Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Custom Surfboard Shaping - Australia
If you’re a surfer and you happen to go to Australia for a surf trip, you definitely must experience the art of custom surfboard shaping and the best place to go is the Gold Coast. Prices for custom boards are affordable at the Goldie. We visited professional surfboard shaper Chris Garrett…
The idea was to get a custom board at the beginning of our world surf trip and film the whole process for our documentary. From there I could take it along the rest of the trip and Chris would be our artist. Chris (together with his mate Gordon Knight) is one of the best surfboard shapers in Australia. The whole process took us 3 days so here’s the process in a nutshell:
First of all, every custom board is different depending on the needs, abilities and requirements of a surfer. The shape, size, glassing and design is made due to my own desires and the advice from Chris.
Step 1. Blanc: All surfboards are made out of a blanc, a rough pre-shaped board (secret mixture) to start with.
Step 2. Profiling: In this stage of process the blanc board is roughly (semi-automatically) shaped to the point where the shaper takes over by hand.
Step 3. Shaping: This is where the magic happens! The shaper (Chris in our case) shapes the board further completely on feeling by hand. It’s a process that takes years of experience to do it like Chris does. It’s really an art to see and the artist is completely in his own (shaping)world during this stage.
Step 4. Registration: The board gets registered including all the details on the bottom side of the board. Chris named the board after my last name; The bone shuffler model (Ooohw yeah!)
Step 5. Glassing: This is where Gordon Knight took over. The glassing can be done in different layers of 4 and 6 ounce of fiberglass, depending on the needs of the surfer. For my surfboard was used a 6 ounce layer of fiberglass at the bottom, followed by a 4 + 6 ounce layer at the top side. This makes the board just a little bit stronger for traveling. After each layer the glassing had to dry in the sun, because Gordon used an ultraviolet raisin, that dries literally in seconds.
Step 6. Sanding: After each layer of the glassing has dried, sanding is necessary for the particularly parts of the board where the glassing tend to overlap.
Step 7. Fins: The board is now ready to put the fin holders in (Jay used the FCS fin system of course). This is a very precise job that needs to be checked twice, before you start cutting holes in the board. After the holes are made the fin holders are placed in the exact right position and are held in place with little clay balls and a raisin. Before the raisin gets dry the position of the fin holders are checked over and over again. The raisin for the fin holders need to dry for a while, before you actually can put the fins in place.
Step 8. Painting: The board is now almost ready and of course it’s fun to finish the board with a cool design. I chose (of course) for a turquoise design… (Chris was the painting artist). We made the paint design look a little bit feminine. I think Chris did a great job!
Step 9. Surf: The next thing for me to do is go out there…start my surf trip around the world…have fun and surf my brains out…!!!
To see the whole process for real, you have to wait for the documentary…!!!
Special thanks to Rico and Kelly who took care of us during our stay at the Goldy…!!!
The idea was to get a custom board at the beginning of our world surf trip and film the whole process for our documentary. From there I could take it along the rest of the trip and Chris would be our artist. Chris (together with his mate Gordon Knight) is one of the best surfboard shapers in Australia. The whole process took us 3 days so here’s the process in a nutshell:
First of all, every custom board is different depending on the needs, abilities and requirements of a surfer. The shape, size, glassing and design is made due to my own desires and the advice from Chris.
Step 1. Blanc: All surfboards are made out of a blanc, a rough pre-shaped board (secret mixture) to start with.
Step 2. Profiling: In this stage of process the blanc board is roughly (semi-automatically) shaped to the point where the shaper takes over by hand.
Step 3. Shaping: This is where the magic happens! The shaper (Chris in our case) shapes the board further completely on feeling by hand. It’s a process that takes years of experience to do it like Chris does. It’s really an art to see and the artist is completely in his own (shaping)world during this stage.
Step 4. Registration: The board gets registered including all the details on the bottom side of the board. Chris named the board after my last name; The bone shuffler model (Ooohw yeah!)
Step 5. Glassing: This is where Gordon Knight took over. The glassing can be done in different layers of 4 and 6 ounce of fiberglass, depending on the needs of the surfer. For my surfboard was used a 6 ounce layer of fiberglass at the bottom, followed by a 4 + 6 ounce layer at the top side. This makes the board just a little bit stronger for traveling. After each layer the glassing had to dry in the sun, because Gordon used an ultraviolet raisin, that dries literally in seconds.
Step 6. Sanding: After each layer of the glassing has dried, sanding is necessary for the particularly parts of the board where the glassing tend to overlap.
Step 7. Fins: The board is now ready to put the fin holders in (Jay used the FCS fin system of course). This is a very precise job that needs to be checked twice, before you start cutting holes in the board. After the holes are made the fin holders are placed in the exact right position and are held in place with little clay balls and a raisin. Before the raisin gets dry the position of the fin holders are checked over and over again. The raisin for the fin holders need to dry for a while, before you actually can put the fins in place.
Step 8. Painting: The board is now almost ready and of course it’s fun to finish the board with a cool design. I chose (of course) for a turquoise design… (Chris was the painting artist). We made the paint design look a little bit feminine. I think Chris did a great job!
Step 9. Surf: The next thing for me to do is go out there…start my surf trip around the world…have fun and surf my brains out…!!!
To see the whole process for real, you have to wait for the documentary…!!!
Special thanks to Rico and Kelly who took care of us during our stay at the Goldy…!!!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Siargao Island – Philippines
Siargao Island is part of Mindanao, 240 skm, the best surfing area and probably the most peaceful Island in the Philippines. Of course we went there for the surf and we visited a lot of very nice spots.
Accommodation and transportation
There are some Resorts just in front of Cloud 9, like Sagana and Cloud 9 Resort, but the best place to stay is definitely Patrick’s on the Beach next to General Luna (GL in local language). It’s very central to many other good surfing spots, including Cloud 9. This place has almost everything and is the best when it comes to quality & prices. It’s the only place on the Island where you can hire a car/van & (motor)bicycles, internet, and has the most extensive menu. Many surfers from other Resorts come here to eat and to use the internet. The owner Andreas (no not Patrick – that’s his son) has a bunch of very nice and funny locals working for him. We became friends in about a second and hang out with them almost every day. He also has a box of local surfers waiting all day for you to go out with them for a good Daco Island surfing trip. They take you without hesitating to all the many secret spots!
Cloud 9
This is probably the best known surf spot from Siargao. A lot of the national and all the international surfing contests are held here. It is a beautiful place and very good to reach. You can paddle out from the end of the wooden pier, made and maintained by the locals. Cloud 9 got it’s name from the first Australian surfer that visited Siargao in the 70’s. At that time there was nothing on the Island, only a few primitive towns and a lot of wildlife and coconut trees. The only food that the Ozzie guy ate during his stay in Siargao was this chocolate bar called Cloud 9 and surfed his brains out at this surf spot.
That’s were Cloud 9 got it’s name…
+ Nice pier that gets you very close to the spot, good paddle out, few good spots around in case Cloud 9 doesn’t work (like Quicksilver and Rock Island)
- Little bit of a crowd, Cloud 9 doesn’t always work that good.
Cemetery
Cemetery is a beautiful spot, but it doesn’t work very good all the time although it looks always good from the beach! At low tide it’s a 30 minute paddle to the reef where the waves are breaking. Keep in mind that it’s a good 45 minute paddle back to the beach, because of the direction of the wind and current. At high tide it’s probably the best to ask a local to take you out there with a Bangka (hollow tree that floats - with a motor).
+ Beautiful place, good for beginners too, at high tide it’s possible to go with a Bangka (take a Bangka from Patrick’s).
- Long paddle out (but good for exercise), booties recommended (there are a lot of urchins! Watch out for the black ones, they will go right through your booties).
Daco Island
To go to Daco Island you need a boat. A Bangka is the way to go. Ask if there are some local surfers who would like to come (at Patrick’s). They know exactly where to go and were to stop.
+ The locals are very friendly, and are even willing to take you on a boat trip to many secret spots! Very good spot(s).
- There are some annoying blue jellyfish (not dangerous – but they do sting), don’t go when it’s to windy and you can see the white water on top of the reef area towards Daco – if you go, the Bangka will capsize (we experienced it).
Pacifico
Due to my opinion one of the best and most nice places for surfing in Siargao (together with Daco Island).
+ Nice Island tour to the spot (from GL, don’t forget to make a stop at Caridad to check out the surf in the bay – it’s the most friendliest town in the world)
- Strong currents at the right end of the sandy beach. It is the place to paddle out, but not the place to paddle back to the beach. Use the white water from the waves and go directly to the beach to avoid the strong currents (although the locals are always in for a spectacular surf rescue – that’s IF they are there, I got that one on film ;-)
Besides the almost airplane crash to Siargao (got that one on tape), the Bangka-capsize and the 5.0 earthquake at night, Siargao is the most beautiful place to be for surfing and some great adventures. Wait untill you'll see the footage! I really hope to come back here some day...
The Travelflavours crew…
Accommodation and transportation
There are some Resorts just in front of Cloud 9, like Sagana and Cloud 9 Resort, but the best place to stay is definitely Patrick’s on the Beach next to General Luna (GL in local language). It’s very central to many other good surfing spots, including Cloud 9. This place has almost everything and is the best when it comes to quality & prices. It’s the only place on the Island where you can hire a car/van & (motor)bicycles, internet, and has the most extensive menu. Many surfers from other Resorts come here to eat and to use the internet. The owner Andreas (no not Patrick – that’s his son) has a bunch of very nice and funny locals working for him. We became friends in about a second and hang out with them almost every day. He also has a box of local surfers waiting all day for you to go out with them for a good Daco Island surfing trip. They take you without hesitating to all the many secret spots!
Cloud 9
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This is probably the best known surf spot from Siargao. A lot of the national and all the international surfing contests are held here. It is a beautiful place and very good to reach. You can paddle out from the end of the wooden pier, made and maintained by the locals. Cloud 9 got it’s name from the first Australian surfer that visited Siargao in the 70’s. At that time there was nothing on the Island, only a few primitive towns and a lot of wildlife and coconut trees. The only food that the Ozzie guy ate during his stay in Siargao was this chocolate bar called Cloud 9 and surfed his brains out at this surf spot.
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That’s were Cloud 9 got it’s name…+ Nice pier that gets you very close to the spot, good paddle out, few good spots around in case Cloud 9 doesn’t work (like Quicksilver and Rock Island)
- Little bit of a crowd, Cloud 9 doesn’t always work that good.
Quicksilver_RockIsland.0.jpg)
Cemetery
Cemetery is a beautiful spot, but it doesn’t work very good all the time although it looks always good from the beach! At low tide it’s a 30 minute paddle to the reef where the waves are breaking. Keep in mind that it’s a good 45 minute paddle back to the beach, because of the direction of the wind and current. At high tide it’s probably the best to ask a local to take you out there with a Bangka (hollow tree that floats - with a motor).
+ Beautiful place, good for beginners too, at high tide it’s possible to go with a Bangka (take a Bangka from Patrick’s).
- Long paddle out (but good for exercise), booties recommended (there are a lot of urchins! Watch out for the black ones, they will go right through your booties).
Daco Island
To go to Daco Island you need a boat. A Bangka is the way to go. Ask if there are some local surfers who would like to come (at Patrick’s). They know exactly where to go and were to stop.
+ The locals are very friendly, and are even willing to take you on a boat trip to many secret spots! Very good spot(s).
- There are some annoying blue jellyfish (not dangerous – but they do sting), don’t go when it’s to windy and you can see the white water on top of the reef area towards Daco – if you go, the Bangka will capsize (we experienced it).
Pacifico
Due to my opinion one of the best and most nice places for surfing in Siargao (together with Daco Island).
+ Nice Island tour to the spot (from GL, don’t forget to make a stop at Caridad to check out the surf in the bay – it’s the most friendliest town in the world)
- Strong currents at the right end of the sandy beach. It is the place to paddle out, but not the place to paddle back to the beach. Use the white water from the waves and go directly to the beach to avoid the strong currents (although the locals are always in for a spectacular surf rescue – that’s IF they are there, I got that one on film ;-)
Besides the almost airplane crash to Siargao (got that one on tape), the Bangka-capsize and the 5.0 earthquake at night, Siargao is the most beautiful place to be for surfing and some great adventures. Wait untill you'll see the footage! I really hope to come back here some day...
The Travelflavours crew…
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