Had hoped to take the Freak Fish along to this one but sadly(!) I will be on my way to the Mentawais just after this event so looks like it will be another year before i get over there. I’m sure it will be a great event. Contact grantnewby@bigpond.com for more details…
Custom Surfboards: bonzers, duos, single fins & twin fins. Made in Widemouth Bay, Cornwall by Tim Stafford Surfboards
Tim Stafford Surfboards
Thursday 30 December 2010
Friday 24 December 2010
Monday 20 December 2010
Hot stuff...
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Mentawais are go
Just booked a trip to Mentawais for March… so will be a great proving ground for some of my new shapes. Will be doing test reviews from the boat straight onto the blog after my sessions. Test pilot Ant Danks also in tow so we hope to get some great footage and stills too. Hoping for a bit of the stuff below… that’s me up in the Banyaks a few years back.
Right now it is pretty flat around here… and cold with snow forecast tomorrow. I have 2 boards in artwork which should go for glossing tomorrow and under two children’s trees for Christmas. 2 waiting to be shaped… a FreakFish and a Cleanline – hope to get the FreakFish done tomorrow. An Atlantic POD in the pipeline and i think I'll make myself 2 more for myself for the trip, an new FreakFish and a Cleanline.
Wednesday 8 December 2010
The Riddler – REVO5 bonzer
This board was inspired by some of the most significant influences on my shaping… Malcolm Campbell’s bonzers of course, a little bit of McCoy’s loaded dome Nuggets and a healthy dose of Cheyne Horan’s boards and the spitfire theories from Revolution...
6’2” x 20 1/2” x 2 7/8” – rolled deck with pinched rails. Rolled V boat-nose into vortex channel inside rolled V, exiting into a panel V through the tail. REVO bonzer spitfire sides and a McCoy gullwing centre fin. Can be ridden as a Single fin or as a REVO5.
The REVO sides are using the fluid dynamic theories more popular in sailing after the Ben Lexcan keel led the Australia II to the America’s Cup victory in 1980. One part of the theories is that a vertical keel has less resistance than a sloped one due to its reduced initial contact area. Anyways thought it was time to apply some of this to a board and inspired by something similar on a Revolution Board and with encouragement from Noel Whitman of Revolution the Riddler was born. Watch out for tweaks in the near future after its first wetting.
Hope you enjoy.
Friday 3 December 2010
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Atlantic POD with twin-CRV symmetrical foil rears
Had the Atlantic POD EVO6 bonzer out in some fun surf the other day and it flies. Waves were overhead and clean with almost no wind… some lovely peaks with long rides and plenty of wall. The board has really quick wave entry with the fins offering low drag and heaps of drive off the bottom. Faded bottom turns no problem with excellent hold; cutbacks kept a decent amount of speed through the turn. These fins seem to be really neutral handling, predictable and have a great balance between drive and hold.
Rode them another day at another spot, a little more hollow and quick and the fins were equally good but perhaps a little less control in the steeper stuff. A conventional shape would have offered a little more control and less drive – which would have worked well on that day as the board was outrunning the curl a bit too easily.
More reviews on the other set-ups when the surf comes back.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Finisterre…
I remember the first few times i met Tom, founder of Finisterre, we were rookies lifeguarding at Porthcothan… it was a summer of crap surf and long games of backgammon (and the odd rescue)…
At the end of the summer i got my first technical fleece from Tom and it is still as warm, comfortable and waterproof as the first day i tried it on. So it was with some nostalgia and good vibes that Mark told me about a post on the Finisterre blog featuring the first Glass Tiger/Tim Stafford collaboration board, a 6’4” Cleanline bonzer 5. Thanks for the heads up guys, and Tom I'm still here (well now Devon) for a rematch!
Monday 22 November 2010
fREAKfISH… wooden EVO6 bonzer gets stained…
Just a little wood staining to finish off Pete’s FreakFish EVO6 bonzer 5’11”. Now back with Mark of Glass Tiger for the final varnish and fin- glossing before it heads up to Scotland for some real juice.
Tuesday 9 November 2010
“The Riddler” – 6’2” McCoy nugget inspired bonzer 5
6’2 x 20 1/2” x 2 7/8” with “spitfire” Bonzer 5s and a 10” single fin box…
Name was inspired by the board itself being a bit of an enigma… McCoy inspired Nugget with my take on Geof’s original loaded dome, but with my vortex channels under the front foot and bonzer 5 set up, with the spitfire profile. This is a pretty out-there board and i can’t wait to try it in some sucky stuff soon. It looks like it will fit into the pocket beautifully.
The big question is do i add the rear EVO6 plugs too… tempting but maybe a bit plugtastic? Any views.
Friday 29 October 2010
FreakFish EVO6 bonzer gets woody..
Ready for burn pen, stains and varnish before it heads north for some Scottish juice. Great work by Mark at Glass Tiger on the construction as always…
Thursday 28 October 2010
Nugget inspired bonzer… ready for finishing
6’2 x 20” x 2 7/8” vortex bottom with rolled V… designed for barrels, to be ridden as a single fin or as a bonzer (FCS B5s). This board was inspired by my Geoff McCoy Nugget which has delivered me into the best barrels of my life. Thought it was about time I applied some of his theories to a board of my own, with a few twists and turns based on my own ideas. Also need a name for this model – and have yet to find an inspired name… any suggestions?
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Friday 22 October 2010
SOLD: Atlantic POD bonzer EVO5/6 – your flexible friend
Traditional bonzer EVO5 set-up:
For those who love the pivot and smooth rail to rail transition of the traditional bonzer set up. EVO5 features changes to the bonzer side fins for additional drive in slower lower energy waves typically found in the UK. This set up is well suited to any size surf and will deliver the typical bonzer experience.EVO6 bonzer set-up:
This is ideal for beach breaks where you want to get immediate drive mid face to get going down the line. Using FCS MR side fins to replace the single fin there is heaps of drive and hold. Suited to power surfers and those who like plenty of fin to push against.Arc EVO6 bonzer for smaller waves:
This fin allows more easy rail to rail transitions than a conventional fins. The curved profiles have less resistance to go from rail to rail, and therefore it feels more like a single fin bonzer, but with the extra initial drive of the twin rear fins. Ideally suited to smaller, slower waves as the fins offer less resistance to turn.ARC2 EVO6 bonzer for smaller waves:
Want the lower resistance but with increased stability, this set up utilises 2 of the rear G-CRV fins, providing a stable but more pivotal experience than the standard EVO6 set-up. Great in more hollow waves for late drops into the barrel and subtle adjustments in the pocket.Other set-ups:
It really is a matter of personal taste and everyone who has ridden these boards tends to have a different favourite. Try using 2 symmetrical FCS G5 rears for easier turning than the conventional set up. Use Quad asymmetrical foil sides as your rears for more drive. That really is the beauty, experiment and find your favourite. What is proven is that by splitting the rear bonzer single fin effectively in two, and placing them out to the rails the board responds more quickly in terms of drive and that this makes them much more usable in fast beach breaks where you don’t always have the luxury of starting off with a nice bottom turn.Thursday 21 October 2010
Atlantic POD bonzer EVO5/6
This board was inspired by my original POD from Malcolm Campbell. It is designed with an even gentle rocker, thoroughly modern rails, and a slightly narrower nose for easy duckdiving. Plenty of float and a forgiving plan-shape mean this board should be really user friendly and give a good wave count. It comes with a single fin box for the EVO5 set up and with FCS plugs for the EVO6 for maximum flexibility across a massive wave range. This should be great fun on the small days, and a stable confidence booster on the bigger ones. The fin set up is so flexible that it takes some explaining, so I'll do another post, another day…
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Glycerine Campbell Bros bonzer
This is a really unusual board from MC going through at the Foam Asylum – kind of bar of soap idea, with a flextail and bonzer 3 fin set-up… I’ve nick-named it the Glycerine (though it’s not mine to name I thought it was worthy of something original). Can’t wait to hear how it goes…
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Horan-McCoy Nugget bonzer spitfire….
Its from the ProBox fins site/blog and the templates (board and fins) are pure McCoy/Horan, with a little reverse Campbell Bros thrown in.
The reverse (to norm) foil is meant to be the lowest drag option, which is why this is a more common shape on boats now than swept back like a conventional surfboard fin.
I had the best barrels of my life on my McCoy Nugget in both Indo and the Caribbean. I guess I may have to make a version in the very near future, add the EVO vortex bottom, foil up a spitfire fin… find some decent waves to try it in – watch this space…
Thursday 14 October 2010
Atlantic POD EVO5/6 bonzer gets finned…
Running this Atlantic POD as an EVO5 bonzer with a traditional centre or the new EVO6 bonzer set up using a nice pair of symmetrical G5 rears. Should be getting wet next week so watch this space for first impressions.
Wednesday 13 October 2010
bonzer EVO6 Freak Fish gets woody…
Was down with Mark yesterday to mark out the fin positions for Pete’s EVO6 Freak Fish… Looking beautiful.
Monday 11 October 2010
House of Bonzer, Vortex bottoms and Sprats
Well Guy has finally got it sorted, his UK blog for all things Campbell Bros, the House of Bonzer. There are a whole batch going through the factory right now so there should be some happy customers later this year, early next. MC seems to be over more and more often so if you are after one of his designs give Guy a shout.
Meanwhile I'm busy on a range of 6 fin bonzers and playing around with my new bonzer Vortex bottom, which really seems to suit the slower UK waves well, making the boards more lively under foot and willing to get up and go across the face more quickly.
Finally a quick review… The 5’8 x 19 5/8” x 2 5/8” Vortex bottom Sprat quad has also been going really well and is a really viable shape and design for larger surfers wanting to enjoy a shorter board (I’m 5’9, 13 1/2 stone, 40+)… it’s wave catching and stability are remarkable for its dimensions, and it has heaps of drive from the parallel rail line.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Freak Fish EVO6 bonzer wood fins
Time consuming to make but worth every second when you surf them.