Frame to Planks

Part of the reason I undertook this project, was to learn some patience. It hasn't been easy. I wanted to ride this board the day it arrived. But, I've taken my time, done things the right way (within my ability), and it's paid off.

I have two cardinal rules so far. The obvious is measure innumerable times, cut/glue once. The other is, dry run every irreversible step.

I did a dry run with the frame and planks and I was glad I did. With the 90 degree weather, the glue set up time is about 15 minutes. The dry run helped me to set up my clamps and equipment so I didn't have to fuss with it. I also got to see how the parts fit together and where I needed additional shims.

I used ratchet straps across the strongbacks and it worked well. The straps were somewhat more convenient than the bar clamps. You just have to watch that the straps don't pull the keel out of alignment while ratcheting down.

My dad helped with the actual glue up. It would be hard to do this step without a partner. I clamped down the frames lightly and we verified that the keel was aligned and frames square. I tightened the clamps and re-verified. It got a little rushed at the end as the 5200 started to set in the heat.

One step I overlooked was having a tack rag on hand for clean up. It got messy. I got more 5200 on the planks than I would have liked, but it looked pretty good. I literally had to make myself leave the garage because I would have been there all night checking alignment and square.

Taking the clamps off and checking the alignment, I was very pleased. The keel is about 1/16" off center between frames 7 and 8, and frame 8 is about 1/8" out of square. I can probably account for most of this when I start putting down the rails. The important thing is, there was no major kinks and the keel and frames formed a good bond with the bottom planks. I couldn't have done it with out my Dad offering an extra set of eyes. I'm very proud of the way it looks. I have a bit of a mess to clean up, but the 5200 seems to come off relatively easy. Now, on to the rails.

Rocker Table

The first step in gluing the frame to the plank is setting up the rocker table. If you look on the indispensable forums like Tree to Sea and Swaylocks, you'll see some beautiful and complicated rocker tables. Grain Surfboards offers a custom set for each kit they sell as well. If you have the skill or the money (I have neither), then those are the way to go.

I opted for a much, much simpler version. Really all the rocker table has to do is support the frames during glue up. I shimmed under the rungs of the lamination table using scrap wood as recommended in the Grain manual. This is harder than it looks. Every time I got one frame to touch, it would push another out. I set up and dismantled the rocker table about three times. Eventually I just had to learn to live with well enough.

You can affix the shims to the rungs of the lamination table about any way you want. I tried tape first, but it is a huge pain. I picked up some stretch wrap which I found to be cheaper and far easier. It makes for a pretty solid hold as well.

I added additional shims conform the planks to the bottom contours built into the frame. The Seed has a subtle single to double concave from the belly through the tail. I dry fit the planks and frames to ensure it worked out and didn't put too much stress along the keel.

The rocker table looks ugly and it put my OCD into a frenzy, but I think it will work. Next step, frame to planks.......

Summer Hiatus

Well, a couple of things happened. Summer started, and my obsession with being in the ocean took over my daily routine. There was virtually no surf all summer, but the water was clear and in the mid-70's. I couldn't fathom locking myself in my garage with conditions like that, so my family and I spent most of our days at the beach.

Secondly, when I imagined how beautiful this board could be, I got a bit obsessed with perfection. However, I am far from a perfect woodworker. I froze and refused to put in any work for fear of screwing it up. But, I undertook this project knowing I would mistakes and learn from them. I got back into the garage, took a fresh look at the surfboard that had been sitting dormant since May, and put in some work.

Gluing Up

The first real step is gluing up the top and bottom deck planks. I laid the planks out as bookmatched by the Grain Surfboards staff, taped the seams, then applied glue and clamped. This was a fairly easy step and it was satisfying to see some progress.

Horizontal pressure is applied with bar clamps, while vertical pressure to keep everything level is applied with strongbacks applied across the planks.

I made one mistake here. I may have been a little careless with the vertical alignment of the planks near the tail on the bottom plank. It came out a bit uneven. However, it is over the slot where the finbox will eventually be. Instead of freaking out and shaving it too thin, I trimmed it down enough to accommodate the keel in the next step.

I cleaned up the interior face of the planks and trimmed the bottom planks to allow for easier clamping.

Setting Up

The kit arrived in May and I spent the first couple of days taking everything out and putting everything back. I have a small collection of tools and plan on begging/borrowing/stealing whatever I need to finish the board. Luckily, I have some handy friends and family. I also built a simple lamination table that will eventually serve as my rocker table. Here's how the set up went.

The kit is beautiful. The frames are CNC cut and all you have to do is pop them out of the frame. The planks are book matched by the people at Grain Surfboards and marked for interior or exterior. All of the consumable materials needed to build the board are in the kit, which makes it easy for a first timer like me. The guide is worth the price of the kit itself. It is extremely detailed with great photos and diagrams and loaded with helpful tips.

To get an idea of the magnitude of the project, I laid out the frame and planks on the lamination table. Then, I read the first few chapters of the guide to get an idea how it would shape up. I also studied several other blogs of Grain builders such as Alaia DIY, The Leucadia Project, andThe Summer of Chris.

The Plan

"A man builds the best of himself into a boat - builds many of the unconscious memories of his ancestors... This is not mysticism, but identification; man, building this greatest and most personal of tools, has in turn received a boat-shaped mind, and the boat, a man shaped soul."

-John Steinbeck, "Log From the Sea of Cortez"

I've always been obsessed with the sea and everything on it and in it. My ultimate dream is to build a boat that my wife and I can sail into retirement on. But, my woodworking skills (and space) being limited I've decided on a more practical approach. After years of drooling over the hollow wood surfboard kits by Grain Surfboards in York, Maine, I finally purchased one.

As much as I'm looking forward to surfing a hollow wood surfboard, I bought the kit so I could learn learn about the building process. This blog will be my way of documenting the process for anyone who is interested.

I'm a fan of classic shapes, so after deliberating between the 5'4" Waka and the 6'5" Seed, the single fin (Seed) won out. (http://store.grainsurfboards.com/products/the-seed)