Been on a mining mission lately. This is from my van’s window in the car park where I park up and camp out between shifts. Its not as much fun as making boards, but slightly better money. My van, Whitey, is on his last legs so I think that this is a bit of a lap of honour for him. Anyway, while me and Whitey get the head down everyone else is treated to this…
great timing
5’10 x 20″ x 2 1/2″ for Rory Duff of Cork. Flat and straight, quad. Fin position is derived from the bobsled and adapted to allow for the reduced tail area on this board. I liked this one – it felt like it was going to be a fun ride.
6’4 x 19 5/8″ x 2 5/8″ for Shirley. Shirley absolutely rips on his ‘sled and this board was designed to provide him with that ride feel translated into something that would fly on a bigger canvas.
6’2 x 18 3/8″ x 2 1/4″ for Cian. A re-creation of a board I made for Johnny Smith a couple of years ago. I think this is the lightest board I have made. (4+4)+4+patches came in at 2.5kg without fins. I’m pleased that Cian went the flouro – virgin territory!
5’10 x 20 7/8″ x 2 1/2″ Bob of Sled for Jamie.
This normally babbling brook that runs through the dh garden turned into a torrent today. A front stalled over us during the night and the heavens unloaded. It looked pretty ugly further downstream in the valley. Might just be worth having a look at our normally dormant rivermouth down the road…
Something along the lines of Western Pacific board-short freedom. These two shots arrived in my inbox on the same day to get me questioning my lifestyle…
My island hopping mate Kohei Shirakawa looking somewhat committed
Old traveling partner Martin H, living his life in the sun on some other island
Good man Fergal
http://fergalsmith.blogspot.com/2011/01/tom-doidge-harrison.html
Ferg goes chunky on his 7’8 x 18 5/8″ x 2 9/16″ dh
6’5 x 18 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ for crab brother, Kiwi Tom. You can’t see it here, but I’m loving the foil on this board. Hoping that Tom does too as he collected it blind. He pulled up, handed a board sock around the door of the workshop and got me to load it into the back of his van. Its his birthday tomorrow and he wants a surprise in the morning…
Spied this shot of Shane O’Connor by Pete Fleming. Shane is riding a little cross-over dh, slab/reef 6’1 x 18 5/16″ x 2 5/16″. Both Shane and Pete go good in hollow waves.
9’1 x 19 3/4″ x 3 1/4″
Despite being a lot of work this autumnal 2010 offering to Fergal Smith’s quiver was an absorbing project. Having made a 7’8 and a 7’3 for him to run in the pocket under the cliffs, this beast was made to paddle the wide peak at maxing Aileen’s. It has not been used in anger yet so still not sure how she will go, but the lines feel right. The fin set-up, below, was put together using all available resources. This included current quad experience on bigger boards, trawling the web for ideas, shameless tapping of Fergal’s heavy wave contacts and most importantly drawing on Ferg’s intuitive feel for these things.
Results of sea trails to be published once available (unless it is a disaster…!)
Old mate Dan Thwaite rocking a heavy thatch while touring western US states. Dan does van life with the best of them. He is also a dab hand at living in remote Irish cottages and does a nice line in radical round house cutbacks. We miss.
