Available
Specs: 6’ 3-⅔” x 18” x 2-¾ No Fins
Shape: Speed Fish
Finish: Traditional Polyester Resin Polished to a High Gloss Shine
Display Orientation: Horizontal
A finless Speed Fish shaped hollow wood surfboard handcrafted using the strip-build technique and a variety of different lumber species.
As with all of Michael’s surfboards, the entire piece, including the stylized wave artwork, is created from hundreds of strips of wood without any paint or stain. Because his work is about art – not production – the artist spends a significant amount of time hand-selecting each long strip or tiny segment of wood based on the naturally occurring colors, grain patterns, or other interesting elements such as spalting, quilting, curling, or, as is the case with this surfboard, the charred staves reclaimed from the oak cask.
As a surfer and shaper, as well as an artist, Mike ensures his surfboards are properly shaped with the correct rocker, dome, full-body rails, tailblock, and either glassed-on custom wood fins, a fin box, or finless.
The strip-build technique entails placing a strip or segment of wood over the top of a hollow wood frame one strip of wood at a time, glued and clamped in place until the glue dries. Similar to the internal structure of an airplane wing, the center spar and ribs provide shape and strength, but since all of Mike’s surfboards are hollow on the inside – they are not heavy.
This work titled “Escape” includes redwood, basswood, cedar, paulownia, and rum-soaked oak staves reclaimed from Cutwater Spirits’ award-winning Bali Hai Tiki Gold Pineapple Rum. The deck displays artwork depicting a stylized breaking wave. The wave design is made entirely from the Cutwater Spirits’ oak staves. Check out the other custom and commissioned surfboards and skateboards handcrafted from oak wood staves reclaimed from Cutwater Spirits’ Devil’s Share Bourbon Whiskey. The decorative tailblock is embellished with inlaid abalone shell and it really sparkles in the right light.
