Albi and I had been discussing how long we could build a skateboard... and how many people could feasibly ride it all at once. I had been eyeing up the old scaffold plank being used as a bookshelf in the garage for a while. One rainy October day, Albi and I removed the books and got to work shaping up the 11ft monster.
The board was shaped entirely with an electric plane. It didn't take long at all, the shape emerged as we went. I took the wheels from my hill bomber and Aaron kindly donated his extra wide trucks. Thanks to Nick Lloyd at J's Skatestore for supplying the extra long bolts!
It is downhill all the way to the pub.. so that, naturally, was our first outing. We set off four of us aboard... quickly becoming three as I bailed early as we started to pick up speed towards the blind bend nearing the graveyard. By the time we reached the pub.. only two had lasted the distance... the other running like children alongside.
The pub became the board's new home... we would leave it out the back by the beer barrels... and ride it relentlessly every evening after work. It wasn't long before we had locals and tourist alike bombing the hill. It was awesome, a communal board which everyone enjoyed riding.
However those night time rides were not to everyone's liking. After bombing the hill solo, a middle aged man, slightly balding and very angry, took objection to me and the board. A few words, several expletives and numerous hand gestures were exchanged before the guy revved his engine, ran over the board and sped off up the hill towards Cherry Tree Farm. The board suffered minor damage with a split in the tail... scaffold boards are seemingly indestructible. I have got the number plate written down somewhere...
The board lived a popular life.. until its demise on the 1st of November 2012. Over zealous house clearing, combined with a large fire in the garden led to Albi burning the board in a ceremonious goodbye.. to which I had no knowledge. I loved you big board.. I will see you again.. but not yet.. not yet.....
This was filmed on a borrowed Gopro. I think I had two runs before the battery died. Thanks to Sean for his editing.
Body Surfing is a Hawaiian past time that is often over looked here in the U.K. However, with the release of Keith Malloy's first film, 'Come Hell or High Water'... which focuses specifically on this naked art of body surfing.. there seem to be the green shoots of a renaissance occurring.
Having built myself a basic plane earlier this summer Ive been lucky enough to have some awesome rides on waves that a stand up surfer wouldn't bother getting wet for. It is strange to describe the feeling without actually going out and doing it yourself. The beauty of it is that you don't need any specialist equipment, therefore body surfing is so accessible.. and yet no one does it.
Part of me believes that the less people in the water the better... But who am I to say that? The ocean doesn't belong to me. It doesn't belong to anyone... it is a true definition of a 'Common'.. for everyone to plunder.
Body surfing doesn't look impressive... but neither does having a quick wank... the truth is.. it feels great... and that's all that matters. Your body is the surfboard.. there are no rails to dig, no fins to get lose. It is surfing in its most basic form.. and it is so good.
Traditionally you wouldn't wear a wetsuit, or even have a hand plane.. just a pair of fins, some speedos and a jazzy swimming hat. The old guy from the first video.. is the young guy in this video. Time and tide waits for no man.
At the beginning of the summer, having spent the evening body surfing, a lady approached me as i walked up the beach. She was so interested and had been watching from the shore. Her husband asked me about the hand plane I was using. When I told him I had built it.. he suggested I went on Dragon's Den... I didn't tell them I hadn't invented it.. and that the Hawaiians had been doing it for centuries... but it did give me an idea. Here is the basic plane i built myself.. works a dream.
I started to build handplanes to sell...
This one I made for the Nineplus Outlet in Braunton.
Yacht Varnish
Soldered inscription
Added a ratchet strap
Stocked in the store... stoked.
This one I made for Will Smith at Gulf Stream.
This one I made for an old Uni friend... Dave Compton.. A guy who snapped is ACL, snowboarding, having over shot the landing on what must be the biggest method air I've ever seen. That was in January 2011.. Since then he has skied in Morocco.. and has recently bought a motorbike... Turns out we have a lot in common. Sent him this hand plane to him in London... to get him in the water!
Yup.. Ive made three... there are others in the pipeline... I know for a fact that I'm never travelling without one. They are small and light... so buy one and go body surf!
