What SUP - let the building begin

Today, I finally got off the couch and have started a new adventure (read this a project).  This adventure is another Adventure in Blue, but it will be blue water and not Blue AF.

This adventure all started with "Q"and his brother, "P".  When I was departing the fav local of Cocoa Beach, I had the opportunity to see a Hollow Wood Surfboard in action.  Then again in January of this year, I got another glimpse of the famed Hollow Wood surf machine in action, when "Q" showed off his wooden Longboard...yes he owns a hollow wooden longboard and it's a beauty!!  However, he only surfed it a little while because of a crack in the glass and she was taking on water.

So I had the bite and wanted to have me one.  Over the past 15 months I have researched on the net for a way to "build" my own surfboard.  I have looked at hollow wooden surfboards, DIY Home Depot pink/blue foam boards, kits, EZ-foam blanks and every other possibility.  However, I keep coming back to those beautiful hollow wood surfing machines.

 I think I may become close friends with Lowes or Home Depot during this project...today we made the first deposit on some basic items...

So today, I started with getting the pieces/parts for building the Shaping&Glassing stands.  I am still looking for the materials to build the rib&spars for my hollow wood behemoth of a 11 foot 6 inch SUP (standup paddleboard).  I have used the starting shape from a 9 foot 3 inch PIG longboard and made it longer and wider.

Some supplies for the Shaping Stands

The 9'3" PIG dims are:
Length - 9'3"
Width - 22 9/16"
Thickness - 3"
Volume: 71.25 litres
Tail: width 16 1/2" x thickness 1 3/4"
Center: width 22 1/2" x thickness 2 15/16"
Nose:  width 16 1/4" x thickness 1 1/2"

The "BigBlue" SUP dims are:
Length - 11'6"
Width - 30 3/4"
Thickness - 4 1/4"
Volume: 169.89 litres
Tail: width 20 5/16" x thickness 2 1/16"
Center: width 30 3/4" x thickness 4 1/4"
Nose: width 20 3/8" x thickness 1 5/8"

After I assemble the Shaping Stands, I'll need to get the 1/4" marine grade plywood for the rib and spars.  Didn't realize that it was going to be so tough to get some of the materials.  Once I have the Rib and Spars together, I'll need to make a trip to Ikea for some paulownia blinds...yeah I know, crazy but you can supposedly get a set of blind at Ikea to surface the board...going to give it a try.

The biggest challenge I see is the shaping/building the rails.  This still scares me a LOT!!!!  Not sure if I will get this right and the buildup is strips or solid design.  Still thinking through this.

Then comes the glassing of the SUP.  New ground for me, but I think I can do it.  I plan to practice a little before putting glass on the board.

Wish me luck.  This will be a LONG term project...no need in speeding through this!!!!

Mahalo to all of the websites and diagrams I could find on the net.  While I think a "kit" would have been the best way to start this, I want to give it a go...so here we GO!

MiB

Thanksgiving

Thankfulness is something to behold.  I am very thankful to be HOME this year.  Also, it's nice to be hanging out doing NOTHING!!!!!   


Really, there are many things to be thankful for and being with MrsBlue is only one (but it's a big one).  


Thankful for:
- LilBlue -- she's grown into such a wonderful young lady...I'm loved and love her SOOOO much! 
- MrsBlue -- she still loves me even when my brain is stuck on SURFING (Mahalo)  I'm not sure how she does it, but MrsBlue is an AWESOME "teammate"
- BigBlue -- for giving me a job.  Who knows how long I'll stay Blue, but it has provided so many opportunities
- TheJudge -- great to have a friend who enjoys talking about surf as much as I do...you are a real friend and lifesaver (you kept me sane for a year)
- RocketMan -- he taught me to surf and LOVE it...you have changed my life
- BEEGEE - for being a leader who is REAL...you can be a GO and still be down to earth...stay this way
- Fitness -- (this one's a stretch) but I did get a 100 on my PT test this week.  I think I need to reward the young Airman who did my waist measurement...I asked him to be sure it was within the tolerance...he measured it 3 times and each was G2G (good2go)





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Game Night

Last night was a FUN night in the neighborhood!  We went over to play "games".  The game was "The Game of Things"!  

At first, it started as thinking for real, but quickly turned to some of the CRAZIEST comments and THINGS...  It was fun hanging out and playing this game!

While I'm not a big game player.  In fact, I find it to be very little fun playing games.  In my mind, what a waste of time.  However, since arriving here, we have had two games nights with our new "friends"!  I guess I better get used to it...looks like a games location that I'll have to keep playing.

The "Roseeees"

AMMO Man