Icon Surfboards by Dave Reynolds

1. Your Name: Dave Reynolds

2. Your Brand name: Icon Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Sacred Craft, Ventura, Spring 2010.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Rad + chill

5. Why did you want to build your own board? A head full of Thoreau, a taste of ennui, and a penchant for sculpture. Simply, I knew I wanted to shape a board for a long time because I knew it would be fun.

6. Shape of finished board? Wonky Thruster

7. Size of finished board: Length = 6’1” Nose = pointy Width = 18 1/2” Tail = 6” Thickness= 2 1/8”

8. What blank did you use? Marko recycled Envirofoam

9. How was your board building experience? Fun + cool

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Mostly talking with professional shapers and glassers - not being afraid to look foolish or ask a dumb question. Searching Google was helpful. I used the net a bit but by the time I started to surf the net, I was ready so I just went for it. Listening to Grant at Foam E-Z and Steve at Aloha Glass was the best. I later bought the book Essential Surfing which is helpful.
11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? See answer to question #10.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Yep.
13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? That I’d move three times, break up with my girlfriend twice, and get really busy at work.
14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Practice patience and have another board to surf in case the swell comes up and you want to go surf. Eat really well, educate your mind, listen to good music, and have some extra cash for when you get hooked.

15. What tools did you find most useful? My ears, just listening to the talented shapers and glassers. A rooter would be nice. I like the vibe of using all hand tools, but it’s slow, so some big ol’ power tools would be rock-n-roll.

16. Where did you run into trouble? Got a little carried away shaping, I whittled the thing into a toothpick. I used a real outline form the second time. Furthermore, I didn’t wet the laps enough on the bottom so when I pulled the rails they got a bit dry which led to bunching later on in the build. I also forgot to put the leash plug in which was pretty amateur.
17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Futures, a stronger, more efficient system; and I like their fins.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes, a bit tricky but one of my favorite parts of board building. So fun, especially the Super Sap – the maple syrup smell is kind of trippy if you’re used to the headache old school stuff.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? Shaped at Foam E-Z in the back, like a regular home style coffee shop over there. Nice guys, good ideas, and they don’t mind if you take your time. I glassed my board at my buddy, John Summerville’s woodshop in LA. He makes world-class custom boats and furniture. He had some essential tools around to make things a bit more convenient and a good guy to kick back with as everything dries.
20. What type of board do you want to make next? I already shaped a 5’6” extra wide quad. Minimal rocker, strong V out the tail. Super fast and loose. I customized the glass on this one with a brown bottom with flicks of blue, orange, and yellow, with a white pin line. Next is a 7’6” fun board for a friend, and a DVS inspired quad fish for myself.
21. Feel free to add any other input or interesting information you’d like… ”All is, if I have grace to use it so, as ever, in my great taskmaster’s eye.” - John Milton.