I'm a guy outside Chicago who spends a few weeks a year in San Diego surfing, am an ok surfer but have never shaped, don't have cabinet-makers skills, and have no nearby surfboard shops to go into to ask advice . . . the last one whose first project should be building a hollow wooden board. I tried it nonetheless and now that I'm done it was awesome. My understanding of board features, characteristics and trade-offs as well as my appreciation for those who actually know how to do this has skyrocketed.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Why a wooden surfboard?

A Chicago winter requires a project. Extended work outside is out of the question so it needs to fit in the basement utility room. Complex and technical is good as the winter is long. Hands on is important - I'm a suit and working with my hands is needed balance. Most importantly, the project must offer hope. Hope that days will get longer, temperatures will rise, ice will melt, the next trip to the beach will come soon, and for me, hope that I'll discover more about the nature of something I love. Last winter, I tied flies. This winter (2010-11), I built a surfboard.
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