Honestly, been a good year for us. We've sold few boards, which is fine, and met many new people. Did some radical wood working to get more shape into our boards, built few cool fins and just had a great year.
We're getting hits from all over this world. Places like:
Pirmasens Germany
Lahore Pakistan
Épône, France
New Delhi India
Aarhus Denmark
and few spots here in our country: Talahassee and Saint Paul
So drop us an email and tell us where you surf.
Dan and Tom
BlindDogsurfboards@yahoo.com
Dec 31, 2011
Dec 18, 2011
Bird Rescue Lady - Mary Ellen Brunswick County NC
http://www.seabiscuitshelter.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Buscuit-Shelter/111697172200110
Update 12/19/11 (evening)
To live is to die, we all share those two experiences. What makes us all different is the time in between. This poor bird was heading some where and ended up some where completely different.
You and your family have a great holiday season.
Dan and Tom
Update 12/19/11 (early morning)
From Marry Ellen:
12/18/11
Those of you living here, put this number in your cell phone under Bird Rescue: 910 294 2555 Mary Ellen.
Twice this year I called Mary Ellen to help with bird rescue. First time was few months ago with a Pelecan that looked like it had broken wings, there is a know fisherman and crew who routinely break Pelecan wings because they get too close to there nets. I truly hope some day I see them doing this, Tom and I will really take care of them.
Second time was today. Chelsea (our dog) and I went back down to let her run and for me to check out the surf. Almost at the end of Tubbs Inlet was a bird that wasn't moving. Chelsea ran up to it and the bird was not letting Chelsea near her: it was a Loon, in Winter plumage. Never realized how big that bird is, proably around 10 pounds. It seem uninjuried but I called Mary Ellen and we agreed to meet near Shallotte.
Now a 23 pound surfboard is easy to carry, a 10 pound Loon who has very sharp serrated beak is another animal all together. Very soft neck and body, kind of cool to hold something like that in your arms.
Well the critter is safe with Mary Ellen and we're waiting to hear it's prognosses.
First picture is on the beach, second is in my Volvo heading to meet Mary Ellen:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Buscuit-Shelter/111697172200110
Update 12/19/11 (evening)
Your loon died this morning. I checked on it at 7 am and it was upright and blinked at me. At 7:30 it was dead. I suspect lead poisoning. It was an otherwise healthy, well muscled bird...just hadn't eaten in a day or two. No injuries either. If it had ingested a lead head type of lure ( happens a lot) he'd die in 48 hours.
Funny thing is: if he were shot with lead shot, he might live his normal life span but lead in the digestive tract is doom for them.
To live is to die, we all share those two experiences. What makes us all different is the time in between. This poor bird was heading some where and ended up some where completely different.
You and your family have a great holiday season.
Dan and Tom
Update 12/19/11 (early morning)
From Marry Ellen:
He weighed in at 8.8 lbs. The greenish look of his poop indicates bile...nothing in his gut so he's probably hungry and dehydrated. But the overall condition looks very good. These critters are difficult to rehab...stress can kill them.
I put your loon in a cushioned, heated kennel so he'd rest without any stress for a few hours. I checked him tonight and he's bright, alert and responsive. When I have a volunteer helper here in the morning, he'll be thoroughly examined. I will put him in a 6' livestock trough in 6-8 inches of warm water with a few fish. f he doesn't eat, I'll tube feed him.
12/18/11
Those of you living here, put this number in your cell phone under Bird Rescue: 910 294 2555 Mary Ellen.
Twice this year I called Mary Ellen to help with bird rescue. First time was few months ago with a Pelecan that looked like it had broken wings, there is a know fisherman and crew who routinely break Pelecan wings because they get too close to there nets. I truly hope some day I see them doing this, Tom and I will really take care of them.
Second time was today. Chelsea (our dog) and I went back down to let her run and for me to check out the surf. Almost at the end of Tubbs Inlet was a bird that wasn't moving. Chelsea ran up to it and the bird was not letting Chelsea near her: it was a Loon, in Winter plumage. Never realized how big that bird is, proably around 10 pounds. It seem uninjuried but I called Mary Ellen and we agreed to meet near Shallotte.
Now a 23 pound surfboard is easy to carry, a 10 pound Loon who has very sharp serrated beak is another animal all together. Very soft neck and body, kind of cool to hold something like that in your arms.
Well the critter is safe with Mary Ellen and we're waiting to hear it's prognosses.
First picture is on the beach, second is in my Volvo heading to meet Mary Ellen:
Dec 10, 2011
Sunset River Marketplace Art Gallery
UPDATE: December 29. Ginny at Sunset River Marketplace move our Fish to new, more visible location in her shop. If you look in the mirror...who do you see? :)
December 10
If you're passing through our area, they are very easy to find. http://www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com/
Nov 23, 2011
Good longboarding videos.
Not often one can find good longboarding video's on YouTube so check our Mike Clancy's body of work.
Nov 20, 2011
Making wood fins - Hatchet style
We've been using 9" Hatchet style fins for some time and really like the way they hold and allow for easy turning. Dan came across a 10.5" Hatchet and it works even better. Certainly there has to be some draw backs, probably too much bite for really swinging turns...don't know right now. Anyway, boredom struck and he started going through his wood pile.
Around 1985 he found a downed Sycamore tree, in a swamp that showed good potential for Spalting to develop. Spalting creates random black lines in wood. Rather rare, even more rare is to get large pieces and not to have the wood too decayed. Dan used pieces in furniture, drawer fronts and in places that would show off the beauty of Spalting wood.
So boredom, helped create some new fins for us to play with.
Rough Sycamore log
Inside with not much left to work with.
Scrap piece with nice figuring...something for the future
Putting on fin box blocks
Each fin has two layers of 4 oz with epoxy. Two more layers for fin box/wood joint.
Just finished three of these. Gave the best one to Tom, I have one and one for ??? We're hoping for surf to play with these tomorrow.
Around 1985 he found a downed Sycamore tree, in a swamp that showed good potential for Spalting to develop. Spalting creates random black lines in wood. Rather rare, even more rare is to get large pieces and not to have the wood too decayed. Dan used pieces in furniture, drawer fronts and in places that would show off the beauty of Spalting wood.
So boredom, helped create some new fins for us to play with.
Rough Sycamore log
Inside with not much left to work with.
Scrap piece with nice figuring...something for the future
Putting on fin box blocks
Each fin has two layers of 4 oz with epoxy. Two more layers for fin box/wood joint.
Just finished three of these. Gave the best one to Tom, I have one and one for ??? We're hoping for surf to play with these tomorrow.
Nov 13, 2011
Chris Crocker - December 4, 1973 -- November 5, 2011
On Sunday afternoon, Amy Crocker called to tell us Chris passed away on Saturday. He had a heart attack.
Now Chris is truly the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. He was a great father to Brittney and Jake, and loving husband to Amy. He was always kind to everyone, even if he didn't agree with their politics. At the beach, he often took a good handful of Jake's friends with him surfing - was like father duck leading his flock to water.
Chris was the kind of surfer who would go out in any of kind surf, I've seen him take off on waves that were impassable yet he'd surf it well. Of course Jake would be ripping up whatever came in. Chris could shape boards and recently finished one for Jake. He loved to hunt, fish, clam, just about anything outdoors. Last year he stopped over with good 20 pounds of clams from our area. Darn good eating.
Last few weeks Chris didn't feel well but just ignored traditional heart attack warning signs. Last Friday night, after going out to dinner with his family, he felt worse. On Saturday conditions were getting worse and Amy took him to emergency center at our local hospital. Chris died on the way there.
There were many good reasons for Chris to have lived to an old age but few for him to have died so early. Yet one comes to mind, us men can be stupidly stubborn humans and we think we are invincible. We are afraid to admit we have to ask for help like having to go to doctors, and we think we are super human. I know, there is a fine line between always asking for help or ignoring situations. I think that if someone says you need to see a doctor, then the symptoms must be showing enough for others to worry. So pay attention to what people say about your health.
Today we had a Paddle Out for Chris. In true Hawaiian tradition, his friends came from far and wide to pay there respects in our unique way. Eastern Surfing Association, our Southern NC chapter, folks came also: Mary Ann Mangiacapre, Amy Rose, and Jesse McCrery, thanks for coming down, along with a whole bunch of fellow surfers. Our weather was absolutely perfect. This was a perfect way to say good bye to Chris.
Here's photos from today. I'll edit some video and add it later.
Dan and Tom
Now Chris is truly the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. He was a great father to Brittney and Jake, and loving husband to Amy. He was always kind to everyone, even if he didn't agree with their politics. At the beach, he often took a good handful of Jake's friends with him surfing - was like father duck leading his flock to water.
Chris was the kind of surfer who would go out in any of kind surf, I've seen him take off on waves that were impassable yet he'd surf it well. Of course Jake would be ripping up whatever came in. Chris could shape boards and recently finished one for Jake. He loved to hunt, fish, clam, just about anything outdoors. Last year he stopped over with good 20 pounds of clams from our area. Darn good eating.
Last few weeks Chris didn't feel well but just ignored traditional heart attack warning signs. Last Friday night, after going out to dinner with his family, he felt worse. On Saturday conditions were getting worse and Amy took him to emergency center at our local hospital. Chris died on the way there.
There were many good reasons for Chris to have lived to an old age but few for him to have died so early. Yet one comes to mind, us men can be stupidly stubborn humans and we think we are invincible. We are afraid to admit we have to ask for help like having to go to doctors, and we think we are super human. I know, there is a fine line between always asking for help or ignoring situations. I think that if someone says you need to see a doctor, then the symptoms must be showing enough for others to worry. So pay attention to what people say about your health.
Today we had a Paddle Out for Chris. In true Hawaiian tradition, his friends came from far and wide to pay there respects in our unique way. Eastern Surfing Association, our Southern NC chapter, folks came also: Mary Ann Mangiacapre, Amy Rose, and Jesse McCrery, thanks for coming down, along with a whole bunch of fellow surfers. Our weather was absolutely perfect. This was a perfect way to say good bye to Chris.
Here's photos from today. I'll edit some video and add it later.
Dan and Tom
 |
| Jake next to Chris's board |
 |
| Chris's fellow surfers |
 |
| "Preacher" Terry saying few words before we paddle out. ( Rev. Dr. Terry Hans Johnson, Retired (PCUSA)) |
 |
| We all put flowers on Chris's board. |
 |
| Most of us told our favorite story about Chris, with Terry, Jake and Chris's board in the center. |
 |
| After each story about Chris, we splashed water and shouted his name. At the end, Preacher Terry gave a very nice prayer for Chris. |
 |
| Everyone heading in. |
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| Jake taking a wave in. |
  |
| Today's sunset from home. Like to think this was Chris's way of saying 'thanks for today'. Terry sent first sunset taken at Ocean Isle Beach is evening. |
Oct 18, 2011
7'5" Fish
Finished shaping this Walnut, Spruce, Cedar Fish. Going to be glassed with 4 oz on bottom and two 4 oz on top, with epoxy. Fins are Walnut. Probably come in around 11 pounds. Going to glass it shortly. If you're interested, give us an email.
Oct 15, 2011
Southport, NC Wooden Boat Show 2011
Oct 5, 2011
A Board For Myself
Hybrid Nose Rider is done. Now just need some waves to test drive her. Click on images to enlarge them.
Well my last 'personal stick' is gone and riding a Surftec 10'6" glider just doesn't cut it. Charlie got my personal stick, so time to make one for myself. It's a nose rider, 4" rear rocker and 2.5-3" front rocker. Concave under nose that tapers to a shallow V towards tail. Rails are pinched up from bottom deck and tapered quickly down on top. Since there is no way to put a 1/4" sq chine around the ribs, it is replaced with two 1/4" upper rib braces near center spar. PITA to get it all lined up to avoid frame warping. Also, try to get 3/16" decking to bend into concave - not easy. Ended up using a chair seat plane I made years ago for set of Windsor Chairs.Our regular wood boards use 3/4" rail (3 of them) that start at bottom deck and go up along the ribs. This one, because of how pinched the rails are, takes 4 rails to make the same bend. Some make large fat noses, I'm staying with our traditional round that is slightly smaller. I think it makes for easier wave catching in hard off-shore windy days. Bottom deck is book matched spruce and top is western cedar and spruce. I've been saving a really sweet set of spruce that has red fungus/mineral stains in it. Looks very interesting. Hope to glass next week.
Sep 26, 2011
Charlie on his new, used Longboard Dog
As Charlie said, "somewhere slightly north of Topsail Beach, NC." Taken 9-26-2011
Sep 11, 2011
Our Obi-Wan Kenobi - Dennis Hansen
Dan, Dennis, and Tom
Dennis taught us how to build wooden surfboards. He put up with our endless questions about how to bend a particular strip of wood, funny little tweeks that give just the right kind of planking tightness, rail designs, stuff that is impossible from just reading.
He was heading to Outer Banks and traveling with his girlfriend, and really sweet Pit Bull (yeah I know...but I must say, this one, a rescue dog, was just really sweet). Dennis said he would like to hook up with us and did, over at OIB Surf Off today. We took him over to Tubbs Inlet from Sunset Beach side for a session. He rode Tom's foam Nose Rider, Tom and I woodies. While the surf wasn't great, we did get some long rides and saw lots of Blues (fish) running under us. Problem was we couldn't see what was chasing them, nor did we really want to see/know what was down there.
Just getting out from session at Tubbs Inlet.
Dennis talking about
board building.
Dennis showing us proper rail layout for his new nose rider design. Rather complicated and Dennis said it really changes how to foil for nose riding.
Dennis taught us how to build wooden surfboards. He put up with our endless questions about how to bend a particular strip of wood, funny little tweeks that give just the right kind of planking tightness, rail designs, stuff that is impossible from just reading.
He was heading to Outer Banks and traveling with his girlfriend, and really sweet Pit Bull (yeah I know...but I must say, this one, a rescue dog, was just really sweet). Dennis said he would like to hook up with us and did, over at OIB Surf Off today. We took him over to Tubbs Inlet from Sunset Beach side for a session. He rode Tom's foam Nose Rider, Tom and I woodies. While the surf wasn't great, we did get some long rides and saw lots of Blues (fish) running under us. Problem was we couldn't see what was chasing them, nor did we really want to see/know what was down there.
Just getting out from session at Tubbs Inlet.
Dennis talking about
board building.
Dennis showing us proper rail layout for his new nose rider design. Rather complicated and Dennis said it really changes how to foil for nose riding.
Ocean Isle Beach Surf Contest 9-11-11
Tom surfing his Blind Dog foam, Nose Rider with an FCS Hatchett Fin. Was a small, off-shore, glassy morning. Tom took Second in his group, Masters Long Board.Dan on 9'8" Blind Dog woody Long Board. He also uses the same Hatchett fin. Seems to give just enough looseness and yet still bite for nose riding. He took second in Legends Long Board.
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