California afternoon

The kids running around Port Hueneme Beach on a super low tide day. Small surf and cooler water these days.

Commitment

I got this picture off the Patagonia website (credit to the photographer who took it, not me).

I have sold my prone paddleboards after realizing that my physiology is not that of a long distance prone paddler (I should have realized that a long time ago - that paddle out to "Threes" in Waikiki never made me happy) and moved on to Stand Up Paddling.

But look carefully at the picture. This is proof that the human spirit is a very powerful force. Life can be tough, cruel, unfair - stick your own synonym in the sentence, but it's how you deal with the situation you have before you that is the measure of your perception of the gift of life.

I wax prophetic... Go Out There!!!!

Custom Bags

I ordered two custom board bags for the SUP boards that I ordered recently.

I got them for two reasons: in anticipation of having to move them overseas in a little bit - you can wrap a layer of bubblewrap and still fit the board snuggly inside the bag - nice! Reason 2 - I am anal about roof rack strap marks - transporting boards in bags keeps them nice and safe.

Close tolerance fit - nice and snug - tan color to hide dirt - and can double as a sleeping bag on an overnight surfari.

To get yours, checkout Airwave (google it).

What do we have here???

Sorry I haven't been posting - crazy busy at work. I will try to make up for the lack of blog over the next few days.

First off - what did I get from my recent trip to Lowe's and what is it for?

Scotchguard - for my new custom board bags
Drill mounted grinding pads - to clean up surfboard laps
Dremmel Abrasive Heads - For anything. I love my Dremmel!
100 Pack of Razor Blades - you can't have enough razor blades
Air Compressor tool quick disconnect - for my air gun (painting)

It's the little things that count!

Glassing and Bee Shrimp

Here is the quad getting the bottom laminated. 2 x 4 oz matrixed with Resin Research epoxy. Not much work left on this one - the deck is also laminated, just hotcoating and final sanding. Maiden voyage may be as early as next weekend. More to follow...

And the picture that is not of me glassing the surfboard is of our red strained Bee Shrimp. These guys are supposed to be hard to breed in captivity, but for some reason I've been lucky. Started with 5, lost 2 and now have at least 20 running in the 7 gallon cube. I can watch these guys all day long!

Fish Tank

Well here it finally is!!!! My fish tank and some of the occupants:

The orange tipped bubble tip anemone;

The mated pair of Solomon Island Maroon Spinecheek Clownfish (Premnas biaculatus) - the larger of the two is hiding among the tenticles, but right above the male's head is the 5th clutch of eggs that these two have produced - hard to see but in real life they turn from bright orange to shiny silver with two eyes each;

Shot of the tank from the front.

MTF

Daddy-O Diver

To diverge from the surfing for a short bit, here is a picture of me getting ready to dive up at Thule Greenland. We were 700 miles north of the Arctic Circle, but still another 900 miles south of the North Pole. Yes it was cold. Yes there were icebergs. No polar bears.

We used hot water suits that pumped 110 degree water through tubes - but anytime your hose kinked, you knew it in a few seconds - any exposed skin, like your neck or parts of your hands felt like it was being slapped and pinched at the same time.

Typical Navy dive other than that (can't see anything and there is nothing but mud and junk all around).

HOO-YAH DEEP SEA!!!

Composite Sandwich Enlightenment

Skipped out on yet another opportunity to have Gerry Lopez sign a book and poster - Blueline Surf Shop in Santa Barbara was having a grand opening - but Cerritos Community College was holding a composite sandwich technology seminar (same time). I chose the seminar so I could see a board go through the vacuum bagging process.

Everything I needed to see I could have gotten in 45 minutes, but there was alot of filler and most of the people in attendance didn't do their homework (hours of reading on Swaylocks - especially Bert Burgers' thread and Greg's DVDs on basic shaping and glassing). I have learned that I have a short tolerance of people who don't know what I know when I'm trying to learn something. Something I need to come to terms with and find some inner peace.

Anyhow - more in this later - for now, enjoy the picture of Noe copying her Daddy-O, the HOOYAH Deep Sea Diver!!!!

6'5" Quad

Welcome back -

Here is one of the other projects - a 6'5" quad a la Apocolypse Now (LtCol Kilgore did it - why can't I??? - slapping on unit identification, name, etc - it'll all make sense in a couple of weeks after this board is finished - trust me). For now here's one picture of me shaping it in the backyard and another of Noe and I checking out the rails!

Tomorrow I'm going to Cerritos College (80 miles SE from Oxnard) to see Greg Loeher vacuum laminate composites onto a shaped blank WITHOUT a rocker bed - a mystery that has eluded me for quite sometime will now be REVEALED!!!! All for the low price of a tank of gas in the motorcycle and a $25 entry fee!!!! Pictures tomorrow!

First posting

Hi all -

This is the project in my garage that is closest to being finished and ridden. This is my interpretation of a Hawaiian Alaia (AAH-LEE-AAH).

By the time Captain Cook of the Royal Navy stumbled on the Hawaiian civilization, this type of board was being ridden by the non-royalty. No fins, leashes, metal shaping tools, electricity, theories of hydrodynamics or surf wax were used back then to design, make or ride these - just raw talent and a serious connection to the ocean.

The rails are thin - knify thin - to provide holding power (no fins remember). From gluing the paulownia strips together to taking the latest strokes with a block plane, this has been a lesson in humility. I am hoping for the best... MTF