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

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,

JC 

New Simm-21 for Sale

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

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,

JC

SSTT (Super-Sonic Troop Transport) for Wounded Warriors

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

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

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

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