board#089: mini-gun for the YMCA

my 7 year old daughter with the board donated
to the YMCA Dance Department

Dimensions: 6'8 x 19 1/2 x 2 5/8
[shaped in July 2015, completed in March 2016]

The story: it happens that I don't get enough coffee when tracing my outline and I end up cutting a board with the wrong dimensions. This one is the perfect example. I was supposed to make a shortboard for Paul  when I totally got the widest point wrong (from very far). I didn't noticed until I was done... I am like "wait a minute... that shortboard looks like a mini-gun to me !!!..." Of course, I reshaped one for Paul with the right wideness [see his actual board here] but I keep this shaped blank in the corner of my shaping room. Juts in case. And almost a year later, that board found an owner. The YMCA Dance department (where my daughter dances) was having an end-of-the-year performance with the Endless Summer theme... I suggested I could donate a special board for the occasion. This is how that old shaped blank was back into business!

The shape: The shape was a classic shortboard shape which ended-up a mini-gun due to an outline mistake. I accentuated the pintail to make it even more  a big wave board. The final result was so cool that my husband wanted to keep it !!! Too late, it is for the YMCA!

The artwork: The Endless Summer theme was of course a requirement. It was an easy one for me as I had done a couple of similar artworks in the past: one on a real Robert August longboard [click here] and a replica on one of my shapes [board#018]. I suggested that the famous silhouette should be a dancer for the occasion. This was printed on rice paper by Boardlams while I painted the board with the orange/pink famous color combo. 

The beautiful glass was performed by Global Glassing in Oceanside.

The testimonial:  Because the Dance Department was raffling it, it was on display in the YMCA lobby for a couple weeks before the drawing. There were even some posters made for the occasion ! The board went to a photoshoot with the dance team. This board became the "star" of the YMCA for a while !!! A lot of my friends bought some tickets as well as my husband who wanted it back :) First the tickets could only be purchased in person but they had to open it up to phone purchasing as it was so popular! I was super stoked! Then, it was the big day of the performance. The whole Dance Department did a terrific job on the show. The kids were amazing on stage. At the very end, the board came on stage for the raffle drawing. I was called on stage too... Most of the people in the audience had bought some tickets so the whole place went quiet when my daughter dove her head in the ticket jar... And the winner is.... a woman named Andrea who bought 200 tickets!!! She was not in the audience but I got to meet her in person later this month and she was stoked: the board is now in display in her living room until her husband gets the permission to  take it in the water. I hope this happens because like all Mere-Made Surfboards she is made for the Ocean!

this poster, for sure, landed on the wall of my shaping room!

Photo by Rob Randolph

... and the winner is...

board#068: mini-gun for Vincent

Dimensions: 6'2 x 18 x 2 1/8
[completed in October 2014]
Model Vavit

The story: In 2010 I was shaping a mini-gun for Vincent which displayed all the authentic signatures of the Switchfoot band members (click here to see board#010). It was a real collector as the band got to see it at the Switchfoot Bro-Am and I got interviewed on the spot by John Foreman himself !!! But most of all, it was a very nice shape. So nice that Vincent took it to his Fiji surf trip but it never returned home. The board broke and, of course, the part with the autographs got lost at sea…
In 2014 and 58 boards later, I shaped Vincent another one.

The shape: I got to use a Clark foam blank I  found at Mitch's in Solana Beach. Same shape except I was 58 board more experienced when I shaped this one. It probably took me 1/4 of the time I spent on the first one.

The artwork: Vincent's keywords for his board were: "color + fast vibe" which I translated into a "Ferrari red + race car stripes". The logos are matching the white stripes. The ultralight glass was done at Global Glassing.

The testimonial: Vincent picked that board for our trip on the North Shore. And he surfed it there. That means a lot. Also I got a very special guest giving his opinion on this board: master shaper Eric Arakawa himself looked at it and give me some very positive feed-back, with a bit of criticism too to make me improve (see when I met Eric here)!
Yep, that board, like her previous version, is very special again.

removing tape after spray painting is sooooo cool

About to be judged by one of the best (if not the best) shapers in the world!

board#037: mini-gun for Vincent

Blacks Beach… where else to try out a mini-gun?

dimensions: 6'5 x 18 3/8 x 2 3/16
[completed in February 2014]

The story: Last year Vincent went to Fiji with 3 Mere-Made Surfboards (see his amazing trip here). Only two came back... He snapped the Switchfoot board in two pieces on the last day. It was very dear to my heart as all the whole band, my favorite band, had autographed it. Winter 2014 was coming to California and with it the big swells which would require big boards. Also I just shaped a mini-gun for two of Vincent 's friends (mini-gun for Sylvain / mini-gun for Mark) and a mini-gun was all Vincent was thinking about! 

The shape: I worked from a Eric Arakawa's shape I had seen. The best shapers always inspire me as I regularly fall in love with their outlines. This board was my first shape after my little stay-shape-camp at  the SWOP factory during Christmas. Every time, it is a like a milestone of my learning curve: I am so re-energized and ready to apply all I just learnt. 

The artwork: not really one… I had an hour to spray some colors on the board. Better than all white! Glassing was done at Global Glassing: light, light, light.

Photos at Blacks: David Charbonnel.

board#037 came right on time for Valentine's day…
not really on purpose but it made its effect!

beautiful scenery

board#035: mini-gun for Sylvain

Sylvain and his 35th birthday's gift
 (although he turns 35 in more than a year)

Dimensions: 6'7 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/2
[completed on December 2013]

The story: when I started to shape, 3 years ago, I joked with my friend Sylvain that I would shape him Board#035 for his 35th birthday… At that time, I thought that #035 would not come before a long time. The fact is that, even though Sylvain only turned 34 this year, I was getting close to board#35… A promise is a promise! Plus, the timing was perfect as I was getting ready to spend some time in France (where Sylvain lives!). I reached out to David Charbonnel at SWOP Surfboards and asked him if I could borrow his shaping room while he would be on a slower production mode during the Xmas break. He kindly accepted and volunteered for the glass job. This board was meant to be!

The shape: Sylvain likes to surf big waves in the Basque Country (France). When I say "big", I mean "huge" (see pictures). His quiver displays serious guns including a 9'0 custom Christensen gun. He also short boards when smaller but he was missing a board for intermediate size waves. Digging in SWOP template and with some suggestions from David, I made that mini-gun without pressure, just the fun of being in France shaping a board for a very good friend under the supervision of very good friend.

The artwork: Sylvain told me he liked geometric modern artwork. He also said he would trust my tastes and creativity… Glad he give me carte blanche on that artwork because I had only a couple of hours to pull that one out. That afternoon I played with masking tape, colors and the spray gun like I was in a playground.

The state-of-the-art glassing was done by SWOP in a record time (Thank you so much David!) so that I can deliver the board to Sylvain when I was visiting him few days after. And you know what Sylvain  said ??? "Can I get another one for my 40th birthday??!!!"

searching for curves

always a special moment when it comes to sign the board

Glassing by SWOP

observing David from the heater (it was freezing!!!)

Sylvain posing with my daughter…
or maybe the opposite