Cowan's Greenough Inspired Diamond Tail!

1. Your Name:Jamie cowan

2. Your Brand name: cowan

3. How did you hear about us? Sacred craft

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? cool

5. Why did you want to build your own board? I have always liked to build cool stuff. I was a hefty 250 when I was looking for a board hard to find at 6’6", 3 inches thick or more. So I got a blank and went for it.

6. Shape of finished board? I made a template off an old Greenough kneeboard

7. Size of finished board: Length 6’6" Nose 15" Width 23" Tail 16"

8. What blank did you use? I think 6’10A fish blank

9. How was your board building experience? Rad, I did it without a planer just the David Plane and floor sanding paper

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? web

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Surfersteve!

12. Do you recommend these resources? ya

13. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Lose your fear!

14. What tools did you find most useful? The lights are important to me.

15. Where did you run into trouble? The stands I made kept moving.

16. What kind of fin system did you use and why? Future

17. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? No, I let Grygera and sons do the first one they gave me a great deal, and did a good job.

18. Where did you shape and glass your board? I shaped it in an empty warehouse.

19. What type of board do you want to make next? I have already done 5. I am going to glass my first board this weekend.

The Bouvier Keel Fish

1. Your Name: Mark Bouvier

2. Your Brand name: None of that nonsense

3. How did you hear about us? I saw your booth at the sacred craft tradeshow.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great, the crew is very helpful, and full of knowledge.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It seems as though when you go to the surf shops these days all of the boards are built to be an “every-man’s” board. To me that means they do all the basic things a boards should do, without actually doing anything well. So to find that diversity it’s best to look at your own style of surfing and try to make something that will work well for you as an individual. And if it doesn’t work like you thought, then you’ve learned something new because you’re riding something that isn’t just a basic all-arounder type shape.

6. Shape of finished board? 5’11 Fish. Thick with thin pulled down rails with belly in the belly and "V" in the tail.

7. Size of finished board: Length 5’11 Nose 16 ½ Width 21 ½ Tail 17 Thickness 2 ¾

8. What blank did you use? 6’5 A. I picked this blank so that I could pull the template back a few inches and cut some of the rocker out of the nose giving me a flatter entry rocker.

9. How was your board building experience? Great. I used the E-Z Shaping Box at the shop for the second time. I love the Shaping Box, it’s totally set up, I can get in there, shape, rent whatever tools I don’t have, and then just sweep up and walk out. Way better than having a shaping room in my garage.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I did not. This one came entirely out of my head. Because it was such a funky design, I tried not to pull ideas from other shapers, otherwise it would be that much less unique.

11. Do you recommend these resources? I recommend trying new things with your surfing and board building. It helps you put things in perspective and look at what you love from another point of view.

12. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How to better do a fabric inlay. I get the feeling that my fabric didn’t lam up too well, and am kind of afraid of the board delaminating in the future. But I’ll just deal with that when and if it comes along.

13. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Know what you want to shape before you even buy your blank. Know exactly what you want, because if you go into a project like this with an uncertain idea of what you want to end up with, even if you’re just torn between two designs it will never come out quite right.

14. What tools did you find most useful? TAPE!!!! I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but doing a cut-lap on the rail, using tape actually takes just a short time to set up, but saves a lot of time in sanding. Tape is your friend.

15. Where did you run into trouble? This board actually went very smoothly. The only thing that kinda bummed me out was when I built up my hotcoat on the tail so I could get a nice down rail, I built it up too thick, and it cracked. No biggie…it kinda gives it character. But next time I’ll know not to kick it so hot if I’m going to pool it so deep.

16. What kind of fin system did you use? I glassed on a pair of custom keels that I made.

17. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? I did. It was messy, stinky, and left my patio looking like an abused armadillo dying in a pile of tape, resin covered brushes and fiberglass dust.

18. What supplies were purchased from Foam E-Z? all of them. Everything from the blank to the armadillo! Ok, except the razor blades and the fabric. I got those from JoAnn’s fabric right down the street.

RadRob's 5'4" Mini-Nose Rider

1. Your Name: RadRob

2. Your Brand name: RadRob's radical surf creations

3. How did you hear about us? I work here (Foam E-Z)

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It's a cool experience to ride something you built.

6. Shape of finished board? mini noserider

7. Size of finished board: 5'-4" x 25 ¼" x 2 15/16"

8. What blank did you use? The new 5-10 RP (second)

9. How was your board building experience? It was great.I tried to get a little creative on the glass job this time.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Not so much this time. I couldn't find a board quite like i wanted out there.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I have watched the JC videos as well as the Master series.

12. Do you recommend these resources? For sure.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I feel like I was pretty prepared for this one.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Get as much information as possible before you start.

15. What tools did you find most useful? CF planer.Once you get comforterble with a power planer it makes the shaping experience much more enjoyable.

16. Where did you run into trouble? The giant nose concave.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? Glass-On single fin.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Of course, the UV resin is awesome.

Bouvier's Bomber!

1. Your Name: Mark Bouvier

2. Your Brand name: No label.

3. How did you hear about us? Originally from a friend.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great, I remember the first time I came in, the guys were all very helpful in picking out the right blank and letting me know what tools I would need to get started without selling me a bunch of stuff that I wouldn’t need as a first time board builder. One of the best resources now is the shaping box…It’s a fully set up shaping room available for rent. Also available for rent are all the tools necessary to really get a good feel for shaping. It’s a great way to try out the expensive tools (such as the industry standard Hitachi planer) without breaking the bank your first time out.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? I’ve always felt that if you love doing something, you should explore all aspects of whatever it is. Learning the history and culture of surfing and shaping is huge and very eye opening. The more time you spend around board building the better grasp you get of how boards work, and it not only makes you a better surfer, but also makes you a more versed individual who is in tune to what’s going on in the line up.

6. Shape of finished board? Longboard. This one in particular was made to be thinner than most with slightly turned down rails and a round outline. I wanted a log that was wide and stable but still loose and fast enough not to be too clunky.

7. Size of finished board: Length 9’6” Nose 17" Width 23 ½” Tail 16 ½” Thickness 2 ¾”

8. What blank did you use? 9’8 Y because it has more continual rocker from the nose to the tail and offered enough extra space to move the template around and play with different ideas

9. How was your board building experience? My experience was great. Being as I shaped in the box I had relatively little clean up because of the vacuum attachment which collects all of the planer dust. This also kept me from getting buckets of foam dust in my eyes which can be entirely too frustrating. Between the facilities and the advice of the guys working there I felt like I went into it with more confidence than if I’d just picked up a blank and started hacking away.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I watched the JC video on shaping (shaping 101) and also picked up the surfboard construction and design book. I found both very helpful. Not to mention there is a lot of footage on youtube.com and posts on swaylocks.com which help answer any left over questions

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Refer to question 10…guess I jumped the gun.

12. Do you recommend these resources? I definitely recommend some form of instruction, be it through books, videos, or endlessly browsing the web. There are so many little things that a person wouldn’t even think to do, or would never know without some form of prior research.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I wish someone would have told me to take my time while I was glassing and finish sanding. I’m a very impatient person and wanted nothing more than to get the board in the water…needless to say, it isn’t as pretty as it would have been had I taken the time to grind my laps and work my way up to 600grit instead of finishing out at 120g and calling it good enough. But I guess I can always go back and sand it later if I feel like it.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Take your time. You don’t have to finish in a few hours like the pros do. The more time you take the more likely you will be to finish out with something you’ll be proud to take down to the beach and show off.

15. What tools did you find most useful? There’s so many, now that I’ve tried them all I don’t know if I could live without them. First and foremost I LOVE the EZ Square which helped keep my outline straight and even, without it I’m convinced my board would look like a crinkly fry from Del taco. The planer is awesome; being able to take the skin off the blank in a few passes as opposed to a few hours makes worlds of difference. And finally the shaping blocks with the foam pads that attach with Velcro. They work better than a normal piece of wood by giving you a forgiving padded sanding surface that isn’t too soft or too hard.

16. Where did you run into trouble? I hit a bump with my sanding block. I was using a normal piece of 2” X 6” wood, or a piece of upholstery foam. The issue was that my sanding blocks were either too hard or too soft. I came to a point while finish shaping where I was just working against myself by making more deep scratches or uneven spots. That’s why I went in and bought one of the shaping blocks that they sell in the showroom. I got the one with the medium (yellow) pad and found that all the extra scratches and uneven spots I was getting from my other blocks were taken out immediately just by having the right type of backing to my sand paper/screen.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? I went traditional and glassed on my fin. But that was only because I didn’t own a router and buying fin-rope and an extra yard of glass seemed like it would be cheaper than buying an install kit. Though I must say, that will definitely be my next investment. The ability to change and try different fins is huge, and if I want to sell the board I’m sure any potential buyer will appreciate the ability to make the board perform to his or her liking as opposed to being stuck with the fin that I liked best.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? MESSY. STINKY. And FUN. Glassing is something that every surfer should do at least once so that they can appreciate all of the great glass jobs that can be found on any surf shop sales rack. Besides, it’s part of board building, and if you short cut yourself by skipping a step in the process just because of a little mess then you’ll never fully understand the boards you’re riding.

19. What supplies were purchased from Foam E-Z? I ended up buying more than I’d planned on. The things that I didn’t buy I used in the kit that I rented (and I will end up buying all of those tools too). I had such a great time shaping that I will definitely do it again, and I’m sure that means picking up every tool to make my future creations as dialed in as possible.

RadRob's Short Board

1. Your Name: RadRob

2. Your Brand name: RadRob's radical surf creations

3. How did you hear about us? I work here (Foam E-Z)

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It's a cool experience to ride something you built.

6. Shape of finished board? Short board

7. Size of finished board: 5'-10" x 19 ¼" x 2 ¼"

8. What blank did you use? I had to use the (US Blanks) 6-3 EA to get the width I wanted.

9. How was your board building experience? This is my best one so far.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I got some advice from Stamps (www.stampssurfboards.com)

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I have watched the JC videos as well as the Master series.

12. Do you recommend these resources? For sure.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I feel like I was pretty prepared for this one.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Get as much information as possible before you start.

15. What tools did you find most useful? I had to use a sanding block a lot since the new red foam has a tendency to tear.

16. Where did you run into trouble? I got into a little bit of trouble on the rails, but was able to fix it.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? Glass-On thruster fins.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Of course, the UV resin is awesome.

Miles Jackson Surfboards

1. Your Name: Miles Jackson

2. Your Brand name: Miles Jackson Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Online search

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great service.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? For the love. Grassroots surfing at its finest.

6. Shape of finished board? Shortboard

7. Size of finished board: Length 6’3” Width 19” Thickness 2 3/8”

8. What blank did you use? My last Clark Foam.

9. How was your board building experience? Choice. Everything worked out this time. Got the gel times perfect. Cut lap was a dream. Just a great experience

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Started on John Carper’s. Love the Donald Duck impersonations.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Swaylocks a little.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Swaylocks has a lot of info, but it’s not all great, but most is. I guess that’s the cost of an open forum. JC’s DVDs are great though.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? Which side of the logo paper to print on. One side printed crisp and the other side printed kinda blurred. I forget which one was best.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? The first board may not be the greatest but you can still surf it. Shape more and more and pretty soon you’ll pump out some great ones.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Planer for skinning the blank. Doing by hand takes forever and you risk gouging the foam when you get frustrated.

16. Where did you run into trouble? I don’t have calipers. Need calipers, it’s a pain to measure the thickness without calipers. The framing square is just too tedious and time consuming.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? FCS thruster setup

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yup, I always glass my own boards. Its kinda wimpy to shape and not glass it don’t you think?

Roots Surfboards by Brandon Davis

Customer Name: Brandon Davis

Brand name: Roots

How did you hear about us? Surfin the net for supplies

How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Smooth ordering on-line, was able to adjust my order when I needed to add some things last minute.

Why did you want to build your own board? Wanted a quad fish with a retro vibe and just couldn’t swing the money for what I wanted. Also I’ve always been a DIY kinda guy and thought that it would deepen my connection with surfing in the grand scheme of things

Shape of finished board: Retro Skinny Fish

Size of finished board: Length 5’11” Nose 17.5” Width 21” Tail 16.5” Thickness 2 7/8”

What blank did you use? 61HTM Bennett Foam blank.

How was your board building experience? Intense it was a lot like sculpture design or pottery where it’s a multistep process that takes shape and becomes your vision as you go.

Did you use videos, books, web, other? DVD’s; You Tube; Local Shop; Foam E-Z

What videos, books, web, other did you use? Shaping 101, Futures Install DVD, art of Design book.

Do you recommend these resources? Absolutely, the more info and ideas/viewpoints you can get the better.

What do you wish you knew going into this project? More trick tips on cleaner lap lines, resin tinting, fabric inlay, methods for perfecting concave design.

What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? DON’T RUSH!

What tools did you find most useful? Microblades replacement blades saved time on the blank and finish sanding, good sharp trim plane, power sander, Futures Install Jig/Kit.

Where did you run into trouble? Cutting in my concave for evenness was a battle. I finally got it but there’s gotta be a methodical approach rather than “eyeing it”.

What kind of fin system did you use? FUTURES, the install kit I got from Foam E-Z was badass!!! Simplified things immensely and was easy to use right outta the box.

Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes I did glass the board it was my second board I’ve ever done and it was better than the first. For your first I was told to not mess with resin tints and pigments which was great advice because it allowed me to focus more on laps and clean lines. For this board I jumped up to the plate and did a Paisley fabric inlay on the deck and green resin tint to put some pop in the overall look. I tried to lay the tint uneven to give the appearance of water color paintings- came out awesome still need to work on perfecting concaves and lap lines. The biggest thing I can say to first time shaper/glasser is; TAKE YOUR TIME AND IT WILL SHINE THRU IN THE END!!!!!