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I only can seem to keep up with limited media updates at a  time. Recently I have been hitting the instagram pretty hard so go check it out! Also get the occasional
evening surf in.

Tailfeather again

So back in August when I built my board with interchangeable tails I was excited that I was onto something that I had been working on for a while. After a fun trip to San Diego and surfing it for a few months I decided it had some serious potential to allow multiple different ride feels from the same board. With the recent purchase of some new equipment I am stoked to make some new ones soon since the major issue was the challenge of the concept was making mortises by hand.
In today's news Shapeshifter Surfboards out of San Diego release the newest best development in surfboards, an inter changeable tail!

Wood fins

Been making a bunch of wood fins lately which has been pretty fun. I forgot to take photos of most of them like normal but here are a few to check out. Single fin fits into a box, glass on keel fins and glass on bonzer set. All are from off cuts from various construction projects I work so trying to minimize waste wood as much as possible.

Winter Wanes

Few quick pictures from a few evenings ago. Fun small waves with nice sunset.

Get Away

After a long Winter a warm escape was needed so headed South for a nice break.

Not a lot  of waves since it was a protected island but some fun small ones here and there.

Chance to shed winter layers and enjoy the sun should never be passed up.

Foam R+D notes

Some notes on the new stringerless Varial foam blank that I shaped up and had glassed. The foam off gassed a very strong rubbing alcohol smell but we were assured that is normal even though I got a serious headache with a respirator on. Shaping it was pretty fun it cut nice and smooth and had a different feel than regular PU or EPS. It did build up a lot of static coming off the planer and stuck all over but nothing that couldn't be vacuumed up easy. The foam was denser so it was less inclined to the easy dings of PU but for the final screening it was very hard to get a super smooth surface.
The board was glassed by one of the best glassing guys who we happen to be lucky enough to have semi local. Sprayed pigment on the foam and it came out rather nice looking. Finally got to ride it twice on some really cold days then like normal we had a lack of waves. About a week later I looked at the board and noticed some serious color changes going on. Since I have dealt with UV degrading pigment before I covered half the board to provide a comparison. However a day later the color was worse and spread around the whole board in an odd pattern and a few random blotches. Closer inspection showed the center fin box and become loose even though it was never used. Assuming the blank expanded and contracted so much it cracked the resin around the box. Might be a candidate for a vent, how ever I did put a slight ding in the board bringing it back to the shop and it immediately let of its obnoxious smell so not sure if a vent would do this also. Since the blank has gone through serious R+D by the company and had no problems the only real difference is temperature. It is damn cold here with water mid 30's and air in the single digits, possibly this is to much for this blank. So thats my observations take it for what it is since I only got to work with one blank.

Winter is cold

Finzzz

Been working on making fins a bunch recently and figured I should post up on it. Here are a few pictures of how I put together a set on bonzers for a new 5 fin I am working on.

Glued up some Birch, Pine and Mahogany strips to lay out the templates on.

 With the bonzer set up a little different than the normal glass on I put the cant into it to help it sit nice and flush with the board. Precut guide and a rough rasp made it a pretty simple task since they are pretty small to run on my saw.

Ended up looking pretty good all shaped up and ready for foils. Next time you see them they should be glassed on the new bonzer.

R+D

Working on surfboards in the Northeast is a challenge. Getting materials is costly and harder than in most other places so we are always on the look out for new sources. Down at Surf Expo Charlie, owner of Maine Surfers Union, was on the look out and ended up coming back with a new stringerless blank. This is one of the first ones up here from Varial Surf and it is supposedly a new stronger denser foam that can make a lighter longer lasting board. We decided to make up a fun blunt nose pin tail that has both a single fin and twin keel fin set up. The board ended up at 5'10" x 19 7/8" x 2 1/16" with fairly thin hard rails which really help bite into the face letting you have more control in the critical section with a wide board like this or give you the ability to pump down the line if it flattens out. The glass job was done by Twin Lights Glassing and as always came out perfect. Now we just need some swell to test it out in.

Lucky swells

A few pics from one of the last swells. After a few weeks of weird small swells with funky wind it would be nice to get some waves like this back.

Arctic Vortex Surf from Neto Nomads on Vimeo.

Few clips shot from a phone during one of the -35 windchill days. It was tough to get into them with the gust coming up the face and freezing on the board but some fun shoulders were peeling through.

I saw the sign

Getting a new sign made. The wood is a massive piece of drift wood white oak from an old boat. Found it last Winter and it has been drying off in the shop all year. Now that it is dry it got a quick sanding to make a flat spot and then lettered up for a epic hand painted sign.

Snow away

Went wave hunting today since the wind was raging and side shore. After hours of hiking through snow and over icy rocks I found a few potential spots for different swell/wind combos. Getting back to my car is was quickly informed by a plow truck that this few mile stretch of peninsula is private and no access is allowed by car or foot. This area has become quite frustrating the few waves are so fickle and crowded but soon as you look elsewhere everything is private no access even in the middle of Winter when no one is around.

Salt water does freeze and it sucks. If you think not putting fresh wax on makes for a slippery board wait till you get a coat of ice on it with a big dark heaving closeout at your back as you try to stand up.

GoProStick Promo

GoPro Stick from Neto Nomads on Vimeo.

Little video filmed with and about the GoPro stick. Gave away one this week in the contest on FB. 
Each one handmade a designed to be simple and practical. Attach you GoPro via the surf adapter in the FCS plug secured in the end of the stick. Sticks come in a variety of sizes to fit your particular need. All sticks are constructed with high quality stainless steel components and wood finished with marine grade protection. Start shooting some new shots today!

Another Picture Show

Seasons Creep from Neto Nomads on Vimeo.

Some random shots from last Winter. Crazy how fast the season creep up on you.

Tail Feather

Finally a little post about the interchangeable tails. Did it work? Yes. Would I make more? Up for debate it was a lot of work to make one offs. I did take the board out in some good waves from Blacks in CA to Scarborough in ME with no breaks which even surprised me. Pretty much I got to try out three different boards before choosing what I really liked. Had a super squash with no tail I would ride with a quad or as a twin, a normal squash with double channel I rode mostly as a quad and a pin tail I rode as a quad also.

This is the layup of a tail I glued left over cut offs of EPS and use a mahogany stringer. This was then shaped down to the tail I wanted. Think of it as a large fin, I used a white oak tenon piece to slot into the board and secured it with two set screws. The board had an adjustable length of 5'3" - 5'6" and 5'9".

After two months of use I have decided to glass the squash tail on permanently this will reduce a bit of weight and limit the chance of breaking. This is really what shaping is all about for me the abilty to try out new ideas that you can't go get from a store. 

Big Board

The 11'4" SUP is been getting some use keeping me in shape when the waves are flat.

The nose got good V in it to help cut down on negotiating chop in the harbor.

40 min paddle out to an island for the test run. 

Wood

Tree's are cool:

Log ride on a flat day out in the island of Maine. Whole different kind of heavy this thing weighed a good 600 lbs and was very precariously balanced.

Even after they are dead tree's keep on giving. Pine hand board mid drying its marine coat.

Back

Got super busy shaping up boards with deadlines then off to California to surf until it felt like I broke all my ribs. Back now and with Fall approaching expect lots of new things.

Tool or toy

While it looks a lot like a sex toy and even has a name of Silky PocketBoy this little saw is amazing. Since most of my work is done by hand I have been looking for the best saw to cut out outlines. This Japanese pull saw is the answer. So sharp it is ridiculous how easy it cuts foam or stringers and the blade is the perfect flex to cut a tight curve but not flimsy that it will waver when trying to cut straight. Folds up nice and small into its super comfy handle so the blade stays sharp from lack of abuse. Every time I use it I am extremely happy and highly recommend getting one if you need to make quality cuts.

New video

24th of August from Neto Nomads on Vimeo.

Video I shot on the GoPro stick of an average weekend. Yes an average weekend has no surf but don't have much control over that. Filmed and edited in one day.

Wave fish?

Paint job on a fish that has been hanging around. This board was in the move of shops and wasn't finished during it so unfortunately it has some cosmetic throughout. So decided to use it as a test piece for some painting. Turned out looking pretty good. 

Tailfeather

Been kicking around the idea of a modular board for a long time. Finally bit the bullet and went for it. Who knows if it will be a waste of a blank and time or a start to something great. This one is going simple as I can with an option of two tails depending on your mood. Idea being you can vary the ride by different tails and different fin combos. If it work would like to add in a way to cut the board in half to travel with so you can avoid airline fees and have one board with a very wide range of options. Only one way to find out so cross your fingers I am on to something.

Five feet seven

Couple of shots of the new 5'7" getting shaped up. Pretty excited for this one got to use a few new tools finally and they helped a lot. Fun slightly center forward shape with a quad set up. More pics and info when its done.

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Getting old

Some pics that have been hanging around and getting musty so time to post them up.