Another good trip is on the books. Saw family and fulfilled as many orders as I could fit in.
watching the sunset from our humble vessel, Wren…
We have been methodically manifesting a way to continue working and visiting. So far so good. Thanks to everybody for the ongoing trust and support.
It looks like the crew at Custom Surf Glass/G&S, is shaping up to be all time. The quality of the work that they are performing is nothing short of astounding.
A big thank you to the entire crew for making me look good.
I will be back in the shaping room again this fall, once a few responsibilities are met back home.
Well the Feb/Mar trip was really good. Completed all my orders, and few for Bird’s Surf Shed. Special thanks to the Gordons and the amazing crew at Custom Surf Glass/G&S for making me look good. Also thanks to Bird’s Surf Shed, Stunning Foil, Greg Surf Company, Mitsven, and everyone else who continue to have faith in my shapes, and make it all possible.
We also got a good start on making our little vessel Wren our own. So more frequent trips are in the offing.
Looking forward to our next trip, likely May/June. I’ve got my order list started already, and also have lined up with Fins Unlimited to have fins produced.
Well things are shaping up for February and March. Boards from my fall ‘23 trip are all complete, and heading to their respective shops. In February I should have the time to shape for local stock and do customs for some folks. Please message me if you would like to be on the list.
I have also been making some hand shaped sidewalk surfers during my time here in the Midwest. These little suckers take some real time to produce, but sourcing local hardwood and shaping them has given me something rewarding to pursue while here, and skating them around the neighborhood does an old skater’s soul good. All of them so far are spoken for, but hopefully I’ll get a few more together soon.
hillbilly hullmalibu/sd hullmalibu/sd hull and an HPHcolor palette from a collection of ‘50s Eames chairshillbilly hull
Both! My wife Karen and I have spent years massaging our life to include time in both the mountains and the beach. While not exactly the yin and yang of geography, each provides different nourishment for our souls and bodies. Admittedly, Karen favors the mountains to some extent, myself the beach, but we both would hate to have to choose one or the other, and each of us could likely be happy in either. But why choose when you don’t have to. Our modified hobo existence allows for both! And just as importantly, we are blessed with a solid home base to return to when we just need to settle in, and be able to walk to our favorite coffee shop, do some baking or herbal magic for friends, and get to our yoga classes at the Y. Fortunate indeed
Holly, CO Moabmorning ritualthe set uproad realitiesquiet stopsKansasRed Rock Canyon S.P.living room for the eveningthe commuteroad buddies
Broke the ice yesterday with an 8’07” garbage picker. Looking forward to a long busy stay in San Diego, using the room at G&S, and having Custom Surf Glass finish my shapes. It’s always a pleasure being there and soaking up all of the history and knowledge.
Happy to have had a successful trip, and now back and settling in. Eighteen shapes in about 21 days. A long commute and fitting in between a busy shaping room schedule made it feel like a lot, but with the help of Debbie and Eric Gordon, and the entire crew at Custom Surf Glass/G&S, I was able to complete everything I had orders for and a few for stock. Check out Bird’s Surf Shed, and Pastel Surf Shop for new mast surfboards in the near future. Thanks go out to my local friends who ordered boards, as well as Greg Surf Company in Osaka, who has supported me for several years. Also gratitude for my new friends from Tokyo. Stay tuned for new developments there.
for Greg Surf Corail bandsasymmetric for Koichi experimental asymnew friend/new shapetools of the trade
Well we have made it to San Diego. Thank you to all the family and friends along the way for making it such a great trip so far.
Stopped by Mitch’s North on the way down to Custom Surf Glass/G&S, where I’ll be spending my time shaping. It’s a great feeling, knowing all of the good folks who help make it all happen. I am grateful to them all…
Well, my next work trip is shaping up (pun intended) for May ’23. The new (to us) Vanagon is being massaged and readied. Orders are starting to pile up, and Karen and I are beginning to get excited.
If you are interested in a mast surfboards shape, please contact me at knsmast@gmail.com
The second board I ever shaped was 9’01”, and became one of my most popular design threads, the EDB, or every day board. I based it on several boards I had been surfing and studying, including what I believe was a Slingerland shaped Caster branded 9’02”, and the boards that Larry Gordon was still providing to friends at Tourmaline. None of the boards that appealed to me would be considered “logs”, but in my mind were evolved single fin designs in the nine foot range. The templates were middle of the road, understated yet elegant. I then mixed in a bit of the Frye-ish bottom contours that Tom Connelly had so generously opened my eyes to. In fact, all of the older crowd at Tourmaline, including Larry Gordon, Black Mac, Bud Caldwell, etc. were supremely generous with their knowledge and aloha spirit. The fact is, that I was really just trying to shape a board for myself, for that particular spot (and more generally San Diego). I also could not afford a quiver at the time, so I needed a board that would work for me every day in the relatively mellow conditions I still prefer. So the EDB.
The first EDBs were diamond tail, for no other reason than they looked cool, and kind of split the difference between square and round pin. I went on to offer everything from diamond tails to round pin winter versions, eventually settling into a thumb type round squash stolen from a Frye Thinman owned by Island Mike that I had been admiring.
EDB diamond+
Most recently, I did a diamond tail, his second, for my friend Aaron at Pastel Surf Co. He requested that I push the tail width out a bit. Feedback from him may lead me to push the tail out on a more regular basis. The exception would of course be for the more winter oriented versions.
EDB winter pin w/Cherry finEDB rnd pin
Either way, the EDB (every day board) is my effort to provide a decent “surfboard”, not a longboard, not a shortboard, just a surfboard.I feel like the EDB fits in with where surfboards were heading before the shortboard revolution. A board that feels like the right choice in a variety of conditions from big Cliffs to small Tourmaline.
mast surfboards 