swallowtail society's radical sabbatical

Hey folks,

Sorry for not posting for the past week or so. I'm down here at Moonlight shaping a bunch of boards for boys and girls. I'll be back in the blogosphere next week. In the meantime, here's a link to Surfy Surfy with a post of Joe Curren surfing a 5'6" quad fish I shaped for his Australia and Morocco trip last March:

SURFY SURFY JOE

Here's a link to more photos of Joe that Dane Petersen took on that trip:

DANE'S FLICKR PICS

OK, back to the shaping room!

~manolo

kook boxing

Looky looky. Kold Keith scores at a local estate sale...

7'7" suave loco

7'7" tri-plane hull
15" x 21" x 13" x 3"

This board was a lot of fun to shape. I really love how the thickness flow and the S-deck hint at something organic in origin. Shaping these hulls has given me a new perspective on the process of shaping, as you can't shape them the same way one would shape a board with linear thickness foil. Big thanks to Marc Andreini for continuing to inspire me with your guidance and aloha.

corazon vaquero

Howdy folks, come on out to Mollusk Surf Shop tonight and see Cody McClintock's new documentary about the ranch families living out in the Baja mountains. Their life hasn't changed much since the war between The United States and Mexico, and we're probably seeing the last of the true cowboys of the Old West.


TRAILER - CORAZON VAQUERO

FREE!

Friday, July 18th
8:30pm
Mollusk Surf Shop
4500 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA
94116

Bring something to sit on (and beer!)...

hmmm

build your own damn house

One of my favorite books on alternative building...






Homework by Lloyd Kahn.

If you'd like to buy a copy of this book, send $26.95 plus $5.50 for shipping and handling to:

Shelter Publications
P.O. Box 279
Bolinas, CA 94924
(415) 868-0280
homework@shelterpub.com

mad wax!

I used to watch this movie before taking the bus to the beach when I was a kid...



Log line from the back of the box:

Kick back and jam with this outrageous tongue-in-cheek surf comedy about a young grommet who rips but makes his money as a window cleaner. One day he finds an old recipe for making surf wax, mixes up a batch, and magically transports himself and his friends to some of the world's hottest surf spots.

Shredding the meanest waves from Hawaii to Australia and from Tahiti to France, MAD WAX features Tom Carroll, Gary Elkerton, Bryce Ellis, Mark Sainsbury and Ross Clarke-Jones as "The Wiz" grommet.

eastern lines

NY artist Alicia Nichols sent over some photos yesterday of the board she painted for her boyfriend Collin, and I think it's amazing.







If you like her art, check out her website at DIVINE DISORDER.

birds, plants, bugs, and snakes

My good friend John works for State Parks in San Luis Obispo and has this great blog about all the native plants and animals he encounters while he's at work. The photography is great and it makes me feel good that there's still some beautiful critters around...

http://sanluiscoastal.blogspot.com

Click on the photo to see the bigger versions...mo betta.


Avocets


Baby Horny Toads


Western Sand Pipers


Kestrel

secret point wave revealed

We finally found the elusive Angel Island left point break. Works best on a medium low tide, with a full ferry at 15 knots.

mister buckets

Florida shredder Reese Lewis sent in this photo from a recent wet t-shirt contest he won in New Smyrna Beach, Flawduh. 5'6" double-wing stringerless quad fish for HB flex...yeeeeehawwww!!!

ted spencer shape and shred

From "Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" by George Greenough, 1968. It's going to be re-released on DVD July 15th with some extras like a 12-page booklet about the film...stoked!

custom wetsuits

Look Ma, I designed a wetsuit! With the help of some friends in Japan and the hard work of a nice wetsuit Jedi lady, here's the Mandala 3/2 Smoothie:




Like most wetsuits made outside of CHINA, they're going to be pretty expensive for most folks in the U.S., but if anyone is interested in going through the crazy process of getting measured and waiting for a custom suit, drop me a line at mandalacustomshapes@gmail.com.

Thanks,
Manolo

somewhere rad

Went to a top-secret training facility somewhere north of south, where alcohol, tobacco, and firearms are everywhere. The locals were tough, rugged, and smelled of burnt wood and ale.







surf was good too.

the chubbie

5'1" x 21.5" x 2.75"!

8'3" suave loco

Oh, she's a big 'un.
8'3" tri-plane hull
21.5" x 3

spirulina stubbie

Here's one that's actually for sale...







5'11" x 20.25" x 2-3/8"
spirulina resin tint
polished gloss
bamboo side-bites by Marlin Bacon
Moonlight Glassing
$800.00

Interested shredders can contact me by email: mandalacustomshapes@gmail.com.
This one's going to go fast, so get a hold of me if you want it~

Thanks,
Mani

mustardy stubbie

Here's a little stubbie that went out into the world this week~~~

6'0" stubbie 2+1
mustard yellow resin tint
polished gloss
fiberglass side bites by Jack Jensen
Moonlight Glassing