A behind the scenes look at our Wooden Surfboard Classes

If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at our wooden surfboard classes, look no further! Our friend Gary Tischer recently took the time to chat with our students, diving deep into their thoughts and experiences as they crafted their own hollow wooden surfboards. These classes aren't just about building something beautiful and functional; they’re about discovering new skills, challenging yourself, and connecting with like-minded enthusiasts who share a passion for sustainable craftsmanship.

Many of our students come in with little to no woodworking experience, yet by the end of the class, they leave with a profound and newfound appreciation for the intricate art and science behind the meticulous process of creating a surfboard from scratch. Gary’s engaging conversations with the students revealed not only the pure joy of working with natural materials but also the unique personal connection that develops from building something thoughtfully and intentionally by hand.

It truly becomes a pilgrimage, a meaningful personal journey that resonates deeply with each individual.

A behind the scenes look at our classes - thanks Gary

Our Winter Surfboard Making Workshop

Despite the rather brisk winter temps (yes even for Brisbane ) our workshop was humming with energy and enthusiasm as our students diligently worked their way through the making and shaping of their amazing wooden surfboards.

Local legend Michael and Hobart expat Ed (and a massive kudos to Ed for making the trip up to Sunny Qld for this event) bonded over glueing , sanding and shaping their boards.

It was a productive yet fun four days where once again we were able to share our passion and knowledge of woodcraft and surfing.

These boards are in the polishing booth now , where Stuart will work his magic and resin coat these magnificent creations of stoke

Winter is a great time to make your Wooden Surfboard

With our beautiful sunny days and mild temperatures, Winter is the perfect time to make your own surfboard.

In our 4 day class July 18 - 21 inclusive you will master the art of creativity and be guided in all processes on making your board.

Whether this is your first foray into making a board or you are expanding your quiver - our classes factor in every possibility .

We have only a few spots left in this class - so best to act now and enrol to make the surfboard of your dreams.

And as for the end result - we will just leave these here…

But dont take our word for it …

Actions speak louder than words

Our July Wooden Surfboard Making Workshop is on July 18 and runs for four days , finishing on a high note of surboard completion on July 21

For all the good deets , contact us today

Our first Wooden Surfboard Workshop for 2024

We are excited !

Tomorrow heralds the beginning of our first Surfboard Making class for 2024

During the next 4 days our students will live and breathe woodworking and surfboards

They will be emersed in an atmoshpere of learning, fun, creativity and challenges.

Making new friends, discovering a new passion and basically forgetting that the outside world exists

We cant wait to share our passion and knowledge.

Be sure to keep up to date on our socials for all the fabulous footage as our amazing students create their own wonderful wooden surfboard.

Some happy snaps from previous Surfboard Making classes.

Our first Winter Surfboard Making workshop for 2023

What better day to start our Surfboard Making workshop than the first day of winter.

Beautiful crisp sunny days provided the perfect backdrop for 4 days of fun and learning with our amazing board students.

Our eager crew were keen to learn the fundamentals of woodworking - delving into the mechanations of how a wooden surfboard is assembled, how to complete the perfect glue up , the importance of shaping your board just so - that it becomes the board you want to in the water and realising that the better you sand your board the better the finish will adhere to it - and everyone wants a shiny glossy board . And what better way to showcase those glorious timber grains than with a premium resin finish.

So after 4 fabulous days in the workshop, our students achieved what they set out to do - to make a beautiful hollow wooden surfboard.

So now, the glassing process begins and those wonderful wooden surfcrafts will take on a beautiful new dimension …

It is our absolute joy to share our love and knowledge of all things woodworking - and well surfing , thats the icing on the cake

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No April Fools here, only amazing Wooden Surfboard Students

With Summer not wanting to say goodbye, our April students were greeted by warm sunny days during the course of their wonderful 4 days.

Coming from the coast and Emerald, our Queendand students bonded quickly over glue ups, sanding and the joy and mindfulness that comes with shaping your own board

Conversations over surfing the best points, and the thrill of chasing the perfect wave gave everyone an extra buzz knowing that riding their own board was not very far away

Time and patience was evident, cutting the skins will make for a perfectly finished boards.

Whats the saying, mark twice cut once ??

The integral glueing and vac pressing component …not to be taken lightly

The all important shaping - a time honured practice that defines the performance of the board (no pressure hey !)

Perfecto

The beautiful finished product

Once again , our wooden surfboard students have shown such high calibre of workmanship and enthusiasm over the last 4 days.

Its been a joy to share the woodwork love and so now its time to glass and bring out the best ih these boards

#lovewhatwedo

Making Absolutely Beautiful Wooden Surfboards

We have been combining our love of Woodworking and surboards for over 10 years now 🎉🎉

During this time we have honed our skills, refined our techniques to offer our students the best possible workshop, so that in our 4 Days they come away with that wonderful sense of satisfaction knowing they have created something wonderful with their own hands …

A little trip down memory lane to enjoy some past student work

We've come a long way baby ..

Our winter workshop is the perfect time to create your own stoke, so for detailed information on our August 26 - 29 Workshop, send us an email and we will forward you our 2021 Surf Pack

In photos ... Our November 2019 Surfboard Making Workshop

There is nothing like ending the year on a high and that is exactly what we accomplished in our November Surfboard Making Workshop.

Its been a brilliant year for learning , we have so enjoyed sharing our knowledge of woodworking and combining it with our passion for surfing. To date we have helped over 160 students create wonderful hollow wooden surfboards. Many of these students have had no woodworking experience whatsoever and yet in 4 productive days they have come away with something wonderful , tangible evidence of their enthusiasm for learning.

Our November class was held just last week November 14 - 17 inclusive and included 2 return students who wanted to expand on their wooden surfboard quiver.

All smiles from Phil, back to make his second wooden surfboard with us

A more exciting use for pegs.

Team work and framwork

Discussion and productivity , getting on with things but still time to chat of course about surfing

Smiley Phil once again showing how happy he is to to be here ! We just love that !

That wonderful feeling of accomplishing a successful glue up

An Eye for detail

The peaceful act of Planeing, an integral part of the finished board

The class of November 19 2019 A beautiful array of boards

Our students showed wonderful team work and enthusiasm over the 4 days and laughs and friendships were made.

We often say it but for us its a privilage to be able teach so many students . The smiles , the look and feeling of accomplishment that each and every student has after their surfboard making workshop makes is so worthwhile for us.

We are already prepping these boards for glassing so our keen students can take their works of art in the water, because not only do our boards look the part , they ride like a dream.

We are keen to continue our learning calendar in 2020 with our New Stand Up Paddle Board classes and of course our ever popular Wooden Surfboard Classes as well .

Our mission to learn and inspire is a big part of what we do here at Bywater Design

Making your own Wooden Surfboard

Along with various timber combinations and deck patterns we offer in our Wooden Timber Surfboard Classes, we offer the application of personalised decals or motifs to really make your timber surfboard an object of sentimental beauty.

For a myriad of reasons our students wish to add something extra to their board

A wonderul reminder of a treasured fur baby

A personal touch to a student surfboard

Want your nickname immoratised on your favourite board ?

Why not

Love your style Baylz

Love the colour green and are obsessed with manta ray

We can accommodate you

Stand out from the crowd !

Want to ramp up the zen on your timber board

We will only encourage you

Feel the zen

Love a good Hawaiian 50’s vibe (we are a fan !! )

By adding some funky fabric you can create a mood that is just you

You are only limited by your imagination , we will help you anyway we can to achieve your dream board.

So start designing your board now.

Our Wooden Surfboard and SUP Classes a bucket list must do

Get in contact with us to make this a reality !

Glassing the timber surfboards

Its the icing on the cake, the cherry on top. Whatever you like to call it, the glassing of our timber surfboards is the finishing touch to something wonderful, the final embellishment if you will.

Stuart is in the midst of glassing these rather spectacular boards …

A process he thoroughly enjoys and takes great pride in.

shiny shiny shiny

beauty and depth in the grain

Show pony … precision making and glassing

Designing Wooden Surfboards

There is nothing like first hand experience, and through many a surf, some good sessions some not so good times we have refined and evolved our Wooden Surfboards.

We have curated our boards to encompass the various surf conditions and to accommodate the individual characteristics of the surfboard rider.

The Dawn is a classic all rounder. (so named after the Legendary Dawn Fraser )

The Dawn will simply handle everything that is thrown at it; from the almost non existent wave to the holy grail of a clean six footer.

A good paddling board makes for easy wave catching, great sharp turning and fast trimming

The Dawn is the ultimate package.

Made from Paulownia and Cambia Ash The Dawn is the ultimate package

The Gould (aptly named after the one and only Shane Gould is a cleaned up older board that takes its origins from the 1970’s.

With a single fin its a point and shoot board that behaves like a dream.

Its a low entry rocker with a flat bottom and chimed rails.

The Gould has a fuller nose outline compared to other boards compared to modern boards, but dont let its retro vibe fool you, this board can take all sorts of conditions and is suited to all types of surfers.

But dont take our word, come down to our Woodworking Gallery and see first hand how these boards are designed and made with the utmost care.

Of course you can alway take yourself on a creative journey and make one of these beautiful boards yourself . Here’s how you can do it .

We love the curious types so dont hesitate to contact us with a question on our Bywater Design Surfboards

Our Dawn. Loving the 70’s is a good thing

August Surfboard Making Class ... thats a wrap

Beautiful Winter Sunshiney days provided the perfect backdrop for our August Surfboard Making Class…

An eye for detail

The perfect framework is an essential component

That perfect winterafternoon sunset, casting a wonderful glow

Shaping culminates all the hard work that is done before.

New class member, or new mascot ???

As we begin the latter part of the year, we have only 2 more classes for 2019!

Our September class begins on 26 - 29 and our

final class for the year in November 14 - 17.

If you want to do something amazing for yourself and enjoy the journey of crafting something with your own two hands, please email us and we can make this happen for you!!

A little about our Beautiful Surfboards ...

We design our surfboards with a vision of what us as surfers would like in a board. Its not just the visual , although we do think that our surfboards are ridiculously good looking, its about the performance and how they ride in the water.

The Gould

The Gould is a cleaned up older board with a defnite 70’s vibe.

It single fin with a fuller nose outline and a tight pin tail. A low entry rocker with a flat bottom and and chimed rails.

The end result is a beautiful surfboard for all types of surfers in all types of waves .

The Dawn Surfboard

The Dawn is the total package.

A classic all rounder with a concave throughh the nose , flat through the centre and rolled V in the tail.

Its a sweet reliable daily ride, the perfect workhorse

Will handle all conditions from the dribble wave to the ultimate 6 foot clean wave (and dont we wish for more of those .

With the addition of wonderful timbers such as paulownia, cambia ash and cedar and no foam we are proud of the way our boards ride in the water .

Of course, we could go on for pages of all the finer details of our boards, but if you would like more info about our range we would love to hear from you , so send us an email and we will answer any questions you have !

A gift made from the heart ...

Our woodworking students always give us great joy when it comes to their dedication and persistence.

Bill , a Monday night student has worked tirelessly over the last few months working on a beautiful coffee table for a wonderful surprise birthday present for his wife.

Made from Melaleuca , which is part of the Myrtle tree family this elegant table uses resin as a centre feature to highlight the wonderful warm patina of the grain .

Finished off with light coats of lacquer, this gift made from the heart is one we are sure will be a treasured heirloom for many years to come.

Congratulations to Bill on such a wonderful achievement.

Brisbanes Only Hollow Wooden Surfboard Classes for 2015 - At Bywater Design

HOLLOW SURFBOARD CLASSES FOR 2015 Semester One

THE ONLY WOODEN SURFBOARD CLASSES IN BRISBANE

2 day shaping class

This 2 day shaping class is where all the assembly work is done for you.

You come in and shape your board to your individual requirements, rail shaping and fin placement, and it is ready for glassing after the two days.

Of course Bywater Design offers you the choice of timber, deck patterns, and various board sizes from our catalogue so you are still getting the timber board of your dreams; just the messy assembly work is done for you.

Or the classic

Tuesday night surfboard making class

For those that like to take their time we are offering the 8 week course of 3 hours a night each week to build your board from our components supplied,

Of course Bywater design offers you the choice of timber, deck patterns, and various board sizes from our catalogue so you are still getting the timber board of your dreams, and you get to do all the assembly work, the board is then ready to be glassed.

2 DAY SHAPING CLASS

FEBRUARY; 14 AND 15   (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

MAY; 16 AND 17 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

CLASSIC WOODEN SURFBOARD MAKING CLASS

MARCH 3 – TUESDAY NIGHTS FOR 8 WEEKS

MAY 26^TH – TUESDAY NIGHTS FOR 8 WEEKS

As your surfboard is custom made prices will vary but the cost will start from $1100 and vary according to timber, and size choices

For more information; including surf pack, timber catalogue choices and detailed pricing please email us on;

surf@bywaterdesign.com.au

Places are strictly limited so best to act now and reserve your

POSITION IN BRISBANE’S ONLY HOLLOW WOODEN SURFBOARD CLASSES.

Wooden Surfboard Fins from Japan

It was a great delight to see in Australia and in Brisbane Nobuhito Ohkawa (aka Nobbby)  who made a special visit to my workshop.

Nobby makes beautiful wooden surfboards and surfboard fins in Chiba City, just outside of Tokyo .

We have become friends over the last few years, sharing experiences, and  I was lucky enough to see his workshop whilst I was in Japan last year, and I was happy to return the hospitality this week when Nobby made  a visit to our Northgate workshop whilst he was in Brisbane .

Nobby personally delivered my custom made fins which are made from walnut , rock maple and purple heart.

I cannot wait to attach these on to one of my boards and test it out in the water

Summer Board Making Class - December 2014 ...

Summer is almost here !! Hooray !

And we have time for one more board making class before Christmas.

Classes will commence Tuesday October 28 and run until December 16.

We have a few places left so be quick and contact us now surf@bywaterdesign.com.au Hang Ten !

Graduates of the Winter Wooden Surfboard Class 2014

A very excited Tuesday night wooden board class proudly displayed their completed boards.  All ready to glass. We all had a great time.  Lots of laughter and fun along the way.

Don't Forget our next Class begins on September 9 ...Limited positions available.

Wooden Surfboard Class September 9 2014

Your last chance for the year ... to enrol in our wooden surfboard making classes. Tuesday nights, 6 - 9 for 8 weeks.

And you come away with your own wooden surfboard ready to glass or polish...