New Life for an old Classic

It must have been at least six months ago when a board came into my possession that was a total wreck.

At first glance the board looked like it was only worth throwing on the junk heap.

After closer examination it was discovered to be a 7'4" vee bottom stubbie shaped by Hohensee around 1967 and was numbered 18.

The vee bottom stubbie was the transitional board between the long old heavy malibu and the modern board of today.

An interested collector asked if I could restore it. Realizing it would take me several months to do, whenever I had a gap in my board building and art, I started.

Sanding the layers of paint of the bottom took hours, but revealed a clean and relatively undamage surface. The major de-lamination on the deck which was badly water stained was painstakingly filled and the lines of the deck restored.

The broken fin was removed and a new panel made to the the original colour. The base of the existing broken fin was matched to a template in a photo which of Nat Young carrying a vee bottom stubbie in Hawaii in 1967. The match was perfect.

The board was sanded filler coated and the rails coloured as the original had been.

When deciding how to cover the filled section of the nose, several methods were tried, when none of these complemented the board, the new owner, a lover of classic objects and art asked if I could paint a mural on the deck loosely based on a surf movie poster from the 60's.

So now the board has been finished and will have pride of place in a home in the next few days.

Herold's new Alaia

One of the visitors to the Wooden Surfboard day was Herold who decided he wanted me to shape him an 8' Alaia.

Joining me in the shaping bay we finished the board in around 4 hours which included the addition of small twin keels which can be sanded off when he gets the knack of riding it.

The natural oiled finish gives the paulownia a lovely golden glow and accentuated the grain lines

He is taking it back to Japan, at the end of the week, as well as another timber board he built at the Eco Village with Paul Jensen.

Wooden Surfboard Day at Currumbin

The Wooden Surfboard Day at Currumbin was an amazing experience.

Board shapers from both the wood working end and the surfboard shapers end joined to make a day that was a learning experience for every one.

Several of the boards that impressed me and there were many to choose from were the Brewer 11' gun and the boards from Paul and Sage Joske at Valla.

Pics above are a few of my boards, balsa, Alaia, handboards, lying on the lawn. My balsa 7' single fin with the big daddy of them all a Dick Brewer gun and a collection of Alaia from Paul & Sage. The centre board is a hot curl, with a soft roll vee made from solid paulownia.