Tim Stafford Surfboards

Mostly bonzer inspired creations, made in Cornwall. Designed, shaped, glassed, sanded, finned and finished by Tim Stafford.

I make boards that are easy to ride, that feel natural under foot. Most aren't conventional but they will help you reach that point where you stop thinking about what's under your feet and start to focus on where you want to go and how you want to get there. Why bonzers?

Always happy to chat about your needs and what would work for you but please initiate contact by email or Facebook... details on www.timstaffordsurfboards.com | Ride and glide.

Wednesday 11 October 2017

ORCA asymmetrical bonzer in Ireland

Orca asymmetrical bonzer on a super fast right in Ireland
Orca asymmetrical bonzer post-lefts in Irelan
I like lending my boards out, It's a great way to get feedback outside of my own experiences. Right now the ORCA is on a trip in Ireland and I've had a couple of brief positive messages.
Its getting put through its paces on points and reefs, lefts and rights all over the west coast... Here's a couple of pics.

Meanwhile here at "The Farm" in Widemouth Bay i'm shaping a little slop groveller custom ORCA for south west Cornwall. Good to be shaping again after my injury and as always after a break it takes a little longer to get in the rhythm, but so far so good. Loving the wider shorter outline and more relaxed rocker.

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Just Bonzers - Long time gone

Well it seems like a hell of time since I last blogged, mainly because it is. Just Bonzers now sits there a window to a past. Through all that time boards have been made, ridden, improved, evolved and broken.

So why now, well apart from the fact that it's been too long to leave a welcome receptacle for my expressions about making bonzers, I just rode the new mid length NARB and needed more space to comment than felt right for facebook or instagram.

7-6 NARB by Tim Stafford Custom Surfboards
The NARB started out as an EVO asymmetric bonzer long-board... fortunately the customer who ordered it didn't get on with it so i took it back and decided to try to learn why? From the first surf the board flew, but it did require some basic long-board skills, the ability to walk a bit up and down the board. Over the next 3 years the board became my favourite whenever i felt like a change from my short-board, whatever the wave size.

Then fate rolled the dice with a sh*t blank and I found myself with a 7'10 "freebie" to shape... I've never been much of one for mid-lengths but it seemed a 7'6" NARB was the obvious candidate and so it began. I kept the nose, added some width in the tail same as my short-boards, played with the rocker and rails until several iterations later i had the board designed you see below.

Resin tint metal flake inlay on asymmetric bonzer 
Glassing, I wanted something special for myself, just for a change, so decided to do a circular inlay cut into the laminate tint, used some metal flake and contracting colours to create some sunsets in the board, which seemed really apt as i am always painting them inspired by the view out of my kitchen window most evenings. A double deck lam and gloss n polish later and the board was finally ready for a surf yesterday.

So there I was waxing up a shiny polish (which always seems crazy when you've spent hours polishing it yourself) at Black Rock, with chest high peeling rights in front of me. Any doubts were washed away with the first wave. The board caught waves so easily there was guilt involved... it got in so early and was so stable on take off, it really was very similar to riding the 9'2" I'd just sold. And things kept getting better, the first turn was buttery smooth and full of drive. It came off the top very similarly to my short-boards and then went into smooth roundhouses with ease. There was the usual mass of speed with freedom to choose your line of attack, as with any of my asymmetric bonzers. I had a blast, wave after wave, set after set carving smooth fast lines though a mostly slow and slopey right hander.

As you might have guessed by now, I love this board. It required no adaptation, no learning curve, no mastery of some mysterious sweet spot, it just flew. It delivered in spades and the promise it conveys is huge; Since then ive had it out in some chunky left point waves and again it impressed, with super early wave entry and masses of drive to make waves from deep.

There is nothing quite like riding a new design  you crafted yourself from start to finish, especially when it works this well. Truly stoked. I hope you've enjoyed this window into a board maker's craft and just what it means to those of us out there who work for the love of the craft we ride.

Ride & glide. Tim

Duos

6'2 Duo Custom Surfboard by Tim Stafford
Over the last year I've been experimenting with the Duo design based on Neil Purchase Jrs ideas. I have to say I love them...

I have found the design to be very fin & rail sensitive so if you are going to order one from someone make sure they ride them. I've settled on a formula that i think gets the best out of the concept now, providing a very fast and loose board that is really easy to ride and get the most out of in a wide range of conditions.

I don't think they have a specific slot in a quiver as the design is so versatile. I ride my 6'2  in everything from waist high slop to well overhead and it seems to go really well in everything.

I often get asked how do they surf, and that is hard to explain. They are very fast down the line like a single fin, but also provide an immediate squirt much like a twinnie. At the same time they have great hold, a bit like a thruster but you don't need the "tap-tap" to get them going through flat spots, they just glide.

6'2 Duo Surfboard inspired by Neil Purchase Junior
I love the simplicity of the design and they are a pleasure to make. My latest is a 6'8" rounded pin for chunkier stuff. Of course i still use my Orca's more than any other boards but its really good to have an alternative when i feel like a change...

So to sum it up Duo Surfboards are a valid and high performance alternative to a thruster, with a greater wave range per board, and more speed. If you fancy exploring this more just drop me a message.