Final Project Proposal:

Project Title: Surfboard Design

Essential Question(s):

What are the limits of surfboard design?

What is surfing to me?

Statement of Purpose

For my Senior Project, I will… I plan to spend each day of the third trimester working on a board. With school work and classes I usually only get around 7 hours of work a week on a board. I think I could do about 4 hours of work each day depending on what step in the process I am in (as some steps require days for drying). I will also be doing art on the boards that I finish. When finished, my friends and I will try these boards out and critically analyze their performance. I also have completed board that had not yet been tested out which I will include in this project. I will also spend time studying online about hydrodynamic design and previous surfboard designs. I will also document my project by taking pictures of the process and the final product. I want to get some really good photos of my boards, maybe even photos of the boards in use. I might make a surfing/shaping movie.

Overview: Describe your topic and project to the committee.

This project is extremely important to me. Over the summer I found an intense passion for surfing that led me to a fundamentally related passion for creating surfboards. To me it feels like a sculptural art, one that I want to pursue and master. I love creating these boards because it is a perfect and fun practice of effort and precision, just like surfing. The focus and effort it takes, I’ve noticed, translates into everyday life. After a day of surfing or after a good amount of time in the workshop I feel the energy and inspiration to carry me through week or even more. I’ve noticed myself improving at fabricating boards but I only want to keep going and use this trimester to pursue the mastery of this art. Mastery as in, not what was defined before me but as what new levels I take these shapes to. What new ‘places’ can I discover in the world of surfboard design? What can my experience on the water bring to the world of surfboard design? I want to really dive into the specific contours I create, the specific measurements and outlines and every other detail involved in shaping.And the question of what is surfing to me I’ve sort of answered already. Surfing is not just a simple sport for athletic kids wanting to get a sun tan. Instead it is a way of life. Its a way of life defined by effort, precision, and even submission that comes together to create a beautiful and natural outlook on whatever is in front of you. I want to dive deeper into this ‘way of life’ and what it means to me and why it is so important.

How will you measure your success?

I will feel satisfied with the project if I produce a couple well done surfboards that are expressions of the design and purpose I had in mind. Simply being in the presence of one of my boards that I spend time and effort on is enough for me, but to take it further I want to try these boards out and critically analyze the way they perform. I will have my friends try these boards out too and give me a review. The performance is important to the success since I want to take my surfboards to another level, not just as an astetic piece. I then want to show these boards online and possibly sell them. (I am currently working on a board I plan to sell to my friend Charlie) I also will feel my self succeeding if I feel like I am improving at fabricating boards. This can be measured by the time it takes me to create a board, or by the precision in the design/shape.

Resource List 

Keel Nation

Daily Plan & Schedule

I plan to do mostly physical work for the project producing boards. I want to spend about 4 hours a day (including weekends). The process is long and complicated so I won’t explain it here, but to put it simply there are two stages, Shaping and glassing. I could do these simultaneously if I have a blank (foam) to shape, and a complete to glass. I will also read the book keel nation throughout the trimester. This book is recommended online to at home shapers. It focuses on the shaping stage (this is the design stage).

Documentation Plan

I will photograph my boards and certain important steps in the process of fabrication. I will also try my best to get footage of the boards in action, although this is tough because it really depends on the beach and if I can get my iphone camera close enough to the surfer. I would like to make a website for my boards and soon to be a brand. I will write and post after trying the boards out. I can video tape my friends talking about how the boards felt as they rode them.

Material Needs

I just bought a blank recently but they are quite expensive, it would be nice to get some from the school since my dad has invested enough in this passion of mine.

Backup Plan

Not much can go wrong with my project besides the part of getting my friends to try my boards out. But honestly I know my friends and they would always be down to go to the beach and surf and hopefully I can convince them to try these boards out and give me some sort of short review.