Marlon Oiling the Alaia

And while I was out winging, Marlon was oiling the alaia.  I showed him how to spread the linseed oil and what to look for before starting another coat.

I think it turned out really nice!

Except for the linseed oil smell.  He still has to put several more coats of oil on, and then the board can be anointed!

Afternoon Garage Works

I came home early from wing foiling - had the itch to work in the garage.  When I got home, Marlon was doing just that.  He was working on thinning down the nose on his alaia.  I told him to set up the boards on the racks and I would hit it with the random orbital sander.

This board is pretty much done.  I'll take him to buy some linseed oil tomorrow and he can start coating it.

And since I had the sander out, I figured I should fix the board I took in for a ding repair.

I had this board in the garage before... but the back repair split open - I couldn't effect a proper repair with the rear foot pad in place before.  

Well - it's fixed now - a narrow strip of innegra at the deck-rail interface, covered by carbon fiber, covered by more carbon fiber.

The board around the repair will break before the repair does.

Up next is grinding down the Armstrong wings, fixing Jimmy's paddle, and more sanding on the new 4'9" - all in between winging sessions.

Marlon Getting the Alaia Closer to Being Done

The surf was small and the wind was way up - so Marlon and I decided to work on some garage projects.  Marlon got a lot more done on his alaia.  I was repairing a ding on a friend's foil board and had some extra epoxy - I gave it to Marlon so he could fill the gaps in between the planks.

And after that, he was going crazy with the block plane.

Now for some linseed oil...

Electric Planer Help on the Alaia

Marlon and I made a run to the beach, but the surf was on the small side and the wind was on it (again - not enough to wing, but enough to put some texture on it).  We decided to pass.  We went back home and I broke out the planer.  First up - Marlon's alaia.  I took off thickness from the entry rocker section, the top of the rails and a little off the nose top deck.

I probably saved Marlon two days of sitting out there and shaving off the excess with the block plane.

This board is getting close to being finished - pretty much refining the rails and edges now.

Progress on Marlon's Alaia

Marlon has been working on shaping his alaia.  He noted that the hand plane was really slow going - that was code for "Can we use the electric planer?".  We got several passes in without using the vacuum cleaner - so he could see the difference in area cleanliness.  This picture isn't of Marlon, but it is the board at it's current state.

I showed Marlon the paipo I made and how the rails look like on it.  I told him he could use the paipo as a reference in dialing in the rails.  Still a ways to go, but definitely some progress.

Templating Marlon's Alaia

Marlon and I took a template from the side he had previously cut.  The template is glued on - he'll cut it out with a jigsaw.

I walked him through the rest of it - making marks for the concave, the chines, the midpoint of the rails, the top deck shoulders.

Cutting Out Marlon's Alaia

After Marlon got back from working, he asked to cut out his alaia.

Tomorrow we will make a template to get the other side as symmetrical as possible.

Marlon's Next Board

Marlon and I decided to go in a different direction for his next board.  This is going to be an alaia.

We picked up the planks last night and this afternoon we glued them together.  There is a gap that we couldn't close, but that is what epoxy is for.

This will barely be 6', but it'll have some width to it to get some paddling ability in.

Alaia and Duke's

The alaia looks small - maybe ridden paipo style?

The "don't touch" sign on Duke's board was small and at the bottom of the display. Not much of a deterrent if you ask me (No I didn't touch it - I know what our acidic finger prints can do to artifacts over time - I have too much respect for what this board and it's owner have done for surfing to merely 'touch' it for my own selfish indulgence).

Oh how the gears in my mind are turning...

Packing Material Recycling

I've got a ton of non-blanked EPS in the garage, and some bamboo veneer...

Guess what is on the chopping blocks...

The alaia I made previously was a tremendous PITA to ride - primarily because of the lack of floatation. This Nine Lights version looks to be an awesome modern interpretation of the original, made out of EPS so you get the super buoyancy, and all of the finless, rail-engaging ride of the original.

The short, stubby outline looks to be a super planing shape for easy paddling.

And best of all, the veneer can be cut into any shape - stay tuned for this one... it's going to be really cool.

Last Sunday -

I know - I have haven't posted in over a week and when I do I'm using pictures from 3 days ago - give me a break!!!

Anyways - here's pictures from last Sunday. I took the alaia out for the first time. I caught a few prone, and tried to standup on a few (fell - in a manner that fully humiliated me, maybe humbled is a better word - but hey, that's why I like alternative surf devices... the humble feeling of learning to surf, again, in a different manner, is what makes surfing as fun as it was the first time).

And as usual these days - playing with the Walden Standup. I took out the 2+1 setup (Futures SB3s for the side biters and an 8" Norm Flex from True Ames), and tried the board with a set of Rainbow Fin Co Bamboo quads. Fun setup for a pitifully small day of surf. Even though the surf was small, it was another beautiful day for playing at the beach (and isn't that what life is about anyways...)

Thanks for reading my vents (offgassing for you non-divers, or catharsis for all you ancient Greek dudes out there in cyberland)!

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