Any of you guys ride one of these Alaia boards? If so, how was it? More importantly, any of you guys designing these boards? Just looking for some feedback. I am looking for a winter project.
hey man yea ive ridden them... sort of. they are hard to paddle, but catching a wave isnt that terrible its just they move around alot under your chest. when you catch a wave they tend to start turning while your still paddleing so sometimes you need to just use one hand and have the other on the board to strieghten yourself out. once your up you need to be going fast or you start to sink. the start of the wave kinda needs to be fast and then it can be somewhat mushy once your going. they are fun. there also a challenge. i have shaped a few of them and i was riding them with a couple of friends of mine. for me it takes about 2 to 3 days to make one i use two 12 inch wide pine blanks from lowes then cut one in half and glue it to the outside of the other blank. i usually cut this one down to about 10 inces so i have a max of 4 inches on the oustside rails. the glueing is somewhat hard and you need to choose the flattest boards from lowes. i always go through the whole stack before buying any wood. when you glue you will then have to put wieght in some places and prob others up to make the joints level. i use a skill saw to cut the outline. then i use hand planes, knives, and power sanders to finish the shaping. then use your choice of finish. dont forget to carve a channel it can make a world of difference in the wave. good luck
