|
Humble Pie…
Ok folks, yes, yes, we're sorry…the ol' newsletter has been a little sporadic of late, less than forthcoming in its production. But a new era has begun, and we're looking for your feedback.
Is there anything you want to know about? Do some areas of surfing, the sport, the industry or the technology, baffle you? Does a particular board in our range appeal but you don't understand the finite minutiae of its design?
Let us know!
Just email info@classicmalibu.com and we'll try and help fill the gaps.
Until then, here's a bunch more waffle for you…
This Issue:
Artistic Flair –
We've been backing the good work of Kiwi Daryn McBride, in and out of the water, for some time now. In lieu of a full profile, here's a bit about what he is up to of late.
To The Backyard! –
Why we're doing this we have no idea, but here's a step by step of shaping your own board. Please note the omitted preliminary step:
"Gain 20 years' shaping experience"!
Artistic Flair –
We've been backing the good work of Kiwi Daryn McBride, in and out of the water, for some time now. In lieu of a full profile, here's a bit about what he is up to of late.
When someone said, "Daryn, it's T Time", he didn't know if they meant tea or tip time. Ahhh, what the hell Daryn – do them both
How Hard Can It Be?
Ahhh, the naivety…A highly refined board that is responsive, goes straight, turns smoothly, trims and does all it is supposed to with aplomb is a lifetime's work. But it can be said that anyone can, technically, make a surfboard. It may surf like a shoe and leak like the hole in a donut, but, if you have a spare $400 and fancy giving it a go, here are a few pointers to get you headed down the right track:
- Before We Begin. Your local surf factory needs to become your new best friend very fast. Beer is the currency to these backroom denizens and humility is always appreciated. Just remember, they DO know more than you and their words of wisdom are worth their weight in liquid gold. They're also your supplier, so be nice!
- Drawing a Blank. Work out what board you want and add at least four inches for your blank. A good shaper can shape a 9'6" from a 9'6.05" blank…but novices need to leave room for error…a LOT of room! Don't go too fancy, just a bog-standard will do. You might even be able to pick up a reject blank a little cheaper.
- 50%. Work out your template from other boards and talking to shapers. Then, on a piece of cardboard or stiff paper, draw only half the board (nose to tail, not side to side!). The best way to get an even profile is by using the same template.
- A Saw Point. Hacking out your shape can be a nervous time, but don't let it be. Long, smooth saws with a sharp blade are all you need. Follow the line, but you don't need to be on the nanometre – there's a lot of refinement to go.
- Distance Yourself. No, we don't mean go into a trance-like state and be one with the foam, man…prop your board against the wall and stand back. Imperfections are more visible at a distance. Sketch on the blank with a soft pencil where work is needed so you'll know where to sand later.
- Last Man Sanding. Don't immediately take to your board with sandpaper – you'll be there 'til you're as old as our head shaper! A planer will help you trim your board down to a rough shape. Make some callipers from card to set your thickness and don't take too much off the nose and tail.
- Hands On. It's finally time to start shaping, and it's basically all down to eyework.If your shaper will donate or order in a wire sanding sheet for you, it'll make work easier. If not, go coarse grain. Again, stand back and check. Rather than focussing on one side or aspect, look at symmetry. The stringer is a tricky point, being so much harder than the foam, and a mini hand planer is just about the only tool for the job, although a sharp Stanley blade could work if desperate.
- Contours. One of a surfboard's primary design features is the part least seen: the bottom. Depending on the blank you have chosen, there will already be a degree of rocker in the board, but you can enhance this in how you refine the nose and tail. Use a straight edge the width of the board to ensure even sanding and a sanding block for smoother lines over larger areas.
If you want concaves, blend them in very steadily, again using a straight edge to ensure symmetry.
- The Rail Deal. Rails are possibly the hardest to get right. Work out where you want hard edges, down-rails, chines etc and sand roughly. It's then a case of slow and steady touch-up. Holding a longer sheet of sandpaper either end and run it the length of the board in one, smooth motion. Laying your hand on the rail when sanding creates altered pressure and contours and so an uneven rail.
- Keep Going. Stand back, have a good look, sand a little, stand back and repeat… Once you're happy with the general shape, it's glassing time.
Next Month: Time to make your board solid. We go through the glassing technique and some of the things you can do to pretty your board up.
Classic Malibu
Cnr Gibson & Eumundi Rd
Noosaville
|
|
|
Newsletter
:: October ’10 ::
____________________
Shrinking
Our newsletters have been a little sporadic of late, but with so much going on at Classic Malibu, we can't hold off any longer.
Despite our name, and although our output is, for the vast majority, over the nine-foot threshold, we focus our R&D as much on shorter boards as we do mals.
Looking this month at the more diminutive craft of our quiver, we enlighten you on our lesser known aspect and show that, despite our logos and renown, we are a consummate surfboard manufacturer.
Head honcho, guru and all-round chipper bloke Peter White actually has a past firmly rooted in the shortboard genre, but, upon moving to Noosa Heads, he realised that there was a big hole in the '80s market for boards that can handle weaker, smaller waves.
But, despite his choice of business development, shortboards are in his blood and he can't help maintaining expelling a steady trickle of 6-foot boards from his shaping bay. Here are a couple of examples of his creations…
|
Conventionality:
As the industry standard of shortboards, the squash-tail thruster is a linchpin of the quiver. A squash tail utilises the wave's energy to the max, and with the width and thickness easily adaptable without detriment to the overall design of the board, it is a template that can suit a huge range of surfers and conditions.
The design can be made ultra lightweight, slimline and little more than a communion wafer but conversely it can be beefed up in all the right places to create a board that will float and surf with performance in the most gutless of waves.
You could replicate the thruster squash five times over with minimal tweaks each time and it would cover everything the ocean could throw at you.
But tastes, abilities and preferences change as frequently as ocean swells, and for those who prefer something a little different, there are plenty more boards to choose from… |
 |
|
And Now For Something Completely Different:
The MicroChip is our answer to those people who have been looking for something that gives all the performance of a smaller board but will still float an expanding girth, or alternatively, for those stuck in a place of less than punchy waves, such as our home ground of Noosa.
Or maybe it's for a high performance shredder to be able to go that little bit shorter, mix between three, four or five fins and get tighter turns and faster release…
Hell, even we don't know who it's for! But we do know that the MicroChip is a highly accessible board with heightened forgiveness without forfeiting performance…and it goes like a pocket rocket down the line.
The benefits of the MicroChip give it the buoyancy to float through mushy sections but hang on hard and fast in a steep pocket and bury rail through a gouging cutback.
But more than anything, this tricked-up little beast is a massive bundle of fun itching to be released.
|
|
_____________________________
Daryn McBride
- Artistic Flair -
|
The CM Diamond has had a significant place on the other side of the Tasman for some years. The Mount Surf Shop at Mt. Maunganui has had an abundance of CM boards in its quiver for some years and a scattering of sponsored riders around the New Zealand shores have kept the word spreading.
Daryn McBride has been a passenger aboard HMS Classic Mal for several years and the relationship has worked well, with calls made our way to the effect of:
"I saw that board of Dirun's bru. It's pretty sick 'ey."
He has earned his spot, placing high in the local, national and international events and facilitating the ordering and delivery of our equipment to a network of Kiwis North and South.
Daryn smashing one at the ISA World's 2008
Photo: Cory / New Zealand Surfing Magazine
But the relationship has worked both ways. Daryn is a graphic designer by trade and a bit of a pro with the brush-strokes in his spare time. His artwork has adorned boards, hung from walls around the world and even graced the 100% pre-shrunk cotton of a range of CM t-shirts.
HE has also developed a number of logos for us, including that of the new Special Blend model, so we're more than happy to throw a few boards his way. Daryn's latest board is a useable masterpiece, one of his nautically inspired landscapes printed onto tissue paper and inlayed into one of his personal boards, immortalising it in resin.
Putting together an exhibition with fellow Kiwi artist, Tony Ogle, Daryn is showcasing CM boards in a different way, collaborating with Peter White on a limited edition noserider model, each board with an authentic McBride print emblazoned across the bottom.
As winner of 2008's Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour, Daryn's surfing isn't too bad either, and he continues to post exceptional results whenever he dons a singlet.
Daryn's artistic life is taking a new turn in the next few months.
"I've just accepted a job as designer and manager of a local Screen Print and Digital print company," He says. "I'm pretty stoked knowing I have a good job to go straight from tech to."
But the perks of the job are definitely an added bonus, given his application of artwork.
"The best part of all is that its the firm that printed the the artwork on the board you just made me, so the cost in producing the inlays for those boards may have just got significantly cheaper, and a hell of alot more accessible." – Perfect.
Daryn's exhibition runs from Oct 22-24 and is being held at Fitzroy Beach, New Plymouth.
You can view more of Daryn's artwork at the Club Of The Waves website
Next Month: Chambers Music: Dan Chambers is our junior rep in the shortboarding world, refining his boards with Peter's expertise and developing his surfing in a big way. In August we highlight Classic Malibu's little shortboarding brother, Catalyst, Dan's life so far and the range of equipment masterfully crafted but far from Classic or Malibu.
|
|
