New giant surfboard sucking up all the waves around Boston ...

11'6" x 25" x 3.75"

Single fin

EPS foam from a re-used source

Epoxy Lam, Resin-X hot & gloss

2 x 6oz, s-glass, top & bottom, nose and tail caps

It started out as a Frye-style cross-country board. It ended up a lot like the SurfTech Munoz I used to own (but without that Surftech rattle). I've surfed it once. It took off early, didn't sink and turned with surprising ease.

The composition is heavily influenced by Japanese stories and art about various kinds of Majin, especially ones imprisoned in mountain faces. On the first afternoon out, my friend John took a few pictures. More pictures coming soon ...

Surf Report: Dissapointing short period windswell, onshore everywhere the swell is showing. Hopefully some NW for tomorrow AM. I need to get this one back in the water.

Minimalist Fighting Style

"... with practice and stealth, the opponent is quickly disarmed and rendered harmless. This two-step, minimalist, approach requires only a cowardly choking attack from the rear (Step 1), followed by a firm poke to the sole of the right foot (Step 2). Practitioners be warned, this technique will fail if either step is omitted or the order of steps reversed. Similarly, poking the wrong foot in the second step (Step 2) will provide unexpected results. This is also true of jabbing or pointing (see Chapter 3). The advanced student, with a vigorous application of the first step (Step 1), may forgo the second step (Step 2)."

From "New American Guide to Wu-Shu Style," Raymond J. Candle, Xanadu Press, 1979.

Three of my surfboards in the BHCC gallery this month ...

REUSED REPURPOSED REINVENTED

Works in various media that address this theme are assembled in this exhibit by:

Jessica Burko Bobby Busnack Ian Churchill Rebecca Davidson Catherine Evans Virginia Fitzgerald Melissa Hanes Mark Hartshorn Anne Kirchheimer Peter Madden Charles Mathis Veronica Morgan Marianne Ramos Ken Reker A.E. Ryan David Sholl Ed Tekeian Ann Torke Martin Ulman Michael Ulman Molly Van Nice

An exhibit that explores the art of recyclingSeptember 29 through November 8, 2008

Artists’ Reception: Thursday, October 2, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Gallery Talk: Thursday, October 16, 2008, 1:00 – 2:30pm250

New Rutherford Avenue • Boston, Massachusetts617-228-2093 • www.bhcc.mass.eduGallery

Hours: M/W/F: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., T/Th: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sa: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., S: closed

The Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery is free and open to the public.

We are located at the Community College stop on the MBTA Orange Line.

The Armenian Giant

Just five feet tall, this powerhouse of mid 20th century Armenians lived in France and England during and after the Second World War. Eventually, he moved to Watertown, MA. There, he became a pastry cook, matchmaker and role model for young Armenians caught in the ethnic crush of 1970's Watertown. I scanned this old trading card from a British Giant Parma Violets giveaway.

Boston Surf Man

For when you're out of commission & can't surf & can't make boards, there is pen & ink. But, I'll soon be terrorizing some local log spot with a SUP.

Surf Report: Early Spring 2008

Plenty of surf this spring. I can't remember a day in the last six weeks where I wanted to surf and there wasn't something available. The wind has been unpredictable, so you need to rely on sheltered, harder to find spots. I've had every kind of board out in the last month, from big quad, to log to SUP (but not big enough for BB). What a nice reward, after a long winter of very decent surf. Check out all the NE surfing sites for many, many images.

Latest Recycled Stubb ...

Lots of effort required to get usable foam out of this one. It once was 2/3 of a classic log (try to guess what kind). Now it's a 5.5', wide, square, very flat, single. The lam is RR epoxy, the hot & gloss coats are Resin-X. The art is india ink & acryclic, in multiple layers. This is my first Resin-X board, so far really good (Matt, of Resin-X, has been very generous with his advice). Soon to be polished ...

Ghost Board

Look steadily, for at least thirty seconds, at the X mark near the nose of the surfboard, and then at a sheet of paper, a wall or a ceiling. A ghostly board will appear before your eyes. By increasing the distance, the apparition will increase in size. More ...

Mex Wax, the best for your stick ...

When you're logging Sayulita, you need your Mexican Surf Board WAX. It has those nice little bumps. At 30 pesos a bar (special tourist price), it does everything but ride the nose on your behalf. Magically, when you get back home to the freezing north, it becomes the base coat until mid-July.

Valentine's Day 2008 Surf Report

Surf Report: The north shore was windy, mostly clean and waist/chest early this AM. The tide was dropping, but, gusty NNW making the takeoff hard on a shorter board. There may have been some bigger sets. It was good from 6:30 until 8:45 or so, then it got too bumpy. If you haven't been out today, pick your spots with care ...

Mexico Surf Trip

I cannot recommend a winter surf trip to one of the best logging waves in North America. If you go there, don't bring your 9'6". Be ready for heavy crowds and bad attitudes. There are no paved roads. You can't drink the water. The rental cars are a rip-off. The tamales and pozole will surely cause Moctezuma's Revenge. Maybe on the one small day, someone will take some pictures of you and burn a CD for you on the beach. Maybe it will be flat the whole time. Stay away from the Pacific coast of Mexico. Unless it's Ixtapa. Then you should go there and surf that hot wave near the fish pier.

Surfboards Chinatown

Some of you have read about Joe Chen's "Surfboards Chinatown" project from a few years ago. On a recent trip to NYC, I visited his new shop. It's a classic Chinatown building, formerly a furniture warehouse. An empty area behind the showroom contains a single, unshaped, blank. Joe hopes to produce a lot boards in what will be the second phase of his project. The shop is definitely core and it turns out Joe and I went to college together (also in NYC). He has a solid selection of interesting boards, including twin pins, stubs and biscuits. There were few thrusters, no funboards and no popouts. He gives lessons (even in winter) and has an unusual selection of gray market bodyboards. After you check it out, go to the nearest noodle shop for lunch.

New Recycled Stubby for 2008 ...

A new stubby for 2008. It's 5'5" x 20" x 2 3/4". Many years ago, it was a Weber log. Then, it was cut down. Then, it came to me. There was enough reasonable foam to get this stubby out of it. It will have very pinched rails and be glass with Resin-X. This is the last old poly board I'll be recycling for awhile. It's going to be a single, glass-on. My next batch of foam will be built by hand, with EPS from a recycle/reuse source near Boston.

Surf Report: Waves were decent yesterday, in the 3-5' range. It got cleaner as the sun came up. Then it dropped off to nothing. After 12 days of nothing, we've had several fun days, with more to come later in the week.

Holiday 2007 Surf Report

December was a solid month for waves -- especially in the last week of 2007. The secret points of the North Shore had plenty to offer. I hope you all got some. The Friday before New Year was the best, with a super-clean dawn patrol (perfect tide, perfect wind, mild temps).