Just bonzers... Tim Stafford Surfboards

In the pink…

2012-02-17T00:13:00.001Z

Le Freak

2012-02-15T15:39:00.001Z

shaped

2012-02-14T23:22:00.001Z

Asymmetricity

2012-02-10T11:47:00.001Z

Getting there…

Grasshopper Atlantic POD

2012-02-07T11:10:00.001Z

Thought you might like to see a board done by Richard of Grasshopper Surfboards in USA for Chad Davis. Chad asked me to help out with some details on my Atlantic POD EVO6 Looks awesome, and those cut laps really clean.

A few words from the shaper…

“6'3 x 21 x 2-7/8 | 15-1/4 tail and 14-1/2 nose | blank - 6'5 A red US blanks | glass 6x4 deck, 6 bottom. Not a typical bonzer bottom as concave goes tip to tail and all the way out to the rail, instead of the venturi type just in between the fins. goes from very slight single up front gradually getting deeper and transitioning into the full double barrel through the fins. double barrel concaves inside the v (spiral-v) off the tail. some small channels in between the bonzer runners. has not been ridden yet. originally he wanted glass on bonzer runners but the glasser talked him into fcs - haha! i dont blame him! i think its better this way as he can try it as a straight single, thruster, quad, 2+1, 6 fin, 5 fin. awesome! Richard.”

Asymmetric bonzer

2012-02-06T16:47:00.001Z

I’d been thinking about an asymmetric for years, then this years Sacred Craft kind of re-excited me… but i have always struggled with the concept for the waves we have. Most times I can’t have a board that is optimised to go only one way and most of the asymmetrics out there seem to be biased to forehand performance, so a longer straighter rail toe-side for better projected bottom turns and a shorter rounder planshape on the outside rail for coming off the top and for cutbacks. For me this was an issue, as backside I’d have to deal with a shorter curvier planshape. I have found I can turn harder off the bottom and top backside so have always been comfortable with a longer board & straighter rail.

So this asymmetric is an experiment, is isn’t the right way round in terms of those who are most expert in these designs. My idea simply takes the primary side of my favourite frontside and backside boards and joins them. So this is my 6’2” Riddler frontside and my 6’4” FreakFish backside… except for the fins. To add drive on the frontside bottom turn and compensate for that curvy planshape I am using my incut keel fin (LokBox) with a single bonzer feeder on the rail. Heelside its all straight forward FreakFish EVO6… I have never had a problem cutting back frontside with the FreakFish, infact it carves a turn as sharp as any, so that longer straighter rail will be no problem. Backside roundhouses should be ridiculously easy and with more drive.

A lot going on…

2012-02-04T23:17:00.001Z

I love this point of the process. Everything cut, squared, flat, symmetrical ready for the fun bits…

EVO6 Bump stinger 7’11” x 21 7/8” x 2 7/8”…

Spherical rocker, bonzer EVO concaves with feeder channels up front forward of the stings (based on MCs light vehicle concept). Concave shovel flex nose (same as the Joker) and cheek flex tail (same as the Atlantic POD)…

Thinking about warmer times…

2012-02-02T22:39:00.001Z

Unknown reef we stumbled across going off beautifully on a swell that was maching out all the usual suspects. Banyaks, Sumatra, 2004.

Walk off the earth

2012-02-01T22:45:00.001Z

Someone tuned me into this song the other day. Just amazing video… beautiful cover… enjoy!

Paulownia good vibes…

2012-01-31T10:51:00.001Z

Got some Paulownia wood endowed with huge amounts of good vibes… this wood has done the rounds and will shortly be making fine sets of bonzer sides. Not sure of the original source but they were sent to Rob Lion, Royal Surfboards, who left them with Chris Hartop when he left the England, who felt the wood was well suited to some of my bonzers… so thanks to the source for sending them to Rob, to Rob for giving them to Chris, and to Chris for giving them to me…

Oh and that is Chris’s hand-plane he has lent me to get me back in the water doing something until my knee gets fixed.

American Ash

2012-01-26T16:38:00.001Z

Coming along nicely…

Sunburst and lava

2012-01-19T22:03:00.001Z

A little classic…

2012-01-16T13:50:00.001Z

Mist of Bonzers from Mollusk Surf Shop on Vimeo.

Burleigh Boardriders

2012-01-15T22:40:00.001Z

Love the wave, and was lucky enough to be cut some slack by the Burleigh Boardriders back in 1984… 18 years old, traveling and looking for waves. Some of the boys made me welcome and got me into the odd cyclone swell set wave… long time ago, long overdue thanks and respect.

Here’s a nice little vid about an annual event they hold…

http://vimeo.com/34878540

Lava

2012-01-11T19:29:00.001Z

Lava tint on 6’10” Atlantic POD for HG

Which?

2012-01-04T12:32:00.001Z

3 colourways for HG to chose from for his Atlantic POD EVO5 bonzer… decisions decision…

Any views out there?

Spiral V

2011-12-23T22:47:00.000Z

I was really excited when I saw this as Martin Geary made me a 6’6” spiral V round pintail back in 1979.

Here is an Outer Limits 7’0” Spiral V single wing pin from “Gearbox” in great condition with a textured deck, for renovation…

Last shape of 2011

2011-12-22T22:37:00.001Z

Hugh’s 6’10” Atlantic POD… Bernoulli concaves and cheeky tail. I LOVED shaping this board.

Rising Sun

2011-12-21T23:14:00.001Z

Domo Arigato.

2011-12-20T22:57:00.001Z

From left to right: 6’4” original FreakFish; 5’11” Rising Sun FreakFish; 5’8” Spinner EVO4; 6’0” Fukushima Porpoise EVO4; double wall HD custom cardboard 0203 box, 1” EPS sheeting, recycled bubble wrap and plastic for internal packaging from Zuma Jays… strapping from NS... thanks to all for their help with these… especially Jason, Daz, Adam, Chris and Nigels… but mostly to Hajime for the order.

Domo Arigato.

+ 40

2011-12-14T22:09:00.001Z

THE 5 ol guys who opened my eyes… from left to right: Steve, Tres, Tim Elsner, Bruno, and Mark… somewhere in N. Sumatra.

Thanks.

Big 40

2011-12-14T21:59:00.001Z

Great article in my favourite online magazine, Drift

Some people in life simply inspire, and for me Malcolm is one of those.

Love, respect, peace.

Reuse recycle…

2011-12-12T22:07:00.001Z

Was getting ready to pack up the 4 boards for Japan and thought it would be good to reuse/recycle some old packaging rather than buy new… so offset my carbon trail to Bude with the help of Nigel at Zuma Jay’s who kindly supplied enough used bubble wrap to do all four boards and pack the rails and fins.

Nilposte

2011-12-04T23:10:00.001Z

Ok so nil posts for a while… my excuse is that you must all be bored with seeing the Rising Sun by now… so many processes! SO i decided to wait until it was finished to post the final set.

After the deconstruction i did some inkwork, including some brush pinlines. It then sat around for a while waiting for some gloss and then finally had its fins tickled with the buffing pad. The rest of the polishing will happen next week before it all gets packed up for the journey East.

For me it has been a real journey, working with resin in an artistic way I hadn’t tried before. It was time consuming but I have to say I love the effect, and I have the pleasure of knowing all the hours that went into it.

So rather than post another Rising Sun from another angle – here’s something from a way back… me surfing one of Phil Clifford’s 5-fins somewhere in the Caribbean BACK IN 1997…

Deconstruct

2011-11-25T22:28:00.001Z

Deconstruction complete… a little ink-work to follow and the Rising Sun will be ready for gloss.

Spot the dots

2011-11-20T22:01:00.001Z

Every now and again one of Malcolm’s customers orders a board with an opaque resin tint… sometimes this obscures the fin placement dots; fortunately the positions are well known to me.

Here’s a lovely opaque orange Bonzer 3 light vehicle... fins in the right place (another beer please Mr Penwarden).

More resin…

2011-11-18T19:37:00.001Z

Todays resinations…Black resin pinlines, then a copper bronze resin-wash… ready for some serious deconstruction and inkwork next week…

To gloss or not?

2011-11-17T22:13:00.001Z

The Rising Sun resin band is coming together nicely, just lots of time consuming stages with waits in between… today saw the the copper bronze cigar bands go on (love metallic pigments!), tomorrow some textural translucent copper bronze, and hopefully black pinlines, time allowing.

I’m loving how it is looking and now even a bit nervous about “deconstructing” it… and NOT glossing it… really?

Rising Sun resin band…

2011-11-15T22:50:00.001Z

Rising Sun resin band underway... I always underestimate how long these take; this one is particularly complex... red complete, copper bronze to add, followed by some “deconstruction”, a little ink, and pinlines to finish... its going to be a few more days!

EVO3 from Glass Tiger

2011-11-07T21:27:00.001Z

This was Mark’s first bonzer longboard, done a while back and one of the first boards we collaborated on… although my help was pretty much limited to the EVO3 bonzer template, angles and positioning.

Beautiful wood – walnut fins I think (correct me if I’m wrong Mark).

Mark and I still have a board in the pipeline, a kevlar carbon FreakFish but he’s been pretty busy so you won’t be seeing it anytime soon unless I get some wood and a vacuum bag!

Rising-Sun

2011-11-03T22:04:00.001Z

I am so excited about this board – there is a lot going on with it and it represents some tweaks that I have wanted to add for a while, the hull nose, carbon reinforced rail in the tail, extra 10% inside foil on the rear fins, and Bernoulli concaves… next it gets really fun as I am starting the Rising Sun artwork, which will be a deconstructed resin-band-inkwork combo… maybe pinlines too. Domo arigato Hajime.

Bonzer kayak

2011-11-02T23:43:00.001Z

A while ago a guy named David Willer contacted me about making a bonzer kayak and wanted some help on fins angles hulls etc. – here’s what he made and where you can see more… http://willersurfcraft.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-production-black-swan-by-murky.html

Beautiful craftsmanship.

Foils of The Rising Sun

2011-11-01T15:43:00.001Z

These are Hajime’s fins for his Rising Sun FreakFish. American Ash bonzer runners together with aircraft ply and glass layup for the rear FreakFish cut-aways…

A complex foil to hand shape, but rewarding.

Slip slide glide

2011-10-29T23:11:00.001+01:00

Just caught Lee’s blog post on the Joker… lovely to have a review by a well respected longboarder, and someone who has never ridden a bonzer before as it brings a totally new perspective to some of the traits I now take for granted. Thanks Lee.

What got me started…

2011-10-26T23:01:00.001+01:00

Moi | Stevie J | Bruno | Mark | Tim E… and a little article in Surfer back in 1970 something!

Banyak boat trip. Bonzers only (and 2 McCoy Nugget singlefins)…

My first ever bonzer wave on Stevie J’s 6’4” Gary Hanel 5 fin performance swallow… couldn’t believe how fast the thing was! Shame the pic is so blurred but you get the idea.

Campbell Bros 40 year anniversary POD (Moonlight Glassing) - FOR SALE

2011-10-18T16:22:00.001+01:00

6’2” x 20 1/4” x 2 1/2” Campbell Bros Atlantic POD – 40 year anniversary model. Made in California, glassed by Moonlight. Sand finish. Opaque burnt orange tint, bonzer runners in black.

An absolute classic POD from Malcolm that I came across… just didn’t suit the owner, so i thought i should rescue it. This board is either for sale at the right price, (too thin for me) or will be a wall-hung-tribute to the creators of Bonzer in the Mill. If you are interested, make me an offer.

Crap pics – sorry – I'll post more once its cleaned up. Might even polish the rails!

My kind of contest...

2011-10-18T16:05:00.001+01:00

Nice vibe at home this weekend... my friend Lee of Hickory Nines did a great job of capturing the vibe. Fun and friends in a laid back stylie...

The Old Smithy Invitational 2011 from Lee Robertson on Vimeo.

I was judging (due to more injuries) so sadly no bonzers ridden.

#1 Rising Sun Freakfish EVO6 bonzer

2011-10-14T21:10:00.001+01:00

Hajime’s 5’11” x 20 1/4” x 2 3/8” FreakFish. Rising sun deconstructed resin band to follow…

My favourite tool – the Lie Nielsen convex sole hand plane.

Foiling the fins next week.

I’m “out”… I love a longboard!

2011-10-10T16:30:00.001+01:00

Shovel(flex)nose bonzer EVO6 longboard… I have to say (and please bear in mind I am a shortboarder) that I LOVED this longboard… form the first take-off the board felt incredibly intuitive and had me walking up to the nose so easily. It is really stable up front due to the quite parallel rail line from the shovel nose and seemed to allow me more time up there than was reasonable, especially for a shortboarder! It would turn from the middle very naturally too, which was unexpected, and off the tail i could easily pull it into roundhouses. I have only ridden it as an EVO6 with MR rears so far and it works so well I am wondering if I’ll ever get a single fin in the box! And of course then there’s the resin band… straight off a lovely Havana Corona. If I was to make a tweak it would be to lower the rail apex just a touch through the rear 1/3 of the board for even more sensitivity…

It’s a very special board that has far exceeded my expectations and made me seriously question what board to pull out when the surf’s good! So I’m “out”… I love a longboard!

RED review - Atlantic POD EVO6

2011-10-07T13:41:00.001+01:00

Last week I was lucky enough to surf RED at Way-Outs in overhead and clean. After a long paddle i have to say i enjoyed the board more than any other in a longtime… it paddled in early, and smoothly and was SO stable that i actually forgot about taking off all together, it was back to being instinctive… which it hasn’t been since my knee op really. Once up the board was amazing. The closest I can liken it to is skateboarding; i felt i had no limitations, i could carve such tight lines and every input not only resulted in a smooth turn but acceleration. I could really feel the back fins driving together projecting me into the next turn and running smoothly through flat spots.

The following day I had it at a rocky little number on the low tide. I got a nice little cover-up followed by a vert top turn; what was so impressive about this was that the whole first part of the wave as i dropped in and pulled in, I was riding from the middle as I got up too far forward, but the board still turned and drove beautifully. For me this has always been an important characteristic of riding bonzers, they are so forgiving and don’t have that narrow sweetspot like the thrusters I used to ride.

So the 6’4” x 20 3/4” x 2 7/8” New Atlantic POD with Bernoulli concaves and dedicated EVO6 set up is officially my new favourite board.

Red

2011-10-01T07:25:00.001+01:00

6’4 x 20 3/4” x 27/8” Atlantic POD, double pinlines, bonzer runners in American Ash, FCS EVO6 rear setup, cheek-flextail.

I set up this board as an EVO6 exclusively as my last Atlantic POD i rarely put a centre fin in to ride it as an EVO5… it surfed so much better as a 6 fin so this one is no compromise.

Review coming soon.

just bonzers digit-ill

2011-09-27T22:23:00.001+01:00

Fresh digit-ills from the Borderlands…

To go with left hand finger dislocation (still healing) I add two from the right hand – one fractured the other bruised ligaments/tendons – following a bumpy trip on a sketchy, hightide Sunday, when everyone else had got out because it was too shallow and close to the rocks!

Was a great session on the woody Cleanline though… and not a scratch on it – that board is SO tough.

The Joker, finished…

2011-09-23T22:25:00.001+01:00

9’2” x 22 7/8” x 3”. Resin tint with clear nose inlay. Resin “cigar band” with metallic and double pinlines. Wood bonzer EVO5/6 runners in American Ash for positive buoyancy. FCS EVO6 or single fin 10” box for a more traditional ride.

Shovel flex nose with a teardrop concave, through into rolled V in the middle and double concave with bonzer feeders exiting the narrow square tail. Soft rails through to hard.

This board has taken some time – the resin bands alone being a bit of a labour of love… it’s complex, it’s complicated, it flies in the face of fashion and their is a lot for people to get their head around. My favourite board ever (and its a longboard!) I love it…

5’8” Spinner flextail bonzer fish

2011-09-22T22:44:00.001+01:00

~~FOR SALE~~ SOLD This board was made for the European Fish Fry. 5’8” x 20 1/4” x 2 5/8” flextail. New EVO4 Fish set up with American Ash Medium front runners and the new TS Foil LokBox cutaway keel-fish fins… Bernoulli double concaves throughout and bonzer feeder channels between the fins… Metallic copper/bronze deck and rails, clear bottom, double pinlines both sides and a full gloss and polish to finish it all off.

This has probably been one of the most complex boards I have done, at every stage from the shaping of the concaves and the tail through to glassing with the metallic pigment and the sanding issues that always follow with reverse laps… the results however I am really pleased with. Big thanks to Adam for help with the LokBox, Daz for sanding an polishing and Chris for the pinlines.

The board should fly in everything from waist to a bit overhead and has the wave catching and speed of a fish, but manoeuvrability of a high performance shortboard… Full reviews coming soon if someone doesn't snap it up.

Show price special of £550 (£650 normally with this combination of finish and fins)

New Porpoise

2011-09-21T20:33:00.001+01:00

~~FOR SALE:~~ The New Porpoise which I shaped for the Fish Fry. 6’0 x 22” x 2 5/8” Bernoulli single into double concave with bonzer feeder concave channels. New EVO4 Fish set up with American Ash Medium front runners and the new TS Foil LokBox cutaway keel-fish fins… the fins will add a huge amount of extra drive through the tail and when combined with the flatish tail rocker this board will really fly. Gloss and polish, double pinlines both sides.

The artwork reflects some things on my mind I guess… this March I was about to get on a plane to the Mentawais ; Ant and I had just got to the airport at 5am after driving through the night… and thought (obviously) “why not, we’re on holiday…beer!”… and then the disaster unfolded on the screens in front of us as we sat at the bar, later with Fukushima. It had a profound effect on me… and I guess this board was just my acknowledgement of this. The orcas crept in as I had recently found out that dead Orcas have to be treated as hazardous waste when they die as the blubber is so contaminated… So my thoughts are with all those in Japan… and with our cetacean friends.

~~Get it quick before I can’t resist waxing it up for a wetting… show price of £650 with an extra discount if it is going to Japan or to anyone with anything to do with cetaceans~~. Looks like this one is on its way to Japan, which is so perfectly fitting. But if it falls through for any reason express your interest now and I’ll get in touch.

Alfresco fry

2011-09-20T09:31:00.001+01:00

Before the rain… more pics to follow from inside.

2 x Royal Surfboards

Nathan Bennet’s 4’ not-a-lots”

Fluid Juice Fish

More Royal

Symms

Me…

9’0 Joker/ 5’8 Spinner/ 6’0 New Porpoise/ 6’4 FreakFish… I’ll do the full photo set for each board once the rain stops!

frying time…

2011-09-18T22:51:00.001+01:00

Fish Fry this Saturday was great despite the on-shores and showers… full run down of some of the boards to follow… in the interim here is a quick overview of my lay-out before the rain set in and we moved up into the pub.

Sad farewell to Rob Lion of Royal Surfboards who organised the whole affair. I’ll miss his positivity energy. He’s back in the Bahamas by now helping with clean-up post hurricanes and then off to California to bring his eclectic shapes to the west coast.

Frying tomorrow…

2011-09-16T21:35:00.001+01:00

Fish Fry tomorrow – 11am on at Crackies… the original Freakfish EVO6 here getting its make-over before its big day…

I’d almost forgotten how vibrant that foam stain was.

How to export pack a bonzer…

2011-09-15T23:09:00.001+01:00

Double walled 6mm cardboard box – custom ordered to smallest size to keep freight as low as possible (they base it volume: w x h x d)
Line with 1” eps on all sides; double layer nose and tail…
Block pack around bonzer runners with EPS
Bubble wrap board and insert… pack ALL gaps with more EPS…

Feeling fishy… bonzer fish fins

2011-09-13T21:09:00.001+01:00

Just got my LokBox fit special foil fins from Rainbow Fin Company for the Sprat Fish just in time for the Fish Fry. This 80/20 foil is unique to me and features a cut away base to allow the fin to act more like a rudder, twisting around the base, initiating a quicker turn and overcoming some of the “trackiness” often associated with keel fins.

The tab position is also further forward than the traditional LokBox fish fin templates, (the fin is therefore further back on the board) so they will add more drive with more manoeuvrability…

Only available from me at the moment due to the costs of limited edition runs (only 12 sets made). Prices are £90 a set + P&P, and they come in their own RFC wallet. Email me if you are interested, tim@timstaffordsurfboards.com

gone dotty…

2011-09-12T23:35:00.001+01:00

Part finished artwork on the new Porpoise

Lines…

2011-09-08T23:18:00.001+01:00

Chris Harris (CHD Surfboards) helping out with pinlines for the Spratfish… thanks Chris.

Razzle dazzle…

2011-09-08T14:59:00.001+01:00

5’8 metallic bronze Spratfish getting some pad-action from Daz.

Sanders are the unsung heroes really; they have to be able to interpret the glassed shape, they put on the final edges, they soften the rail just where you like it, they don’t sand through that tinted rail lap that went up a little dry, and they don’t complain (too much) about those lovely wood glass on bonzer side runners i keep sticking on my boards. So this is my big-up to Daz, he’s been sanding at Ocean Magic ever since Nigel ran him over as a kid and felt so guilty he gave him a job. He comes in every day and sands from 9am to 5pm and doesn’t moan (that much… unless everyone else takes off for a surf). He also shapes, glasses and currently rides one of his own lovely mini-egg thrusters. Nuff respect Daz.

Resin band…

2011-09-08T14:46:00.001+01:00

Just pinlined… looks like we should have this one in the water immediately after the Fish Fry; can’t wait to see how the metallic bronze bands polish up.

Thanks to Chris, Daz and Adam for their collective assistance on the bits they do much better than me…

Dawny at Frosties

2011-09-06T23:05:00.001+01:00

6’ Porpoise EVO4 with CRV rears

A-frames and blackberries….

2011-09-02T23:21:00.001+01:00

A week ago last Monday I had some of my best waves of the year. It was dawn, i was the only one out in head high clean A frames shrouded in mist, accessed by a long walk and cliff scramble.

I finned up the Riddler which I hadn’t ridden since Indo. I love this board but I often overlook it and even I think – “you are too weird to work”…

On this occasion I am so glad i took it out. Now I am not a rad surfer, more a kind of cruise-and-carve, odd power-turn-and-gouge kind of guy… but on this occasion… AIR! Fully up and cleanly landed…

The wave started as a nice A frame, most had been sliding left but this one just seemed to peak up a little differently, taller and stretching further. The paddle in and take off were so easy (thinking that is the boat hull nose doing its job) that I found my self riding so early that I had time to think about the whole wave (a rarity for me in beach break surf)… I gained speed with every turn and picked every apex going more vert with every one, the board flowing smoothly from point to point with effortless ease (the REVO fin set up and super wide rounded tail mean the board just draws any arc you choose… amazing).

At the end of the wave I had so much speed I knew I was going airborne, like it or not, so I decided to boost up off the lip and make the most of it… I have no idea how much air, but considerable and the board stayed under me all the time as if stuck to my feet and then landed smoothly on the lip as the wave closed out…

I proned in, climbed up the cliffs and ate blackberries all the way back to the van.

Russ Winter borrowed this board in Indo and went off on it; it wasn’t what he expected it to be and said it was “truly high performance”… more of that when I eventually work out how to edit the video I shot!

Anyways, off for dawny with Jon tomorrow in the G Wagen… Porpoise and Riddler locked and loaded…

Resin bands…

2011-08-30T21:40:00.001+01:00

Nearly finished the resin bands… then just pinlines, gloss and polish to finish this one off finally. Been a little slow as had to prioritise the fish for September 17th Fry… more pics of those soon.

fishy…

2011-08-23T23:24:00.001+01:00

Designed for the new Sprat-fish… The narrow base allows the fins to twist and act like a rudder, dramatically increasing the initialisation of the turn, and helping the water stay attached for tighter arcs without losing drive.

There will be a limited edition run of 12 sets in smoke glass, Lokbox fit. Two sets already spoken for. I’ll have them at the Fish Fry for anyone who wants a set, or drop me an email to order in advance to make sure you don’t miss out.

Fins in American Ash…

2011-08-22T22:11:00.001+01:00

Glassing blues…

2011-08-21T20:08:00.001+01:00

and bronzes and reds

The new 5’8 Sprat, the new 6’0 Porpoise, and the new 6’4 Atlantic POD… all nearing completion with subtle evolutions in the concaves rockers and foils.

Carbon Lumps from Ryan Lovelace

2011-08-19T11:25:00.001+01:00

Great bonzer from Ryan Lovelace who has kindly let me reproduce is post here for Just Bonzers.

“A little experiment with the v.bowls template/concept, morphed into a shortboard foil and bonzer 5 fin setup. The deck borrowed knowledge from the Stage III experiment last year; creating a stiffer nose and tail and weakening the middle to create torsion and twist, as opposed to lengthwise bending: I glassed 3" carbon strips along the curves of the deck to give the shape/pattern some direction and control, also a bit of snap”

This board reminded me a lot of my Riddler in shape and the concept of blending hulls and bonzers in a nuggety sort of outline. Loving those carbon strips.

bonzer experiments

2011-08-18T16:31:00.001+01:00

Came across this inspirational post by Ryan Lovelace in the US…

Tinting some…

2011-08-13T21:06:00.001+01:00

Went in to the factory today to glass 4 boards… I only got 4 bottoms done in the end and a resin band… colours came out well. Carbon kevlar was interesting stuff… no easy way to trim it after it gels as nothing can cut it – should be really log-lasting then!

Busy day…

2011-08-12T23:12:00.001+01:00

Finally got started on the resin band on the Joker. Pulled the tape at the perfect time . Daz glossing a Campbell Bros Bonzer 5. My porpoise taped up ready for tomorrows glassing marathon…

EPS parabolic wood rail bonzer core

2011-08-11T21:52:00.001+01:00

I’m not sure if i love or hate shaping EPS. It tears, spalls, then goes all fluffy and it sticks to everything… but i do seem to get on with it! This one is going high-tech… EPS core that will take a carbon-kevlar epoxy bottom, wood deck and wood rails sealed in a 4oz epoxy wrap. Strong light and very high performance. It’s quite complicated doing a core as you have make allowances in all the measurements for the wood etc… and the rails have to be glassed 100% square to get a good bond with the parabolics...

This one will be 5’11 x 2 1/2 x 20 3/4 when finished. Any takers drop me a line.

G Wagens

2011-08-09T23:12:00.001+01:00

Getting a bit carried away with my cars at the moment… somehow ended up with 2 1980s G-Wagens… unbelievable off road and great to get the dogs to and from the beach…

new Porpoise

2011-08-04T16:44:00.001+01:00

Just finished the new Porpoise. For some reason I’m loving shaping more than ever right now, everything seems to be really flowing; I can’t put my finger on it but everything just seems right…

6’0” x 22” x 2 5/8”. This board came out beautifully with the Bernoulli bottom, this time a single concave into a double… and especially the tail that i wanted to be more mammalian, and that’s exactly how it came out with its subtle blended curves and deep incut…

This board is going to get pretty intense from here on in with an organic blue tint, tubercle fins and I am hoping to find the time to do gloss coat speed channels originally created by Peter St Pierre’s father.

take SPRAT 2

2011-08-03T15:50:00.001+01:00

Was time to finally finish this one off, next a new resin tint with some unusual pigment i found.

I’m really loving this board… its a little bit fish, a little bit bar of soap, a little bit bonzer, a little bit hydrodynamic. I’m having a foil of my own made up for this board and they will be available to buy at the Fish Fry at Crackies in September or by mail. I’ll post the template another day.

take SPRAT – new bonzer fish

2011-07-26T16:39:00.001+01:00

The new SPRAT bonzer fish 5’8” x 20 1/4” x 2 5/8”.

This board isn’t quite finished as I still have to shape the tail and do the fish cut… but the shaping room is booked for late next week to do this and the new Porpoise, so more pics soon. Absolutely loved shaping this and everything went beautifully from the beak nose the the rails.

Bernoulli’s principles are the inspiration for the curved concave bottom contours that compress the water under the front foot and then release the pressure through the rear which according to the math will make it VERY quick…

Cheeky EVO6 bonzer

2011-07-19T22:03:00.001+01:00

This is the new Atlantic POD 6’4” x 20 3/4” x 2 7/8”. This will be a dedicated EVO6 ad the only to be decided items are the resin tint and the rear fins. I am contemplating a cut away rear fin on the heelside only to enhance the initial turn-in backside… but it will then limit test riders to natural foots unless I FCS it… decisions, decisions.

Oh, and the “cheekly” reference is to the rear “cheeks” on the tail. This was something I had never seen until Guy P showed me his personal board that Malcolm did him this summer… it’s designed to add a micro level of flex to the last couple of inches of the tail. I love it and have incorporated my version into this Atlantic POD… Malcolm, please forgive the cheekiness…

This board will be finished with American Ash bonzer sides, gloss and polish. It is reluctantly for sale, although as it is my replacement for the original 6’6” Atlantic POD that Richard prised from me (following a breakage in Irish juice) I’m hoping no one will buy it...

Slack posting

2011-07-18T16:28:00.001+01:00

Been a bit of shaping, a bit of sanding, and a bit of surfing going on and somewhere between that and helping design a website for my daughter’s preschool… my bloggings have been neglected. Normal service to resume shortly with some interesting shapes, unusual glass-jobs, resin panels and funky fins… till then…

That’s me just before I got sucked over the falls backwards and washed all the way across the surgeons table… down payment of skin accepted by HTs. Pic by Tony Plant

Post modernism from the mainstream…

2011-07-12T15:27:00.001+01:00

For those who only accept shapes from the mainstream – proof that single fins AREN’T old school by Rusty…

They’ll make you a better surfer too…

Woodies

2011-07-11T14:17:00.001+01:00

Looks like will be an awesome event Grant is putting on, as usual.

Board Jam postponed

2011-07-05T16:33:00.001+01:00

Sadly the BoardJam has been postponed (The National Trust felt it had no option in response to some local issues) So our chilled out day talking boards and trying lots of different non-mainstream shapes will have to wait a while. We still plan to have it and will repost with location and details when known. Thanks to all for your interest, and to Mark of Glass Tiger for all his work in setting things up.

Polished EVO6 fins

2011-07-05T13:54:00.001+01:00

Roachy’s CRV rear set finally where they belong on his 6’7” Riddler

EVO6 bonzer rear fins

2011-07-02T23:05:00.001+01:00

for Peter.

Collaboration Cleanline EVO5 bonzer

2011-07-01T15:47:00.001+01:00

Mark from Glass Tiger’s own 6’5” Cleanline EVO5 bonzer – wood by Mark, shape by yours truly. Mark will have this board and my Mentawais Cleanline 6’8” at Paddle Round the Pier this weekend.

Malcolm Campbell shaping blur

2011-06-30T13:38:00.002+01:00

You know Guy has Malcolm working hard when you can’t even get him in focus!

That’s Malcolm (front) shaping Guy’s (rear) new post-lunch Egg… and another of my personal design gurus, Phil Clifford (right), who cuts the boards and makes great 5 fins (which I rode for well over a decade). Sorry to see Malcolm go so soon, but on the plus side I can get in the shaping bay again.

Get plugged

2011-06-29T23:22:00.001+01:00

FCS rears for the EVO6 set up going in tomorrow…

BoardJam 24th July

2011-06-29T09:46:00.001+01:00

Come along and try out some boards if you are in the area.

6’8” Cleanline EVO5 bonzer review

2011-06-27T20:30:00.001+01:00

This was designed for the Mentawais trip this March – it was the board i took out if i was feeling a little insecure. It was so stable and confidence inspiring and did exactly what it said on the box… smooth clean lines, no dramas. It got in early and drove down the face nicely. What i hadn’t expected was for it to go as well as it did this morning at Nettles, (my nickname for this great A frame beachbreak with a 30 minute walk and a little goat tracking). Head high set A frames, shoulder high walls, with the lefts being the better option. The board was, as usual, beautifully stable and unflappable even over the odd bit of chop. I don’t know how much of this is to do with the wood and the parabolics (thanks Mark) vs. the shape, but as a package it all works beautifully. The robustness is also impressive, especially as it is the same weight as a comparable PU board even with all the wood.

Today the board excelled in the small stuff driving calmly but quickly across the faces and yet being able to come hard off the bottom and the top. I was playing around a bit as well, trying to put some of Russell Winter’s tips from the trip into action… and one one wave it worked so sweetly I couldn’t quite believe it was possible on a 6’8 board. Half way along the wave I set up for a section with a really hard bottom turn and then drove acutely back up the face, and instead of rotating too early (and not getting vertical) I kept low, delayed the turn, keeping on the rail and came right up onto the lip, pivoted round hard a fast and back into the face and onto the next section… thanks Russ!

So i guess my conclusion is if you wanted only one board, and it needed to be strong, light, would go in small and large waves, with enough float and glide to make surfing a bit easier… then this would be at the top of my list. Oh, and the wood also feels as good as it looks.

fresh foam

2011-06-24T22:30:00.001+01:00

5’8” New Sprat Keelfish bonzer | 6’0” Porpoise Tubercle bonzer | 6’4” Atlantic POD EVO6 bonzer ready for shaping…

more fin…

2011-06-23T20:49:00.001+01:00

At long last fins

2011-06-22T23:14:00.001+01:00

You know how some things sometimes drag on and you just can’t seem to get them done. Well this set of fins has been one such job but finally, after a prompt (thanks Pete) I got my arse in gear on got on with it. 2 CRV template rear fins for a Riddler for Roachy a few months back.

Tropical bonzer

2011-06-20T15:14:00.001+01:00

Tim/Ant – Mentawais March 2011, 6’5 Freak Fish EVO6 bonzer, 6’4” Cleanline EVO5 bonzer, 14’6” & 10’4” finless Dugouts.

Pic Tony Plant - photography and art

MC in the house

2011-06-17T12:13:00.001+01:00

Malcolm will be in the factory shaping next week, so if you need convincing on the merits of a bonzer pop in and say hi from Wednesday onwards… Mr Penwarden or myself will also be around to help you on your way to a more pleasurable surfing experience.

This is one of my all time favourite planshapes from Malcolm… that lovely fullish nose with the curvy middle and straighter drivey tail… oh and masterful pinlines from Moonlight Glassings, Peter St Pierre.

I’ve been doing some American Ash bonzer sides for a few of my boards this week, so hope to get a set on the longboard next week and maybe get in the shaping room as i have a few piling up now!

Joker resin bands

2011-06-14T14:54:00.001+01:00

Resin bands planned for the Joker, below… but finally decided on the resin colour scheme, and the pinlines are going to be resin too, which will add time but be a lovely change from the usual sprayed ones… looking forward to feeling that subtle bump on the rail line as I'm paddling around. If you like this please click on the Facebook like button below and if you hate it send me comment with some other ideas as i probably wont get to this until the end of next week anyway as i still have the bonzer fins to foil out of that lovely American Ash!

I’ve been a bit slow on finishing this one due to other design projects pilling up (including a few eco-renovations at our new place, one of which will be for boards)… but warming up again with 3 new shortboard bonzers to shape ASAP and a new Glass Tiger collaboration FreakFish to get into the pipeline.

More tint

2011-06-09T07:55:00.001+01:00

The longboard is now glassed and ready for the bonzer fins in American Ash… probably next week now.

Glassing the concave as a panel has worked really well with a big upside being extra definition of the transition so I should be able to get a really good edge on it. Fin boxes, pinlines and a resin band are also still to come, then finished off with a gloss and polish.

Gaffa tape, Roundtrees, and the Supaglide.

2011-06-05T10:48:00.001+01:00

OK my apologies – the longboard bonzer is not fully glassed… queues in the glassing room meant i just wasn’t able to get to it… so i went for a surf instead. “Roundtrees” claimed the Supaglide on session 1… i was enjoying sunset all on my tod at a local point, nice shoulder high one rolls through, i wove my way through the boils, loving it, and then thought I'd cutback… sucked dry, i rode over the reef and Supaglide became Supading. Surfed till the sun went down… then the long paddle back. A beautiful session.

I’ve got a great splint from the hand therapists and that and a bit of gaffa tape kept the finger fully protected.

PS: Definitely glassing tomorrow!

Resinating the concave

2011-06-01T22:21:00.001+01:00

Part 2 of glassing the Joker EVO5/6 bonzer longboard... 6oz light kelpy tint (red just seemed too shouty for such an unusual board) over the clear preglassed 4oz concave and then trimming out the panel. This will then receive a 4oz clear patch over it once the deck is glassed... more tomorrow.

Lessons in trim…

2011-05-31T22:15:00.001+01:00

EVO5/6 longboard bonzer glassing

2011-05-28T00:01:00.001+01:00

Dilemma… I wanted a resin tint and a clear nose concave. The only way I could think how to do this was with a 3 stage glass job on the bottom. 4oz nose concave panel. Next week I'll tint the bottom with 6oz but cut out the panel. Then I’ll put a 4oz patch over the whole thing. The end result will be minimal extra weight and a nice clear spoon concave within the tint.

EVO5/6 bonzer

2011-05-27T14:12:00.001+01:00

EVO6 set up with FCS plugs for a whole heap of flexibility. Wood EVO bonzer sides in American Ash.

I think that is an Campbell Bros Russ Short above it.

Pinkie perky

2011-05-27T14:08:00.001+01:00

Had my first surf since Frosty’s revenge (dislocation of my little pinkie at a nearby reef) at my local break the other day. Have to say the surf was really bad, on shore slop AND backing off in all the gullies… BUT it was great to paddling around in the ocean again. Hope to get back to normal in the near future so postings should be on the rise again.

Here’s a pic of my local break on a BIG day back in February… think 3 times overhead and no one out.

Justbonzers Facebook

2011-05-23T22:45:00.001+01:00

Justbonzers now on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/justbonzers - plenty of pics in the galleries of resin tints and boards, and I'll try to add to this regularly. Had fun at the hand specialist today… prognosis on the finger not great; looking like i wont be sanding, foiling and other fun stuff for a while longer! Killing time and frustration with another run of t-shirts and hoodies for anyone who is interested. Orders via email.

This pic is of my McCoy nugget, somewhere in the Caribbean in 2004.

“Joker” EVO5/6 Longboard bonzer

2011-05-20T20:05:00.001+01:00

This is a board I'd been thinking about for some time… a long board with the volume and trimming of a 9’6”+ but the foam and manoeuvrability of something much under 9’0”.

The wide nose is effectively “cut off” and has part of a teardrop concave, with the cut providing an initial straight entry, similar to a Harbour nose channel. This will provide a more stable lift that should trim from the nose through the flatter sections that often pop up on our waves here.

The mid section features a straighter, soft rail line for nose riding and high-line trimming. Don’t expect it to turn from the middle though, this is a board that want to be ridden classically, turn off the tail and walk to the nose.

The tail has a distinct hip to pivot around when you do step back, and then the foiled out narrow tail with bonzer concaves will provide the acceleration, drive and holding power.

The rocker is appropriate for an all rounder of its true length, 5 1/8” in the nose and 3 1/4” in the tail, even and with the apex slightly back to allow for off the lips and floaters when riding off the tail.

Glass job… not sure to go for a classic red tint or clear with some nose bands in khaki + orange pinlines. Views in comments or on facebook welcome.

SouthCoast inkwork for SkinDog Transformer

2011-05-18T08:41:00.001+01:00

This was the artwork just after midnight. I finished it at about 1.30am and then got it into Chris the following day for the rest of the spraywork.

The spot is somewhere on the SouthCoast between Southampton and Dover – those in the know will recognise it I am sure. It’s on the bottom of a SkinDog Transformer.

Are you (6 fin bonzer) experienced?

2011-05-16T11:06:00.001+01:00

Review of the Hendrix FreakFish came in from Florida over the weekend. Stoked that Merrick is getting on with it so well.

“hey Tim, 2 days on the Cosmic FreakFish with a fun lined up swell. Total Speed lines, cut backs and floaters. Really like this board a lot. It is drawing a lot of attention on the beach too. I was catching lots of waves and going for sonic speed. The waves weren’t the greatest but the board worked well and allowed me to go more top to bottom than normal, the board is SO fast. I am loving this board; all I can say is, WOW !!!!!!!!!!!! Merrick. PS. We still have swell hitting tomorrow and I am on it, DAWN PATROL”

One of my favourites…

2011-05-11T14:05:00.001+01:00

This is an EVO3 Bat tail 6’6” that would suit anyone looking for some performance in a broad range of waves, combined with easy wave catching (without the duck diving difficulties of a wider nose). The spray, tint and artwork are all just classic late 70s. I think it’s beautiful.

Can't believe this board is still sitting in the shop in Trevone. Let’s hope this post helps this one find a happy home.

Full details on the original post.

Blunt Diamond

2011-05-11T13:58:00.001+01:00

Haven’t done an EVO3 in a long time… kind of miss doing these…