Questions and Answers:
How long does it take to
build one of your boards?
...It takes about a week,
working before and after my real job as a carpenter, to get one to the point of
the board being ready for glassing...I don't think it's possible to just start
one and power on it till it's done...There are multiple stages of construction
which require glue or resin to dry before proceeding...So I do a little in the
morning, let things set up, and work on it again after I come home...It works
out pretty good...
...Most of the framework goes pretty quick (if you know what you're doing), but building the rails can easily take a full day...Count the layers, each one gets glued with contact cement, and that stuff takes at least 15 minutes to dry to the point of adding another layer...After the rails are on, the shaping of the board is faster than a foam board, because there is no deck and bottom work to do, other than some fine sanding...I just use a belt sander with 36 grit and use it as I would a planer... Watching the rails take shape is so very cool...
You build some of the most
beautiful, costly surfboards in the world.
Why should I consider one?
...I can't answer that question for
you, maybe you can...I'm not a salesman...I build them for myself...If it's
something you might want, there's a price...
...I've built foam boards for myself
sine the mid '70's...I was tired of building with the same old materials...I
wanted to try something with a touch of history yet with relevant contemporary
lines, foil and sensitivities... I wanted to build something that sacrificed
nothing in terms of ride and durability...And I wanted to give the finger to the
surf industry for limiting exposure to viable alternative surf vehicles...I can
build my boards from what I can get at any good hardware store (except for the
carbon fiber cloth)..
...The looks of the boards are cool,
that's the easy part...The ride was what I was after...And it's different...To
me foam boards have a dead core...They feel chattery... Hollow wood boards have
an alive feel to them... The resonance of a wood board on a wave is like a fine
wood instrument playing music...I'm not gonna get any more drippy with
comparisons because it sounds phony, but they have a different feel... A hollow
wood board can be tuned to ride like velvet or as alive as an air mat...
...I'm still learning, and getting
very close to what I want the boards to be... The 7'2" x 20.5"
blank weighed 9 #...I'm real happy with that...I'm using balsa / cedar for the
deck and balsa with a carbon fiber layer inside on the bottom skin...Light/
stiff ...Alive...
What makes them worth anything more
than super-expensive wall-hangers?
...I don't know...I ride mine, and
keep them in board bags on the side of my house...I see them when they are under
me in the water...My wife has her own decorating scheme for the house and boards
aren't part of it...
Could you describe how they FEEL in and out of the
water?
.The feeling of the board out of the water is about
the same as a foam board, but if you tap it, it sounds like a tuned drum...Foam
feels dead...Also, I make my hollows thinner than I would for a foam board, they
are more buoyant...I would typically ride a 2.875" thick foam board, but
this hollow is a 1/2" thinner...So underarm the board is smaller...
...In the water, this board feels less flexy than
foam...This is due to the significant amount of Carbon Fiber that reinforces the
stringer and holds the 1/8" Balsa/Cedar deck and bottom skins
together...Paddling on it has a tensioned skin feel to it...Like laying upon a
super taught trampoline...There is a greater sensitivity to the water under the
board, no foam to dampen and deaden the surface waters condition that is
transmitted through the board...Subtle but it's there...
.The feeling while standing and riding is a tough one
to describe...It feels alive, again the transmit ion of surface conditions
through the board are heightened...Like standing on a really firm drum...But
with the drive and looseness of a conventional and contemporary shape...The
board is fast and responsive...Very much so...I was surprised on my first wave
with it on it's down the line speed and stability...
.Again, I'm not trying to hype what I'm doing...I'm just sharing what might interest some...I've already heard how the cost seems high...It is...It takes a lot of time to build something like this from scratch, using only the absolutely top quality materials to do so...
What qualifications do you have?
...OK...I'm 52 years old... been surfing since '71... Northern California.Building my own boards since the mid '70's...Currently live in the PNW...I'm a cabinet / stair carpenter, and a damn good husband and father...
Do you surf? How often, and on
what?
...Dawn patrol when it's good ...At least weekly...I live 80 miles from surf...I paddleboard year round...Once I even broke through the ice on a local lake when it freeze over...
...In the winter I snowboard once a
week...mid-week...Carving and powder...
Good waves?...
...If you only knew...Yeah, it gets
good...Big thick beach / jetty waves and occasionally perfect cobblestone point
surf...Mostly real early by myself before work, heading home when most everyone
else is starting their cars for work...
Your quiver?
...I'm 6'3 "x 190#...My current quiver includes: A 5'6" Bellyboard... A 7'5" hollow fish... A 9' foam / carbon fiber longboard....A 11'6" surf/paddleboard...A 24' flat water paddleboard...
Prior to actually building your own: had you ridden
anything hollow?
.In the early '70's, when I was learning to stand
up, I had a WAVE hollow.Nothing remarkable about it, or maybe I was just such
a bad surfer that I couldn't appreciate it.
I'm sure many people are curious about the who.what.why.when.where
of any individuals and/or concepts that may have influenced your present ideas?
.Good question.I guess I'm like most people.I'm
influenced by just about everything we experience.If you were to look at the
world through my filters, you would probably be led to where I am now.
.I thing a big part of my exploring hollow boards is
the fact that I do not live in a major surfing environment.I think by living
in Washington State, I'm less influenced by Suring's media and peer pressures
or being forced into some little box that surfers are sometimes stereotyped into
because of what they ride.I seldom surf with any kind of crowd.I prefer the
dawn patrol.Get some waves alone and be heading home by the time most are
having their second cup of coffee.
.I've shaped my own boards since '77.I'm a
competent shaper, but there are better foam mowers out there.I wanted to try
to do something different, in a way that really challenged me.In2002 I
started the first hollow board.It was going to be primarily a wall hanger.Looks
pretty, been wet once type thing.Something that would be a one time ride and
then back to foam.But after the first wave on it, I KNEW that I was on to
something.So I got better at creating boards that I could look at and ride,
and honestly say that when it comes to performance, these are boards that have
no compromises.I've exceededthat.
.I built my web-site (by myself) with the hopes of
showing others how to build something different.If you've seen it, you'll
see what I mean.
.I offer no apologies and stand by what I present
there.Some people find the prices I'm willing to sell my boards for as
excessive.As far as I know, we have free will as consumers.99.99% of surfers
will look at what I'm doing as arty, or a novelty.And they are right.
.Others will look at what I'm doing and see
something way beyond what's out there and appreciate that there is creativity
going on.Maybe it gives a ray of hope to those who see surf designs as
stagnant.They too are right.
.As for me, I'm just having fun.I'm looking forward to the next board and the things they teach me and like you I'm looking forward to the next offshore day.
What sort of bottom/rail contours do your hollow boards have?
.The same as a foam board.Concaves are possible.The rails are shaped, so anything goes.I personally like neutral boards.
Rocker and thickness flow?
...Same as a foam board.
Are they all flat?
.Not even.
Any possibility of (removable)
fins?
.Sure, I do it most of the time...It works great...
Won't your boards swell up and
explode on a hot day?
.There's a vent in the nose (not a drain).A brass screw with an O-ring seals it while surfing. The rest of the time the vent is open.
How tough are they?
.Unlike foam the wood isn't thick enough to dent.and, it has an epoxy glass job.The rails are like built up stingers.More than tough enough.
Is it really, really hard to do or just insanely slow and time consuming if
you're not all that familiar with woodworking?
...The first one was REALLY hard...I
was ready to quit when I couldn't get the rails on... It took 3 different
attempts to find the right combination...And each attempt took
days...So frustrating...But it was all worth it when I started to shape the rails
and the beauty just came out...Then after I did the lam, It just glowed...SO
BEAUTIFUL...!!!...I knew I couldn't go back to foam...The journey
continues...
Even if I could afford one of your boards, why should
I chance damaging such an investment by riding it?
.First I want to say, I'm not really trying
to
sell 'em...If someone has to have one, there is a price...Starting at $300 per
foot...I'm primarily doing
it for my own pursuit of wave riding experiences...
.With that out of the way, I can't answer your first
question, I have MY answer, but value questions have your own personal
answers...
How long does it usually take to get one of your hollow boards?
.I just walk to the side-yard and grab one. 20 sec. Max.
Send your questions to: hollowsurfboards@comcast.net
Page updated: 6-25-08
Copyright © 2005 - Paul Jensen