DDonn Shapes

1. Your Name: Davis Donnell


2. Your Brand name: DDonn Shapes


3. How did you hear about us? Can’t remember to tell you the truth. I live really close and always drive by on my way to work.


4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Excellent. The guys behind the counter were super willing to help!


5. Why did you want to build your own board? The experience and to have a killer retro board.


6. Shape of finished board? Think of a mix between a 70’s single fin and a modern single fin…


7. Size of finished board: Length 6’2” Width 19" Thickness 2.5"


8. What blank did you use? 6’5”A US Blanks Fish


9. How was your board building experience? Went smoother than I planned. Glassing was a PITA!!


10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? All web and the guys at Foam E-Z


11. Do you recommend these resources? Yea, I recommend looking more into glassing than I did if you plan on glassing yourself!

12. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How to properly cut the fiberglass to make it even.


13. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Have someone else glass it!


14. What tools did you find most useful? Surform without a doubt!


15. Where did you run into trouble? Glassing


16. What kind of fin system did you use and why? 10.5 in Fin Box. I wanted the option to change fins out and have a good time with it.


17. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yup. Ugly.


18. Where did you shape and glass your board? My shed. Made a mess but was worth it.


19. What type of board do you want to make next? A 10’ Log

Rubio Surfboards by Chris Gonzalez

Your Name: Christopher Gonzalez

Your Brand name: Rubio Surfboards

How did you hear about us? Online

How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great fast service great experience.

Why did you want to build your own board? been surfing for many years and wanted to explore new trades.

Shape of finished board? Retro Pintail

Size of finished board: Length 5'8" Width 21 1/2" Thickness 2 3/4"

What blank did you use? US Blanks 5'10"RP

How was your board building experience? great very smooth

Did you use videos, books, web, other? web and the helpful staff of Foam E-Z

What videos, books, web, other did you use? YouTube

Do you recommend these resources? yes

What do you wish you knew going into this project? better sanding technique

What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? work on your glassing on small pieces of scrap foam

What tools did you find most useful? sanding block and planer

Where did you run into trouble? sanding
What kind of fin system did you use and why? FCS Fusion System since it was easier to install

Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yeah, don't wear thin pants it was hot hahahaha!

Where did you shape and glass your board? in my shop

What type of board do you want to make next? all types of boards

Bob Johnson's Custom Triple stringer Gun

1. Your Name: Bob Johnson

2. Your Brand name: Custom Surfboards by Bob Johnson

3. How did you hear about us? Surfline

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Excellent! A great experience.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? I just always have had it in me since I was a kid.

6. Shape of finished board? Hybrid longboard gun round pin

7. Size of finished board: Length 9’1" Nose 12" Width 23" Tail 12-1/4" Thickness 3- 1/8

8. What blank did you use? 10’6 A blue custom triple stringer (bass & cedar)

9. How was your board building experience? Always epic !

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Just my hands and brains

11. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How fun it would be.

12. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Patience

13. What tools did you find most useful? Any tool that is used correctly with skill.

14. Where did you run into trouble? Where didn't I? That is board building, always solving problems and then eliminating them next time aka. Experience!

15. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Single fin box. The board was built primarily for Sunset in Hawaii and big La Jolla reef breaks, therefore it is much easier to travel with a removable fin system. Next, I love the ability to lay it on a rail and the smoothness and feel of a single fin gun in big waves.

16. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes, Fantastic !

17. Where did you shape and glass your board? Garage (shop)

18. What type of board do you want to make next? Too many to list, but a keel fin fish and a big glider are up there on the list.

Thanks to everyone at Foam E-Z for all they have done for me. I have never known a better, nicer group of guys with skills to boot ! I have actually been building boards for about 6 years now and things are coming together. Please allow me to thank the following for their help and support:

*My Mom and girlfriend
*San Clemente legend and red hot ripper Mike Andreason for his assistance with board design, R &D, feedback and other mayhem……..
*David, Austin and Adam Ferreira
*Jack Reeves
*Craig Chapman
*Bruce Jones
*Greg Martz
*The Chipper
*Sunset Beach HI
*The stick 6 crew
*The Foam E-Z crew

Ascent Surfboards (Calvin Chau) Creates a Finless Bat Tail Gem!

1. Your Name: Calvin Chau

2. Your Brand name: Ascent Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? From the strong onshore winds after work… and Sacred Craft!

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Very helpful without being intimidating to a weary first time shaper. Brad and Grant set me up with the right tools and more importantly, the right knowledge.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? This is my first finless shape. I wanted to understand the subtleties in board performance by applying different design elements.

6. Shape of finished board? A finless bat!

7. Size of finished board: Length 5’9” Width 20” Thickness 2 1/4”

8. What blank did you use? Marko Foam 6'1" Pescado Fish Blank

9. How was your board building experience? Channels are a new challenge, but also fun. Grant recommended using the rounded surform blade which worked very well. Placement of the channels was the toughest part but I finally decided on where they should go and just started working away. The shape was Derek Hynd inspired.

10. What videos, books, web, other did you use? JC’s Shaping & Glassing 101, Greg Leohr’s Epoxy 101, Swaylocks Forum, YouTube,

11. Do you recommend these resources? Yep, the dialogue in JC’s Shaping 101 is helpful for learning.

12. What do you wish you knew going into this project? Cutting out a U-shaped spreader to use for the channels while glassing.

13. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Don’t be afraid to try shaping. The initial investment may be steeper than you’d like, but the accomplishment you’ll feel afterward is WAY worth it. Don’t expect a perfect board, it’ll look something like a surfboard and it’ll be surfable. Watch JC’s Shaping 101. And wear a respirator; you don’t want this stuff in your lungs. Use slow curing resin when glassing for the first time.

14. What tools did you find most useful? Electric Planer, Rounded Surform blade, Sanding Block, Calipers made from scrap plywood

15. Where did you run into trouble? Glassing the channels.

16. What kind of fin system did you use and why? NONE! (I’ve been waiting for this question =P)

17. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yep, Grant challenged me with using R&R Kwik Kick and it didn’t prove to be too tough. Hardest part is blue tinting on EPS with 4 deep channels. The bat tail another difficulty to add on top of it all.

18. Where did you shape and glass your board? In my garage via a homemade shaping stand.

19. What type of board do you want to make next? A twin fish? A quad? A longboard? We’ll see.

Matt's Wisconsin Masterpiece!

Hey Foamez,

I just built my first board and got it out on the water a couple of times. I was hoping to get some advice / constructive criticism.

That being said...this was my first board I've ever made (all hand tools, from FOAM-EZ, represent). I realize it's far from perfect and has many mistakes (which are visible). I took the approach that more foam is better than less when it came time to hack off more to fix mistakes.

My nose and tail are to thick and the outline has a few small kinks. I tried to keep my rails pretty standard, round 50/50 and was fairly successful. My goal was to make a great lake board that was thick and wide as possible. It's about 2 3/4" thick in the center and about 22" wide. I kept the rocker pretty standard to how it came, so I don't think there is a lot of issue there.

It drops in real nice and grabs real small waves..but once underway it loses power and is hard to keep going. It turns great though. A lot of it I'm guessing is from small closed out waves we get most of the time.

Being in Wisconsin, I didn't exactly have a lot of resources to use, so I did a lot of things on a trial and error system, if you know what I mean.

My real question is: the overall outline/proportion of the board. I wonder if there is to much board in the bottom 2/3 area or more board should have been pulled towards the top? Or maybe not, I was wondering if I could get your advice on the overall shape and proportion of the board.

I appreciate you taking the time very much. I attached some pics of it and in the water to try and get a better idea.

Can't wait to start on my next board. Any idea when you'll get some marko 9'6" blanks in?

Thanks again for everything,

Matt

First off, congrats on building your first board all the way through, that in itself is a huge accomplishment that you should be proud of!! It's always difficult to give constructive criticism through pics/email but I'll try. Regarding your outline, you gotta remember that it all starts with the plan shape. If you start with a nice flowing outline without kinks and bumps then you set the tone for the rest of the shape job and vic-a-versa. In surfboard design there is no right or wrong because it is up to the shaper to design a board for specific conditions, the surfers experience, and weight/size. So if it looks like there is a bit too much volume in one area of the board then you're probably on to something. The thing to remember is that you learn from each board, try not to make the same error twice, and to have fun with it. I think you're on the right track. Thanks for sharing this with us and let us know if we can help you out in the future.

Grant

WHITNEY SURFBOARDS, she's a girl!!!

1. Your Name: Whitney Lang

2. Your Brand name: Whitney

3. How did you hear about us? My friend and mentor, Ken and the Internet

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? I felt welcomed and slightly overwhelmed with all that they have to offer!

5. Why did you want to build your own board? I actually shaped my 4th and 5th boards at Foam E-Z because I was venturing out on my own from my mentor to apply what I’ve been learning. I love shaping and starting to love glassing..

6. Shape of finished board? One of the boards was a 6’0” performance shortboard and the second was a 9’0” fatty longboard which I love so much…

7. Size of finished board: The longboard… Length: 9’0” Nose: 18.5” Width: 23” Tail Thickness: 3”

8. What blank did you use? For the long board I used the US Blanks First Yater 9’3”

9. How was your board building experience? Great! I love working at Foam E-Z! I even got to rock out to Grant’s Britney Spears collection while I mowed foam!

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I have trolled Swaylocks Surfboard Design mostly to get information. Also its nice to have friends and mentors who are just a phone call away!

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Essential Surfing by George Orbelian is helpful. Also used Grant haha.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Yes! Definitely beneficial to talk to someone knowledgeable to get real world experience, opinions on shapes, and fin setups.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How to shape long board rails accurately. They are tough!

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Be very careful and accurate when cutting out the template because the outline is very important. Don’t over shape the rails and use caution with the planer.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Electric planer, surform, and sanding block.

16. Where did you run into trouble? When cutting the outline and truing it up.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? It’s a single fin.. because they are awesome.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? No this is the first board I didn’t glass.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? I shaped at Foam E-Z’s rad shaping bay!

20. What type of board do you want to make next? Looking to make a 7’6” mini mal thing… I love the wide nose and single fin feel. This next board will need more rocker so I can enter steeper waves.

21. Feel free to add any other input or interesting information you’d like… Brad and Grant are awesome. Support your local shaper! Ohh yeah, I’m a girl!

Ascent Surfboards by Calvin Chau

1. Your Name: Calvin Chau

2. Your Brand name: Ascent Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Swaylocks/ Google

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Welcome, encouraging, and knowledgeable. Brad and Grant are very friendly, gave me advice, and answered all my questions.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? After performing numerous repairs on existing boards: everything from nose repairs, tails, rails, spider/ hairline cracks, delams, FCS fin plug repairs, I decided to try my luck at shaping a board. I was frustrated with constantly repairing old boards. Winter was also around the corner, and my boards were in no shape to handle the incoming swells. My goal was to shape a board that would be tough and durable.

6. Shape of finished board? Shortboard Thruster

7. Size of finished board: Length 6’2” Nose ~11” Width 18 ½” Tail ~14” Thickness 2 ½”

8. What blank did you use? Marko Foam 6'2"H Short Board Blank

9. How was your board building experience? My first board building experience was very time consuming, educational, and ultimately very satisfying. I spent countless hours examining boards at local surfshops, surfing the web for design and specs before starting. After determining my dimensions, I used BoardCAD and AKUshaper to design my template. Using a surform and sanding block I shaped my first handshape. Paddling out on my first board was the most rewarding.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Yep, all of the above.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? JC’s Shaping & Glassing 101, Greg Leohr’s Epoxy 101, Swaylocks Forum, YouTube, and every site returned from Google searches.

12. Do you recommend these resources? I must’ve watched John Carper’s Shaping 101 ten times before even touching my blank. I’d highly recommend his video, he shows and explains a lot of technique and design concepts of shaping an average thruster. Greg Leohr shows you how to shape a fishboard as well which was nice and the camera quality is better, but I found JC’s dialogue much better for learning and amusing too.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I wish I knew a more accurate way to measure the rocker. Wish I knew how to accept the fact that it wasn’t going to be perfect better. As for glassing, wish I knew to keep my laps cleanly cut.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Don’t be afraid to try shaping. The initial investment may be steeper than you’d like, but the accomplishment you’ll feel afterwards is wayyy worth it. Don’t expect a perfect board, it’ll look something like a surfboard and it’ll be surfable. Watch JC’s Shaping 101. And wear a respirator; you don’t want this stuff in your lungs.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Surform, Sanding Block, Calipers made from scrap plywood

16. Where did you run into trouble? Routing the finboxes. I used the Future Fins routing kit and followed the instructions exactly but my deep cut was not deep enough. I had to extend the drill bit further and re-route multiple passes making sure the slot doesn’t get too deep.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Future Fins! Solid fin system

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Glassing was messy! It’s a whole different skill to master. Glassing in the finboxes was scary after reading horror stories of people melting their boards from overheating and exotherming. My fears were increased as the resin in my cup became too hot to hold and the cup started melting. I ran to the freezer for icepacks. I’d recommend using a slow curing resin to install your first set of finboxes, it’ll help with the sweating and panicking you’ll experience.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? On my homemade shaping stand in my garage.

20. What type of board do you want to make next? A little 5’4” Quad