Resurrection of a Past Love

[Surferguy80]

In an effort to save some coin and save some quiver space (im trying to downsize i swear...), i decided to strip and re-shape the first board I ever built.

Your #1 is always special, and i couldnt bring myself to trash it or give it away, and I really can't think of a better way to pay tribute to my first board than to breathe new life into it and actually surf it again!

so heres the skinny:
the board was 6'4 x 22 1/4 x 3, which is more than enough foam to get the size fish i wanted out of it, so her new size is 5'8 x 22 x 2 3/4, which is a tad small for me; but my style doesnt lend itself to small wave ripping on a fish type board anyways, im more interested in the long powerful lines they draw on a good sized (shoulder high +) wave; so considering the wave size Ill be riding it in, the 5'8 length isn't that big of a deal.

pre:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5916/1212081457dqc5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

during:
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9476/1212081505vu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

tabla rasa:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9732/1212081512aby2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

and a bonus...here she is the day i finished shaping her, my 19th birthday:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/934/gforumba8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Surferguy80]

some major changes; here she is yesterday, after the re-shape:
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/4162/1213081603dm4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

new foil:
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/7868/1213081604ajn4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

face lift:
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/352/1213081602bn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

new bottom contours:
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5896/1213081601ng4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I decided to try a new bottom design on this one that ive been thinking about for a bit...its a vee'd entry (really standard on all my boards), fading into a wide, low single concave under the front foot; then a light double just ahead of the fins, back into a kindof hyper single concave from the middle of the fins out the tail...
the experimental bit is on the outside of the fins, you can see it well in the last photo posted above; there is a chimed edge running parallel with the fins, that fades into the widepoint of the board, and runs off the tips of the tail. This edge is used heavily by a shaper in Oz named Dick VanStraalen, he builds all of Rasta's fishies and ive always liked what he does with his bottom contours...so i thought id give it a little go (although a bit lighter than his are).
the idea is to keep everything subtle and forgiving!

[carpjaws]

S80...these were the Dick VanStraalen shapes that set us on fire when mike perry brought back the templates circa pre-thrusters...slot that shooter [aussie slang]...carpbrah...but oh those twinnies look fun (the vids)

[brown recluse]

I feel kinda creepy when I see that foam leaning there all naked with it's skin tossed on the ground like a giddy coed.

[lil' mermaid]

Say, thanks for this post. I think it is very cool that you "breathed new life into" your first board!!!! that's what I call 'everything old is new again'. For me, way cool to know that this is possible and to see the pics of it actually happening. I don't surf, appreciate the skill and talent of it and like to photograph it. So, again, thanks. Hope ;you get some waves to try it out soon.
:cool: