DIY Surfboard Project: Final Chapter

(continued from Day 2: Art and Glassing)

 Yesterday.

Aaron knew his way around fins from prior experience, so after a bit of input from Albert, Ant, and others on placement, he and Max used 5 minute epoxy to get them attached to the board.  It took a bit longer than 5 minutes, but eventually they set.  We toed them in slightly - appx 1/4 to 1/2".  We had previously worked out the cant by eye and sanded the base at that angle.

We started to run out of daylight, but we had time to get two layers of glass on the outside of the fins.  Very important to get the air bubbles out, particularly on the base where it's easy to push the glass and create an air pocket.  Aaron here using a brush and generous helpings of resin to keep it nice and solid.  We did end up with an air pocket along one fin edge, which I fixed by cutting holes at each end and squeezing some fresh resin through with my fingers.  Then I copied Aaron's technique today and glassed the inside edges.

Making the leash loop.  Greenlight included a modern leash plug but lacking the tools, we found it easier to go old school with fiberglass rope.  I also find I prefer the way it looks.  The wax crayon is just something I found laying around that maintained the hole.  Once this cured - just a few minutes in the hot sun -  I went to town with my sander and got the edges and uneven patches into rough shape.

Everyone took a turn waxing the board and almost before we had begun to celebrate, Ant threw the board in his van: "Let's go!"

A few of us took turns, and with the sun going down, Albert dropped into a wave and threw a fat bucket of spray at me.  Mission accomplished!  The feeling is just unbelievable. It feels like a dream, that we accomplished this in a few days during a surf trip, and now there is a board that we will pass between us in the years to come, that will carry with it the unique memory of our time together.  Big, big ups to Brian Gagliana, and all the crew at Green Light Surfboard Supply for making this amazing experience possible.  GNASHERS USA!

DIY Surfboard Project Day 2: Art and Glassing

(continued from Day 1: One Board Shaped)

After taking a day off to surf, we got back to work.

We used lightweight spackle to fill in the little holes and dents, and lightly sanded.

Ant: "We're gonna call it the Chicken Petter."  And so it was.

We had red, blue and green tints.  We decided to make the tail green and leave the front a swirl of unmixed red and blue.

We only had 4oz glass so we went with two layers on the deck and one on the belly.

Team glassing, so much fun!  I now see I should have pre-mixed the red and blue with resin before combining on the board.  As a result some of the tint got clotted up in some small concentrated spots where the resin didn't mix with it fully.  But it resulted in some pretty interesting patterns.

Solarez.  Catalyzed by our good friend Sol, peeking out from under the board.  This is my first time working with this resin, and it's a great way to go since it kicks super fast in the sun.  As you can see, we went free lap cause we all like that look, but also because it seems right that the board celebrate its own handmade origins.

Once the belly kicked, we sanded the rough patches and laid two layers on the deck.  We were a bit sloppy with the rails so we did the deck glass one at a time.

Max did a truly absurd deck art piece that had us hysterical with laughter.  He did a bunch of test patches with different papers lying around like vellum, paper towel and cotton paper, and found that none of them laid flat after glassing.  Then he hit on the idea of using a coffee filter.  It worked brilliantly.

Jamie glassing the deck.  We had a bit of uv leaking in so he worked with some pretty fierce speed.

The waves were waist high but punchy.  At some point we just couldn't stand it any longer, dropped everything and went for a surf.  I borrowed Micah's helmet camera mount and chased him down a wave to get this shot.

As the sun was dropping in the sky, I realized that with rain in the forecast, I'd better paddle in and get that hot coat on.  I should have started a bit earlier, since the sun was getting pretty low by the end.  It was still a tiny bit tacky when it got dark, but hopefully we'll be ok.

Next up: sanding, fins and leash plug.  We're debating whether to sand the hot coat or do it after we put the fins on.  I think we might go with the former to make sanding the tail a bit easier.  We want to ride this baby tomorrow so we may risk working on it today even though it's a bit damp and overcast out.

One Board Shaped!

Location: Outer Banks, NC

One foam blank

Jigsaw, hand saw and rasp

No wood, nails or screws

But add 13 crazy artists + craftspeople and a DIY vibe, and what happens?

 A raid of a nearby construction site dumpster for some plywood scraps

 No nails?  No problem!

Enter the blank, kindly supplied by Brian Gagliana at Greenlight Surfboard Supply along with glass, resin and basic hand tools.

Jake puttin his back into it.

At left: chief instigator Ant.  At right: Jamie. This is his first stab at shaping, but as a sculptor is well at home working with various shapes and materials.

Final touches.

Done!  Total time elapsed, including shaping stand construction: 2 hrs.

Next up, art and glassing!

The OBX Dirty Dozen

The OBX Dirty Dozen from Freaky Born Wings on Vimeo.

OBX, April 2011

25 tornados

12 righteous bros

9 single fins

7 thrust-ers

3 quads/a twin

2 custom vans

and a broken board in the drive-way...!

(photo: John Aaron Frank)