Friday 12 September 2008

Success - sort of.

A long overdue update:

A few people have asked what became of the boards "Master Shaper" and I were making since the line went dead a year and a bit ago.

The boards are finished, they float, they catch waves, all of which were thoroughly amazing to me when they happened. Really, scratch building a board is an incredibly satisfying thing.

So, why no pictures?
As I've told a few people who asked, there have been no pictures because after taking a good few really nice shots on the day they were first put into the water - my camera went missing.

I have a feeling someone walking past saw it sitting in the boot of the car and took it when my back was turned momentarily. I can't see it having fallen out as I have a habit of looking at the ground when I back out of a space to see if I've dropped anything. Whatever happened though, somewhere between taking my wetsuit off and nightfall the camera went missing - so I don't have any photos to post. There are a few that show it in a similar state, but nothing much. I think the most recent shot might be an incomplete glassing. Hardly riveting stuff.


So - how are the boards?
Well, Master Shaper's board is almost perfect. The rails aren't as smooth as they could be, the thickness isn't quite symmetrical side to side, but overall I'm really very happy with how it turned out.

My board is a different story - mine was the first one into each step of the shaping so if I made any mistakes on it, I could avoid making them on hers. This proved completely unnecessary on all but one point.

I was happily mowing foam with the power planer, got into a really nice groove with it and was kinda lost in my thoughts - when I realised I'd gone a good bit thinner than I'd wanted to. Bummer.
I decided to glass it anyway because "why not?". It works, it's just harder to paddle and catch waves on than it would have been. I can still get onto most of the waves I go for, and it is teaching me to be a bit more selective about my positioning and wave choice.
It's not perfect by a long shot - but it works and I have a blast on it. My next board (and there will be a next one) will be much better - lessons learned and all that.


Is there anything I'd change next time around?
There are a few large points I'll change before making another, the main one being horizontal shaping lights. Having shaped without them I can see just how beneficial they would be. I won't make another one without making some.
I'm also going to put adjustable feet onto the bottom of the legs on the stands too - that way I can ensure a sturdy and level shaping stand which will make a few things easier too.
Other than that - more time. That will be easy now I already have a board to get wet on though.


Watch this space for boards 3 and more. Don't hold your breath though - I've got a few other projects on the go before I get back to surfboards.