Showing posts with label surfboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surfboard. Show all posts

Monday, October 25, 2010

The Albatross


The Albatross is a noserider of the supreme variety. A classic singlefin, this board features a tear-drop concave, subtle "v" through the tail, and a slight kick of rocker coming off the tail. This particular board will be available at Third Coast Surf Shop.

Albatross are phenomenally large seabirds w/ 21 species worldwide. The Wandering Albatross boasts the longest wingspan of any living bird species, coming in at between 11 and 12 ft. long. Because of their remarkably long wingspan, they can often glide for hours without flapping their wings. Albatross spend a vast majority of their life a sea, while often coming to breed on islands. The Laysan Albatross, which breed on the Hawaiian Islands, have been known to fly all the way to the Aleutian Islands off of Alaska to find nutrient rich food for their young. Sometimes they leave their newborn chick alone for up to 3 weeks while foraging!

Because of their large size, Albatross will sometimes waddle to a cliff edge and jump off into a glide to take flight. I recommend you ride this board the same way... Walk up to the edge and glide! Just don't forget to practice your soul arc!

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Tern


Something not many people know about me is that besides being a surfer and surfboard shaper, I'm also an avid birder. This interest began in my college days as a biology major. Since the name of my label is 'Migration Surfboards', it's only fitting that I'll be naming all my models after different migratory birds.

So in that light, I'd like to introduce you to the Tern. The Tern is a winged swallowtail fish/shortboard hybrid. This board features a low entry rocker and a subtle single to double concave. Although designed to be ridden as a twin fin w/a baby trailer fin, it performs equally well as a thruster, or even a quad if you desire. The wide point is slightly forward of center for easier paddling. Designed more for smaller surf, this board is at home in waves up to about 7 ft.

Roughly the size of a Gull, Terns are graceful water birds with pointed wings and forked tails. They are remarkable to watch while fishing when they make sharp swooping dives upon spotting a fish. The Arctic Tern is the world champion migrator in the animal kingdom, migrating from the Artic Circle, all the way to southern South America and Antarctica. They are also very long lived, sometimes reaching 30+ years!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Templates



Making surfboard templates is kind of like playing the harmonica. It's easy to do, but difficult to master. Creating a smooth and continuous curve takes a trained eye. Any bumps or flat spots along the template translates into a bump or flat spot on a surfboard. I've been designing and building my template quiver for the last several years and have a pretty good repertoire to pick from. From super short funky boards to classic longboards and everything in between. We can create whatever you need for your next shape!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Double Nickels




Funky... Just the way we like it! Inspired by the recent trend of mini-Simmons boards that have been finding their way into lineups along the coastal areas, my buddy and I decided to experiment with our own "flavors" if you will. We ended up with an orange creamcicle with a lemon and mint center! Technically only a mini-Simmons in template design, our version hosts a slightly rolled belly entry, going to flat, and finishing out with a subtle vee through the tail. The quad fins sit way back on the tail and our rocker is more continuous (a traditional mini-Simmons hosts a very rolled belly going into a single concave with twin keel fins way back on the tail). This board is going to generate a lot of speed down the line. When this thing was sitting on the racks, it looked like it was going to fly away! Dimensions are 5'5" x 19 1/2" x 22 1/2" x 19 1/2" x 2 3/4". For the fun of it, I polished the tail and left the nose as a sanded gloss just because it looks cool. You saw it here first! Although the board is his, he promised to let me try it out sometime. We're both really stoked! Enjoy!