Shortbus 2.0 - Part 2

The Shortbus 2.0 is done! Ended up at 5' 11" x 22" x 2 7/8" Just dropped it off at the Maya shop yesterday for glass! He said it should be ready in a couple weeks.

Picking up where the last post left off after mapping out the rail bands I got to work mowing foam in my new sideyard LaBoardatory. I found a lot of helpful info, drawings and diagrams on http://greenlightsurfsupply.com/pages/greenlight-surfboard-building-guide-a-z 

I used their boxy rail band instructions as a guide as well as some advice from Malcolm Knight of LongToe Surfboards based out of Charleston, SC. I found him on the Instagram a while back and really enjoy seeing the shapes he creates. He recommended drawing rail bands on the deck at 2 and 4 inches in from the rail. Really stoked on how the rails turned out. Here's a few shots of the process...

Slight hull on the underside...

Rails all done...

Had a little fun with the tail. My version of the "Arc Swallow Tail" that Manuel Caro puts on a lot of his Mandala shapes. Check out his website: http://mandalacustomshapes.com

Mapping out the fins and concaves...

Lots of sanding...

Finished product:

Deck is flat and rails turn down at 4 inches from each rail.

Rocker...Tail thins down quite a bit.

Bottom...subtle double concaves. 

Hull entry...

Outline...

Can't wait to see how the glass job turns out. He's going to have some fun with these colors...

Until next time.

Stay stoked!

-James

Shortbus 2.0 - Part 1

A lot has happened since the last post on here. Moved to a new bigger house (which came with a reeeeally nice big shed)...

2 weeks after moving in our little man Asher Kelly Samaha decided he would come a few weeks early...

So needless to say life's been crazy busy... We love this little guy soooo much! 

After painting about every wall in the new house, updating the kitchen and countless hours of unpacking and organizing I finally got around to setting up the lights in the back of the shed so I can shape again. 

Picked up a stringerless EPS blank from a local shaper and starting mowing foam the other night. Making another Shortbus for meself but this one will have a different thinner tail, a split arc tail to be exact, hoping to add some more maneuverability and hold, the tail and rails on the old one were too fat and sometimes it would slide out the back of the wave. Here's what I've done so far...

The blank...Nice and thick!!!

Outline...

Cut out...

Thinned down the tail...

Rail bands mapped out...

Rocker shot.

That's all for now.

Stay stoked!

-James

Almost Finless "Slipstick" is finished!!!

This was a fun build, learned a lot, made plenty of mistakes but it's watertight and super fun!!!! Glassed it with Aero Marine epoxy resin, and it turned out super light. Not sure I'll use Aero Marine epoxy again. Just found out that Solarez fixed the viscosity problem with their Zerovoc so now it should spread easier. I'll prolly use that next time. I got a new high powdered sander and found out the hard way that when you leave it in one spot for too long you get a little delam bubble... Hoping next board I can apply all I've learned from my trial and error and come out with a solid product. I tinted the hotcoat white to give it a distressed raw look. Came out looking pretty rad if I do say so myself.lol Here are some photos and a vid of the day after Hurricane Arthur, toward the end of the vid are some clips of me testing out the "Slipstick."

http://youtu.be/gUcTQvG8VV8

 

Almost finless "Slipstick" takes shape

Started working on this board a couple months ago, I set out to make an almost finless foam Alaia type board kinda like the Wegener Bluegill or the Anderson Slide and Glide...

I used insulation foam again and came up with this outline... 

After glueing 4 layers together I came up with a nice fat blank and started shaping...

Once I got it the way I wanted it I started throwing some art on it...

Decided to do something fun with the tail...

Updated my logo...

Started foiling some fins from an old broken skateboard deck...

In the process of glassing it now, should be done soon!!!

Stay stoked!!

James

Adaptive Surf Project part 2

Thanks to many generous donations, our first goal of having three adaptive surfboards built for some local surfers with spinal cord injuries, in the Myrtle Beach SC area, has been achieved! 

The project called "Adaptive Surf Project" is now on phase 2, "10 for 10." We are now planning to build 10 more boards for $10,000. Any donation is appreciated and will go directly to paying for these custom boards to be built. Now that we have the first 3 built we will be looking for volunteers to get together once a month or so, (or even more frequently) to help these guys surf. We are hoping to get them out in the water a lot this summer.  Please share with your friends! And check us out on Facebook.com/adaptivesurfproject 

#adaptivesurfproject #liferollson #sharethestoke #oceancure #wheeltosurf #ASP10for10

Stay stoked!!

James

Adaptive Surf Project

If you are my friend on Facebook you have probably seen a lot of posts recently about the Adaptive Surf Poject, so to explain a little more about it I decided to do a little blog post.

It all started in the mind of my friend Luke Sharp, the kind hearted kook of Cherry Grove Pier. He met a few wheelchair bound surfers Brock Johnson, Veronica Tario and Chris Skinner last year that live in Myrtle Beach and realized that they didn't really get a chance to surf that often, maybe once a year, so he decided to do something about it. That's when he contacted me and another friend Brandon Bellegarde and together we started the Adaptive Surf Project. 

Our goal firstly was to create some Adaptive surfboards that could be customized easily to best suit the riders abilities/needs, with moveable handles and chest supports etc. 

Our first prototype sketch...

Computer generated model...

Chest support idea coming together for Chris...

Veronica and Brock in the shaping bay...

Brock exploring handle options...

The boards are currently being built by some local shapers and we are trying to raise $3,100 by May 1st to pay for them. We have already raised $1,080. People have been so generous... we can't say thank you enough to those that have already donated!!! Donations are accepted online HERE.

Our second goal is to set up teams of volunteers that can meet up with our Adaptive Team Riders at least once a month and give them a chance to shred the gnar and harvest some stoke from the ocean.

On May 10th we plan to give the boards away to our team riders at the Anderson Estep CGP Surf Competition, where they will get a chance to compete in possibly the first ever Adaptive Surf Competition.

Brock is having another event on May 17 called "Wheel to Surf" and Chris and Veronica will be surfing at this event as well.

We are hoping to get these awesome people out in the water a lot this summer.

Looking to the future we want to keep this going and provide more boards and opportunities to other chair bound surfers in our area and beyond that we haven't met yet. 

Please share this with your friends! And thanks for taking a minute to check us out! #adaptivesurfproject #liferollson #sharethestoke

God bless!

James

Acts 20:35

"I have showed you in all things how that so labouring, you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."