That is a really good effort. I have surfed for years but making boards is really difficult. You obviously have a flair for it.
Thanks for the compliment! Strangely enough, I feel like I'm better at shaping right now than I am at surfing. I guess being an engineering student and growing up working on things helps with using tools. Also, the right tools are very important to do the shaping correctly. A power hand planer is a great tool to speed up the shaping, but isn't necessary. Beyond that, it's mostly just hand tools that are needed.
Do you surf up in Washington?! I lived up around Tacoma and Bremerton for a couple years. I made it out to Ocean Shores once in the middle of summer, and it was a bit cold out there! How is the surfing up in Washington anyway?
I grew up in Durban, South Africa so feel very fortunate that I had great, warm and uncrowded surf on tap. We just used to get our stuff stolen a lot while we were in the water. After that it is an unfair comparison but surfing in WA does my head in.
Firstly the prevailing wind is onshore so most of the coast is blown out most of the time. You get some good swell in winter but you have to wait for a high pressure to sit overhead and push the jetstream North but then that means freezing offshores. Wetsuit technology has become so much better but peeling your wetsuit off after a surf is just brutal.
Then there is the drive down. Topgraphically, if you live in Seattle you have a minimum drive of 2.5 hours because you have to head South to Olympia for an hour before heading for the coast. I have been skunked so many times after a long drive only to have the wind come up and blow the surf to shreds.
And...not forgetting the water temps. Ice cream headaches - just get used to them! I have learned to surf in a full suit with hood but t just isn't the same as paddling out in a pair of boardies and vest.
I think if you live near the coast - especially near the end of the Straits you can pick some good days but for us city dwellers it becomes a labor of love.
