wing pin single!

Here's board number three. This was supposed to be a 6'7 wingpin single but somehow it grew to 6.9". I experimented with no-glass construction by using marine grade ply for the skins and a bunch of corks to strengthen the inside structure. I almost crushed it vac bagging the top skin on and had to perform some speedy repairs as my glue was setting up. In the end I put in three corks per crossbeam. Its a bit heavier but a lot stronger. The board turned out nearly as light as a fiberglass equivalent. We'll see if it's strong enough. I hand shaped the cedar fin and glued it directly into the board. Still contemplating what oil to use for finishing and my traction options. Here's a link to few more photos.

Ocean Beach short board

Here's board number two. I used a different construction method for this one in hopes of further bringing down the weight. This board is 6'1, 19 1/2, 2 3/8. It should come in around six pounds after a very light glass job. I used 3mm paulownia ply for the skins rather than resawn planks and I hollowed out the rails. Instead of building the inside first and then warping on the rails, this time, I laminated the rails and fit the inside second. Better but not perfect. Here's a link to a photo set.

Hollow Wood Surfboard

Here's a photo set of my latest project - a hollow Paulownia wood surfboard. Its 5.'9" by 20" wide and 2.25" thick. I took initial lines off of a Hayden Shapes Hypto Crypto but ultimately made some changes to the dimensions (some on purpose and some by mistake!) The board is unique in that I used light weight bent struts to support the deck rather than the typical plywood fishbone approach. I also slipped in a light layer of fiberglass under the deck for additional strength and fiberglass tape on the inside seems of the bottom skin. Both top and bottom skins are 1/4 inch so I would have enough material to shape bottom contours. Once glassed this board should still be relatively light. Check out a full photo set here

Fun in Catalina

The Otter is for sale!

After all of the restoration work and new paint job, I'm putting the Otter up for sale. My boat storage plan fell through and the boat is a little too hard to get on top of the car. So I'm looking for a good home for this sweet little boat. Here are some recent photos of the Otter.

Fairy Housing

Maybe someday I'll get back to boat building with kids, but for now its fairy houses! Six fairies will be sleeping in style tonight. I must say that the re-sawn almond firewood made for good roofing material.

Floorboards and Crabs

I made some floorboards out of the old Douglass Fir pola beams from the outrigger canoe that I replaced with the new hollow Sitka Spruce ones. I really just wanted to build something on which to test my old fashioned finishing recipe of pine tar, linseed oil, turpentine and japan drier. It turned out pretty well (and stinky). Last weekend my friend Wen and I took the Otter out for another successful crabbing mission. Our beach launch and landing was quite a bit smoother than last time! Here's a photo set of the floorboards and crabs.