Well, with the rain-day off from work today (seems like we've had a rainy weekday at least once a week every week this year), I decided to clean up the shop a bit, and while doing that, I decided to install two more boxes in my Simmons and try it out as a quad. And, judging by the surf forecasts, it's looking like I might not have to wait too long to test it.
There's SF 004 in the back there, healing from some ding repairs and very lonesome. Someday, 004, someday. On the mini-Simmons, put the trailing edge of the front fins up 10 1/4 I think, with 1/4" toe. I'm hoping it works well, at least until I get some more keels for the board.
I found this Clairtone Stereo Cabinet while walking Henry before work yesterday, so I quickly grabbed it, thus saving it from rain and/or the junkyard. It has a tube-powered Clairtone amplifier/receiver in it, and I tested the tubes; they all work, just two have a faint gas leak, nothing major. The AM/FM on said receiver does not work as of now, but it's just the dials that are messed up I think, because you can hear the a faint station and static. It also has a Garrard Laboratory Series Type A turntable, which, I am happy to say, DOES work, and sounds pretty good.
It blows my mind to think that someone would throw something like this away. "Hey, Trashman, here's a relic from the past. Nope, they don't make them like this anymore. Yes, it's in good shape and works but I don't want it, please smash it to pieces in your truck." Unbelievable. What blows my mind is that this was found on one little side street in Tuckerton, NJ. Just think what kind of stuff gets thrown out everyday the World over? I can't think about it...
It even had the manuals.
To test out the record player, I grabbed this record from the stack in my living room. Herbie Mann Live at the Village Gate, recorded November of 1961. I hadn't listened to it in a while, and after listening to it now, I don't know why. This song, "Comin' Home Baby," is the first of two songs on side A, and it's really, really good. The whole album is actually. Check it out.
Had a good surf on Thursday morning. It was my second time out on the mini-Simmons, and this swell was much more powerful than last week, the lines at WJ were connecting for so long, w/ the best rides, at least for me, coming just outside of the Rockpile and heading south. Was having tons of fun, but then, for some reason, I went to take off on a pretty nice wave, and the tail just slid right out from under my feet. I knew right away: a fin's gone. And it was. That's the second time I've made box fins that they have gone missing during a surf, which is discouraging. The first time I knew the reason, they were cedar-core, which is a soft wood, but I thought the glass would help it. This time, they were all fiberglass, so I thought they'd last, but something must have given, because the set screws were still set, so the glass must have broken. Real bummer, because even though I planned on trying out different fins in the future, I would have liked to test these a bit more. Plus, I liked the yellow/blue color scheme. Oh well, I've got some FCS FK-2's coming, which I think might be a little small, with only a 7" base, but they were cheap (used) and if they don't work for this they'll work for future projects. That's it for now.
Another one of my favorites of his, "Spirits Rejoice." However, this version isn't as good as others I've heard, but I can't find any others, and it's 9 AM on a beautiful Saturday morning, so I'm not going to sit on the computer any longer. TAKE IT EASY.
First of all, Merry Christmas! I got caught up in ye olde hustle and bustle of the Holiday season, and never got to do a Christmas post, which I had big plans for, and I never got to do a Monday-After-Christmas-Snowstorm-Swell post, for reasons I can't explain. But now I have a new reason to post: the completion of 007, right on schedule!
By now everyone probably knows we got a lot of snow (except my neighbor, who is an older gentleman who owns the house a vacation home, and came down today. He asked Jeannine if she knew anyone who could shovel, and seemed surprised that he couldn't get in the driveway. By the way, he's from NY, and I think they got snow there, too.). I made sure to dig out what I could late at night on Sunday, so I could get out Monday morning. I was well on my way to the Island when I heard that a "State of Emergency" had been declared the night before, and one should only take to the roads out of necessity. Well, necessity is in the eye of the beholder, and my eye beheld this as I pulled up to the break:
Yes, I'd say it was a necessity to be on the road. Waste to chest high fast and hollow lefts breaking down at the South End, which was probably the only place to surf that had parking, because no side streets were plowed.
Walked around to take some photos before going out. The South End is beautiful this time of the year, especially with no one around and snow on the ground.
The wind was blowing 30-45 mph offshore, the air was barely in the 20s, and the water was in the mid-to-lower 40s.Not the coldest it'll be all winter, but cold nonetheless. I was able to stay in the water for 2 1/2 hours before my feet started to get cold, which is a testament for to XCEL, even if I haven't had the best of luck with the durability of their stuff.
This picture came out blurry, unfortunately, but I decided to put it up here anyway because I love the shape of the wave. Just perfect.
Ding-Dong!
And in other news, 007 - the garbology mini-Simmons I've been working on - is complete, and right in time for my goal to finish it in 2010. 5'2" x 21 7/8 x 2 7/8 - I think this board will be fast and fun, especially on lined-up lefts (frontside for me).
That being said, I will never EVER build a board like this again. Not the shape, mind you, but the method of piecing together the blank out of garbage/found pieces of foam. It was resourceful and interesting and I learned a good deal throughout the process, but the most important thing I've learned is never to do this again. The result of building a board like this was a board that is way heavier than it should be, but at least it took longer than it should have, too.
That also being said, this board is dedicated to the memory of my Grandfather, a Master Garbologist who
helped to instill a fervor for thrift in me. And, yes, he also had a way of, even while utilizing incredible ingenuity and frugality, doing some things in a completely overcomplicated and time-consuming way, much as I've done with this board. He also had a penchant for labeling things with a DYMO labeler, so made the "Strange Flora Surfboards" on this lam from labels from his labeler.
I made these fins for the board. I think they came out to about 9 1/2" long at the base and probably 3/8" thick, maybe a little more. I finished them off with some spraypaint, which was wonderfully simple after all the complications throughout the construction of this board.
I left a sanded finish on the board - 320 grit on the bottom and 400 on top - sanded in the direction of water flow. I first read about a sanded finish of this type being faster than gloss on Greg Liddle's site, and have since read more about it on Swaylocks. I decided to do it on the bottom on this board, and was thinking of going gloss on the deck, but in the end, I liked the matte finish of this color, and, more importantly, I discovered I was out of 600 grit sandpaper. So that settled it.
What lies beyond this beach-access of time that will take us from the parking lot of 2010 to the surf of 2011? That's stupid, but only time can tell. GOODBYE!
Not much to post about. Surfed today in Bradley Beach, it was really fun and had one of the best backside tubes of my life I think. Got 007 all glassed on Saturday, mostly sanded on Sunday. Looks like it'll be a fast board. I hate waiting to find out!
British Vice Admiral Edward "Old Grog" Vernon
If you find yourself reading "A Christmas Carol," which you should, this year, and if, like me, you are particularly keen on seasonal culinary things, especially if they are things from a bygone time, such as the Victorian era, then you will find yourself really wanting to eat and drink all the things that are at all the feasts in the book. The plum pudding (not made with plums, but raisins) will intrigue you, because how could a pudding be hard, and why was it set on fire? The goose will probably make your mouth water, partly because of the excitement surrounding it and partly because, if your like me, you've never had a goose, as it was supplanted as the bird of choice for holiday meals in this country long before I was born. But one thing got me good: the Grog that gets passed around in front of a blazing fireplace. If the idea of hot alcoholic drinks in front of a fire doesn't make you feel incredibly happy, then please hibernate until after Christmas, you're not wanted (JUST KIDDING IT'S CHRISTMAS EVERYONE'S WELCOME).
But what is Grog? According to all-knowing wikipedia, it was introduced to the British Navy in 1740 by the gentleman above, Admiral Edward Vernon. For 230 years it was issued to seamen at noon and after work. That's quite a run. Originally Grog was a water and rum mixture (4:1) but since its incarnation it has undergone some changes. When I made it for the first time last night, I used the Joy of Cooking recipe, which is as follows:
In an 8 oz. mug, stir together:
1 teaspoon Sugar Syrup or Maple Syrup (I used Maple)
1 tablespoon strained lemon juice
1 jigger (1.5 oz) dark rum (I used The Kraken black spiced rum, which is my new favorite rum)
Fill mug with:
Very hot tea or water (I used tea)
Garnish with a twist of:
Lemon peel
Dust top with a little:
Ground nutmeg or cinnamon
So I did this, and it was delicious. Jeannine opted for no tea, and she didn't like it as much. If you look online, of course, there are many recipes, some of which include lime juice instead of lemon, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, etc. I made it tonight with lime juice, a bit more rum, and chai tea. I have to say, I prefer the one from Joy of Cooking. Thanks Irma Rombauer!
Apologies for the technical difficulties with the previous posts. For some reason on my computer, I can't see certain images on blogger, both on my site and others. And when I go to post, sometimes the image I add doesn't show up. I thought these images were just lost, but for some reason they were there, but didn't shrink down. So that's what happened. I found out when I was showing my Mom how to use the internet and showed her this blog, and discovered the disaster. If anyone knows what is wrong with my blogger interface, please let me know.
Rain day on Wednesday, so I worked on the board a while. Attached some more foam to fill in areas that needed it. The shaping is almost finished, and the "blank" has foam from five (5) different sources at this point. Also layed up the fin panel, above, to make the keels out of. I'm not going to make the "traditional" Mini-Simmons "half-moon" keels, and I'm not going to make traditional keels, like the Gepharts that are on my fish, but I'm going to make keels that are more rounded over, like a lot of the mini-Simmons boards are getting. I figure in the future I might make the half-moon keels, just to see how they feel.
After blowing over 30 from the South all day long, the storm blew through around 3:00 PM and the wind switched hard West, so Frank and I headed over. It was big, definitely overhead, but mostly closeouts. Still, I saw some that were rideable. Frank didn't, he had the sense to stay on shore. So at around 3:45 I paddled out and Frank stuck around to take pictures and make sure I didn't get trounced (too badly).
I had my 5'7" Quad, and knew once I was out that I was under-boarded. I would've liked my 6'0 Cannibal to be able to get into the waves a little earlier, because I just couldn't get into them in time to make the sections.
The drift was unbelievable and soon, after a couple of good wipeouts and being caught inside for a massive five-wave set, I was in a section where none of the waves were makeable, just big walls of water. Didn't get a ride before it got dark, which bummed me because I can't remember the last time I got no waves during a session. Still, pretty amazing sky with the storm blowing out to sea and the clouds looking like a time-lapse film. Worth it? I think so...
Oh yeah! Also, Jeannine and I got engaged during that gap of time when I didn't post much. That's her finger with the ring on it, not mine. Now the planning, which everyone claims is hard but I think is probably pretty. We'll see.
Well, it's December, which means it's the Christmas season. Which means, it's the Christmas music season. I love Christmas music, and you should too. So, it's kind of ironic that the first Christmas song of the season I post isn't technically a Christmas song, although it is found on Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, which, it could be argued, is the best Christmas album. I don't make top 10 lists or anything, but it would definitely be in my top 10. Anyway, this song, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans' "The Bells of St. Mary," is the third track on said album. Enjoy it, because you really can't help but do so. Expect more from this album throughout the Holiday season.
Been working on 007 a bit. Took a little bit of time to glue up this blank, as the foam so far has come from no less than four (4) different sources. The finished blank is above, with the outline drawn...
...and cut out. It's going to be a 5'2" x 21 3/4" x 3" (tentatively) mini-simmons. Initially I was going to make a short egg type thing, with a single-fin box and a Probox quad setup, but I after I realized I had enough foam I decided to do a mini-simmons. I've been wanted to do one since I started shaping, and there's no time like the present. I think I'm just going to go with a twin-fin setup at first, way back about 1 1/2 off of the tail or so, then maybe try a quad. Everyone of these I see has the fins way back, so I figure I'll start there.
I'm no professional, but I don't recommend using nails to fix your surfboard, as it seems the person who owned this board prior to me did. Very odd.
If I were to tell you should not only listen to Queen very often, but also take them absolutely seriously, you might scoff. You might picture a very flamboyant Freddie Mercury, clad in an interesting white spandex outfit, jumping around he stage singing one of Queen's overplayed radio hits, and you might laugh. But if you do, I say you're the fool and have never heard Queen, Queen II, and Sheer Heart Attack. The only song you might recognize from these first three albums is "Killer Queen," the second track on the third album. You might not be familiar with the blistering Queen II album closer, "Seven Seas of Rhye," in the above video, or the beautiful "Nevermore," below, or the opener to Sheer Heart Attack, "Brighton Rock," also below. Please listen to these first three albums, straight through each one. You won't regret it.
Well, it's been a while, but I've been busy with a few things. First of all, I finished Frank's board, SF 006, a little over a month ago. It came out out pretty nice, Frank's comics ended up looking really good on there, that is before they got covered by his filthy wax. He also likes how the board rides, which is a matter of peripherality, but cool none the less. Here are some pictures:
Before...
...and after!
From RastaFish to Fangfish. This was a pretty interesting project, and not only because I was excited about the shape we were doing for the board, which is 5'4" x 19 5/8" x 2 5/16" (or something like that) with a relaxed rocker (it did come from a fish) and a fairly full foil throughout, and a single wing thing going into those fangs at the tail. The cool thing about this was that this was Frank's first board when he started surfing seriously again within the past number of years, and so it suited him fine then, but as his skills progressed he left the board behind. Now, through the magic of evolution, the board has transmogrified into a shape that matches his current skill lever. Will the wonders of Nature never cease? No, they won't.
So after Frank's board, I glassed a board for a friend of a friend. Now, with that completed, I've started on SF 007, a garbology project in that all the foam has come from the garbage. The main body is from a stripped longboard blank that I found in someone's garbage on Clay St. in Tuckerton, as reported here. I'm using rail cutoffs, which I think came from 004, to fill out the width, and part of a broken Boneyard surfboard I found in the trash on 25th St. in Surf City sometime during the summer of '09 to fill out the nose. I think I'm going to get something like 5'2" or so out of it. Maybe shorter.
Something very gnarly was done to this tail around the fin. While grinding this off, I found chopped strand mat, bondo, some strange black cloth, brown all purpose resin, and even some metal pins.
Gluing and fastening these rails was pretty fun. I felt like, and imagine it looked like, a person wrestling an alligator.
Well, I started this post this morning, and am finishing it post-Thanksgiving Dinner. Jeannine and I hosted a decent crowd of 12 and have way too many leftovers. It was a lot of fun and a good time, and I really didn't get too full. Surf's up tomorrow, hopefully.
Since today is Thanksgiving, I wanted to post Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," but since I couldn't find a satisfactory version online, and since dropio has discontinued their streaming audio service, I didn't. You should still listen to it though, as it is a classic. Instead, I decided to post almost the complete opposite. Here is Bardo Pond, with the first track off of their album Ticket Crystals, "Destroying Angel." Really a great song, and you should check out that album for an amazing version of "Cry Baby Cry," by some band called the Beatles.
This blog was started as a way to chronicle my adventures into surfboard shaping and just surfing in general. Since its inception, it has evolved into a log of whatever I feel like rambling about and sharing with the world, including, but not limited to: photographs, bicycles and bicycling, film, music, gardening, cute pictures of Henry, and more.
