GO WITH THE GRAIN

Race to Cat Harbor - Berger/Stein Series

2010-06-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

We placed second in our class. If we hadn't caught kelp on the keel and briefly got stuck in irons, we could have placed first. Just about a two minute difference from our competition. Great race! I love the Cat Harbor side of Catalina. Looking forward to the Santa Barbara/ King Harbor race later this month.

Stanley's: A Lost Treasure

2010-05-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Surf breaks eliminated then, and many still at risk today. Yvon Chouinard is spot on in describing how surf breaks are irreplaceable resources on our coastlines. My dad remembers surfing Stanley's before its demise. He also remembers surfing Killer Dana before the Dana Point Harbor was constructed with breakwater jetties in the late 60s. These are, unfortunately, surf spots that no longer exist and can only be preserved in memory and by those who were lucky enough to surf them. Considering the past and what once was, it becomes even more relevant to protect what still remains as our invaluable and irreplaceable surf spots.

Update: Grain Fish...Time to Glass!

2010-05-19T10:27:00.001-07:00

So I've had so much fun shaping Grain lately that I've neglected to post pics and bring everyone up to speed. Rather than explaining details for building this kit board, I'll skip straight to the glassing part and what's next. Thanks to Jim Moriarty, CEO, of the Surfrider Foundation, this is officially an office board. Originally, the guys at Grain donated the kit board to our office, which I took on solely ... up until Jim volunteered to shape the fins recently. Glad to have someone else from our team contribute to the project so it's officially a Surfrider board.

As you can see from the photo, the fins have already been glassed and look really nice. Redwood, which gives it a distinct look from the rest of the board, which is white cedar. Since I've never glassed a board before, I decided to first glass the fins for practice. I'm glad I did because I think I've figured out how to avoid air bubbles drying in the process. So the fins have been sanded down again, air bubbles corrected, and ready for another coat. In order to avoid air bubbles while glassing the board, I've decided to first coat the board with a dry coat of epoxy, and then lay down the decals with a thicker coat of epoxy and fiberglass. To be continued...

Alaia Shaping Classes - Aug 8th, Cardiff-by-the-Sea

2009-07-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

For those in the SoCal area interested in learning how to shape an Alaia, Patagonia in Cardiff is hosting Alaia shaping classes with Jon Wegener on Saturday, August 8th. Cyrus Sutton will also be there selling copies of his new film, Tom's Creation Plantation. You can register on Facebook here, or contact Patagonia directly. Looking forward to it. I'll definitley be there...

Sailing on ISD

2009-06-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

As busy as life can get, it sometimes is pretty easy for me to have excuses to put off some of my "fun goals." Last weekend, however, there was a "fun goal" that I've been eager to cross of my list. Not necessarily bucket list caliber, but definitely up there: My friend Randy and I---both still amateur sailors---sailed over to Catalina Island on his Cat-22 from Dana Point Harbor (some 40 miles out to sea and over 8 hours of sailing one way). We camped in what is called a primitive boat-in camping spot several miles north of Avalon. We had the entire cove to ourselves for snorkeling, hiking, fishing, etc.

The trip couldn't have been planned any better, and with the exception of our initial nervousness for dropping anchor in a deep, unknown cove, the trip turned into a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend sail.

So this is how I celebrated International Surfing Day this year. I just was enjoying the deeper blue of our oceans. Simply beautiful...

The Wooden Biscuit

2009-06-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

I applaud Al Merrick partnering with Grain Surfboards to introduce the Wooden Biscuit. The Channel Islands 6'2'' Biscuit has been a popular design, known for its short and stubby shape and great maneuverability in all kinds of surf. A friend of mine tells me the little extra girth of the board adds to its stability, and makes you wonder if you're really surfing 6'2''. I'm stoked to put in an order for the Wooden Biscuit. Not an immediate project, but certainly on my list now! Thanks Channel Islands and the guys at Grain. I hope this becomes more than just a pilot deal.

It's Toothy Out There!

2009-06-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here's what I recently submitted to the Shark Research Committee. Don't let these shark encounters keep you out of the water though!

“On Sunday morning, June 7th, my wife and I were on the beach walking toward the north end of the Solimar Beach Colony in Ventura County. We eventually noticed some unusual birds in the sky, which appeared to be vultures. Sure enough, there were several vultures eating the carcasses of two different marine animals washed ashore. One was an unidentified juvenile shark, and the other was an adult sea lion. As we walked toward the carcasses, the vultures flew away so we could get a closer look. Based on the jagged teeth marks near the right pectoral fin and gills of the juvenile shark, this suggests the shark could have been attacked by a larger shark. The circular wound on the sea lion’s belly also looks like it was attacked from the same predator. Both the small shark and the sea lion washed ashore in the same area, about 20 yards from each other.”

Grain Fish: Blocking the Nose

2009-06-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

So while gluing the rail strips to the frame, I've noticed the challenge of getting the rail strips to bend at the nose and lay flush with the shape of the frame at the nose. This is less of an issue at the mid section of the frame and tail, but as the shape of the frame narrows at the nose, the kit rail strips will tend to lay more vertically rather than curving with the shape of the frame. This happens because there’s no change in thickness of the rails from the nose to mid point and tail areas. So if you want thinner rails based on the design of the frame at the nose, you may have to get creative and think of different building solutions for this. The Grain builder's manual briefly mentions blocking for this step, but with no specific instructions. So based on what's been said over at the Tree to Sea Builder's Forum, I'm taking Rich's advice...keep building, then cut off a portion of the rail strips at the nose, and block it once I finish gluing down all the rail strips.

To illustrate this better, here's a picture showing the thinness at the nose of the board and a cross-section sketch of the rail strips at the mid area of the board. The planks being glued down at the nose will cover more surface area. This also means the rail strips and/or blocks at the nose will be sanded down more compared to the mid section and tail area of the rails. The cross-section sketch shows how this should form at the mid section of the board. Imagine the same for the nose area as you are forced to rely less on a thick frame structure for gluing. For this reason, the option to use blocks at the nose makes sense. Maybe over time and with more experience I'll stick to the manual for this step, but if you're building your first kit, don't stress out if you later decide to block the nose. As a beginner builder, you may find that getting the rails to bend just right at the nose is just not worth it. Besides, if you block the nose, you'll always have more surface area to work with while shaping and defining the nose.

Oil on the Beach

2009-06-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

A beautiful, magical day of surfing and enjoying the beaches in Ventura County is of course not complete without scrapping tar off your feet at the end of the day. Tar in the oceans and on the beaches directly a result of local offshore drilling. Take action and tell the Secretary of Interior Salazar to limit new drilling on the outer continental shelf, support ocean conservation and alternative energy development.

"Drill Baby Drill" Not the Answer

2009-05-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Surfrider Foundation strongly supports the reinstatement of the Congressional moratorium banning new offshore oil drilling. For those not familiar with the infamous oil spill that helped trigger the U.S. environmental movement and later influenced this landmark directive, here’s a little background info: In 1969, over 200,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the California Channel Island waters from a platform station six miles off the Santa Barbara coastline. There was a natural gas blowout, which quickly caused breaking points in the fault lines of the surrounding ocean floor. Three million gallons of oil began leaking, and as a result, some 3,600 birds washed up dead on the shores including numerous fish, seals, dolphins, and other marine invertebrates. The community and cleanup crews spent weeks steam cleaning seawalls and rocks on the beaches, and rescuing what was struggling to survive in a badly battered marine ecosystem. Truth is, the inevitability of this tragedy had already been stirring in our U.S. waters for years. Once this unprecedented, environmental disaster finally washed ashore, many of us started to seriously question—in a new way—our priorities concerning our planet, including the protection of our marine habitats and the beaches we enjoy.

As with many things, ugly tragedies happen first and then require a national headline before there is sufficient public awareness and politicians are willing to lend a listening ear. This was the case in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill.

17 years later, I was a young kid enjoying my summers learning how to surf at my grandmother’s beach house in Ventura, just miles from ground zero of the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969. I remember that sometimes my grandmother would have to scrape thick tar off the bottoms of my feet after surfing. Tar on the beaches…a direct result of spills and local offshore oil drilling in the area.

So why am I mentioning this? Because “drill, baby, drill” is simply not the answer for our national energy needs, and it's that important! All political talking points aside, why should we continue to exploit a dwindling resource in environmentally sensitive areas? Even if ecological impact played no role in the matter, the Department of Energy and experts maintain that new offshore drilling will not have any significant impact on domestic crude oil and gas production. Oil is a global commodity determined by global supply and demand. And unlike other natural resources, oil has no infinite lifespan for use. As Thomas L. Friedman puts it, let’s instead insist that economic growth and environmentalism can work together. Let’s explore the potential in renewables while at the same time keeping our world’s oceans, waves, and beaches protected and to be used as a safe playground for recreational enjoyment.

“Drill, baby, drill” people who find no problem with sucking it dry in ecologically sensitive areas, hopefully this makes sense. As someone who thinks about the next generation and having my own children some day, I consider this a very relevant and important issue. And more than just not wanting to have to scrape tar off the bottoms of my children's feet at the beach, I also don’t want to see public opinion skewed on this issue for the wrong reasons.

For more information behind the myths of new offshore drilling, read this

Too learn more about Santa Barbara's response to the 1969 oil spill and the people who were involved and still help to keep the oil industry on our coastlines accountable, check this out...

Birth of a Movement...

Inspiration

2009-03-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Grain Fish (Step 3) - the Chine Log ...I'm Glad My Mother Taught Me How To Iron

2009-03-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

This part is probably the most interesting and unexpected part of the building process at this point. For myself, this part seemed to be the most difficult next step. But hopefully you'll find that it's really not once you get started. Just release some steam if you get frustrated. Well, or at least literally release some steam.....this step requires a clothes iron. Honestly, this part is not as hard as it might seem. Just follow directions from the manual and thoroughly read the recommended appendix reading in the chapter. Read it more than once if it helps. It's important to understand the points that tell you what to avoid. Once you read and start working, you'll figure out what to avoid soon enough. Make sure to keep your rag damp, and steam the iron. You're running the iron up and down the chine log (Note: before you do this step, make sure you adequately carve the notches in the frame. Make sure there is enough room in the notches to make the chine log true with the exterior edge of the frame. You'll discover that the chine log is surprisingly flexible with heat, and will for the most part easily take the shape you're looking for. Make sure to use your c-clamps, or pvc clamps as you heat the chine log. The clamps are what will keep the new shape of the chine log in place. Once the chine logs are heated and clamped down under the notches of the frame on both sides (note: again, make sure the chine logs are true with the frame, and avoid kinks!), and then go grab a cold beer!

Grain Fish (Step 2) - Gluing the Frame

2009-03-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

Gluing the frame to the planks. This is a fairly simple step for anyone who has already committed to building a Grain board, so I won't go into details. The trickiest part is not trying to mold the bottom to take the shape of the frame. If you have an adequate rocker table already built, you simply let the mechanical design of the table be a vice system for the board. Clamp down, let it bend and take shape, and clamp down some more. Just think of it as making the bottom of the board turn into the bottom exterior shape of the frame using one big vice system. The trickiest part of this step is making sure the keel stays straight, and not stressing the wood too much at the nose. And remember to keep your lines true. Don't forget about your original pencil markings. Remember that the keel is the center for the entire length of the board, so be accurate. It is one very important part for determining other lines of the board.

Gluing the Planks

2008-10-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

So after a whirlwind of home improvement projects over the summer, I finally was able to get back to board building and glue the planks. This part was very easy, actually. I followed the instructions in the Grain builder's manual. The planks are taped together (masking tape along the joints and taped horizontally). It's best to lay the board down on one side on the rocker table (using the rocker table as an actual table), tape the joints and tape across the board horizontally, and then carefully flip the board over so the taped side is facing down on the rocker table. The taped side will be the outside of the board. You can either shift the board to the edge of the rocker table until some of it hangs over the edge (like what it says in the manual). In this case, the joints open up and the tape acts like a hinge. I tried this method, but I also took a 4x2X4 and slid it underneath the taped planks; I placed the 4x2x4 first in the middle joint which opened the middle joint and created a triangle-shape with the angles of the taped planks and the rocker table. I then ran a bead of titlebond III from top to bottom. Once the middle joint was glued, I moved the 4x2x4 to the next joint, and repeated laying down a bead of glue down the opened joint. If you adequately tape the outside of the board, you will be surprised how well the planks stay flush and even with each other. Next step was to place some slats across the board (above and below the board), clamp them down with c-clamps, and use 4 cross bar clamps horizontally. Although this is probably one of the easier steps, it's still great to realize how easy some of these steps can be. If you're building your first Grain board, my advice is to remember to have fun, and don't give up if you run into problems along the way. Problems happen, but persistence pays off!

Rocker Table

2008-08-07T11:53:00.001-07:00

The rocker table is complete! This is a more technical design than what is explained in the Grain manual; the exterior includes threaded 1/2 inch steel rods that create a vice system for the board, which also allow additional control for creating the rocker. However, cheaper and more conventional designs work just fine. The most important part is to create at least 24 inches of width across, create either sturdy hand-built sawhorses or use collapsible ones as seen here, create flat/level measurements for the strappings, and 8 inches of space between the strappings. This rocker table is currently built for building a 6 foot fish, but actually 9 1/2 feet in length for potentially building the 9 foot Root...

(http://www.grainsurfboards.com/boards/the-root/). In the meantime, the length is long enough for building the Waka, with a removable working table at one end.

Grain Surfboards...

2008-08-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Surf with a board that you hand-crafted yourself! Yes, a board that you shaped from the same materials used to frame your home and make your furniture. I’m talking about Grain Surfboards.(http://www.grainsurfboards.com). As a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches, staff at the Surfrider Foundation have taken interest in sustainable board building. The concept and culture of shaping boards with “green” components are expressions of the kind of conservation lifestyle and coastal environmentalism we welcome. At the Surfrider Foundation Headquarters, a corner workshop is set aside for building our first wooden Surfrider-community board. Home grown kit: Waka – 5’10” Fish (http://www.grainsurfboards.com/boards/the-waka/). As the primary builder of this board, I also hope to offer some useful tips for amateur wooden board builders of Grain, and for builders of other wooden board designs. I'm really stoked to see all kinds of boards in the water! So welcome to one of the shaping rooms of the Surfrider Foundation….sharing the stoke of Grain and contributing to the collective online wooden board building community.