More fish

Nice hollow wooden board pic sent to me by Paul Jensen on his travels.
Good friends Pepa and Kale were down in Costa Rica for a surf trip recently and fish were the board of choice. 


Jesse Watson who works at Classic Malibu surfboards in Noosa just finished making a nice little fish for himself. Jesse will be joining us for the wooden board building classes in August.

He will be a man of many talents.

A swell old time at the Alley lately...

The Alley held some pretty nice waves over the last 4 weeks as the Gold Coast just kept getting swell after swell thrown at it. Paddle in gave way to tow in when it got bigger as there was little chance of making it out through the sweep. It has finally died down and left the banks pretty stuffed as so much sand has moved . 

For lovers of big fish

The Mirandons and the Twin Pin. An interesting board .

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

A nice row of butt cracks

DVS Mini Simmons

Dick Van Straalen has just made a great little Mini Simmons. Stringerless styrene , epoxy and carbon fins. The bottom is a very mild version of his now very popular Hydro Hull. Hull entry to reverse V and chines though the back half. It looks like a flyer. And as Dick said the hull is really suited to the dynamics of styrene. Up on top and fly . Rasta is going to have fun on this little puppy.

These look like a collection of Eli Mirandon twin pins
The Deep swallow tailed finless fish ?
Rasta Pavel by the looks of things. Rich is a cool dude.
The funky footballer - some interesting fin set up.
This is an  Ambrose Sputnik.

The AB3 / Fish Fry Oceanside Beach California.

Last Sunday was the Oceanside Beach AB3 / Fish Fry. A mate of mine Kale Gray sent these pics to share. This is not just a Fish Fry , but a mix of boards with anything but 3 fins.

Plenty of good looking quads in various sizes
They hold their event on the beach just down from the jetty next to the harbour.
Great looking wooden board.

This looks like a deckless Grain kit in the making and really nice wooden speed dialer.

Fish Fry Japan 2009

If you are thinking of going to the Fish Fry in Japan in June here are some details :

Fishfry 2009 Japan -by Blue Magazine.-

“Fishfry started among the shapers and some maniac surfers in California years ago, its rumor spread around the alternative boarder lovers in the world. Fishfry was held in Australia and England the year before and in New York City , Florida and Portugal , and Japan last year. Fishfry is the uncommercial event where the shapers and lovers who have rare chance meeting, gather, try bording and deepen friendship each other. The 2 nd Fishfry will be held with continuous excitement from the last meeting.”

DATE  Jun 6 th Saturday 8am~Sunset *no rain check

PLACE  Shizunami beach in Shizuoka

PRESENTED BY  Neko publishing limited, Blue. magazine

NAME  Fish Fry Japan 2009 Presented by Blue. Magazine

THEME  Free Trial of Fish board, communication with users and shapers

CHARGE  Free presentation, Free entry

CONDITION 

Only surfboard brand following Fish Fry gist, should be Fish or Alternativeboards. Mold board permitted. Fin board are welcomed but must be followed by Fish Fry gist.

REGISTRATION: All shapers, brands and board builders to be entered from 8 to 9am at main booth.

REGULATION  Bring your own tents, teepee, tables, and chairs. The numbers of tents or place will be within the bounds of common sense. No commercial actgivities permitted at the booth. No regulation of the board numbers and display. In case of excess display of one brand, follow the host advice.

TRIAL BOARD  Should be ready for the users. Registration and regulation should be responsible for each brand. Any accident, trouble should be responsible for the brand and users, not be taken care of by the host.

USERS  Some be expected to bring their own. Active communication desired.

PROMOTION  No commercial event, No sales permitted at the booths. Free catalogue, stickers, and sample permitted.

CONTACT  blue@neko.co.jp 

The many faces of the Alley

Yesterday at 6am - a long paddle in the sweep is rewarded.

Cyclone Hamish a couple of weeks ago

1988 - classic Alley by Marty Tullimans

Rasta at Sunset on finless Alaia.

Check this out, is this not the ultimate in extreme sports ? Dave Rastavich taking the drop at Sunset on his Alaia. I don't think any ancient Hawaiians would mind their early adventures being the inspiration for this little piece of history.

John's new cherry

John Cherry , master craftsman just sent me these shots of his new craft. John is the guy who built the 10ft Bob Simmons replica balsa board. From this experience he has taken the elements of the simmons to create his new ride. That original Simmons replica has spurned a whole wave of activity with all sorts of mini simmons.

The Sun has set on another Alley Fish Fry

Yes another great day at the beach with a bunch a talented , innovative and passionate shapers , board builders and craftsmen. A good vibe and some nice waves. To all that came , a big thanks go to you. A number of shapers made boards just for the day and that is a real compliment to the day. The shapers that were there on the day are the thinkers and innovators in the industry that will be the survivors of the tough times. Lots of them are hand shapers and make a whole range of boards , and have been doing it for along time. This has proven to be a great forum for them to get together and show case their skills and ideas. I don't know of a better way of meeting such a great bunch of guys with this much talent in this non competitive and non commercial environment.

If you have pics to share send them to post on the blog. If you think we should do it again or have any ideas to put forward email me.

Remember lets keep it simple and it is for Fish Boards only and not a trade show ( Brands or logos) but a show of skill and innovation that is thriving and will continue to .

Thanks guys , it would be good to see you in the park again next year.

Great photo by Lincoln Williams of the Alley looking North to Surfers Paradise.  

Fish Fish and more fish.

Local back yard shaper Sam Yoon  loves his fishes short or long and surfs everything with his own style.
Wayne Davenport all the way from Wales with some nice boards he shaped. He said he could get used to this warmer water.
Very fishy Chris Garrett flex tail .
Local wood craftsman , David Franks had some great looking boards. These are Western Red and Queensland Cedar over styrene. Very nice.
Someone admiring Dam Mac Donalds chambered Balsa fish. There were some great wooden boards on show.

 These pics are taken by Chris and Ilona O'Hearn. chrisoh56@optusnet.com.au

Click here for more Fish Fry pics

Yes just click on the link above to view a great selection of shots from Micro