Part 1: High performance Mini Simmons from Insulation foam

Got a good start on the board today, got the outline traced on the the foam sheets and cut them out. It will be a stringerless XPS Epoxy high performance mini Simmons, and the dimensions should be 6'x22"x3" with a 14" tail.

Final thickness once I stacked together the 4 sheets was about 3 inches...

Should float me reeeeeally well, eh?

Next I glued 2 sheets together. I decided against gluing them all together at once after reading on www.swaylocks.com that people had trouble with the sheets sliding around. I'll glue on another sheet tonight. I put a board with a rocker I like underneath these 2 sheets and then put sand bags on top so once the glue dries it will have the same rocker shape...

Used gorilla wood glue...

Taped around some of the edges where I saw gaps...

While they were drying I started making the fins from some scrap plywood...

Super stoked so far, should be interesting to see how this crazy experiment turns out. The blank will end up costing around $30, which is about half what a real surfboard blank costs. Figured I would practice on the insulation foam rather then screwing up a nice blank, if this board turns out good maybe my next board will be from a real blank.

Later!

-James

Part 2: Pickup truck becomes Stoke Chaser

         Added a pullout drawer under the bed platform for easy access to gear or surfboards. Found these cool roller ball bearing things at harbor freight that I installed under the drawer so it can slide in and out with ease and added an actual wheel in the back. Also had fun making pocket joints! Here are a few pix of the process...

      Next project will be shaping a mini Simmons from the foam insulation sheeting at Lowe's, should be a fun experiment. Stay tuned for that.... 

-James

Part 1: Pickup truck becomes Stoke Chaser

So I've been seeing other people converting their pickup beds into mini campers and thought I would take a break from surfboard building and see what I could create. Camping weather is here at last! Holden Beach NC, and the Outer Banks aren't that far away, so next time I see a swell coming I'll be ready to go chase it down and camp in luxurious comfort.
Everything I used so far was just scraps I had leftover from other projects. All the frame work and supports are from pallets. I was able to fit a full size mattress in there, and there is lots of room underneath for storage. Here are a few shots of the process, got all this done in one morning.

Part 7: 1980's Quiet Flight Resurrection

The 4' 8" Bantam Fish is done!!! Woot woot!!! Just finished polishing and sanding today and attached the leash. Here are a few shots of the finished product and the before and after. Oh and one cute coincidence, the board ended up being the same height as my wife. :-)

Stay stoked!

James

Part 6: 1980's Quiet Flight Resurrection

Hot coat and gloss coat are done and started sanding and polishing today. Looking pretty rad, sanding is super tricky, had trouble getting it really super duper smooth, but it is pretty decent all things considered. Next time I might pay someone else to glass it and see if they will let me watch.lol Hope to take it out Monday, should be ready then. Brothers will be in town then on Spring break.

Stay stoked!

James

Part 5: 1980's Quiet Flight Resurrection

Finally warmed up and I was able to get back out in the shop. Glassed the fins on the board today. It is soooo close to being finished. Just needs a little paint touch up action, the sanding coat, gloss coat and a little polish.

Set them in place here...

Marked where I wanted them and then used some quick set epoxy to hold them in place...

Once the quick set epoxy set, I glassed them on and put them in the sun to cure. The fins were made from a cutting board and I left the name of the cutting board maker on there for kicks...

And here they are all sanded down and ready for the hot coat.

Oh and since it is warming up a little, I got a camper for my truck off the Craigslist super cheap, hope to throw a mattress in there and go camping soon.

Stay stoked!

-James

Part 4: 1980's Quiet Flight Resurrection

Happy New Year! Finally had some time to work on the board, got kinda busy with Christmas travels and all that fun stuff. I saw this bamboo cutting board at a store and thought hey I could make some sick fins outta that. 

Upgraded my sander, it works a lot better than the little one I was using. 

Got the logo on, printed it out on tracing paper and then, put it right under the clothe before glassing and the paper just disappeared. 

Still needs the sanding coat and gloss coat of resin, but so far looking decent, a little rough, but still learning...

Bamboo looks soooo good...

Stay Stoked!

-James