A Summer Glider

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glassing; Michael Miller