A record for a custom surfboard?

waitingI hate waiting for a new board.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the process and how time consuming it is … running a surfboard business would be hectic; especially at this time of year. Over the years, on average, for a new custom board I would have easily had a 6 to 8 week arduous wait.

That’s not what has happened with the Forty One Two – MkIV.

I started to make my own, using AKU software to design, then having them machine cut … I finish them and until the last couple was having a dig at glassing. I miss glassing and sanding. I love the smell of resin, and the feeling of sanding. Is it the rubbing that feels so good?

Sorry, side tracked there … where was I, oh, that’s right, I’ve had the last couple glassed.

So, here’s the timeline breakdown …

The AKU file was sent for cutting on Monday 25th November …

I got the cut blank back at the end of the next week, it was ready, but I picked it up on the 6th December …

I finished it over that weekend, and dropped it into the glassing service on Monday 9th December …

I got a text to say it was ready on Monday 16th December …

Yes, that’s correct, from file, to cut blank, to finished board in 3 weeks!

Yes, that’s a custom surfboard in 3 weeks.

finished

 

 

 

 

That’s it in the pic above …

Now, it’s just the arduous wait while it cures … I hate waiting for boards to cure.

Merry Christmas to me.  First surf on it will be New Years day …

Wingnut.

PS: Do you like the new FFW logo?

 

8 Replies to “A record for a custom surfboard?”

  1. well done top looking board… same cost to glass as before?

    guess what… do a fabric inlay on the next one… $10-20 for a sarong get the boys to glass it in, probably a $10 extra charge… it does strengthen the deck a little also.

    nice work.

    1. Hey Basil,

      She’s held up fantastic.

      As you may tell from the lack of colour etc. on the boards I do, it is all about the design for me. Inlays, fancy sprays, etc. don’t make a board go better. I do not want to change the feel of the flex etc. too much either.

      Wingnut.

  2. also did you know that a 100% cure takes up to 12 weeks, yep fuckin serious… if you’ve ever bought one off the rack , you would have noticed very little deck damage after your first surf as apposed to a 10 day she’ll be right cure…constant temp for 12 weeks does wonders.

    1. Now look Basil, that’s just silly talk … as if ANY, red blooded surfer can wait 12 fucking weeks!

      Sheesh, two weeks is a pinch.

      The last one ended up with about a month cure. I got injured, so had to wait that out … this one, will all depend on the waves. I am not in a hurry to surf it in grovel conditions. I have the current one to use, so this one can wait if needed for the right conditions.

      Wingnut.

  3. So its been a while Wingnut and there have been waves.
    How does it go?
    What did you change and what was the result?
    Have you been able to isolate your changes as you have been hoping to do?

    Also where do you get them cut? (i have a blank and design ready to cut)

    Cheers,
    Scot

    1. Hey Scot,

      The boys at Shapers supply the blank and get it cut for me … no double handling or fucking around. I just e-mail my AKU file to Tank, aka Jake, at Shapers and in about a week I pick up the cut blank. Too easy!

      As for this one, whoa, it’s refined … rails, and foil, with less double concave under the front foot. It goes, but needs better waves, it’s not for small stuff, it needs some shape to the wave, to get the best out of it. Still working out the best fin set up for it. I’ve put on a couple of extra kilo’s so am noticing it with this one, since it’s refined, but, geez, the rails, low profile, refined has such a different feel, like a hot knife through butter, just soooo smooth and responsive.

      What I have noticed is that since it does not need as much effort to respond, bottom turn or carving top turn for example, less effort needed, so timing has been a bit different, and took a bit of getting use to it, but, the link then is, rather than having to use more effort in say pushing through a bottom turn, the board drives itself, so the effort can go into the attack of the lip. So rather than effort effort it’s more like easy whack. Make sense? Totally different timing though …

      Less foil in the last 3 inches of the tail gives it heaps of bite, and seems to release later, differently. Second surf on it in some wobble waves I decided to punch off the first bottom turn and attack the lip, the wave was crumbly light onshore, and it came off the bottom and bit into the lip but released later, so it sort of fell under me and I made what I never would have made … actually had a people comment as I paddled back out that they could not believe I made it … neither could I.

      This one and that last one make a good quiver combo …

      So, what are you going to make? Are you going for a standard or lite blank?

      Wingnut.

  4. Pretty decent.. My last board I started on the 28th May, finished it 11th June. So exactly 2 weeks. That was hand shaped from a blank, colour on the blank, glassed and sanded. Very very happy with the outcome.

    1. Great stuff Gary. Have you got any pic’s of your board up anywhere on the internet? Sharing is caring, ya know 😉

      Oh, yeah, and like I added to the other replies – sorry for the late reply. Been off air due to some family and health issues.

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