", standard shop model.
Below are some "before" photos.

Taped off - ready to color coat

The weight change resulting from the restoration seems to be about zero. It's still as heavy as boards were back in the day.

Great Gliders!

2010-12-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

"Big Steve" Schirmacher with his 12' 2" Skip Frye and his 12' 0" Marc Andreini

Great templates on both of these superb boards, but quite different.

The Frye is a classic, Southern California glider, the Andreini; shaped for Santa Cruz and parts north.

10 years ago, this 12' Andreini spear wouldn't be called anything but a gun. Steve is no stranger to big surf, but says he gets tons of enjoyment, ripping on this and a few of his other similar gliders in medium sized San Diego surf and even on smaller days when a little extra board comes in handy.

L-R, Tim Elsner, Marc Andreini and Steve Schirmacher.

Last year Tim scored two 12'+ Clark Foam Blanks that Marc used to shape these for Tim and Steve.

Zoo News

2010-12-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Grandaughter says, "I want a new surfboard.......with pink cheeta and zebra fabric".

What's a guy supposed to do??

Fin: Solid Lacewood

For Cheyanne

7'7" x 22" x 2-7/8" Clark Foam

Glassing; Michael Miller http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/

Diamond on Fire

2010-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Redwood burl, Flame maple, Ebony

Early 60's, Hobie template

The fin is cheater-coated and ready to laminate in these photo's. It will be laminated, with a 5/8", old school, clear bead around it. It will become a framed art piece for a good friend and client. That's all I can give up right now. Christmas is coming.

Recent Fins

2010-11-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

Tri-fin set for an 11'0" Skip Frye Glider. Owner; Luke Brown

Wood burn art on birch plywood. Woods; Ash Burl over figured bubinga over 1/4" Finnish Plywood.

Tri-fin set for 11-0 Pavel, fish-simmons. owner; "Big Steve" Shirmacher.

solid flame maple.

Rising Sun, "D" fin for a Weber classic longboard. Owner; Scott Johansson

woods: African walnut and flame maple.

Tyler Olson's 2nd Commerative Board

2010-11-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

T.O. just picked up the 9-0 longboard that commemorates the birth of his second son. Tyler will ride these occasionally, but his main goal is to pass each of these on, in great condition, to his boys when they are old enough to surf. Board #1 is 9'4" glassed in volan. Board #2 is 9'0" glassed in standard cloth.

"SOUL ARCH"

Aloha Tyler

Tri-Fins, double-foil x 3 for 10'-6" Al Merrick Gun

2010-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Woods: Redwood lace burl, sandwiched between quilted maple.

This incredible board is a colaboration by al Merrick and Larry fuller. I have done lots of fins and finsets for Larry's special boards. I was stoked to get to help with this one. It began as a solid redwood board by Al. Larry Supplied the wood, Old groth California heart redwood from a defunct winery in northern California. The wood was once part of a room-sized cask that aged california red wine. Larry has his own secret (really) sources for incredible woods. Larry took the shaped board apart at Jimmy Phillips shop and chambered it, bringing the pre-glass weight from around 110 lbs.....to about 28lbs. In this photo, I had just finished cheater-coating the board with a 50/50 laminating resin and styrene mix, an absolutely necessary step to prevent the wood from "gassing" as well as absorbing too much resin when glassed. The same treatment was required for the redwood fins.

11-0 Glider for Chris Tomlin

2010-10-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

Pick-up Day. My young shaping apprentice, C.T. could have shaped this one himself, but he wanted one from me. The outer-space shine is from reflective tape on his USMC sweat suit. This American Hero, an E.O.D. specialist, has 4 tours in Iraq. He deserves to shine!

Glassing: by Michael Miller Surfboards www.mmillersurfboards.com

dbl 8oz volan both sides + 8oz volan deck patch.

Dimensions
Fin: 10" flex, 12" up. Finnish ply with sapele veneer.

Aloha C.T. JC

Tyler's # 2. Ready for the Glasser.

2010-10-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Blank layout: I glued up a 2" center T-band of agave and 1/8" cedar. The 3/16" outboard

T-bands I glued up with 3/32" cedar / balsa / cedar .

Woods: Fin, Tail block and Nose block are of old-growth, curly redwood, Peruvian walnut, American walnut and flame maple.

Your basic point-break, single-fin long board.

Dimensions: 9'0" ~ n 16" ~ w 22-1/2" ~ t 14-1 /4" ~ th 3"

Custom #2 for Tyler Olson

2010-09-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Tyler's #1. I built and shaped this board for Tyler in January, '09. Tyler ordered it to celebrate the birth of his #1 son and to eventually pass on to him. (Pretty Freakin' cool!). This 9'4" has an agave and redwood T-band and 1/4" outboard redwood stringers .

We did a custom fin, nose block and tail block for it.

Tyler's custom #2. Tyler just ordered a similar board to celebrate son #2. This 9'0" I just glued up for him has a 2" agave and 1/8" cedar T-band and narrow t-bands 6-3/4" out from the T-band. This one will be very similar, but I will change up the fin and tail block designs.

#2: She's templated and ready to shape T.O. as soon as I build the fin, none block and tail block.

I'll keep you posted!

Aloha, JC

Holly's Hand-plane~Ready to Rock

2010-09-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

Just finished this one up last night for one of my favorite surf chicks.

She's ready when you are Holly.

Aloha, JC

Lady"s Hand Gun~fits in your purse

2010-09-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

OK.....Fits in your beach-bag. This one is for Holly Yang. Holly bought one for her boyfriend, Joe for his birthday a few months ago. After riding his she decided she needed one for herself.

In these photos, it is cheater-coated only (sealed with laminating resin / styrene mix).

Woods: curly redwood, two tones of balsa, cedar-pinline outboard stringers, Peruvian walnut pinlines next to the redwood and agave (the innermost point on the tail).

Aloha Holly, JC

Do You Carry a Hand-Gun in Your Car?

2010-09-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

You never know when one might come in handy. These three hand-guns or hand-planes are for Bobby "Big D" Donnelly.

They have a rolled, up-rail nose, blending into a smooth rail-to-rail concave and a harder, down-rail tail.

Woods: Light and dark balsa, redwood and Peruvian walnut.

Finish: multiple layers of laminating, hot-coat and gloss resins.

Dimensions: 17-1/2" x 8" x 1" approximately.

11' Chambered Balsa and Redwood Glider for Mitch

2010-09-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

Mitch Talcove with his 11-0 glider. Mitch, a surfer and deep Mexico explorer since the 60's, owns Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin America, located in Carlsbad. I get almost all of the exotic hardwoods I use from Mitch. Mitch also located and shipped up a container of superb-quality balsawood last spring when the rest of the state was completely out. I was stoked to Build and shape this board for Mitch out of some of the same wood that he brought up. Mitch, after many years of working too much and surfing too little, has decided that this is the vehicle he will use to change that pattern. This one is a rider! Mitch and his son, Marty christened it on the same afternoon that he picked it up. When one has finally worked his way to prosperity...........He can ride what ever the #*&% he wants! YOU GO MITCH!

Fin set woods: Old-growth heart and figured redwood and flame maple.

Nose and tail blocks: Laminated maple and peruvian walnut, capped with redwood lace burl.

Nose block

Dimensions: 11.0 x 23-1/4" x 3-1/4" ~ Weight: 31lbs

Glassing: By Michael Miller Surfboards; double 6oz both sides.
www.mmillersurfboards.com

Aloha Till Next Summer Grasshopper

2010-09-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Susan and I always hate saying goodbye to Francesco DiTommaso, his wife, Manuela and daughter, Vittoria. They spend 8 weeks here every summer, but it's never long enough.
Francesco shapes in Italy. But he always takes a couple new boards back to Italy with him
(plus a blank or two to shape) This year it was a 9'6", Hobie, Tyler Warren, One-fin-Pin and
a 10' chambered balsa nose-rider that Terry Martin and I built and shaped for him.

Terry, JC, and Francesco at the Hobie factory. Tyler Warren One Fin Pin

10-0 chambered balsa ~ 9-6 OFP

Francesco "Grasshopper" DiTommaso~riding my 10-0 balsa Simmons at Terramar

Perched on the OFP-Terramar

Ciao Fratello. See ya next summer. JC

11" Glider for Christopher Tomlin

2010-09-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

This one is currently at the glasser's, being patiently awaited by CT. I usually glue these up myself, but Chris ordered this 11-3D, blue-weight blank with the 3" stringer from US blanks.
They obviously used some of the lightweight balsa that is finally available at times. The finished weight is really nice. This one has a very subtle single concave bottom.

Fin: Glass-on, 10" flex template. Sapele veneer over 3/8" Marine ply.

Aloha Chris, JC

New Simm-21 for Wayne Payne

2010-09-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Smiley face! Just what I like to see. Wayne is a San Clemente local. This 7-2 got it's maiden session at Middles. Wayne wanted a little extra paddle-power so we left the thickness of this one at 3". Initial board report; He loves it!
Aloha Wayne. JC

Glassing: Michael Miller Surfboards http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/

Above photo: Wayne Payne

Fin Woods: Inside panels; Parota. Outside panels; Flame maple over bubinga veneer.

New Fish for Kaleb

2010-09-15T09:33:00.001-07:00

When Kaleb Shirmacher told his dad, Steve that he wanted to start surfing with him, Steve came to me for Kaleb's first board. Steve gave me some basic parameters and I put together this killer, 6-0, High performance but user friendly fish. Steve asked me to make some Marine ply canard quads for it. We had Michael Miller do the basic, sanded-finish, clear glass job. Steve and Kaleb took it to Scorpion Bay to christen it. Kaleb is an athletic kid, who I am sure will be as talented a surfer as his dad. What a treat and an honor to do the first board for the beginning of this young mans surfing career.

Aloha Steve and Kaleb, JC

Redwood and Maple reverse "D" fin

2010-09-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Figured redwood and figured Maple with purpleheart and Peruvian walnut pinlines. Cheater-coated, ready to laminate.
For William Bradstater.

Old Template~New Look

2010-07-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Here she is!
This 9'7" Papaya stick is the 2nd reproduction of the '62 Hobie that I have.

The previous posts show her under construction. With the chambered balsa stringer, the board is amazingly light weight, even with a very sturdy, double-6oz glass job, deck and bottom by Michael Miller. www.mmillersurfboards.com Michael nailed the tint color and the resin pinline colors for me perfectly!

Fin: Figured jatoba (Brazilian cherry)

The tint color photographed accurately. The pinline colors are actually 2-tone purple although they appear blue in the photographs.

This one is for sale.

New Marketing Ploy?

2010-07-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

I have often said, "The only thing that looks better on a slammed Harley than me.......is any chick." I thought this Yellow, 5'10" Simm-21 was one of the prettiest Simms of the 20 or so that I have done. Under Andrea Siedsma's arm.....it just got way better! Andrea is a dedicated surfer and a professional journalist. In this photo it's ready for it's first coat of wax and a maiden voyage (no pun intended). Andrea's 1st session board report; She loves it!

In this photo: Andrea's 5-10 next to a custom 6-6 for Keith Campbell in Georgia.

This was originally made as a "spec board", I just wanted to do a Simm-21 in the shorter range and pass it around to a few test pilots for feed-back. But Danny Partch (Andrea's guy) decided it should be Andrea's. S0 Danny cruised down to The Surfy Surfy shop and snagged it for her.

I'm not sure which one is luckier. Aloha Andrea and Danny Boy,

9-7 Pig for Bobby Donnelly

2010-07-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

This 9-7 Pig looks like it came out of a professional shaping bay. it did, Mine.
But I didn't shape it. This is Bobby Donnelly's 1st shape (really).

Bobby and I laid out the template. Then after a few instructions and some dry passes with the planer, I turned him loose on it. With a minimum of verbal assistance throughout the process, this is what he shaped. Glassing: Michael Miller www.mmillersurfboards.com

We took a few modern liberties with the rocker, keeping the nose low and lifting the tail a tad.

Bobby likes the tip time, so he did a super subtle concave under the nose.

I made this balsa (main wood), agave (dark points) and foam Reverse "D" fin a while back.

I knew it would find the right home. I was stoked to give it to Bobby for his first shaped board.

Board report from Bobby after the first session; A SUPERB RIDER. Good job Big D!!

Handgun ~ Get Back Joe Joe

2010-06-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite surf-chicks, Holly Yang, asked me to build a handplane for her boyfriend Joe's Birthday (Lucky Joe......on many levels). This is what I came up with.
2 tones of balsa wood with cedar stringers

17-1/2" x 9" , Subtle concave bottom starting about 3/4 up, rolled nose rocker.

Finish: 4 coats resin, 1 laminating/styrene 50-50 cheater-coat, 1 straight laminating, 2 hot-coat sanded in between. final wet-sand to 2000.

For deck traction I sprayed 2 coats of "Monster Paint" clear deck grip. in a hand-shaped pattern under the strap.

The neoprene-padded, nylon strap is adjustable for size by changing to a different hole in the strap.

The straps are held by stainless allen-head bolts threaded into blind nuts that are epoxied into the deck. I had a blast building this one. I know it's going to be a ton of fun. I have a few more under construction.........including one for myself. Aloha Holly and Joe

7-2 Simm-21 for Dan Wenger ~ Rancho Palos Verde

2010-06-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

DW's 7'2" Simm-21 is super light weight. It has a 2-1/2", chambered, ultra-light balsa stringer.

Double 6oz. deck, single 6oz. bottom. Glasser: Michael Miller http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/

Fin set: African mahogany (back panels), aircraft grade, birch plywood, figured bubinga and flame spruce.

9'7" ~ '62 Hobie Reproduction-Ready for the glasser

2010-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is a US Blanks, Green Weight, 9-9B Blank with a chambered, ultra-light, 3" balsa stringer. I lowered the nose rocker to resemble my original Hobie, but left some tail rocker in it so it would turn a bit better than the original.
Rail. Deck and bottom contours are pretty much spot on to the original.
I'm expecting a 22 lb (+-) board after glassing; Double 6oz. both sides.

This one will get a full tint, a very light Mango (gold-ish yellow). It will have deck panels on each side of the stringer outlined in 2-tone purple, double pinlines.

Glasser: Michael Miller www.mmillersurfboards.com

This is the D fin for her, Figured Jatoba crotch wood, 1/2" bead, set 2-1/2" up.

This board is for sale when finished: $1200 I will post finished photos in about 2-3 weeks.

AK-4 Rudders for Steve's Pavel Quad

2010-06-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

This quad set is for a Pavel Quad that Rich is shaping for Steve Schirmacher.
Single-foil lead fins, double-foil trailers. AK-4 template.
In these photos the fins are cheater-coated, ready to laminate. Then.....Off to Moonlight Glassing!

Woods: African walnut and quilted maple sandwich a thin figured bubinga veneer.

BIGGER WOOD ~ 9'7" 1962 Hobie template

2010-06-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last Summer, Francesco and I built and shaped his, a 9-6 reproduction of my '62 Hobie.
This summer I'm doing Mine, a 9-7.....with a tad more wood.
3" balsa stringer 9-9B rocker (lowered). The wood is already ultra-light, but I'm using a green weight blank. So I chambered it anyway.

The tape line indicates the final shaped dimension of the blank. Plenty of room left for strength.

The glue-up.

My 9-7, template cut and ready to shape. 22" at the wide point.
Summer '09. Francesco's 9-6 with my '62 Hobie 9-6.

BIG WOOD ~ 7'2" Simm-21 for Dan Wenger

2010-06-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Rocker template on 2-1/2" wide, ultralight balsa stringer stock.

Glue up

Templated, ready to shape

Finished shape

Dans image selection wood-burned onto stringer, just forward of the fin set.

Dan's fin set. This board is getting a light mango (yellow-gold) tint glass job. It should look KILLER under these fins!

NEW; Marine Ply Tri sets for the Simm-21

2010-05-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

I made these for Tim Elsner's 6'10" Simm-21 that I just finished shaping. The Simms come standard with a fin set done in laminated exotic hardwoods. Tim wanted something lighter in color and a bit more low-key, so he requested classic marine ply. Tim has requested a subtle wood burn motif on these. I don't know yet what the motif will be, but as Danny Partch has proved, Marine ply keels are a great place for it and they will undoubtedly be very cool.

BTW, my friend Danny and I have always shared inspiration and how-to tips in our fin making businesses. Check Daniel out at http://surfdesignsbydaniel.blogspot.com/

My Summer Glider Has Arrived!!

2010-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

11'0" x 23 7/8" x 3-3/8". Reverse "D" template Quad set-up. Very subtle, single-into-double concave bottom. Glassed in Volan by Michael Miller. lAn 11-0, rail-turning rocket.

Reverse "D" template quads, Single-foil x 4. Woods: quilted maple and redwood burl.

Fin Biz

2010-05-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a few new fin projects that have been keeping me away from the computer lately.

Marine ply, glass-on flex fins; 8.0~8.5~9.0 and 10.0.

Full foil. Glassed with 2 layers 6oz E-cloth both sides.

1/8" to 3/16" bead. Ready to glass on.

Marine ply, glass-on, single-foil Flex Keels for Yearwood Surfboards Fish.

Jatoba (Brazilian cherry) crotch-wood, glass-on, "D" template fin. Cheater-coated, ready to laminate. This one is still available!

New glass-0n templates in the works. These are the first of (2) custom sets for Daniel Stupar, based on his input and collaboration to "liven up" a favorite board he is currently riding. These will be marine ply in LokBox bases. Set #2, a variation of his Simm-21 fish glass-on quad set (outlined in red) is still on the drawing board. Stay tuned for the finished set-ups.

Boards For Sale

2010-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am paring down my 30+ personal board inventory. I will be offering for sale some of my personal boards. I will also be offering a few new boards on occasion that I have built for sale through this blog. These boards will also appear on SWAYLOCKS's list. Ph: (760) 966-1721 Oceanside, Ca.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BOARDS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This early-era short board, shaped by Roland, is a classic from the period when the transition into short boards really started to work. This board has an "S" deck, exaggerated nose rocker, with a rolled bottom through the nose, blending into a flat bottom and rocker, with down rails in the aft 2/3. It has a forward-placed waveset box with a 9" flex fin. Both are in superb condition. No cracks or wear.

It is single-volan glassed with a volan deck patch over the back 2/3. It has zero heel dents. the pinline work is in resin. it has one minor ding on the nose tip, with slight browning extending out to about the size of a quarter. The ding is completely repaired with cloth and polished surface coat. Width; 21-3/4" $675

for additional photos; http://woodenshipsbyjcherry.blogspot.com/ go to "boards for sale"
cash or cashiers check. PayPal; add 4% to agreed upon price.
contact: 760-966-1721 or jcwoodcraft@cox.net

This 9'7" Wardy, #4585 was made in '64 or '65. The opaque blue panels and black competition stripe are the original color application on this board. It has a green, glass-on, fiberglass D fin. The fin has two minor blemishes, inside the glass, on the trailing edge. Minor color-matching repairs were professionally done on a few places along the rails by John Cherry. I have lots of photos of the board pre-conservation and in its present condition. Pre-conservation photos show crisp white foam beneath the areas where the original opaque pigment was chipped or sand-dragged off.

If you are looking for a pristine, original example of a premier-name, mid-60's longboard to ride or wall hang.....this is it! Local Pick-up only. Oceanside, Ca. will dirve 1/2 way to meet from adjoining counties or LA. Cash or cashier's check. Paypal; add4% to negotiated price.
View more photos: http://woodenshipsbyjcherry.blogspot.com under "Boards for sale"
Contact: 760-966-1721 jcwoodcraft@cox.net $975

MORE TO COME!

7'2" Simm-21 ~ 6'5" Simm-Fish

2010-03-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

7'2" Simm for Bobby Donnelly, 6'5" Simm-fish for Daniel Stupar

Glassing: Michael Miller Surfboards , San Diego http://www.mmillersurfboards.com/

"Bobby D"

"Purple Haze" This board is actually a beautiful ultra-violet blue, unlike ANY of these photos. To my great dismay, I descovered that ultra-violet is impossible to photograph (without the proper know-how).
Fin-sets on both boards: Quilted maple over Central American Parota

Wood Source: Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin America, Carlsbad, Ca. (Google it)
Abalone-backed logo for Daniel Stupar's fish.

A Summer Glider

2010-03-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

This one's for ME. As I approach f*%#n 60 years old this year, I decided I would do for myself something built for comfort....and speed. Dimensions: 11' x 23-7/8" x 3-3/8".

US Blanks, 11-3D, blue-weight blank. Low-rocker, round-pin, Quad Fin Set-up. I shaped a very subtle single-into-double concave bottom on this one. Michael Miller is doing 8oz volan over 6 oz E-cloth all the way around, with an 8 oz deck patch and tail patch. No color, just old-school pure and simple. She'll be ready in plenty of time for summer.

Yearwood Surfboards Logo Fin

2010-03-19T12:57:00.001-07:00

Dave Yearwood called me a couple months ago and asked if I would do one of my framed fins with his logo incorporated in it. I told Dave to think about what kind of template he wanted me to do. Dave decided on the Single-foil flex keel template from his 2008 "Dream Board", a special personal board for Dave that he designed and shaped with the collaboration of Skip Frye, Dave "Rasta" Rastovich, Greg Eavy, his wife Cathy and me. Dave and I designed a set of flex keels for the board. I built a set for Dave and a set for Rasta. (See; Dream Board, Nov 2008 post).

Dave picked the template and left the art approach up to me. It is en route via UPS as I am writing this. I hope he doesn't check my blog before he gets it..........and I hope he likes it!

Aloha Dave, JC

Reverse "D" Box Fin Completed

2010-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

This one is for ME. I built this one especially for my 9'6" Donald Takayama Model T.

Nothing against the pivot fins that usually go here, but this is the one that works for me in all of my single-fin longboards. It is not just nostalgic and cool. The depth and area of this template provides superb control on the nose. The soft radius of the trailing edge allows for smooth and effortless turning ability. Woods: Purpleheart, Philippine mahogany, Peruvian walnut and maple checkers.

Glass-Ons for Phil Edwards

2010-03-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

2 of 5 glass-on single fins for Phil Edwards. Phil was enticed to come out of shaping retirement to do a very limited series of solid redwood longboards. I was absolutely honored to be invited to do the fins for this limited series. These two are laminated, beads ground to shape, ready to glass on. They are a tad rough-looking at this stage, but will be pure in form (Phil's Template), clean and beautiful when they are finished. Woods: Old growth redwood, reclaimed from a defunct , Northern California winery, Lace sycamore (diamond) and maple pinlines.

I also had the pleasure of presenting Phil with a special fin I made a few years ago, inspired by a Grannis Photo, which exalts a legend, a legendary label and a popular board model of the early 60's. Phil will always remain as one of my most admired and personally influential figures in surfing history.

7'-2" simm-21 for Bobby "Diamond" Donnelly

2010-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

I love my Clark Hatachi and my Skil 100, but my favorite shaping tool.....especially for clean work on multiple strigers........my Grandad's razor sharp smoothing plane. Foiling out the tail in this one.

Task-specific, hand-made tools are up there too. I use an adjustable-arc sanding block for clean and symetrical concaves.

This one will get an Ice-blue full tint by Michael Miller.

Fin set: quilted maple over parota. Cheater-coated, ready to laminate in this photo.

Aloha Bobby D

A New Request........6'5" Simm-21 Quad Fish

2010-03-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

Dan Stupar called me last month and asked if I would do a Simm-21 for him, but change it up a bit.............to a fish with a quad set-up. Heck, why not? the board is getting a Michael Miller ultra-violet full tint glass job as I am composing this. This one will absolutely RIP.

"Coke-Bottle" Green, 6'-3" Simm-21

2010-03-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

Cary Kinkead's 6-3 Simm-21. Fin set; figuered ash and imbuya.

Glassing; Michael Miller

Hawaiian koa~California redwood

2010-03-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Al Merrick template big-gun Tri fins, Old-growth California redwood, figured koa with white maple pin lines. This fin set will go on a 10-6 Merrick gun........the gun is of solid redwood, chambered down to a weight in the 30 lb range. The board and fin redwood are out of beams and staves from huge industrial casks that once aged red wine (early 20th century) at a now defunct, northern California winery. Pretty cool! Owner, blank builder; Larry Fuller

Reverse "D" for a "Pickle" Warren One-Fin-Pin

2010-01-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

This Reverse "D" fin is going on Francesco's 9'-6", Hobie, Tyler Warren, One Fin Pin, shaped by Terry Martin. The board will have opaque, eggplant-purple rails and a creme panel down the center of the Two outboard-set cedar stringers, with some of Pickle's incredible line-drawing art in black on the bottom. The fin should set it off just right.
Cheater-coated, ready for Laminating.
Woods: Jatoba figured crotch wood, quilted maple, white flame maple, black ebony and pruple-heart.

Laminated, 3 layers of 6 oz both sides with a 1/2"-5/8" glass bead.

Bagged and ready for a trip to Moonlight Glassing. The finished board is going to be INSANE!!

Stay tuned.

More LJ Cove Action From Richard Kenvin

2010-01-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

RK said, "Action isn't all that great in this one but its a cool photo.wind is blowing very hard offshore here, getting under the board. Kid behind the wave is Lucas, he likes riding the balsa too."

Holly Yang's New Steve Mast Board

2010-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Holly Yang always looks this upbeat, but this day it was in appreciation for the cool Steve Mast board she was picking up. Also an incredibly talented tattoo artist (his #1 gig) Steve has been shaping superb, innovative boards on "the Hill" by Channin and Fins Unlimited for a long time.
This is Holly's second Steve Mast creation that I have had the pleasure to fit with rudders.
Beautiful board Holly and Steve. Thanks for inviting me to have a part in it's creation. JC

Richard Kenvin~Film maker, Test pilot, Historian

2010-01-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 20th. Richard Kenvin streaking under a double-overhead lip at La Lolla shores. He is riding a 7-2 Carl Ekstrom asymmetrical rocket. RK frequently test pilots Carl's innovations.
RK same day same board................ just deeper.

Amazingly, the following surf shot at the La Jolla cove is RK, same day, different spot, different board. He is riding the 10-0 Bob Simmons reproduction that Terry Martin and I built in May, '08.

Original, early-50's, Bob Simmons, twin-keel spoon. This one is white over solid balsa. I'm not sure about his particular board, shown here at the Oceanside Surf Museum, but in the early-50's many balsa boards were painted simply for UV protection.

Terry's shaping bay at Hobie. T. Martin and J. Cherry studying photos of several Original Simmons boards before T. Martin puts the planer to my close-to-shape blank to finish the 10-0 reproduction board.

Finished reproduction; 10'0" Simmons twin-keel spoon. 7' of parallel center concave in the bottom.

Jan. 20th, 2010. RK on the 10-0 at La Jolla Cove. I love how this take-off shot puts a measure to the wave against the 10'0" board and how it shows the paddle power and early-entry capabilities of the design. RK makes it look effortless. With the twin keels set back on the corners, the center concave and the 32 lb. weight of the board, it would like to have a mind of its own when it comes to picking a line. Riding it requires some forceful input at times. RK does it as well as anyone. La Jolla shots were courtesy of RK and his photo crew.

Winter in Italy

2010-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

Francesco Di Tommaso just sent this photo to me. Near Bari, It gets colder there in the winter than here in Southern Cal. It looks like a fun wave, but Francesco is riding his older 9-0 G&S 2+1 instead of one of his more cherished boards. I guess the wave breaks into a shallow rock reef that likes to eat boards. He also sent photos of his G&S taken after this session. I believe him. Taken January 9th, 2010.

JZ's Incredible Longboard

2010-01-17T20:20:00.001-08:00

This stunning longboard was Shaped by Jeremy Zagarella. I met Jeremy a few months ago when he dropped by my house to score a few balsawood sanding blocks for his board shaping. we hit it off and Jeremy told me he would shoot me some board photos. I sensed from our conversation that he was an experienced shaper............But this beauty really got my attention.
Jeremy shaped this one for his Dad. I had to share it. Great job Jeremy!!! Wow!
It was glassed at Resinworks. Sorry, I don't have the dimensions, other than......beautiful.

6'3" Simm-21 for CK

2010-01-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

This 6-3 Simm-21 is for Cary Kinkead, a Windansea area local. I guess he heard Morgan Smith's report after Morgan returned from Mainland Mexico where he rode his Simm 21 (also 6-3)on
Big, beautiful, lined-up point breaks. He had to order his own. This one will be tinted coke-bottle green. Michael Miller is glassing it for us.

Fins: Imbuya (Brazilian walnut) and figuered white ash.

Each Simm-21 gets a hand-drawn Simm-21 logo on the bottom.

Aloha Cary.

Something New for Myself

2010-01-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

8.75" tall ~ 9" base. Purpleheart, Phillipine Mahogany, Maple, Peruvian walnut.

Almost all of my work goes to clients. Once and a while I build something for myself.

This reverse -"D" template box fin is for my 9'-6", Donald Takayama Model-T . It will be glassed with 3 layers of 6oz each side and have a 1/2" clear bead. The base will be laid up by hand using alternating layers of heavy skate deck cloth and 8oz volan, then hand fitted to the box.

Personally, I much prefer this fin over a pivot fin. Although it is slightly less in height than the 9-5 pivot fin, the leading edge has approximately the same degree of rake and the depth is plenty to anchor the tail while nose-riding and bottom turning. The trade-off advantage is that the soft radius of the trailing edge is incredibly smooth and loose to turn and can be turned form a more forward position on the board. For me, it provides better all-around performance from an already incredible board.

I almost always have ridden boards that I shaped for myself. In the 70's I always had a Takayama LB in my quiver. I had been reminiscing and eying the Model-T's for quite a while recently. Today's Model-T is not much different than what Donald was already shaping in the 70's. When I saw one at Mitch's North that I liked, I bought it.

After the first wave I took off on I remembered exactly why I loved them so much.

I think I will hang on to this one!

Scot Cherry, Simmons Sequence

2009-12-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 20th, '09 - Simmons Reef, La Lolla
Lil Bro, Scot Cherry getting behind the curtain on a 9'0" semi-gun that I shaped for him back in 1995.

I know.........you are all wondering why there are no similar photos of me on this blog.

Truth is, I'm usually so SHACKED.................you can't tell who it is surfing anyway.

Really.

PS: And it grows in italy!

2009-12-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite surf Bro's at home in Bari Itay with agave he harversted there, after being infected by the Agave bug here in SC during the summer.

Step 1; Getting it Rough-Milled

2009-12-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

Milling Jig.

After cutting the agave to length, I clamp it into a simple jig and follow the top of the jig with a chain saw to cut level both sides. The deck and bottom sides are against the jig. A new, sharp chain makes a HUGE difference.

After the agave is milled to this state, I band saw off the bark on the deck and bottom sides. I then run the blank sections through a thickness planer to obtain smooth, even-width sections for glue-up.

Out of 13 trunks, only one had to be wasted because of pithy wood. The stack next to the balsa contains mostly 4" + wide sections, ranging from 7'-9'. The stack next to the wall averages 3" wide and 7' long. The entire batch yielded, firm, light, colorful wood. STOKED!

This agave was collected over the past year from several sources and locations around San Diego County. It grows on public and private property. It is not hard to find (not always so easy to harvest) if you know where to look and if you have sources that locate it for you or turn you on to it. Special thanks to Surfer Brett Wellington and Jerry McCann for some of the best stuff this year.

More to come on this project.

Got Agave??

2009-12-11T14:30:00.001-08:00

Last year's 6'3" fish. This years Monster Agave.

These Agave stalks range from 9' to 11'. The bases range from 10" to 14".

It appears to be all very good, stable wood. It can yield a much bigger board than the 6'-3" fish, with plenty left over. I'm waiting to see exactly what I have to work with after I have milled it all before I make a final decision on the board it will become. I will keep you posted.