I'm building hollow, cardboard core surfboards. Cardboard, seriously. These are ridable prototypes for a new approach to building boards out of interlocking cross-sectional ribs cut from sheet materials.
What. Is. This?! Nick built this - Nick in New South Wales. I have to repeat that to myself, because when I look at this photo, it looks so familiar. It looks like I built it. But that's not Newport, or my front yard. It's someone else's local spot, in Australia. And that's not my board - it's Nick's. I haven't even built that model yet. (Glad to see it went together as expected!) Yeah, I update the website, but I'm sitting on the same side of the screen as you, looking at this photo almost in disbelief. Look what that guy made! That is so rad. Nick ordered this 6'4" fish core kit from me back in May. He sourced glassing supplies locally, used my online assembly instructions and glassing guidelines, and emailed me a couple questions along the way. While waiting for the kit to ship over the Pacific, he had plenty of time to make his own wood keel fins. This is why I'm setting up kit production - to get this experience and these boards out there. Every time I go through the messy, dusty, and still somewhat uncertain process of building a board, the result is always fascinating. "Did I really make that? Am I really out here surfing on cardboard?" It's pleasantly disorienting, and rewarding - it's a trip. That's what I want to share. Doing a little kit production in the garage now - see link at upper right. Thanks for the photos, Nick. |
|
Make Magazine
August 2009
 Page 20 of the last issue of Make magazine had a good article about this project with a couple backlit board photos taken at the Maker Faire in May. The issue also had a good, several-page feature on how to make an EPS-epoxy-bamboo cloth surfboard. The rest was DIY robots and a big, smooth-sailing catamaran. Here's page 20. |
Hot Curl Wet
June 2009
 Adrien is getting the hot curl wired in far-northern California. More photo evidence is likely on the way. For now we have these board glam shots and one hazy action shot: cold water hot curl |
|
For Dad
 Trying to lure dad back into surfing with a reproduction of one of his favorite boards - a Weber Performer. slides
|
Fish Two Had to try this again. Brought the weight down some, and got a smoother surface and smoother rails despite the simpler core pattern. slides
|
After riding the same 8'6" Robert August board for 13 years, I found it had developed a lively flex zone somewhere near the middle, around the cracked and swollen stringer. It was time to strip the wax and send the board into wall-hanging retirement, but I couldn't afford a new board to replace it. Why not build my own? Could I do that for a couple hundred? I didn't want to work with foam. What about a hollow wood board? Hmm... (continued)
 |
|
 |
|
Comments & Inquiries: boardssheldrake.net
(I often take forever to answer.) |