Meeting the legend himself!

Whilst on a quick trip down the coast with my beautiful wife, we stopped in at Noosa Longboards.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the one and only Tom Wegener. He is an absolute legend and amazing shaper. He is such a humble and genuine bloke.

Tom lent me one of his new "Corky" Alaias. This one was one of the early prototypes and had been rebuilt several times. The flex in this board was incredible! According to Tom this flex is what allows the board to really hold into the wave. I have built dozens of alaias and alia hybrids but surfing a truly finless board backside has been really challenging.

It just so happened that Granite's was pumping this day. There were probably 40 surfers out there and getting a wave was a bit of challenge.

I couldn't believe how easy these boards are to paddle!  After a long wait on the inside, I realised I'd have to take off right out at the heavier peak if I wanted to get a wave. Hesitantly I took off on my first wave and not surprisingly got worked. Determined to snag one of these near perfect waves, I paddled back out and took the next wave that came my way. I took off a little earlier, I set my line with my right hand dragging and I was blown away by the how well this board held in the pocket. The board flew down the line and I struggled to pull it back in as we raced out onto the shoulder.





















Three waves later I was totally hooked. I'm totally sold on the cork alaia concept. I'm also super excited to get back into building some more boards. Massive thanks to Tom! What a genius!

New Woody Needs a name...

Just completed (almost) this super fun and fast little hollow twinzer. She is made out of Paulownia and locally harvested Agave. Rolled spoon flowing into a single concave with chined rails. She is really quick down the line and flows beautifully through her turns. 

She really needs a name so shoot me your ideas.

Recycled Arc Tail Fish

So you may remember a lovely little single fin called "Merluza" that was made from solid Balsa and Red Cedar. She was a great looking board and a lot of fun when the waves were hollow, clean and packed a punch. On less than ideal days, Merluza was not the right board.

So I made a very hard decision to reclaim the balsa blank and remodel that single fin into something that would work in a wider variety of waves. This is the end product - the Salmon - inspired by some of Tomo's tail designs combined with a tri-planing Alaia hull this little (5'7") twin fin should be a lot of fun. My idea was that I wanted something that would "light up" on the bigger days when the alaia was out of the equation. I made a similar alaia hybrid back in 2011 that was just phenomenal in solid surf, but it lacked buoyancy and responsiveness in smaller surf. So this board was hollowed out (using a honeycomb structure) and enclosed in 6mm paulownia shell.

There is no doubt this board is heavier than I would like, if I make another I will definitely look to drop the weight substantially. That being said, surfing here in the Southwest Coast of Victoria we are blessed with an abundance of swell and are exposed to the raw Southern Ocean power and a bit of extra weight in the board will be hardly noticed.

I give you a ride report when I get an opportunity to really test her out.

Job's New Balsa Single Fin

It has months in the making, but finally Job's single fin is all but ready for her maiden voyage.

Job is starting out on his surfing journey and wanted to help build a board that would be easy to surf but also able to match is growing abilities. Over several late nights and many days of sanding and shaping out little lumps and bumps this sleek and simple single fin was born.

We settled on a single fin for a number of reasons. One is that the width and softer rails are forgiving. Single Fins are also a surf coach in and of themselves, they teach you to read the wave, to really see when and where there are opportunities for certain turns. Single fins help you to draw clean lines and stay with the power source of the wave.

The beauty of solid balsa boards is that they can be reshaped. We were able to keep a fairly full outline and profile, meaning that if in time Job outgrows this board, we can reshape and refine it to suit. 

Thanks again to Ochroma for a wonderful product.

Stay tuned for a ride a report.

2014 Pricing for Mini Simmons, Fish, Alaias and Hybrids

Hi All,

As there have been a few queries coming through on prices for boards. I thought I'd post a bit of a guide for anyone interested in a Kiri Surfboard in 2014.

Alaias are still the most affordable timber board going.
For a standard Alaia up 6"4' with a square, round or swallow tail we can build them for $329
For an Alaia Hybrid  - King George or Flounder models up 6"2' -  $389
And for the Kiri Surfcraft Alaia/Mini Simmons Hybrid 6"1' X 19' with fcs plugs prices start from $425

Mini Simmons and Fish vary a lot on the finish you are looking for and also the type of wood you would like your board built out of.

The solid recycled balsa boards finished with lanolin based sealer are the most affordable at around the $800 mark. If you prefer a chambered paulownia board the prices will go up about another $200. If you prefer to have your board glassed, we can send it to a glasser in Torquay who will charge another $350.

I hope that gives you a bit of an idea of the price for a timber board, but it will vary on board size, timber type etc...

Please feel free to email any questions through to
kirisurfcraftinfo@gmail.com

or call

0417 106 480


Cheers

Kiri Surfcraft - King George Promo Clip - Mini Simmons mixed with an Alaia

Kiri Surfcraft's original shape - the King George is a harmonious blend of the traditional alaia and a Mini Simmons. It retains all the speed, glide, flex and feeling of an alaia and combines that with more stability, makes it easier to ride and gives you a bit more hold in critical sections.

This is a beautiful board that you will enjoy in almost any conditions your local may throw at you.

Order yours today by emailing kirisurfcraftinfo@gmail.com or give James a call on 0417 106 480. Prices start at $425 plus shipping.

Summer is coming - Get an Alaia - Alaia from $329 and Simmons / Alaia Hybrids from $425

Checking the forcasts and I've got a week of small surf and onshore winds coming my way. Summer seems to be on its way...



















3 years ago I wouldn't have bothered going out knowing I'd just get frustrated trying to surf weak mushy onshore waves.

My prespective on surfing totally changed when I really got into riding alaias. All of a sudden a knee high peak started to look enticing. Even on the smallest and weakest swells, with an alaia I know I will score some great rides.

Here is Tim, riding a King George Alaia Hybrid with mini keels on tiny waves at Lorne Point. This model is much easier to ride than a regular alaia - this was only Tim's second wave on his new board.

For those of you who haven't got an alaia in the quiver you really are missing out. You might not surf it every day, or if you are like me it will be your go to board for just about everythng, but when the waves are small there is nothing better.

If you would like your own alaia or alaia hybrid our prices are:

Standard Alaia up 6"4' with a square, round or swallow tail is $329
For an Alaia Hybrid  - King George or Flounder models up 6"2' is $389
For an Alaia/Mini Simmons Hybrid 6"1' X 19' with fcs plugs prices start from $425
  - Please note prices on paulownia can vary greatly acording to demand and supply, as such our prices do change as well so please email to confirm a quote.

If you are looking for a fast fun eco friendly wooden fish call James on 0417 106 480 to discuss making a custom board.

Derrick's Single - Korduroy Specials

Super cool - little Single Fin Clip!

Balsa Singlefin - Smooth and Sleek - The Merluza

The Merluza -

I've just finished this solid balsa and red cedar singlefin, I've named Merluza after a beautiful sleek and fast Chilean Fish. I designed this tri-planning hull 6 ft Singlefin for long peeling solid waves.

Her maiden voyage was an absolute joy for me, you can really drive through your bottom turns and set clean high lines. Effortless speed down the line, just let the board and the waves do the work for you.

Stay posted for some more photos and maybe a vid down the track.

For more info send me a message!

Big thanks to Ochroma Surfboards for supplying this recycled balsa - really high quality product and easy to work with! Check em out at: http://ochroma.com.au/

Loving working with Balsa

Hi All,

Sorry for the lack of cool and exciting posts of late, but I have just been really flat out with work. Upside is I've been working with some beautiful balsa for Ochroma Surfboards in South Oz. The timber is all reclaimed and recycled and is a joy to work with.

Boards are comimg together really well and I can't wait to get the 6'1 single fin in the water for a test ride!

If you are interested in getting a balsa board or any other hollow or solid board for summer let me know!

Enjoy the waves!

James

Balsa boards now a much more affordable option!

I have been dreaming of building a balsa board for some time now, but the price has always held me back.

All that has changed now with some very afforable reclaimed balsa from Ochroma in South OZ.

Check em out at Ochroma.com.au

Looking forward to building some balsa boards soon!

Great little clip on Geoff and his Dovetail Surfboards and the Upcoming Wooden Board Day - Wood is Good!

Freezing wind, lashing rain storms - but this board still blows my mind

This morning's surf was cold. It was 7 degrees outside, but with the wind chill it felt like -5...

It rained and hailed horizontally. The normally very cold water felt warm compared to the open air. The swell was a long range winter swell pulsing in from the South West.

I found a nice left left bank that not surpirsingly was deserted in the early dawn grey. Paddling out with the rain stinging the back of my neck and an icecream headache after duck diving every wave, I questioned whether this was such a good idea.

Three waves later I was blissfully unaware of the cold freezing wind, or the horrizontal hail lost completely in the unique euphoria that only a good surf can bring.

My intention was to test the Flounder in some decent waves, well I achieved that, the set waves were overhead and were wrapping perfectly around and unloading on the shallow bank. The Flounder performed exceptionally well. By far the best board I have shaped to date. Its speed is fantastic, I am yet to discover the limitations of its hold in hollow waves and its control through turns is good. I love this shape.

I'm planning to do another batch of boards at the end of this month. If you are interested shoot me an email.

Cheers
James

Ride Report for the Flounder

Disclaimer: It had been over a week since my last surf – so I was stoked just to be in the water. It was a perfect day for alaias – head high, glassy, hollow and fast peeling waves. I have been dreaming about this board and how it would work for months and I had visualised every line I could ever hope to draw on a wave long before I ever paddled it out.

     

But seriously it was SUPER fun! I didn’t really have too many opportunities to test it on my backhand (I struggle on my backhand with alaias, in fact I normally choose to ride rights on my knees), but for the couple of rights that I did get, I was happy to be able to take off and hold a line and even pull a little floater.

On my forehand it was crazy good. The Flounder held its line so well, had heaps of speed and glide and doing the LaLa (a kinda vertical climb and slide in the pocket of the wave) was a lot easier to control.

All my freshly oiled boards tend to feel fast at first and this was no exception, but this board also felt different, the hold and control through the bottom turn as I set my line was not something I had felt before.

On my third wave despite my best efforts to paddle wide, when I took off I was still about 12 ft behind the peak, but it was a small day with long waits between sets so I thought I’d have a go. I took off fairly early and immediately pulled the Flounder into trim setting a fairly high line angling down just a touch. The lip hadn’t quite folded over as I approached the peak. Just as the Flounder reached the bottom of the wave and I straightened up, the lip folder over my head and for the next few moments I was locked into a perfect little barrel travelling really fast and really smooth across the glassy wave. These moments are rare in my surfing life, and tragically I often slip out at this point on the traditional alaias, but not with the Flounder, this time the Flounder held its line perfectly and even seemed to accelerate as I tried to pull up the wave a little. It was all over in another second or two as the close out section approached I tried to squeeze out at the last minute as the wave crunched shut. I lost it at the last moment getting clipped, but I had all that I needed. This strange looking board worked even better than I had expected.  

If anyone is interested in testing or ordering a board – shoot me an email. Costs vary on what you are looking for:

Standard alaia starts at $325 AUD

A hybrid alaia with mini keels starts at $375 AUD

A hollow fish or funboard can be estimated upon requested.

Kiri Surfcraft Introduction

Flounder - New asymmetric alaia hybrid almost ready to ride...

New design taking shape. Called the Flounder this is one strange fish. Should be a blast to ride though.

The Flounder is inspired by Tom and John Wegener. It is a combination of my parabolic alaia, my traditional alaia and mini simmons hybrid. Here is the Flounder and its cousin the Alaia Hybrid. Both about to be branded and oiled.

Love to hear your feedback on this one. I'll update with a ride report soon.

Cheers
James

Upcycled Board a Success!

Finally got to test my new old upcycled board today.

 Totally stoked!

 Its so fast. The paddle out was a bit harder than normal, but it catches waves early and absolutely flies down the line and loves hard carving turns, snaps are tricky as the board sticks right until the very last moment, but pretty sure I’ll get used to that soon enough.

 

So if you have an old thruster lying around be brave and cut it down. This cost me three bits of off cuts from my last alaia and some glue… totally worth it!

Up-Cycled Surfboard

What do you do with old thrusters that have seen better days?

This was a 6'3 NEV gifted to me by a good friend when I had snapped my last board and couldn't afford a new one. Probably a great board in its time, but after more than a decade of heavy use the tail had collapsed and the insanely curvy nose had sustained a few nicks and dings over the years.

I had a spare hour or two while waiting for the next load of timber to arrive so armed with some offcuts, resin, saw and sand paper I went to work to reinvigorate this old board and maybe give it a new lease on life.

Stay tuned for a ride report!

Fresh Ideas - Asymetrical alaia/simmons/fish? Maybe

So Kiri Surfcraft is getting a bit funky, a bit left of centre, a bit out there.

I have tried traditional, parabolic, hybrids and hollow alaias. They all have their place and work really well in certain waves, but this is where the frustration comes in, all I really want to surf day in day out is my alaia, but the surf down our way is normally big and heavy and not really suited to our regular alaias. The two biggest problems for me are hold on bigger hollow waves and nose diving on the hollow days. The former was overcome to some extent with the parabolic tails and mini keels, but they in turn exacerbated the nose diving.

So after some research and collaboration with a few other alaia shapers and surfers I've come up with an idea that might just work... I've called it the Flounder because it looks weird. There is a rough sketch below and photos to come once she is built and tested.

Hollow Alaia ticks all the boxes

Just as a quick follow up to the last ride report. The leaking joint was miniscule it took almost three weeks to dry out with no obvious leakage points. As I was not sure where the joins had leaked I stripped the board back and resealed it completely. It does not look perfect, which is a shame, but as it is a prototype fuctionality & performance (not looks) were the highest priority.

I took it out for its first session this morning since re-sealing it and I was again blown away by the speed this board has. Even on a relatively quick left hand bank the board was making sections easily. After a few waves I started to pull out a few spins and slides in between sections. Cut backs are still relatively tricky compared to my parabolic alaias and hybrids, but this board definately paddles better and has better speed. The reduced flex doesn't seem to effect the board's hold in the pocket or on steeper walls, but when its fat and slow the parabolic and hybrids are a better fit.

Any queries on the board just shoot me a email.

Cheers
James