begin here:shaping is fun. glassing is hell. don't get me wrong. there are parts of every process that are agonizing, especially the first time one goes through that process. there are also parts of every process that are full of wonder. being a manic surfer, i felt that it was imperative to shape my own surf craft, and to surf it. i knew it wouldn't be easy, but i had no idea that i was about to embark on a full blown excorcism of all of my demons.
there is nothing as exciting, or as intimidating, as getting your first blank and knowing that with a swift blow from a select one of your scant array of tools/instruments you can either:
1) quickly mangle your dream
2) carefully carve this foam thing into your most vivid dream of glide, slash, rip... whatever it is you think you are going to do upon the face of a wave.
there is nothing as exciting, or as intimidating, as getting your first blank and knowing that with a swift blow from a select one of your scant array of tools/instruments you can either:
1) quickly mangle your dream
2) carefully carve this foam thing into your most vivid dream of glide, slash, rip... whatever it is you think you are going to do upon the face of a wave.
i spent 2.5 days in canada with my brother, the only person on this earth who is as manic and focused as i am, shaping the 7'1" pintail. we barely slept. all basic human needs were swept to the side as we spent 12-16 hours a day bumbling around his garage, googling things, swaylocking things, finding extension cords, cussing, swearing, trying out power tools in ways they were never designed to be used, setting batches of resin on fire, breathing foam dust, getting warped on resin, and ultimately completing 2 surfboards in the process.
glassing. i did all of the "don't do" things on my first attempt at making a surfboard: resin tint, cut laps, forgot to add wax to my first hot coat. what an emotional roller coaster. i made a rash of mistakes on this board, hence its name--the karmic voyager.
glassing. i did all of the "don't do" things on my first attempt at making a surfboard: resin tint, cut laps, forgot to add wax to my first hot coat. what an emotional roller coaster. i made a rash of mistakes on this board, hence its name--the karmic voyager.
it all worked out. i made the board that i wanted and needed for oregon. it is ugly as sin, full of flaws, and i love it like a first-born child. there is not a surf experience in this crazy, fucked up world that can compare to riding a wave on a craft shaped with your own hands, driven by your own desire. do it.
2 comments:
"it is ugly as sin, full of flaws, and i love it... there is not a surf experience in this crazy, fucked up world that can compare to riding a wave on a craft shaped with your own hands" KV
Amen sister! enjoying the posts, blogaway!
But tell us, did you tint it yellow like the pintail corncob?
no, i tinted it day-care-swimmming-pool blue, a total disaster, 1990's era aqua. i didn't account for the pigment load of the cyan being as dense as it was; the white pigment couldn't hold it's own against the dark blue. i was hoping for a dreamy baby blue.... dreams don't always come true. blegh!!
Post a Comment