Cody's 9-1 PIG

1. Your Name: Cody Riechers

2. Your Brand name: no brand name, I'm not selling anything

3. How did you hear about us? internet a while back

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? as good as it gets. I got everything I needed and plenty of good advice from Grant. He's as handsome as he is helpful.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? I wanted to build this board because I was bored and it was the first second quality longboard blank I've seen that I wanted to use.

6. Shape of finished board? 9'1" pig

7. Size of finished board: Length 9’1” Nose 16ish” Width 21ish” Tail maybe 17” Thickness around 3” I wasn't very precise in my measurements and I didn't write them down. I didn't even use a proper template. I played connect the dots on the blank with the flat side of some template sitting in the shape box.

8. What blank did you use? 9'3"y second. I flipped it around to get the rocker and outline I wanted to fit.
9. How was your board building experience? getting better every time. There's a noticeable bump in the outline on one rail and my sanding wasn't perfect, but there's less to complain about than my previous boards.
10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I read lots of stuff on Swaylocks. Plenty of ideas worth stealing there.

11. What do you wish you knew going into this project? The tail was going to delaminate pretty quickly with a dark fabric inlay in a hot van.

12. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Realize that it's going to talk a lot of time and money to build boards. if it looks bad, it might still be fun to ride.

13. What tools did you find most useful? Good lighting and a good pad on my sander. Being able to use the Hitachi planer instead of my cheap Harbour Freight was weird at first until I got the hang of adjusting the cut's depth.

14. Where did you run into trouble? When I thought I was almost done shaping the blank and turned on the sidelights for the first time and realized it was a bumpy mess.

15. What kind of fin system did you use and why? I made a big thick plywood fin and glassed it on. I still haven't bothered learning to do fin boxes. Plywood is way cheaper and easier than fiberglass.

16. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Glassing went well. It's the longest board I've glassed as well as the first time with Volan, but I didn't run into many problems.

17. Where did you shape and glass your board? Shaped at Foam E-Z and glassed in my backyard.

18. What type of board do you want to make next? Something short and fast.

Red Perspective by Dan Howard

1. Your Name: Dan Howard

2. Your Brand name: Red Perspective

3. How did you hear about us? Through my buddy Mark who works for the
shop.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Always been the best.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? Since I first started
surfing I knew I wanted to one day become a shaper. Building and
riding your own board is one of the most rewarding experiences you
can have as a surfer and gives you the ultimate ability to dial in
your equipment. The best part is knowing that whether you build
one board or one-hundred, you have contributed to the amazing
lifestyle that is surfing and have become more than just a consumer.

6. Shape of finished board? Classic log similar to a late 50’s to
early 60’s Velzy pig or Malibu Chip.

7. Size of finished board: Length 9’9” Nose 16 ¾” Width 22
½” Tail 17” Thickness 3 ¼”

8. What blank did you use? US Blanks Green 10’2” B

9. How was your board building experience? Better than ever.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I learned all I know thus
far from years of watching others, talking with shapers and
studying board design. My buddy Mark was the one to finally take
me into the shaping room and helped me through my first board.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I usually just Google
whenever I need info.

12. Do you recommend these resources? There’s a lot to be found on the
web…

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? Having never
shaped this type of board, I would have liked to know a few more
tricks for shaping more efficiently. Thanks to a close familiarity
with this style log, having ridden many, I eventually ended up
with just what I wanted, but it took me much longer than it should
have.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? I
feel the most important thing when shaping is to understand how
boards work. If you know what makes a board work you will be able
to figure it out what you need to do to shape the board you want.

15. What tools did you find most useful? A good power planer (Hitachi
in my case), sharp Surform and a padded sanding block are a
must. The E-Z Square for measuring out the template is a gift from god…

16. Where did you run into trouble? I got stuck about half way… I mean
really stuck… figuring out the bottom contours of this board. I
literally had to just stop and take a break to think it over
before I continued. I knew I wanted to give it a lot of belly so
the board would hold back easier in the pocket, but didn’t wan to
make it too slow. Eventually I just threw some MUSE on the stereo
and went and went for it.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? I hand-foiled a 9.5”
plywood pivot fin to be glassed on after I had finished shaping
the board. I set the fin 2” from the tail to give plenty of drive
and stability through turns and gave it a moderate rake to keep it
lively.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? I had
this one expertly glassed next door at Aloha and highly recommend
their work. I have glassed a board, however, and it was a huge
learning experience. I think every shaper should at least know how
to glass a board.

19. Where did you shape your board? I shaped it right out
back in the E-Z Shaping Box.

20. What type of board do you want to make next? I am coming in later
this week to shape a 9’6” classic cruiser for my father. I’m
planning on keeping the template pulled in and trim with a low to
moderate rocker throughout (using a US 9’8” Y).