Kauri/Paulownia 10'6" 'Hotcurl'

Dimensions are 10'6" by 27" by 2". This million dollar surfboard is a commission using 150 year old, second generation New Zealand Kauri harvested in the Coromandel. Kauri is a revered timber for its beauty and even density. It grows into huge straight logs given plenty of time. Pictures of loggers in the old days show one log filling an entire railway carriage . That particular tree must have been thousands of years old.
Conservation of Kauri did not start until the first world war, when the 'public' realised that the beautiful Kauri forests were rapidly dwindling to small pockets in nearly inaccessible sites. . The timber I am using here came from a regrowth log felled by a storm. There was a massive crack up the middle of the slab  By milling the slab into the pieces you see here I was able to salvage good clean timber from around this crack.

I had the slab milled to 4 mm on a new machine at a joinery business down the road.

Sorting through the stack.

I soon had a panel with a slight diagonal grain direction .

A peek at the interior of the board. These Paulownia panels take longer to lay up.Each piece is cut individually, 

The first lamination is eased into place and rests there for 48 hours before applying the epoxy. 

Note the other panels waiting in the background 

Ah , the parallel profile aficionado will recognise a 'quick trick brick stack'

A ton of bricks is lifted into place. This process is reversed the next day only to add another panel and replace the bricks. I am busy clamping the extra kick in the nose.

Ta-daah.

I first built a Hotcurl design  in 1999 . This board will be the fourth version. I adjusted the nose slightly and smoothed the rail line to an even curve from where I am holding the board  approximately .

I always like seeing this angle in photos . The plank lines give a visually exciting movement to the design.

Please check back for finishing pics. The Kauri will 'pop' magnificently.

Also check out the million dollar ride which was the previous version of this model.
The archive suitcase of photos yielded this snap of the 2000 version.
When I first thought about the concept in 1994 I called it the Thrusterbuster. This was a reaction to the industry's dogged adherence to the Thruster .