Nice Article in the Daily Pilot - Newport Beach newspaper

Dawn Patrol: Foam E-Z eases shaping experience

By John Burton

Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 12:10 AM PST
My friend Kathy Escher has a teenage son, Kole, who surfs and she tells me about interesting things like a place where you can shape your own surfboard.

Foam E-Z near the Westminster Mall is a one-stop shop for any and all materials needed to make or repair surfboards. For professionals or do-it-yourselfers they have everything, including a shaping bay with all the tools, accessories, and help required to make your own board.

I had to check that out so I dropped by and was greeted by Grant Ramey. I introduced myself and explained why I was there.

“So, do you want to shape a board and write about it? he asked.

“Err, uh, me? Shape a surfboard?” I stuttered.

I hadn’t considered that. There are some things you inherently know just aren’t your strong suit and for me that includes making things with tools.

“Yeah, that would be cool,” I heard myself say.

So the game was on. It’s a busy place and Grant had customers so I cruised around the shop. A few minutes later, Foam E-Z’s proprietor, Brad Nadell, arrived and we talked for a while.

He started the business in 1993 as an alternative source of foam blanks for shops that had a hard time meeting the minimum orders required by Clark Foam, which for many years held a virtual monopoly.

Clark’s stunning decision to abruptly close up shop, and the repercussions still felt throughout the surfing industry is a story in itself, but Nadell had to adapt and change the business dynamic. Today their focus is more toward the hobbyist and outstanding customer service is their edge.

Brad helped me pick out a blank for my first effort. He steered me toward a “second” which works just fine but has a cosmetic flaw. They cost a lot less and are a good idea for novices.

He and Grant told me that coming up with a template for drawing the outline on the blank is an important first step. I went home and flailed unsuccessfully, so when I returned for my shaping session I used one of my boards and their templates to make the outline.

Then I had to cut out the shape with a hand saw. I did an OK job although there were a couple of wrinkles.

The next step was truing things up using a Surform plane. Luckily I had Grant as a consultant or it would have been a disaster.

I started removing material from the top and bottom using a planer. None of this is easy if you’re not used to it and the planer can do some damage so I went back to the Surform and some heavy sand paper.

That’s as far as I got during my first session. I came away with something that looks more like a surfboard than a coffee table so I’m calling it a success. There’s a lot more shaping to be done so we’ll see how it turns out.

I have a new appreciation for the skill that went into my custom made boards. My Foam E-Z experience was great — drop by or look up www.foamez.com.

Daily Pilot article

Sacred Craft Shaping Demo at the Hurley US Open

There is nothing better than hanging out with 125,000 of your closest friends at the U.S. Open presented by Hurley. Major props goes out to Hurley for putting this whole thing together and bringing back all-stars like Slater, Fanning, Machado, and Irons. This event dwarfed past years in action, size, half-naked girls, entertainment value, skate/bike/shaping demos, and….half naked girls. Everyone was rallying behind local boy Brett Simpson in the final vs. Mick Fanning. The energy was positive and people were hooting and cheering at every wave whether it was Fanning or Simpo. When it was all over Simpson prevailed in his hometown to the tune of $100K in prize money.

That wasn’t the only action though. There were the usual raffles, and giveaways as well as retail buildings they erected with full on air conditioning. The stand out this year was the Sacred Craft Shaping Demo. Scott Bass and the boys set up a shaping booth inside an air conditioned tent for the shapers to do shaping demos on the sand right in the middle of all the craziness. Along with the help of U.S. Blanks and us (Foam E-Z) they were able to work through and explain the shaping process to onlookers. I was able to catch John Carper doing his thing and it was really to cool to not only see what he was doing but to also hear him explain his movements. It was very special since the inside of a shaper’s bay is a very private place. This is where secrets are kept and ideas are formed, therefore to be able to see a real pro going at it was a great treat for everyone. Carper really wowed the crowd when he broke out a chainsaw to cut out the outline. Other legendary shapers on hand for the demo were; Bill Stewart, Maurice Cole, Doc Lausch, Darren Handley, Pat Rawson, and local HB legend surfer/shaper Robert August. So as you can see this was quite a display of history, skill, and craftsmanship.

Not sure if I mentioned it but there were Half Naked Girls everywhere!! By the end of the event people were ready for more. The pros and spectators agreed that they can’t wait to see what will happen next year.

Reported by Grant Ramey
Pics by Jeff Holtby