Finless Research and Development Center

Sometimes we get away from the beach and look at wave riding from a different standpoint, or we just take a short trip to the mountains.

Fin, belly board, and alaia

This fin will be going on the sequoia, paulownia board. It is made with the same woods. It has a light smoke color bead.

The bellyboard, paipo,tombstone, etc. is 3'6'' with a concave deck, belly to vee out the tail, and Morey style rails. The anchovy is a 7'8'' with a vee bottom. A replica of my favorite board, just a bit wider.

This a 6'4'' Wegg. It is usually set with a longer middle fin, 6'', with side bites. It ride with the volume of a fish and is still surprisingly fast even with the middle fin. It works great for people who have a hard time adapting to twin fins. The back fin helps it do more vertical, like off the lips and has good control backside. Swirls are kind of old hat, but I really like them. This is a good one done by Jorge at Bing/Jacobs glassing.

My brother Curt and I have made some tables. I have been using this one at the Sacred Craft Shows and other events. It is Sugar pine and Sequoia with a fibreglass finish. 6'long 24'' wide. We want to make some more tables so I am going to clean this one up and see what happens if it goes onto eBay. It has been bumped around a little, but I think it will look pristine again.

Hap Painting the Blues

The other day I had to go into the shaping room next to mine to kindly ask if they could turn down their crappy death metal. I was surprised to see Hap Jacobs holding a paint brush. Hap tries to retire from shaping every so often, but here he is tuning up the background walls so he feels comfy getting dirty. The shaping bug does not die. I do not know if this is good or bad. Maybe it should just be accepted. Hap has mainly been doing some balsa boards. They are, of course super nice.

It has been great working around Hap for around 14 years. It has been a high for me to shape some boards for the Jacobs logo, but the best has been able to go surfing at El Porto. We would always go in his car, which is cool. Hap is way too clean to get in my cars, which are known to be a little unruly.

High Speeds on Small Seas

This morning I was told by my informants that the surf was flat. After walking my daughter to school, I thought I'd better drive by the beach to make sure. Good call. No one in sight and this perfect mini sandbar impersonating Johnson's Cove at Noosa. I set the camera on the beach, press record, and went surfing. Note how the Bluegill attains speed with no need for pumping action.

Wood Fins Hollow Red Wood Log, and Burnt Knuckles

The wood projects are't finished until they have been branded. This is delicate, dangerous work. A boffed branding can ruin a otherwise perfect project. Branding is difficult because, the brand must be fricken hot, if not hot enough the mark will be light or incomplete. Then, you need to rebrand right on the same spot. This is not easy. Getting a hot brand puts your hands close to the fire and is usually painful. Being clumsy is not an asset for good branding. One must have a steady hand and not move anthing once the brand touches the wood. Any mishaps cannot be erased

I put together these fins for two Model A's, Tom Wegener Model, I shaped for Jacob's Surfboards. I think the small brand looks cool.

Here is the latest hollow board. 9'8'' Sequoa Paulownia Log. I will make a matching fin. I was a little nervous branding this one. A lot of work went into this board. More pictures soon.

Summer wood supply and fresh boards

I just received my latest batch of really nice lumber. It is light and clean. I now have light lumber for the shorter boards, and denser, sturdier lumber for longer, wider alaias. The water is warming up and alaia enthusiasts are stoked to get some wood under their feet.

Getting Paulownia is very difficult and expensive, and the story behind this batch is customs difficulties, permits, storage fees, shipping costs, and the cost of the lumber itself. Luckily, I have developed good relationships with the lumber yards from whom I purchase it from. When looking for Paulownia, I suggest purchasing it from me. It will save you a lot of time, and headaches. I am happy to sell when I have a surplus. Usually distributors are not interested in shipping a small amount of wood. I usually sell it in a blank, Up to 7' around 17.5 inches wide by 7/8'' thick.

Here are some new boards, The Mini Logs are 8'0'' 22 1/2'' wide. The Fish is a 5'8'' Quad. The bluegills are 6'1'' and 8'0''.