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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat

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you for the sake of my ego. By now I hear you thinking, good Buddhists don’t have
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Longboard Part 2 me please continue. For the record I am an appallingly bad Buddhist (and person for
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Yang heights of stardom. I’m also an appallingly bad husband as well, just ask Mrs Wood Surfboards Blog
Buddha. I’m always “not listening”, “losing my wallet and my keys to the car”, not Grain Surf Forum
The Wooden wanting to “want to do the dishes”...the list goes on and on...and I love using
Board Day - Grant Newby's
Currumbin Alley “quotes” when I write. It makes me feel intellectually superior. Whatever! She’s too Paulownia
2013 good for me anyway, very patient with my bad memory, degraded eyesight, my fat Skinned Foam
guts and thick rails. But I was built for comfort not speed. No Usain Bolt , more a Core Board
suave, fat, hairy, middle aged chimp. The truth is, that if I wasn’t married to her, who Surfboards by
Grant Newby
About Me knows where I’d be. Probably living out of a skip bin, eating discarded KFC zinger
scraps, and habitually annoying decent folks for bus money and half smoked durries, Sustainable
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wearing stained ghosties and smelling like a dead wombat’s arse. How could I not
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smell like a dead wombat’s arse if all I ate was discarded KFC zinger scraps. But I Woodsticks
digress and am getting into therapeutic issues. Back to the board.
Wooden Board
Blog
Wood Buddha
My idea for this hollow wooden surfboard was loosely based on a Geoff McCoy Big
Guy Nugget, a board that apparently has a mind of its own, and surfs itself without
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any regard for the lack of skill of the rider. Sounds like me all over. Check! A few Blog Archive

I'm passionate rough measurements give or take a few inches here and there to allow for mistakes

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"
about surfing and the made during lonely, drunken building sessions on Saturday nights after Mrs. Wood ► 2014 (7)
environment. Current Buddha has kicked me out of the house on the count of my loud, drunken and out of ▼ 2013 (12)
construction methods
tune renditions of the Sunnyboys' “Alone with You” . Damn it, there go those quotes
based on ► November (2)
again.
polyurethane foam, ► October (4)
fibreglass and
polyester resin are I made contact with a couple of other wooden surfboard building enthusiasts for ► September (2)
damaging our health advice. I was lectured on the psychology of wooden surfboard building and how the ► August (3)
and the earth. I experience will make me a better person despite the fact that it will take me three
▼ June (1)
believe wooden times as long as I had planned, I’ll use four times as much wood as I had planned
surfboard Building a
and I will have numerous tanties like my three year old kid, throwing tools at my
construction with a Hollow
shed wall in fits of rage and frustration because I forgot to measure twice and cut Wooden
minimal reliance on
once and I will be constantly making trips to restock my Paulownia timber cache. I’m Surfboard - A
chemical adhesives Big Guy
is the most
not easily deterred, and thanking said experts for their advice, I accept their blessing,
Nug...
sustainable future for hit the road and take an oath to commit to this project through sickness and in
the surfboard health, for richer or for poorer...blah, blah, blah.
► 2012 (1)
industry. It's a big
goal but I believe we I picked up some 150mm x 50mm Paulownia planks, rough sawn and straight as
can get there. Hitler’s moustache. I loaded the timber on the Buddha-Mobile roof racks and headed
Whether we build our off to my Ashram to begin the incarnation of my new wooden surfboard. Yeah baby! I
own wooden boards
am oozing with enthusiasm but this too shall pass.
or support a local
wooden builder it's up
to us. And for those I designed the wooden surfboard using AKU Shaper and printed out the templates
who think that with Hollow Board Template Maker allowing 24mm for the solid rails. Stringer and
wooden surfboards ribs are 6mm Paulownia, the first inside rail band is 4mm Paulownia with the
don't perform as well remaining four rail bands being 5mm Paulownia. The deck and hull skins are 6mm
as their PU Paulownia. Paulownia has a tendency to split so to add some strength to the
counterparts, I stringer and ribs, I laminated one side with 4oz fibre glass and epoxy resin.
challenge you take
one of Firewire's
Technograin boards
out for a demo.
Making my own
wooden surfboards
also adds a whole
new dimension to my
surfing experience.
The simple pleasure
of creating my own
surf craft and
riding them
(preferably
without them sinking)
is immensely
satisfying. Here's to
adding a wooden
board to every
quiver around the
world.
Email me at
woodbuddha1@gmai
l.com with any
questions.
View my complete
profile

Stringer and ribs, cut and shaped using a bandsaw and bench disc sander, with one
side laminated with 4oz fibre glass and epoxy resin.

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Gluing the ribs and stringer on my trusty jig using Gorilla Snot (marine epoxy resin
thickened with Aerosil). Gorilla snot works a treat on the internal structural framing.
White, light, and strong. Naturally extracted. No gorillas were harmed in producing
this product.

Gorilla snot in zip tied plastic bag for mess free and easy application. A great little
piping bag technique I stole from a local pastry chef.

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The application technique. I just cut off one of the corners of the plastic bag to let the
snot ooze free.

Gluing and clamping the ribs. This is the view from the wooden surfboard nose.

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"

Gluing the centre top baton to the top of the stringer. This is a 6mm x 20mm strip of
paulownia running down the length of the board. It effectively turns the stringer into a
T-Beam and provides some additional strength under the deck but is mainly used to
add some stiffness to the frame when I vacuum bag the deck and hull skins on.

Nose and tail blocks glued and two batons under the deck for additional support. The
nose and tail blocks add a little extra weight (90 grams) but provide some added
protection for the wooden surfboard especially since I’m a clumsy bastard and I am

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always dropping my boards. I’ve gotta stop drinking.

Ready for the first rail band.

The first 4 mm rail band is glued. The timber is steamed to the radius of the nose
and tail blocks using one of Mrs Wood Buddha’s damp face washers clamped to the
wood for 10 minutes so the water penetrates into the timber. I then apply pressure

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with my hand to the rail end bending it to the contour of the nose or tail block as I
heat it with her steam iron. I zip tie the ends to the frame for 24 hours and then glue
the rail to the nose and tail blocks. Thin paulownia bends easily using this method.

View of the nose. The rail band is zip tied to the end of the ribs.

...and a closeup of the nose.

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The view from the tail.

Bending and gluing the rail band for the opposite side.

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Detail of the rail overlap joint at the tail bock.

...and the nose block glue joint.

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The steaming, and bending process using Mrs. Wood Buddha’s face washer and
steam iron. She made me pay for that. Oh, how she made me pay! I was a very
naughty boy and had to go to her room ;-)

Gluing the ribs to the rail band. A mortise is cut in the rail that aligns with the tenon
on the end of the rib. The mortise can also be drilled to the width of the tenon using a
forstener bit. Not as neat but a lot quicker and the gaps can be filled with Gorilla
snot. Paulownia is a very soft timber and cutting the mortises is best done with a

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razor sharp craft knife. My chisels tend to tear the grain.

Shaping the rail band to the upper and lower contours of the ribs using my trusty
“Kunz Beaver Tail Palm Plane”. I’ve always wanted to use “Beaver” and “Kunz” in the
same sentence. :-)

Soaking up some rays outside the ashram waiting for the deck skin to go on.

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Weighing in at 1250 grams.

Using my thicknesser on the 150 mm x 6 mm paulownia boards. My home made "X"


factor thicknesser stand folds away nice and flat in the ashram. I rip saw 12 mm x
150 mm boards from a 150 mm x 50 mm rough sawn plank with my band saw first
and then use the thicknesser to profile the boards down to 6 mm.

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Making the panels for the deck and hull skins. I clamp two of the 150 mm x 6 mm
panels side by side with sash clamps and tape and glue the joins with polyurethane
glue. I then place a sheet of plastic over the panel (minus the clamps) so glue
doesn't make a mess, and then put a 600 mm x 2400 mm sheet of ply over that. I
then weight it down with my special clamping bricks as the glue sets. It makes for a
a nice flat panel 300 mm x 6 mm. I then repeat the process for two of the 300 mm
panels to create a panel 600 mm wide. Polyurethane glue dries in a couple of hours
and the panels are ready to go.

One of the panels ready to go. Note the blue paint on the end grain. This is so I can
pattern match the wood grain of the panel.

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Marking out the deck allowing for an extra 5 mm around the edge.

4 oz fibre-glass cut and ready for a coat of epoxy. The fibre-glass is applied to the
underside of the deck for extra strength.

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I squeegee the resin on and leave for about 40 minutes until it's not tacky.

I apply gorilla snot to the upper edges of the frame, and tape the deck skin in place. I
also tape the hull skin in place without glue to provide support for the vacuum bag.

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Then into the vacuum bag and bring the vacuum pressure down to 10 - 15 inches of
mercury (Hg). My vacuum pump can pull almost 27 inches of Hg which will crush a
hollow wooden surfboard (as I have learned from previous experience).

In the vacuum bag for 6 - 8 hours to allow for the epoxy to fully cure.

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My trusty venturi vacuum pump that runs off my compressor. Available in kit form
from the U S of A.

6 - 8 hours later and it's out of the vacuum bag.

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Fibre-glassing the inside of the first rail band.

Gluing in paulownia wood blocks for the centre fin box and the side fin plugs using
gorilla snot.

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A view of the Goretex vented leash plug from the deck.

The Goretex Vented Leash Plug.

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The air channels and hole for the Goretex vented leash plug. I added some grooves
on the underside of the ribs for drainage, just in case any water manages to get in.
Should this board ever leak, then the water can drain to the tail of the board. I'll just
drill a drain hole through the tail of the board to let the water go free.

A view of the vent block towards the nose of the wooden surfboard. This is just under
the deck skin. I installed a plastic vent with screw commonly used in windsurfing
boards.

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The plastic vent and screw plug.

Ready for the hull skin. The same process that's used for the deck skin. A layer of 4
oz fibreglass, with epoxy resin and gorilla snot on the bottom edges of the frame. All
the inside surfaces of the surfboard frame have been sealed with epoxy resin.

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Then into the vacuum bag for 6 - 8 hours while the epoxy cures.

The next step is was to clean up the edges of the deck and hull skins with a hand
plane and sanding block to get the board ready for the rail bands. Unfortunately I
don't have any photos for this part of the process.

Gluing the the four 5 mm thick rail bands with Polyurethane glue on each side of the
wooden surfboard. The 5 mm paulownia was a bit of a challenge to bend around the

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tail and nose of the surfboard even with the steam iron technique. I managed to snap
a couple of the rails near the nose and tail. Easily fixed though. Just trimmed the rail
band neatly back from the nose with a dovetail saw, cut a new piece of paulownia the
replace the piece that broke, boiled the shit out it in a large saucepan for about 20
minutes, and the piece bent like butter. I made a jig to clamp it in place while it dried
overnight. I then glued using the same jig to hold it in place. Thanks to Geoff Moase
from Dovetail Surfboards for that little gem of advice. 4 mm rail strips are definitely
the go.

The jig and strap.

Another shot of the rail bands going on. A very time consuming process.

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The final rail band near the tail. I went for a 4 mm thick rail band to see whether it
was easier to bend. And yes...it was!

Another shot of the final rail band going on. I went through a ton of masking tape to
glue the rails on and thought there has to be a better way. On my next board, I will
try using a timber jig cut to the outline of the board to hold the rails in place.

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Trimming the the tops and bottoms of the rails to the contour of the wooden
surfboard using my Number 220 Stanley Block Plane and Kunz Adjustable Spoke
Shave. The surfboard is really starting to take shape. The glue join gaps between the
rail bands will get filled with epoxy filler later.

Drilling the holes for the side fin plugs using a purpose made jig and 30 mm
Forstener bit. Some masking tape around the area helps protect the timber from any
potential slips.

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A router and jig for the 10" fin box. A slightly nervous moment. Lots of meditation and
measuring twice before I cut this slot. The good thing about this jig is that you can
do a practice cut in the plywood base first and check this against the fin box for
sizing.

Ready for the fin box and fin plugs.

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Gluing the centre fin box using epoxy glue.

Shaping the rails with my trusty Kunz Adjustable Spoke Shave and 80 grit and 120
grit cloth backed sand paper.

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After a final sand with 240 grit disk and my random orbit sander, the wooden
surfboard is starting to take shape.

The view from the bottom. Still waiting to install the side fin plugs. This surfboard was
shaped for a single fin so it shouldn't really need any side fins. The rail is quite sharp
from the rear of the fin box to the back of the board as per Geoff McCoy's single fin
shaping philosophy. And if you have any sense you don't fuck with Geoff's
philosophy. I've installed them as an option should the arse of the board slide out.

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Installing the side fin plugs using "Techniglue" an alternative to Gorilla snot. This
product dries white which I think doesn't look as good as standard unthickened
epoxy which dries clear. Horses for courses I guess. The cant and toe angles are
copied from another 7'6" board I have. I know they work well on that board.

Applying the final two coats of epoxy to the deck, hull and rails of the wooden
surfboard. No fibreglass, just resin. I use a roller to apply the resin using the "roll the

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shit out of it" method perfected by Wood Ogre. I roll an even coat from rail to rail and
then from nose to tail. I then finish it off and remove any bubbles using a foam brush.
Very easy and gives a nice gloss finish.

Two coats of resin later and the deck is done. I allow 24 hours drying time between
coats.

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The view of the underside of the tail with a custom made camphor laurel fin.

The view of the underside of the wooden surfboard with the fin installed and the epoxy
dry. Niiiccce! If I must say so myself.

Catching some rays outside the ashram. Note the faded band lines across the
timber on the deck. This is caused by the stickering timbers that are used to space
the timber while it is drying. Apparently the supplier of this timber is now stickering
his paulownia on its narrow edge to avoid these lines. It usually only occurs near the

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outside surface of the timber.

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Cutting the fin from 8 mm thick camphor laurel. The timber was sourced from a fire
wood pile on a farm in Northern New South Wales. I quarter sawed the logs which
were about 200 mm in diameter, run the planks through my thicknesser and then cut
the fin plan shapes out on my bandsaw.

Camphor laurel is listed as a noxious weed in Northern NSW so it's great to be


putting this timber to good use. When cut, this wood fills the ashram with an
amazing smell. It's truly a pleasure to work with. I foil the fins using some custom

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made hand tools and cloth backed sandpaper.

The starting point. A camphor laurel log.

Two layers of 4oz glass and epoxy resin on each side gives the wood additional
strength and water resistance.

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The fin after the final fill coat. It's just a matter of shaping the top of the fin that goes
into the fin box, drilling the holes for the pin and bolt, gluing in the pin and fitting.

Surf Report

Well I managed to take Fat Rick out a couple of times for test runs and I was more
that happy with its performance. It passed the "sink test" with flying colours and
managed to stay afloat for both sessions which is not bad considering my weight
(90kg). The board leaks a little bit, taking on about a quarter of cup of water over a 2
hour period. I did a leak test of the board after my first session, by coating the entire
board with kids bubble mix and pumping compressed air into the air vent. I couldn't
for the life of me see any bubbles forming on the outside of the board (indicating
leaking air), near the timber seams, fin box, fin plugs and leash plugs so I can only
assume that water is passed the screw plug seal in the air vent. I drilled a hole in the
tail of the board to drain the water out. Sweet as.

The board floats me nicely, paddles easily, picks up waves easily and turns on a
dime. During both sessions the surf was a little full, spilling and about 3' - 4'. I am
very impressed with the dome bottom and fat tail and the board turns easily.
Unfortunately on the first day I was the only one out which makes it pretty difficult to
get any photos of it in action but I've included a photo to show the wave conditions on
the day.

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"

"Boat Ramp" at the northern end of King's Beach Caloundra. 3' - 4' fairly full but
surfable. This point works really well in large northerly cyclone swells.

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"

Hit my fin on the rocks. Bummer! I have some improvements in mind for version 2 of
these wooden fins. This should add some strength to top of the fin that sits in the fin
box. Stay tuned.

Posted by Wood Buddha at 17:39

Recommend this on Google

Labels: Hollow Wooden Surfboard, McCoy Nugget, Nugget, w ood buddha, w ood surfboard,
w ooden nugget, Wooden Surfboard

10 comments:

Charl Benckendorff 18 June 2013 at 00:33


Looks awesome. Can you lend some advice on how you put together your
vacuum pump ? I'm looking at doing the same but don't have a clue where to
start.

Did you buy it as a kit ?


What materials do you need ?
Where do you buy the bits & pieces from ?

I've got a couple of builds on the go currently:

www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5464

www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5299

Reply

Replies

Wood Buddha 21 June 2013 at 00:13


What a coincidence. I was looking at your Meyerhoffer build just
recently. They’re a great board. I bought the 9'1" model a couple of
years ago and couldn't stop surfing it. It was my favourite board for
about a year. It turns on a dime and is very forgiving. Even managed to
surf it up on the nose.
With respect to the vacuum pump, the cheapest option was to buy a kit
from these guys.
www.veneersupplies.com
http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Project-V2-Auto-Cycling-
Venturi-Vacuum-Press-Kit.html
They have a range of kits ranging from fully functional vacuum pumps
to venturi kits that connect to a compressor. I went with the venturi
option (240 volt) as I already had a compressor and the pumps won’t
work in Oz because they are 110 volt systems. The company was very

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"
good to deal with and very helpful. Just email them with any
questions. The kit was easy to put together and I got an electrician
mate of mine to do the wiring for me. The instructions were easy to
follow. The kit I bought will pull down a large bag for a 9’ – 10’ board in
about 2 -3 minutes. Be careful when you use it because at full vacuum
it will crush a hollow wooden board as I have learned from previous
experience.
I got my vacuum bag tube material from another supplier. It was
heaps cheaper than buying a bag from veneersupplies. I also bought
the quick lock seals from these guys as well. From memory I think I
bought the bag valves from veneersupplies.
http://www.acpsales.com/Vacuum-Bags-Films-Peel-Plys.html
Good luck. If you have any questions, just post them in the comments.
WB
BTW, there’s a guy on the Gold Coast called Grant Newby who builds
mini simmons boards. It’s his trade mark. Not sure if you’ve heard of
him.
http://surfboardsbygrantnewby.blogspot.com.au/

Charl Benckendorff 2 July 2013 at 02:57


Fantastic. Puts it all into perspective. I'll email them and see what the
Veneer Supply guys can do as an equivalant to ACP chaps.

I've not come across Grant Newby that I recall. But mind you I've
looked at about 50 different sites in the last 12 months so may have
glanced over he's in a hurry at some stage - he does good work!

I sincerly hope I make it to the Wooden Board Day at Currumbin this


year - will keep an eye out for you.

Charl Benckendorff 2 July 2013 at 02:59

BTW - good to hear about the Meyerhoffer. Can't wait to finish this off.
Had screaming start to building it but recently life has got busy and
have the Mrs. jumping up and down about some small renos!

Reply

Big Fish 25 June 2013 at 03:36

Great looking board and a very interesting write up of the build. I look forward to
checking it out in the flesh in August.
Reply

Denis 27 August 2013 at 16:26


Hi
Great job! I am in the process of starting my first build, please can you tell me if
you would fit the fcs plugs before glassing ( cloth & resin) or after?
Thank you
Denis
Reply

Replies

Wood Buddha 27 August 2013 at 17:49

Hi Denis,

Thanks for the comments. In answer to your question, it depends on


the fin system you use and also who you talk to. The most common fin
system is the FCS style of fin plug. FCS recommends installing these
after you fibre glass the board but before you sand the board. Here's a
URL link to their fin install manual. Hope this helps and good luck with
your build.

http://www.foamez.com/pdfs/FCSManual.pdf

WB

Reply

Priscila Mckamie 14 November 2013 at 05:21

It looks great! Nothing like making your own board for surfing those waves!
Bummer about the fin. Hope you found a good fix for it! Cheers!

Priscila

Reply

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8/1/2015 Wood Buddha - Building Wood Surfboards: Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard - A Big Guy Nugget called "Fat Rick"
Replies

Wood Buddha 18 November 2013 at 14:21

Thanks Priscila. I sleep with the broken fin under my pillow in the
hope that the fin fairy will leave me some money.

WB

Reply

IWW Sandeep 10 April 2014 at 21:55


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