#Baron_Surfboard project part 6: Foiling the tunnel fin and boomerang fin

Here's the new boomerang flex fin which wil be used in combination with the vort-x tunnel fin.This fin is a development of the previous bulb tipped flex fin used on the Baron prototype. The concept here is to use an extremely thin low chord ratio in the tail of the fin , so that the fin flexes like a fish. This will reduce lift in the tail of the fin but will provide an extremely low drag fin. The bulb tipped prototype fins were excellent but we're chasing even lower drag. The chord ratio on the fin tip is around 1.6% which is very low when the usual range for chord ratios is 9% to 14%The animation below shows the amount of deflection which the fin achieves with only moderate pressure.Foiling the tunnel fin

Cheers to our European Customers!!

D'Arcy Surfboards is taking over the world... not really but we are striving to enable surfers around the globe to improve their surfing one board at a time... D'Arc believes that every board should be better than your last, and that message has made it all the way to Europe.

Most recently D'Arcy has returned from shaping trips which brought him to the shores of Italy and Portugal. Even more interesting is the amount of enquiries we receive from that region and its surrounds. Here is a short video of D'Arc talking about the bomb model which he adjusted specifically for the small, weak mushy waves of the Med.

D'Arcy from Manuele Mariotti on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for more European Market updates, If you are from the European region and would like to find out more about D'Arcy surfboards or make an order, you can go about this in 2 ways... 1. Contact our distributor which is nearest to you OR 2. contact the D'Arcy factory in Australia and we will arrange a board for you through our European distributors.

click on the links below to find out more...
FOAMBOX ITALY

POLEN SURFBOARDS PORTUGAL

Tony Crimmins and his modified Jensen model.

Tony Crimmins attended the Paul Jensen course at the Eco Village Currumbin in August and this is where he started this board. He decided that he would modify the standard 7ft 3" and make it into a pin tail. And instead of the laminated cork and bending ply rails go with laminated Paulownia and a Cedar pin line.As you can see he has a great eye for detail and has done a great job. 4mm Paulownia and Cedar planking over a ply frame. His sister at Lennox Heads has put her hand up for it. Nice touch.

Gremlin in the Shop

These little devils start showing up at the shop when I'm on a big push to get a bunch of boards done. This time of year things get cranking and long days and late nights become the rule. So sometimes it's nice to have a little company and an extra set of eyes to keep me focused on the job at hand.

6'0" single fin with a tapered stringer custom for Yasuyuki.

This one is just right for me but I can't have it.

Waves Forever customer.

Custom Everything

The cool thing about ordering a custom board, is precisely that, it's custom. Shape, colors, fin setup, and even the logos that you want glassed in it are totally your call. The end result is a board that is truly one of a kind.

Yuta Sezuta

Radical Alaia Surfing Videos

Here are some hollow Alaia Tuberiding from Hossegor France, I think?  This is not tow in surfing, but rather by using a stand up paddleboard to launch an Alaia attack on the wave!  Not fair, but who cares!  These videos show the true speed you can get from riding an Alaia.  If you would like one for yourself, see my previous posts to look at the beautiful Koa Wood ancient Hawaiian Alaia replica surfboards I am building.  Models I have available are the Duke Kahanamoku (2 different ones), the Eddie Aikau Waimea Bay Alaia Gun, the Honu (Classic 8' and under Alaia), and the Princess Kaiulani model.






Here is an amazing video of going out into the jungle to find the "WILD BOARDS" growing on the the surfboard tree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuUccl5rTX8&feature=related

A TRIBUTE TO EDDIE AIKAU!

I am hoping the waves get EPIC for the Quicksilver Eddie Aikau memorial, which you can watch the happenings here  http://live.quiksilver.com/2009/eddie/  Won't it be interesting if a competitor chooses to use this 10'3" Alaia Waimea Bay Gun I created?  The ultimate choice for a true champion to show the most respect to the Hawaiians who have come and gone.  Will one step up to the challange?

If you would like a T-shirt with the Eddie Decal without the watermark, give me a call!  Limited number available.
Greg
407-222-9944

Tris twinnie by Martin Wright

Martin Wright was a hot St Agnes surfer shaper and worked for Tris and Hot Stuff. He won the Open British title in 1982 and the British juniors in 1977. This is one of his twin fin with finbox shapes from the early 80s, its 6'1 x 19 3/4.

Martin Wright at Porthleven circa '83, a great shot by Alex Williams.

{ nafun }

Nathan Adams just launched a myspace for his music. If you missed him a couple weeks ago at the shop, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at his musical giftings.

We're working on getting a cd done so we can sell copies here at the shop.

In the meantime, listen to nafun here.

Photo: Cam Oden

Andrew Wells from Grown Surfboards has ben busy.

Andrew is from Lennox Heads and makes a great looking board.

" Just thought I’d send you through a couple more pics of some boards I have just finished. The board with blue fins is a bit of a concept board for me, it’s got a big single concave hull running full length of the board and has been designed for down the line speed. I’m Itching to get it out for a test run."
A long wall at Lennox would be a nice test for any board I would say. Let us know how she goes Andrew.

Freedom singlefin by Steve Harewood

Stephane from Biarritz has sent us some pictures of a recent find, a nice 7 ft Freedom singlefin from the early - mid 70s by Steve Harewood. Harewood was one of the top surfers in Jersey from the mid 60s and was in the four man British team going to the World Champs in Puerto Rico in 1968. This trip opened his eyes to what was going on in board design and he was especially interested in Reno Abellira and David Nuuhiwa's board designs .Then he went straight to the US and worked for Dewey Weber for 6 months helping to produce the Ski .In 1969 he came home a more experienced shaper and set up Freedom with his friend Barry Jenkins. I'm a big fan of Freedoms, especially around the mid 70s when Bobby Male was putting out some really beautiful shapes.Thanks to Stephane for the photos.

Steve Harewood mid 1960s

Here's a couple of Harewood Freedoms which were up for sale a few months ago. The blue one is 7'2 x 20, and the Aipa style stinger is 6'10 x 20 3/8.

Cardboard Fish , now you have seen it all ?

So you start with a large collection of computer cut pieces of cardboard, now that is green.
Start locking them all togther...
Still more pieces...
There you have it ...

Nick Yarnes lives on the Marshall Islands and got the pre cut kit from Mike Sheldrake in California . It's a 6ft 4" fish and in 2 hours on the kitchen table this is it.He hopes to glass it this weekend.
" This board will be a twin keel with probox fin plugs, and a gore-tex vent plug after fiberglass job is complete. Sometimes work can be fun! "

Looking forward to the finished project.

Jack of hearts… waiting for art

  

Should get this art-worked this weekend… some fun going to be happening on this one for young Jack.

Azure tint

 

This is the custom Freakfish EVO6 receiving its tint… azure blue rail. I tried a little experiment on this one including free lapping half of one clear rail. It worked a treat… Looking forward to art working this as the tint has given some interesting blends to play with… watch this space.

Fin First

Here's a photo our friend Greg Swanson took of Nate going fin first on his new pintail at Blackies

Thanksgiving Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving.

Enjoy eating turkey, and looking at photos that Lightner took of him surfing.

Fall Colors

With a crispness in the air, nights and mornings have had a chill that makes Mother Nature take notice and bring out her fall colors. Tuned in surfers also take note and oranges and rich reds are always popular this time of year. Thanks to all the colorful people who share the stoke and make this whole adventure happen. Happy Thanksgiving!

Up in the attic.........

I'm gradually working my way through the collection and now what's left are the boards in random places, the back of the shed, stuffed down the side of the fridge, on the rafters in the attic. They're there in the dark ,patiently waiting to go for a surf or to be put on the blog, otherwise they're not seen ,its tragic really; one day I'll build a nice long shed for them all ...one day.

Theres some nice boards up here still, a hot buttered twinnie by Derek Hynd, a couple of Bilbos, an In Natural Flow early Tris , a Bruce Palmer and a few more that I forget about then rediscover.