Dane and the "Sperm Whale"

Dane on a really small baded out version of the Mini Simmons.

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

The More Surfboards simmons

" Hey Grant, seems quite a few people are really enjoying the mini-simmons' of late and recently there's been variations and hybrids starting to appear which is great, I love tinkering and tweaking with different designs to get a fully FUNctional hybrid. Calling this one "The Dumpling", its a big 'dim-SIM' with a few tweaks here and there, mostly the rocker, which is flat, even flatter than my 'dim-SIM's' but they have alot going on underneath to make sure they still turn well...but these are small wave speed machines...I have really targeted tiny to small waves with this shape and god knows we get alot of waves in this size range so finding ideal testing conditions have been easy.....few pics..., cheers,


ps- looking forward to see many other shapers interpretations and hybrids of the mini....good times in design....
pps- this one is 5'11" x 21 3/4" x 2 11/16" Quad...

Check out : www.moresurfboards.com for what else they are up to.

Tyler in Bali

" Since I have been in Bali I shaped a 5'1'' Bar of soap which is a fast planning surface (mini Simmons inspired with a 11inch tail block… "

He also shaped and glassed a longboard in 2 days and then won a comp on it.

Thanks to the guys at Deus Bali.

The Wounded Warrior Fish

Bobby getting ready to wet it's head

Betty, Bobby Donnelly and John Cherry at the Wounded Warriors Surf Camp in Del Mar .

John Cherry has some very special mates , Bobby Donnelly and Christopher Tomlin who have served their country and come home wounded. Bobby lost his right leg, below the knee. Chris just got blown up 3-4 times in Humvee's. His injuries are slightly less apparent outwardly, but equally traumatic. Bobby and Chris, both accomplished surfers, are very involved and dedicated to the Wounded Warriors Surf Camp at Del Mar, California.

They both love their surfing and wanted to keep doing it. This inspired John to design a new board that would enable them to still enjoy the stoke that was a big part of their lives.

Great looking John Cherry fins

A bit of the Simmons influence there ?

John Cherry wrote " At 5' 1-1/2" x 22-1/2" x 3" with a wide overall template these young athletes can hopefully paddle it into waves. It has a fast hull design, employing a subtle single-into-double bottom, low profile single-foil, Simmons-ish twin keels, set forward for maneuverability and (2) hand holds just forward of the deck concave for extra control. Peter, Sally, Gary Stuber and the crew at Moonlight Glassing have donated the glass job. Dave King of King SUP'S is donating the pad that will cover the deck concave area. I would like to thank them all for helping me with this project."

What a great looking board and what a great team of friends to get together and make this happen.
I was sent a note from Bobby Donnelly which read -

"On behalf of all the guys & gals down at the camp, Thank you so much.Words cannot express how much your donation, time and craftsmanship is appreciated. It's a beautiful board, the glass job is impeccable, the traction from kings is perfect and of course those fins are killer.
Thank you for sharing the stoke and feel free to come down any Thursday and have a paddle out or just hang and socialize with the troops. From my perspective as an amputee surfer it's so great to see people in the industry or any surfer take time from there busy work day to come down and spend any time at all with the guys. I am extremely grateful and proud to have served our country for people like you.

Very Respectfully,

Bobby Donnelly
EOD, USN, AD

For me , surfing is about having fun and time on the water with friends .It is great to see that these guys have such great friends that can band together and make this happen for them. A great story that I am very happy to share with you all.

Voted the best fish shaper in Britain

Creative collective: Gulfstream from wavedreamer on Vimeo.

Check the boys out at : www.gulfstreamsurfboards.co.uk

A modern take on the Simmons

Some recent shapes from Mark Pridmore on the Sunshine Coast. Check them out at :

www.moresurfboards.com

Ryan Burch - Pink Fish

A film we all have to see for sure

" Surfing is supposed to be an individual act. It’s supposd to illicit creativity and take place in a natural environment. It’s supposed to have moments familiar and original. It’s supposed to be both elegant and raw. Surfing isn’t supposed to be choreographed.

The surfer and board do what they want. Let them be seen as they want to be seen; let them be heard through only their motions. Let them surf in climates warm and cold, on waves big and small, on boards long and short, in countries near and far. Let the camera capture what it can.

Let there be Sight|Sound.

From the surfer-director of Picaresque, is another film without dialogue. Another group of talented individuals doing what they do best, with an eclectic soundtrack mixed-in to enhance the vibe."

Starring: Chris Del Moro, Justin Quintal, Kassia Meador, Alek Parker, Ryan Burch, Mikey DeTemple, Scotty Stopnik, Jared Mell, Daniel Thompson and Tyler Warren

Looking forward to this one for sure.

SIGHT|SOUND from High Seas Films on Vimeo.

The Paddle Pop from Rake

The Rake Paddle Pop Swallow 5'2"x 22x 2 3/8 " mint & grey pigment seems to be the hot ticket at the moment. Small fast and slippery , just like it should be.

They also have a new site & blog if you want to check them out :
www.rakefoamshapes.com
www.rakesurfboards.blogspot.com

The Italian bar of soap

Jackie and I have just gotten back from a trip to Italy where we caught up with Marco Mazzini who organised last years European Fish Fry in Italy. He came out to the Gold Coast last year to the Alley Fish Fry.
He took us to meet his good friend Michele Puliti who is the one man band at Olo Surfboards.

Just prior to us heading off Marco had sent me this video of Michele shaping his first Mini Simmons. So it was good to see first hand how it had come out .

Check out his handy work : www.olasurfboards.com
www.olasurfboards.blogspot.com

Thanks to everyone

Well the jour­ney of the Earth­quake Surf­board has now had a happy end­ing. We wanted to thank every­one for the sup­port and well wishes over the past few weeks.

We were amazed at the unfold­ing events of the auc­tion. This resulted in hav­ing 9974 hits on Trademe with over 100 peo­ple watch­ing the auc­tion, which far exceeded all of our expec­ta­tions. The final bid was $2061.00 NZD, which will be mak­ing its way to the Red Cross.

The win­ner of the Earth­quake Surf­board and hand­made wall racks is a Cantabrian surfer. It is pretty fan­tas­tic to think the board will go to some­one who has per­sonal attach­ment to the City of Christchurch.

We are eter­nally grate­ful to those in the surf­ing com­mu­nity both in New Zealand and inter­na­tion­ally who embraced this cause. It was also hum­bling to get so many heart­felt mes­sages from those peo­ple who told us they were not from a surf­ing back­ground, their sen­ti­ments expressed to us greatly con­tributed to the sig­nif­i­cance of the Earth­quake Board.

Once again we wanted to thank everyone!!

Jelly Bean Simmons

A couple of fruity little numbers from Jessie Watson at Black Apache Surfboards here on the Gold Coast

4ft 11" Velosim from Ryan Lovelace

Ryan , a guest speaker at this years Fish Fry is one of the new wave of innovative , young gun hand shapers. Yes the future id in good hands.

Fish Fry Japan 2011

Saturday 28th of May at Shizunami Beach , Shizuoka

Dead Kooks

In recent years as guys have started experimenting with boards and what they are willing to ride , there has also been a significant increase in those same guys wanting to branch out and have a go at shaping their own boards. This is a great development for all of us. Eden Saul here on the Gold Coast is one of a number of locals that have taken up the challenge with planer in hand.



He loves to experiment and test ride all sorts of craft. His other job is as a paid lifeguard on our beaches. Check out what he is doing : www.deadkooks.com

Some cool ideas from Bing

Surfboard shapers woorkshop

Richard Harvey here on the Gold Coast is a well known and long time hand shaper who has put together a series of classes to teach you how to design and shape a surfboard.I know there are lots of guys keen to have a go at shaping their own boards and this is a great way to learn from someone who has been doing it for a long time. I highly recommend this course.

" The Surfboard Shapers Workshop ® has found a location in Melbourne to hold an Introduction & Orientation course. It will run for three hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, at a date yet to be set, but will most likely be in August - September. The Introduction & Orientation covers Unit 1 of the Surfboard Shapers Workshop, plus a little more.
For those wanting to register their interest in the workshop please email for an information pack to mailto:info@surfboardshapersworkshop.com.au with the subject heading "Melbourne Surfboard Shapers Workshop"

Outline of the course
SURFBOARD SHAPERS WORKSHOP

UNIT 1: THE SHAPING BAY - INTRODUCTION & ORIENTATION
3 hrs - Group Session
• The shaping bay layout with lighting, stands, racks and benches.
• Tools, what they do, how to use them and how to select yours.
• Building your own Shaping Stands
• Understanding the custom order form.
• Design elements.
• Understanding the fundamentals and character of boards and fins.
• Selecting the correct blank shape for your design.
• Creating templates
• Translating measurements
• Creating your own logo

A notes folder containing, tool lists, information on setting up a shaping bay, safety equipment, a set of diagrams for building your own shaping stands and a Surfboard Shapers Workshop DVD's (retail value $30) will be also be included.
Surfboard Shaping Stand kits and T-shirts will be available for order on the night.

For those interested this will then lead onto Unit 2 and 3 resulting in a surfboard that you have shaped for yourself from scratch. (see details below)

UNIT 2: DESIGN & PLAN SHAPING & ROUGH SHAPING
3 hrs - Individual Session
• Drawing & cutting your plan shape
• Using the planer - Safety ckeck list
• Rough shaping the bottom
• Rough shaping the deck
• Rough shaping the rails

UNIT 3: FINE TUNING YOUR DESIGN & FINISH SHAPING
4 Hours - Group Session
• Fine Shaping
• Rail shapes
• How to shape Channels and Concaves
• Tucked under edges
• Checking for bumps
• Gauze rails
• Stringer heights
• Marking fin positions
• Final dimensions check and ID
• Shape ready for glassing

" As I have had interest in the Surfboard Shapers Workshop from other areas, if you are from either Sydney, Adelaide or the Sunshine Coast and are keen in attending a course in your area then please email with the subject heading of your city, example: (Adelaide - Surfboard Shapers Workshop) and if there is enough interest for your city then I will investigate a suitable location and time."

To contact Richard :

0414 557 624
info@harveysurf.com
www.harveysurf.com

Now this is a fish

Here is an 11 foot keel fish shaped by Rich Pavel for Steve Schirmacher

Fins by John Cherry

Steve's ride report ," Rode it at a little corner at Trestles today and this board is beyond words..."

The Balsa fish for the Earthquake appeal

For more details on the board , bidding for it get hold of Jay :

SADHANA SURFBOARDS
Ph/Fax: +64 (3) 389 5611
www.sadhanasurfboards.co.nz