Wooden fish ride report

Nick Yee organised for Paul Jensen from Washington State to come out to Australia and conduct a wooden board building class last year. This is Nick's board he built and his ride report.


The design is one of Paul's and the construction is a plywood frame , skinned top and bottom with Paulownia and Cedar. Laminated cork and ply rails.

"Have now ridden the board enough to know that I love it! Though even if it rode like a dog, I’d still love it because I made it….fact is, the ride is fast and the board feels very different to anything else I have and for that reason alone, it is awesome. I haven’t ridden it in waves of consequence yet, and not yet buried a rail on a hard turn, but I have enjoyed some long waves trimming top to bottom and generating speed. The momentum the board picks up after the drop and a quick pump is more than I expected. The glassing by Stonker is excellent and am stoked with my decision to go with fin boxes….as the bamboo keels do something amazing and bonus, they blend in with the overall look of the board. Anyways, that is my 2bobs experience thus far…yes, its one of those boards you keep in the house instead of the garage."

If you are interested in wooden boards check out : www.woodensurfboards.blogspot.com
Paul Jensen's site : www.hollowsurfboards.com

Jensen Fish gets a test run at Bells

Andrew Roberts built this fish in one of Paul Jensens classes here in Australia and these are some shots he sent to Paul ...
" Well, happy to report a bloody fantastic day, with the pick-up of one fine surfboard and test run in fun 3 foot waves at Bells. Board came up stunning with high gloss finish, waxed up and headed out, just a few other guys in a peaky slightly choppy swell, good for a fish. "

" Got some nice clean waves, Bells is a great down the line the wave, especially in the Bowl section which is surfed at low tide 3 foot up. Easy to paddle and catch waves, had some nice drops, carving bottom turns then maintaining a nice fast line. Sweet! Here's a few pics for the album. Plenty of interest in Torquay in these boards and reckon you would not have too much trouble lining up a workshop down here if keen."
Catch ya soon.
Robbo

Paul Jensens site : hollowsurfboards.com

How wide is wide ?

Now this board look fairly well proportioned , until I tell you it is 6ft 3" x 29" wide. I know you thought it was a Mini Simmons , well it is actually a belly board. Now that is some planing area. Pics were sent to me by Paul Jensen of his mate Jeff Chamberlain's new board.Should be a flyer.

Wooden board building class on the Gold Coast

Paul Jensen from Washington will be conducting the classes at The Currumbin Eco Village Monday August the 3rd to Friday 7th 2009.
Paul has held classes in a number of countries and now is your chance to learn these skills.

 The date will be Monday 3rd of August through to Friday 7th of August for the classes, Saturday will be a day to surf and Sunday 9th August will be the Wooden Surf Board gathering in the park at Currumbin Alley. With the kind offer from Chris Walton from The Currumbin Eco Village we can have the use of their workshop / recycling centre to build our boards.

A rough outline is as follows.

The five day Class will be at a cost $700 per person , with materials extra, typically about $45 per foot of board length.

The " How To " CD and a frame kit will be included in the cost of the class.

A deposit of $100 by the 1st of May will be required to secure a spot - It is not refundable after the 1st of May .

You choose one of 3 board designs to build - A 5ft 10" fish  - A 7ft 3" mid length board or a 9ft longboard.

This would need to be known at the time of booking your spot as Paul will need to cut the frame and allocate materials for that board for you.

Paul has a minimum number of 6 people to make the trip viable for him and a maximum of 10 people so that you all get the attention you deserve to do the classes.

There are a minimum of tools required to build boards in Paul's classes and what you will need will be on hand. But if you were to do the class a dozen spring clamps each would be of great assistance . If you plan to take the next step and embark on your own projects after the class you will need these at some point. Readily available at Bunnings everywhere.

At the end of the class you will have a board you have built yourself ready to take home to be glassed.

If you are interested in the classes could you please send me your contact details including phone number so that we can make this happen as smoothly as possible, given that time is fast closing.

If you have any questions please contact me. I look forward to sharing this great experience with you.

grantnewby@bigpond.com