How To: Fin Yourself

1)  Buy a perfectly good fin...okay...or not...you're gonna want to start with something kinda trashed..fins aren't cheap, this isn't news to any of us...

Then template your new fin onto it:

2)  Cut that sucker out with something really sharp...pref. a carbide bladed-jigsaw or band saw if you happen to work with carbide tipped things a lot...i just use my grinder at different angles, it's easier to 100% true up the template after it's rough foiled.  So get it really close.

Then Snag your grinder and get itchy.  Here is my fin rough sanded with a 60 grit disc.  Make special note of your foil lines, wobbly ones suck.  they're everywhere, I can't say it'll noticeable affect 90% of surfer's experiences, but it shows a little bit of a lack of quality to me...okay, rant over...here's the rough foil:

3)  Then get funky with a soft pad and some 120 sand paper, take your grinder scratches out and smooth off the foil.  repeat with 220 then i finish mine off with 320 wet/dry.......Then paint something on it, so as to advertise to the world that yes, your fin is cool:  

Pretty....

4) Now go put it in your shred sled:

5)  The soon thereafter, shred your sled on something resembling:

Mini Gliding with John

John F's new 7'11 Mini Glider.  Dark red pigment with a silver-leaf band and a spit shine that'll impress your mother-in-law...Snazzy!

Peaches and Cream

Some stuff regarding kneeboards...

Boards For Salez

Currently have two boards for sale:

 

6'5 Pintail Hull, rides tubes like nobodies business.  In great condition. 

$475 obo

6'8 hull named the Dove, super fast off the bottom, loves good waves and to be turned with some power.  

$500 obo

email me at Ryan@Pointconceptsurf.com for info!

For Worm

Ask and ye shall receive; 17.5" nose, and some extra outline and foil pics of the new log:

I Could Resist Anything...

...But the tempation of you.

Sometimes people let me do whatever I want with their boards' colors...

This one's a new model, 9'4" x 23" x 3" narrow nose for control; foiled out rails, nose and tail 'cause I don't like clunkers...overall a sextastic machine of a longboard.  It's been a while since I've felt like a longboard has really been 'my own' style...this one nails it.  

And my apologies for the dust on the board in the pics!

Hull For Sale

6'8" x 22 1/2 x 2 7/8 "The Dove"

The only one of it's kind, but won't be for long...I need a little more foam so I've got to let 'er go and make another, she's been ridden 5 times total and is in great condition, one decent pressure dent on the bottom (long and shallow, from entering a car).   This one's a turning machine, LOVES cutbacks and is much easier to put on rail than the wider-tailed varieties.  Asking $500 obo.

Nick Cooking

I'm sure you've seen Nick's name splattered here and there along the PCProgression, but lets go a little more in depth today.

Nicky has been pumping out some really killer photos lately; I'm really enjoying his latest work, and his hair is as majestic and glorious as ever.  

He snapped some specifically great shots of Lando and Albers spreading some Duckula over a non-descript point wave once upon a time...

I don't think nick knows how to work a digital camera, or at least i've never seen him near one, he's a master of the manual film realm and cares deeply about his subject matter.  

Nick's work is supremely unique and simple, usually black and white in nature, these color shots really caught my eye and I thought some of you kids should take a look at what he's up to

In The Hills

Whats Goin' Through Your Head?

It's funny what you find when you don't necessarily have to be anywhere at any specific time...

photo: me

The Key

In the 300++ glassjobs i've done, this is the first key lime-ish one...i have no idea how it took me so long to mix up these colors, I love it!

Also note; first glasson hull I've done, and yes, that fin flexes nicely.  This one here's a Count Duckula model, still in early experimental phases.

Landon Smith:

Taking Duckula's speed up high.

Dusky Duckula

Lando Smith, burying Count Duckula's rail.

Neiling

Brandon's new sled, Neil Young.

Well I Don't Know Why I Came Here Tonight...

Inspired by Jonny's Cosmic Series, The Dove is my new baby.

Subtle, smooth and stringerless, 6'8" x 22 1/2" x 2 3/4"...the thickness pushed back towards the tail makes for some unreal cutbacks that are quite easy to recover from, and love to be fully finished off, instead of nursed into submission. 

Belly and roll is carried through the very tip of the tail, which makes this a rather unforgiving rider, but when you nail a turn, the acceleration is priceless.  

Think; projection is a direct result of belly depth and placement...more depth, more zip...Check a rocker shot of Greenough's spoons if you want proof.

I worked a few flat sections into the deck of this one to breathe a little new life into my design theory, not that I felt it was particularly stagnant at the moment though...The flat nose allows for the long rail line on a 7'+ board, in a shorter more lively length.  The deck flatness is just under your back foot, giving you a sort of point of reference, kindof like your favorite pressure dent...nothing majorly groundbreaking, but as always, everything is worth trying!

A true-blue point breaking hull if I ever owned one.

Euro Shaping Trip Announcement

So, it's time!

I'm going to be heading to Portugal for a shaping trip in June, and can shape boards for most all of europe while I'm there.  I'll be hangin' out with Rui at Magic Quiver, and shaping nearby, anyone who wants a board is MORE than welcome to come to the room and hang out while I shape...It'll be a party.

Orders will need to be taken in advance so I can order all of my blanks before I get there, so email me or Rui with ANY questions.  Glassing will be done for the most part by Nico atWavegliders, but I'm sure I won't be able to stay out of the lam room for a few special boards.

I'm taking orders for individual custom boards as well as shop orders for the trip, so shoot me an email and let's get something lined up!

-Ryan

Saturnday

I can't wait for next weeks first few blog posts...my newest hull will be unleashed...

Edge/Velo Complete

Jonny's edge board/velo hybrid is all finished up.

What follows are a few pictures of said craft:

From my understanding, when Greenough left the spoon building realm, the group of guys who took up after him and continued the quest began building wider templated edge-style boards, with elements of the Velo style boards thrown in, a mix of Greenough's earlier work, with his latter (compare Innermost Limits of Pure Fun and Crystal Voyager footage).  This is my attempt at the same; which I feel very confident about, Jonny will be heading to South America soon, and will be able to put some miles on it.