Board 15
The Ireland "How To" Class
(above) May 5-6-7 2007
(above) Where...???...
(above) The workshop was held in Doolin, Ireland...
A small coastal village on the Atlantic…
This is what you see as you look out the community hall window where I’m leading the course…
Typical stuff you see every mile or two…
(above) This break is about a mile away from the "classroom"...
(above) This spot is also just a few minutes away...
Just the tip of the iceberg, believe me...!!!...
(above) Seventeen of Ireland’s keenest signed up for the workshop…
(above) Their ages ranged from 14 to 44…
Experience levels were from “So that's a surfboard ?” to “I’ve shaped over 150 boards”…
(above) The process of building a board is fairly logical...
Here I slip in for a second to lay out the next step…
(above) The class was definitely “hands on”…
(above) Paul helping Paul, or was it the other way around…???...
(above) Ben, the guy who organized the workshop,
and I talk about how quick they are to understand the process…
Show them how, and get out of the way…
(above) Can you tell that I like it ‘ere…???...
(above) You just know they all see this as “their board”…
How easy is it to teach anyone something when they have that attitude…???...
Ridiculously easy…
(above) I couldn’t keep them off it for a second…
(above) Trim that deck skin...!!!...
(above) Everyone helped each other and worked so well together...
(above) This picture really reflects the whole vibe level of the class…
(above) Conor was a non-surfer but a master cabinetmaker who was looking for a challenging project…
He brought along his contact cement sprayer, which saved a ton of time
and allowed the whole board to be fully assembled…
(above) Martin gets a chance to feel what it's like to shape a rail...
(above) Ben fine tunes the nose…The fast hands of a master…
(above) Three days from the start, it’s ready to be final shaped, but the class is now officially over…
We got a lot further than I expected, considering it takes me about thirty hours to get to this point…
Our class was “in session” for less than eighteen hours…
It’s not as light as one of mine, but that wasn’t this year's goal…
Looking at this final result, I think they understand the process…
(above) They were all pretty proud of their result…
They have good reason to be…!!!...
(above) Well done lads, well done…See you all next year…!!!...
Everyone said they’ll be back and bring some friends…I can’t wait…!!!...
For more information about next year's class in Ireland,
contact Ben at: bensboats@gmail.com
If you want a workshop in your area,
contact me at: hollowsurfboards@comcast.net
Page updated: 5-16-07