American Warrior Surfboards by Bill Whitley

Your Name: Bill Whitley

Your Brand Name: American Warrior Surfboards

How did you hear about us? Continuing Customer

How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great

Why did you want to build your own board? This board is a wake surfboard. I shaped it

for my son as a Christmas present.

Shape of finished board? Wake Surfboard

Size of finished board: Length 5'4" Nose 14-1/2" Width 21" Tail 16" Thickness 2- 3/4

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

How was your board building experience? This board is my 2nd so it went a lot easier.

Did you use videos, books, web, other? Glassing video, and got shape and size from

internet. Help from Johnny @ Foam E-Z

What videos, books, web, other did you use? Master Glasser DVD

Do you recommend these resources? Yes.

What do you wish you knew going into this project? Nothing really after first board I

know it just takes doing it over and over to get better

What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Plan well even before you buy the blank. Think what you want the board to do, see what the 10 million experts

say how to get that then pick one that sounds right for you. They are all right for them

and the boards they sell. Watch the Videos, Read, Get help from someone who has

shaped. It's not really rocket science just looks and acts like it. Measure everything 2

times put marks everywhere to help guide you. Patience and planning are the most

important. If you plan on doing this in the Garage then check out a true Shaping Room

and try to set that up at Home.

What tools did you find most useful? Shaping Box at Foam E-Z, Tape measure, CF Planer,

Foam E-Z square and help from Johnny

Where did you run into trouble? The Rails. Paint. I suck at it. Had to sand board down

and take it to Foam E-Z and have their guy paint it.

What kind of fin system did you use and why? Futures. Have them on my first board.

Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes. with lots of help from

Johnny. Not as hard as I thought. Just take your time, & have a place to make a big mess.

Where did you shape and glass your board? Started & finished in my garage. Did the

basic shaping in the Box at Foam E-Z. Glassed it in a garage.

What type of board do you want to make next? A Fish. Maybe a short board to sell so I

can make another board. Or replicate my old Plastic Fantastic.

I'd like to thank everyone @ Foam E-Z, Johnny for helping on glassing. JD Surf Design for painting.

Eros Surfboards by David Gordon

1. Your Name: David Gordon

2. Your Brand name: Eros

3. How did you hear about us? ordered some supplies from you. Will probably be ordering more soon.
4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Good.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? Always wanted to ...thought it might be a fun addiction. (It is)

6. Shape of finished board? Very similar to a Walden mini magic.

7. Size of finished board: Length 7'3" Nose 18.5" Width 21.75" Tail 15" Thickness 2.585"

8. What blank did you use? EPS


9. How was your board building experience? Awesome. Gave me a new appreciation for the price tag on a board. But be careful...It's more addicting than any video game. I was lost in a time warp. Girlfriend standing at the garage door whining about going to dinner...me standing there covered in dust and telling her five more min...and an hour later...
10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? yes. WEB mostly. video, e-books

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Youtube was super helpful actually. ehow.com, Swaylocks, and an e-book. (best advice...learn to walk away...stop trying to "even the table legs" before you ruin it.
Perfection is unattainable...but a great ride is completely doable!

12. Do you recommend these resources? yes.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? More about rails and how glassing and rails must be thought of. I know a lot about rails...but I didn't know how the glasser needs to work them. How to bring down the stringer properly.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Get a good spoke shave for bringing down the stringer Home depot won't have a good one.
15. What tools did you find most useful? My E-Z Square was good. Also
the side lights I built and the Surform. (the planer is scary at first) A real surfboard planer is different than the one you get at Home Depot. They can "feather" in the depth better. But not to worry. The Surform can do that too once the heavy lifting is done with your planer. I almost think a serious power sander (the kind auto body car detailers use ) would be a great investment for shaping foam. Then again that might make for some interesting gouges too.

16. Where did you run into trouble? my garage. bumping the foam on things moving it from the shaping racks to holding racks and through the door. (clean your space)

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? 2+1 center box and FCS Fusion System. I like center boxes because moving the fin back and forth can make a HUGE difference. It can be the difference between crap and magic. The Fusion system finally allows a touch of this back and forth. But I still like Lokbox. I went with FCS because my cousins a rep for them and got me the plugs for free. Also my glasser does them.


18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? No it's EPS. I am having Mark Schneider of Schneider Surfboards (San Diego CA) glass it. I don't need that kind of hassle in my garage.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? San Diego, CA

20. What type of board do you want to make next? A hybrid version of a Larry Mabile Twinzer Fish with a different tail. Might end up looking a bit like a Von Sol Shadow...

21. Feel free to add any other input or interesting information you’d like… About templating: I used my AutoCAD program to print out a full scale sheet of paper for my template. Just cut out the board shape...laid it out on the board and painted off the edges. (I used a square block EPS blank. Only the rocker was built in.) It worked really well. Don't feel like you have to have Masonite templates and 15 different tail shapes. Cut it out of paper. Use your eye and square to even things up. If the board is a perfect ride...then template it. If not...you didn't waste tons of time transferring a dud onto masonite.

DRAGOMIR SUP BAT TAIL

1. Your Name: Paul Dragomir

2. Your Brand name: Dragomir

3. How did you hear about us? In the water surfing by “word of mouth”.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Convenient.


5. Why did you want to build your own board? I like building my own things. And also there was a lack of options on the S.U.P. market.

6. Shape of finished board? Short S.U.P. with “bat tail”.

7. Size of finished board: Length 8’5” Width 26” Thickness 4-1/2”

8. What blank did you use? EPS by U.S. Blanks.


9. How was your board building experience? It was a “love/hate” thing because it was first board. But I want to make another board again.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I found most of my info on the web, asking other people, and my own personal experience.
11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I found some stuff on You-tube, and everybody at Foam E-Z were SUPER helpful.
12. Do you recommend these resources? Yes.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I should have better planned my shaping of the rails on the board.
14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Make sure you plan ahead for every detail.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Stanley rasp planer, Makita upright sander polisher (with 600 to 2000 rpm settings), and a tool I made that work as a sander/leveler/planer.

16. Where did you run into trouble? On the rails. I did not plan enough before I started.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Future. Because they had good options to choose from with S.U.P. fins. They also seem stronger and durable.
18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes. It was scary at first, but I got used to it quickly and ended up enjoying it.
19. Where did you shape and glass your board? In a work shop that I am currently renting.
20. What type of board do you want to make next? Another S.U.P. in a wide tail fish shape.

21. As a tip to other people who want too make their own board. When you are mixing the epoxy in a measuring cup take a couple of minutes to make sure it is mixed well. Then pour it slowly into another clean cup (slowly so you don’t get many bubbles), get a brand new stirring stick, and continue mixing again. Doing this process will ensure that the resin is properly mixed, as epoxy is a high viscosity material. I also noticed that doing this seems to keep it from exotherming as quickly. And try to use a big stir stick like the ones they hand out at the hardware store for mixing paint.

DANA BOARDS - WOODY LONGBOARD

1. Your Name: Dana Blocksage

2. Your Brand name: Dana Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Swaylocks

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Everyone was very friendly and helpful and they had everything I needed in stock to build my board.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? This board was shaped for a customer who wanted a hollow Redwood surfboard. I have wanted to shape this style of board for a while, and this order gave me the perfect excuse to finally do it. My customer was totally stoked when I delivered his new board.

6. Shape of finished board? I would call it a traditional Longboard with a pulled in tail.

7. Size of finished board: Length9’6” Nose 16 1/2" Width 20” Tail 9” Thickness 2 3/4”

8. What blank did you use? I chambered and laminated 19 pieces of California Redwood and Oregon Sugar Pine to create a hollow 9’8” blank with a 3.5” rocker.

9. How was your board building experience? Other than taking longer than anticipated (because of all the extra labor), the board building experience was smooth. It was definitely a learning experience to say the least.
10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? My board building experience has come from scrolling through the pages of Swaylocks, trial and error, and then back to Swaylocks for answers.
11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I have seen the JC Shaping 101 and Glassing 101 which are good for reference.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Absolutely! They make you want to go out and shape a board.
13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I wish I knew that everything was going to work as planned. I had to create my own rocker templates and cut channels in only the right places. Because every aspect of this board was my own design from conception to construction I was worried throughout the whole build that it would turn it ok, which it did.
14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Take your time, have fun, do lots of measuring, and where a mask!
15. What tools did you find most useful? My Clark foam planer was a must. The Milwaukee grinder with 8” Flexpad “Softie” was an absolute for shaping and sanding the hot coat, and a set of a dozen pipe clamps to laminate the different wood sections and a piece of dragon skin for blending the rails.
16. Where did you run into trouble? I underestimated how long it would take to channel each piece of redwood and shaping solid wood rails by hand. So, my customer got a killer deal on this labor intensive surfboard.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Keeping with the wood theme I hand shaped a 9” vintage style fin made from African Paduak and Purple Heart, Honduran Mahogany, and American Walnut, glassed with a filet of fin rope and 4 layers of 6oz cloth on each side for plenty of strength.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Because of the redwoods natural strength I glassed 4oz cloth on the deck and bottom along with tail and deck patches. I used the Flex Pad Softie 8” with 80 and 150 grits, hand sanded 220 and 300 and finally, hand wet sanded 400, 600, and 800. With my buffpad, I started with the Foam E-Z Surfboard Polish #2 and finished with the Meguiars Surfboard Finish Polish. The results are a deep mirror like shine.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? I glassed this board outside on a calm warm day.

20. What type of board do you want to make next? My next board is going to be a 5’11” fish with glass on keel fins made from exotic African hardwoods, made in the same style as this board except I will be using Redwood and Cedar to create a hollow wave rider.

21. Extra Info... I created a leash loop using fin rope and 4oz fiberglass. I felt that a leash plug would have detracted from the woods natural beauty. The nose and tail blocks are made from African Paduak and Yellow Heart.

NYADA SURFBOARDS by Andy Byrne

1. Your Name: Andy Byrne

2. Your Brand name: Nyada Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Not sure..Internet most likely

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great, everyone is super helpful.
5. Why did you want to build your own board? Save money and learn something that would ultimately be very useful for my hobby and my friends hobby.

6. Shape of finished board? LongBoard

7. Size of finished board: Length 9'1'' Width 21'' Thickness just under 3'' at mid point.

8. What blank did you use? US BLANK Blue Density
9. How was your board building experience? This was my 5th board and first longboard. It went a lot smoother than the other four. Thinking maybe since I usually ride longer boards I maybe knew a bit more of what the end result should be.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I spent a lot of time watching clips on the web, reading blogs. Ryan Lovelace, Gato. John Wesley is doing some great shapes. I think just constantly looking at boards that inspire you is a great source of reference. Above all that is simply just doing it...and most likely eating it on the first 2 or 3 shapes.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Youtube/Vimeo, I found that watching a lot of DIY vids that people have put online show what not to do. Ha!
12. Do you recommend these resources? Of course. The more research the better.
13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? That my respirator was only for fumes! not fumes and particles. Wear a respirator!

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Try to do it as right as you can the first time, because each step is dependent on the previous. Also..keep it simple. I did pigment my first try, but it wasn't til the 2nd board that I realized it is what made the board look like a disaster.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Surforms
16. Where did you run into trouble? I've ran into trouble trying to add too many elements into the board. Going to keep the next board a clear sanded finish.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? I stuck with the single fin on this one.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? I did glass it. This one was better than the others. Smooth and glossy. I spent a lot of time making sure the board was dust free before glassing this time and it definitely helps.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? My garage which now looks like a meth lab!
20. What type of board do you want to make next? Got a couple friends that want a copy of this one. So looks like the next two will be like this one.

American Warrior Surfboards by Bill Whitley

Your Name: Bill Whitley

Your Brand name: American Warrior Surfboards

How did you hear about us? Surf Show in San Diego 2010

How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great

Why did you want to build your own board? I have always wanted to shape my own board since the 70's and my family finally said put up or shut up and got me a blank for Christmas

Shape of finished board? Super Tanker (long board)


Size of finished board: Length 11'1" Nose 17" Width 23" Tail 16" Thickness 3 5/8

What blank did you use? 11'3"D US Blanks

How was your board building experience? Not at all what I expected. It was scary, fun, frustrating, learning experience, FUN. Little did I know just because you want a long board to cruise and have some high performance you can't have both, Grant knows I tried.
Did you use videos, books, web, other? Videos, Talk to some of the guys at different shops. Read some stuff on the internet.

What videos, books, web, other did you use? Used the Dick Brewer Video, Took some lessons from Grant @ Foam E-Z. Internet: Surfboard Design by Natural Curves Surfboards.

Do you recommend these resources? Yes. The Dick Brewer Video walks you through the steps, which is a lot of help, but doesn't really tell you why or how to do what he's showing you. The Surfboard Design was a lot of help telling you if you want your board to do this then do this. It also explains how each section works and explains what it does, like rocker, tails, rails, etc.

What do you wish you knew going into this project? What I know now. Patience.

What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Plan well even before you buy the blank. Think what you want the board to do, see what the 10 million experts say how to get that then pick one that sounds right for you. They are all right for them and the boards they sell. Watch the Videos, Read, Get help from someone who has shaped. It's not really rocket science just looks and acts like it. Measure everything 2 times put marks everywhere to help guide you. Patience and planning are the most important. If you plan on do this in the Garage then check out a true Shaping Room and try to set that up at Home.

What tools did you find most useful? Shaping Box at Foam E-Z, Tape measure, Planner (was not going to use at first), help from Grant.

Where did you run into trouble? The Rails. I didn't do both on the same day so trying to remember what I did on one so I could do it to the other was really hard. They are very close I don't think anybody can tell.

What kind of fin system did you use and why? Futures because that's what the glasser put in.
Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? OH Hell NO. Maybe next time. Shaping was scary enough.

Where did you shape your board? Started in My garage then The Box at Foam E-Z. Had Foam E-Z send it to their glasser.

What type of board do you want to make next? Either a 9'0" fun board. Or if I can't get my old Plastic Fantastic fixed (delaminated) replicate it.
Any other input or interesting information you’d like to add? I'd like to thank everyone @ Foam E-Z, Grant for putting up with all the why can't I do that's and his help. Johnny for helping on my logo. Larry for his encouragement. Christina for putting up with me on the phone. If you are going to put any lams on your board get started on them as soon as you start your board so they will be ready when the board is ready to be glassed

Wally Boards

1. Your Name: Wally Drake

2. Your Brand name: Wally Boards

3. How did you hear about us? While surfing the internet.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z?
After hours and hours of designing/learning I finally entered the door. At first I was intimidated but the staff was very helpful and encouraging.

5. Why did you want to build your own board?
Maybe I will build the perfect board and miraculously be able to surf my way.

6. Shape of finished board?
Shorter long board for ease of catching and riding small waves.

7. Size of finished board:
Length 8’-0” Nose 17” Width 22 1/2” Tail 15 1/2” Thickness 3 1/2"

8. What blank did you use? US Blanks

9. How was your board building experience?
I built my own sailboat when I was younger and since have built furniture and buildings and found making a surfboard as challenging as any of them.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other?
Mostly the web.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use?
Spent hours on Youtube, Swaylocks and thinking about what and how to do it. Made drawings and practice pieces of foam.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Anything that helps.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project?
Cut laps are more work but can look fantastic. Want to be efficient at the shaping.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time?
Do lots of research, ask questions, be patient, be thorough and think through the process
beforehand.

15. What tools did you find most useful?
Having a steady hand for power planing and Surform and careful measuring devices with luck.

16. Where did you run into trouble?
Difficult to make clean laps at nose and point of bat tail. Also getting an even overall color in epoxy is challenging.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why?
I like Probox fin boxes for ease of installation and variety of fin angles. Have adapted Future Fins to fit.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like?
Glassing is very challenging to use just enough resin evenly applied.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board?
In my garage in place of a car.

20. What type of board do you want to make next?
7’-6” Fat Fish.

"The drop of water coming off of one of the leaves is the last drop of water with the last fish in it. To remind me to not take the environment for granted."