Booyah! First Twelve-day Grain Workshop
Another class wrapped up last week… as usual, we had a great mix of folks here from all walks of life. Some of these guys had extra time to get to know each other ’cause they were here for a full 12 days… staying long enough to glass their new boards.
We worked hard the whole time, but stayed a little longer than we should have at the table during breakfast and lunch telling stories and listening to the world according to Yan. Over breakfast one morning he described with his Quebecker/French accent a night-terror that woke him in his tent. Dreaming that he was somehow trapped inside a hollow wood surfboard – more than upsetting since “I am a little bit claustrophobe”, he woke from a sweaty sleep. The woody color of his tent, the confines of his sleeping bag, his new familiarity with the innards of wood surfboards, all worked together to convince him that he was doomed to be trapped inside the very board that had been his focus all week. He woke suddenly, flailing ’til he freed himself – right through the side of his newly shredded tent. The rest of the campers that were staying here at the farm reported hearing him hollering and jumping around in the dark until he finally woke enough to understand what they were all laughing about.
A nod goes to our new youngest-yet boardbuilder. Witness to what we thought might be new educational levels in salty talk and ripe stories, Spencer had to remind us that “I’m fourteen – I’m not an idiot”. Guess he’d heard it all before. When we wondered at our smallest student’s choice to build one of our largest boards, he schooled us: he’s planning to have it the rest of his life. Should’ve thought of that ourselves…
We were also lucky to get in a couple of nice sessions including a great evening go-out in surprise head-plus swell. Couldn’t have been a better week all-in-all.
August 9th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Kooks and green boards. That’s your 10′ I’m on. How are those new windows working out?
August 9th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Hey Shawn, did the pig make it onto your board?
August 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Shawn put in some new windows in the shop for us while he was here… it’s like a new world in there now with all the sunshine. Awesome – thanks Shawn! He’s the one in the bottom pic out on the nose of the Waterlog at our local break. Mike Shirer’s asking about Shawn’s unofficial pig logo for his company “Small Axe” – which did end up burned onto his new board which he tinted green.
August 10th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Every time I come to this website I get so stoked to build my own board. I am taking next year off and am going to take a little trip to Maine to play with a little cedar. The boards from this last class as as beautiful as ever. Keep up the good work.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:15 am
The boards look so good. I can’t wait to get my hands on mine.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Just waiting on the fin Spencer, but it’ll be worth the wait.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Ya definitely. It’ll be ready just in time for hurricane season.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Thanks to everyone for a great class. Spencer loved the experience. For the record, he is thirteen years old and I hope he “hasn’t heard it all before,” but then again, you are a great bunch of guys! I’m sure it was all good.
August 13th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
great work guys!!
me and a friend had also a 12days experience on boardbuilding.
now it`s only working on a lake in flat water paddeling but we are looking forward to ride some waves in spain and french in sept.
stay tuned
September 25th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Field testing confirms the 10-footer to be a wave-catching machine! Paddles great (more buoyant than I expected) and rides like silk. And the hybrid tail (rounded pin/diamond) lays down some smoooooth turns. Thanks again for helping me build my new favorite board!