Finished those fins, pictures and ride reports hopefully coming soon. Puerto Rico in five days. Surfed five times in the last five days in all kinds of winter - light snow, hard snow, light wind, hard wind, cloudiness, sunshine - and, while I love it (all those days and all those waves and never a crowd - not once) I can't wait to jump into the water in boardshorts. It's kind of unbelievable right now. I can't wait. Above, self portrait. Below, wallpaper.
Glassed some fins last night and hotcoated one side, the other side still has to be hotcoated. I also glassed the flats of the two rear quad fins for the 002 experiment, but they still have to be cut out and foiled. I'm not sure how these fins will hold up because they are made of plywood. I mean, plywood is pretty strong when it comes down to it, and these have two layers of 6 oz. on each side, but still. I'm not so concerned with the Spitfire type fin, because that's the full 9-ply, but with the Future Hatchet fin I had to sand it down to about 5-ply, which should still be good. I'm wondering about the attachment points of the Hatchet because it gets so thin there, and there is a lot of force on those points, but I cut the notches bigger than they needed to be, and I'm going to fill it in solid with resin and little bits of glass, that way it's something stronger than plywood that the screw is pushing against and the bar of the box fits into. It's funny, after I started making the Hatchet fin, a set of Future Scimitar fins with the 450 Hatchet were posted to Craigslist, brand new, for $30 bucks. Still, these plywood fins are cheap to make. The 24" x 30" piece of marine ply I am using cost $11.99, and I think I can probably get at least 30 fins out of one panel, so that's about 40 cents a fin. The cloth I used for these are all scraps, and I think I've used less than five ounces of resin so far. So they're real cheap. A little more time consuming than going out and buying them, but it's fun and I feel like I learn a lot by making them. When you handle something and sand down all the curves, it kind of gives you a sense of how the water will flow over the surface. Trying to envision that as I make it kind of gives me a better understanding of the way all this stuff works. Not to mention, with the Probox finboxes I plan on using on my next board, I can make all three fins, since all the bases are straight (unlike Futures, which have the cant built into the fins), so then I'll be having even more fun. Did I mention it's cheaper too?
In other (and pretty huge) news, this large shed will probably be the future home of Strange Flora surfboards. Stay tuned for more details.
I was listening to the radio while glassing this stuff last night at around 3 AM, and my buddy Alice Cooper told me he was about to play a song so deep from the archives that I wouldn't believe I was hearing it on the radio. "Try me, Alice," I thought. Then, after he told me that he used to live off the song he was about to play, he introduced it: "Astronomy Domine," the 1st track from Pink Floyd's 1967 debut LP The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Now, if your familiar with me or this blog, then you know that I kind of love Pink Floyd. Sometimes their first album is my absolute favorite of theirs, and without a doubt this early time in the life of the band is my favorite. Their live experimentation was phenomenal in the years leading up to Dark Side of the Moon. Don't get me wrong, I love Dark Side..., but live during that time they'd play pretty much the same sets, the album through followed by a couple older gems, which is understandable because it's an amazing album that should be heard straight through every time and they were touring to support it. But early on in their career, their live shows were like a blank canvas that they spattered with songs, noises, and sound effects blended to perfection. Some of the bootlegs I have are really amazing, you can just get lost in them.
Yeah, so this video is from probably '67 or '68, and starts off with "Astronomy Domine," followed by "Flaming" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun." While there's not that much experimentation here based on the fact that the songs are pretty similar to the album versions, it's cool to see them make the music live that they achieved in the studio. Enjoy.
I meant to add this song as the Oldies 1340 AM Song of the Day, and while the day has changed, the song remains the same. No, it's not Led Zeppelin, it's We Five, with their 1965 version of "You Were On My Mind." Such a good song. I love those key changes from verse to verse and that twelve-string jangling outro.Also, in this video the band looks like they're really having fun, which they probably were.
That's enough of that. As far as Strange Flora related things, I've been working on a template for Frank's board, and I recently made this fin here, a trailer fin for a thruster copied from a Future fin template (which is their take on the Weber "Hatchet" fin that came with the Performer way back when). I wanted to try it, but they don't have it on a the fin tree, so I made it. Seems like with the narrow base, it'll make a board looser, but with the full tip also hold in really well. I really want to try it on my old Cannibal "Rocketfish" since that's what I've decided to take to Puerto Rico. It's my most versatile board when it comes down to it, and is also older and seen better days, so if the baggage handlers get rough with it, I won't be so bummed (although I'd rather bring 002 and have them smash i, but that's another thing). I'm also going to make glass-on rear fins for 002, to make it a quad and try it that way. We'll see how it goes. Forecast for next week is looking pretty good, and not a moment too soon because I'm jonesin'.
There's no explaining the human mind, many things have no explanation. That being said, I woke up with this morning with this song song stuck fast in my head. I don't know why, but if I've got to suffer, so do you.
OK, first of all, started a new project today. Frank brought over a big old fish that he's had for a while, and we figured I could skin it and use the blank to make something out of. It was a Natural Progression, which is kind of funny because what we're doing to it is kind of a natural progression. But yeah, so after skinning it, it looks like we're gonna go for a 5'4" Dumpster Diver type thing, which should be really fun. Stay tuned!
I and I Survive!
In other news, I've created another blog, which really has been a long time coming, of restaurant reviews. It's called I'll Never Go There Again and which feature my thoughts on restaurants and eateries I go to. First review up now: Roberto's Dolce Vita. The big question: Will I ever go there again? Read to find out!
Lastly, check out Mark's surfing blog Life As A Number, it's got some good thoughts and pictures on NJ surfing and surfing in general, and also has a pretty funny picture of myself.
And lastly, for real, here's a song for my Love, Jeannine, on this St.Valentine's Day evening.
Jeff Mangum, of Neutral Milk Hotel and countless other bands, performing "I Love How You Love Me," a song popularized by the Phil Spector produced Paris Sisters' 1961 hit. This is from the album Live At Jittery Joes.
While the band Blue Cheer may have gotten their name from a variety of LSD, I have just given the name to a condition previously known as Surfer's High. Yesterday I believe I experienced the previously-known-as-Surfer's High-but-now-called-Blue Cheer, which is something akin to the fabled Runner's High. When in this state, the athlete in question is consumed with a euphoria above and beyond that normally experienced when doing the sport in question. The athlete in this case being a surfer, and the sport, surfing. On all three boards I rode over four hours yesterday I had more than a blast. The waves were waist to chest, and the sandbar at WJ and off the rockpile has built up just right so these lefts just came in and peeled for hundreds (!) of yards, they looked like something you'd see photographs of California, something more like a point break. The elation I felt was far above that of a normal session, it was definitely my favorite surf of the winter, maybe of the summer, fall, and winter combined. It was the best and most consistent I have surfed in a long time, and that made me feel really, really good. Great. Blue Cheer.
Back to Blue Cheer. Possibly one of my current favorite bands from the late-60s. Definitely the best power trio from that time (sorry Cream), unless you count The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but I'm not, because then I think I'd have to say that Jimi was better, but then again, as I write this, and while it can't be denied Hendrix was a better guitar player, I don't know...
Blue Cheer's version of "Rock Me Baby," the second track on their 1968 debut Vincebus Eruptum. At 2:14, do they forget they're a band? The threads holding the musicians together seem to be stretched thin, almost snapped, as each seems to pay minimal attention to the other, the drummer Eric Albronda's primal skin-smashing, guitarist Leigh Stephens just wailing away, sometimes seemingly uncontrolled, and singer/bassist Dickie Peterson deciding to give his throat a rest and take it easy on the bass. Then, they snap back into synch, and continue to tear this blues-rock apart. But wait there's more...
"Doctor Please," the third track off of the same album. As I was writing that last paragraph I started thinking how good this song is too, so there it is. Also, their manager was an ex-Hell's Angel named Guts.
Back to surfboards, one of the boards I rode for a little bit yesterday was Frank's Chemistry "Boombastik" set up as a quad. I fell in love. I had ridden it once before but on less-than-great waves. This board just hooked into the pocket and hung in the barrel, and when I wanted it to go it went and how. It's shorter than a lot of boards at 5'7" but paddles really well with a little bit of a fuller template. I might shape the fish blank I have into something like it, maybe a different tail or try different bottom contours or something, or maybe just leave it. The funny thing is, minus a few inches, it's kind of the same idea I was going for with 002, but didn't get by a little (a lot). Alright, that's it, oh wait, no it's not...
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Rock Me Baby," Live at Monterey Pop, 1967.
Disclaimer: Whenever I state any musical opinions (and I don't mean opinions put to a tune) or any opinions at all for that matter, keep in mind these opinions are apt to change at any time, without notice.
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.
