Surf World Gold Coast
Wooden Surfboard Night
Saturday 7th August 6.30pm for a 7pm start
$15 per head includes a sausage sizzle and drink
A great opportunity to mix and meet with other people interested in wooden boards and hear from some very talented individuals who build them.
Wooden boards come in many shapes and styles of construction. Tom Wegener, Roger Hall and Mike Connor will give a brief overview of their various methods of board construction and experiences. This will be followed by an open question and answer forum with the guys. A sample of what will be on display at the Wooden Board Day in the park at Currumbin Alley the next day.
An expatriate Californian lawyer turned surfboard shaper transplanted into the hills behind Noosa at Cooroy. He has spent the last 10 plus years building wooden boards and researching and finessing his love affair with the ancient Hawaiian Alaia
finless boards.” I hope the eyes of other shapers will be opened to the possibilities of applying the oldest methods in the world to today's cutting edge technologies.
"Historically in surfing, people have looked for lighter, faster technologies, thinking the holy grail is somewhere in carbon fibre and lighter, stronger materials.
"But my approach is to look as far back as we possibly can at the few surviving boards from the ancient Hawaiians and study what Captain Cook and his crew watched when they saw surfing for the first time, and draw inspiration from that."
Last year Surfing Magazine voted Tom “Shaper of the Year”. A great honour and recognition of his exploration into the heritage and roots of surfing that has inspired a new wave of innovation into this sport. " Wood is Good".
Roger Hall
A Kiwi with over 30 years of shaping boards in every shape and style, who has a well know reputation for innovation and quality. Roger has incorporated wood in to the handmade boards he builds for many years. Whether it is multiple stringers, nose and tail blocks, or beautiful inlays, Roger is a master of it all. He has always had a healthy supply of various timbers on hand and loves to combine them wherever possible.
A recent quote from Slide magazine sums up Roger very well. "Roger's enthusiasm and passion for finely crafting something more akin to a work of art is strongly evident. It would be a safe bet to say the prospect of bettering his craft is admirably motivating him much more so than the almighty dollar."
Mike Connor
A passionate woodworker who hails from Corndale, located west of Byron Bay. Mike’s interest in working with wood began some 25 years ago when he began experimenting and building various items as a hobby. He is largely self-taught although the opportunity to attend classes with local world-renowned cabinetmaker, Geoff Hannah, added inspiration and refinement to his creations. His love of wood has resulted in him exploring and collecting local and exotic timbers to the point of filling a large shed.
For the past 10 years Mike has pursued a full time career as a craftsman making various customised pieces ranging from furniture to woodwork benches, wooden tools and workshop jigs to make outcomes more accurate. Some teaching has followed and his desire is to share knowledge rather than keep it secret.
Today he specialises in crafting ukuleles and guitars as well as surfboards. This interest in surfboards has seen Mike link up with Bob McTavish to help recreate some of Bob’s well-known designs in wood.
To book a spot or buy some tickets for the night please contact the Surf Museum :
Tomewin Street , Currumbin , Opposite the entrance to the wild life santuary
PH: 07- 5525 6380
Surf World Gold Coast is a not-for-profit museum dedicated to celebrating the history and culture of surfing.
