Wooden surfboard workshop: hollow wooden fish

Wooden surfboard workshop: Hollow wooden fish

The five-day wooden surfboard workshop to make your own hollow wooden fish includes all materials, tool usage, tuition and assistance and final glassing and finishing of your surfboard after your workshop. In building your surfboard you’ll learn about the different types of timber, the environmental aspects of wooden surfboards, the history of wooden surfboards, and design dynamics like rocker, rails and fin configurations. DIY or woodworking experience is not essential, and expert help is on hand to assist whenever necessary. Both ladies and gents are welcome. This is a practical, hands-on workshop held with the idea that you actually make the surfboard yourself rather than watch someone else make it, so it goes without saying that you must be prepared to do the work.

WOOD CHOICE

Once booked, you will choose from a range of available woods and patterning. Once your selection has been made, we will source, hand-select and prepare your wood in readiness for the first day of your workshop.

ABOUT YOUR WORKSHOP HOST

Your workshop is hosted by Patrick Burnett, who has 15 years of experience in making wooden surfboards and has been running wooden surfboard workshops since 2013. His hollow wooden surfboard workshop is the longest running in South Africa and one of the longest running globally.

WORKSHOP VENUE

All workshops, unless otherwise arranged, will take place in Scarborough. My workshop is on the property of Good Hope Gardens Nursery on the edge of the Cape Point Nature Reserve. It’s a stunning natural environment surrounded by mountains and wild vegetation, and close to the best surf spots the Cape Peninsula has to offer. It’s a peaceful and relaxing environment to work and build surfboards. The Cape Point area of Cape Town is at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent. It’s wild natural scenery, open spaces, dramatic mountains and spectacular coastline make it one of Cape Town’s most beautiful areas. It’s sometimes hard to imagine that central Cape Town is only 40km away.

CUSTOMISATIONS

Typically the hollow wooden fish comes in at 6′ in length. There is also a shorter version which comes in at 5′.6″. Reasonable customisations to length, volume and other design aspects can be accommodated so please make your needs known.

FINS: Twin keel glass-ons or twin Future fin boxes. Removable fins are not included in the price.

TIMES: 9am-5pm, sometimes shorter depending on how fast or slow you work. For longer boards, days might run longer.

GLASSING: Wooden surfboards need to be glassed with epoxy resin and sanded to a smooth finish. This is a time consuming and particular process which takes place after your workshop.It will take 10-14 days unless otherwise arranged. Please inform us if you require onward shipping to your home address so that we can arrange for a quote on shipping costs.

More information is available on the workshops page of this website.