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Who can attend? Are there any age limits?
Our classes and Open Shop sessions are intended for those who want to build a board for themselves, or to learn to shape and glass their own boards. There aren't really any age limits, though young people who aren't going to be in the company of their parents should be somewhat self-directed and must be able to follow directions. Building wood boards requires alot of time on your feet, so those that don't feel physically up to that will have some trouble. Parents: if you're sending your kid, great! But not only is this a working woodshop, it's also full of surfers. Expect your precious one to hear some salty language.
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I want to come with my kid/wife/husband/pal/other. Can the two of us work on a board together?
Our experience is that people get a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction out of building their own board. But if you have a partner that wants to do a board with you, that's great too. We'll only charge half the tuition for the second person so that you're not paying for board materials twice.
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Do I get a diploma or a certificate on completion of the course?
Nope. This is definitely not a certification course - in other words, we aren't in the business of training future commercial board-builders. Our one and only goal is to pass on the great feeling we got when we built our first boards to people who want to build their own too.
Build your own and surf it. You've never experienced anything like it and you can't get a better diploma than a great new wood board you built yourself.
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Do I need tools?
If you have 'em, bring 'em - you'll feel more comfortable with your own tools. If you don't have any, we have some here you can buy when you get here, or you can get them from our webstore, or you can just share a few of ours with the other students. If you buy new tools, chances are that they didn't come sharpened... we can help you with that when you get here. The only tool of your own that you need to have is a dust-filtering respirator (3M 6000 series or better recommended). We also usually have some of those in the store as well.
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What tools are recommended if I'm going to bring some?
If you're bringing your own tools (besides the required respirator) the most important ones are probably the edge tools - spokeshave, block plane, and a few sharp chisels. Drawknives are great if you have them, though it is an uncommon tool these days. If you have your own whetstone, that's a good tool to have with you as well. Your clothes are likely to get a bit of glue and epoxy on them so don't pack your tux. Bring a shop apron if you like to use one.
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Do I need any skills or sense?
Skills, no. Sense, yes. If you can build a model airplane, can follow instructions, can be patient and stay focused for sometimes longish days, then this will be a snap for you whether you can whittle or not. But even seasoned woodworkers will enjoy building a wood surfboard because the process itself is not obvious, and there are plenty of "extra touches" that skilled woodworkers can add to their boards to add to the challenge.
You will be using some sharp tools and limited power tools and, while none of them is dangerous, they have to be handled with care and attention. No one should feel nervous about that, just sensible enough to know they have to pay attention.
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Can I build or shape any board I want?
Not really. We are limiting these workshops to the boards in our line of Home Grown Surfboard Kits, but many workshop participants make slight changes to the design of the boards to suit their styles or breaks. The range of modifications that you can make are limited, but can have significant effect on the board's design. Common changes are changing the tail style (from squash-tail to pin-tail for instance) widening or narrowing the nose, or modifying the rail profiles somewhat.
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Why are there separate classes for Board Building and Shaping and Glassing? Why do they overlap by a couple of days?
In the Board Building course, students build the board from scratch, but do not glass it til they get home. Some students have left the boards for us to glass, some have taken them to local glassers, and others have glassed their own here during Open Shop nights that we have during the winter.
In the Shaping and Glassing course students take a previously completed blank and trim it, shape it, and glass it.
We intended to build the blanks for the students in Shaping and Glassing, but some people want to build their own. So we let folks who have taken the Board Building class jump into Shaping and Glassing to do their own glassing. Because we arranged the schedule as we did, Board Builders can just stay for the extra five days and jump in with the Shaping and Glassing class, or they can come back to any future Shaping and Glassing class.
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I dunno. This whole thing makes me a little nervous... I don't think I can do it. Plus, I'm afraid I'll look dopey.
Tranquillo. We've had nothing but great, fun people at our workshops. Almost all of them have helped and supported the people around them as we all work side-by-side in the shop. And everyone's made a board that they're proud of. You can do it, too. The worst that can happen is you'll have a fun week you'll never forget and a surfboard that will likely last a lifetime. You may also get in a surf and even form some new friendships that will last almost as long as your board.