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.
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
