WIDOW MAKER, Cool Article!

Sorry if you missed the Fall Special, we'll be running more specials in the upcoming months so keep checking back.

We were forwarded this cool article and thought it is right up our customers alley! It was written by a surfer in England for the UK Times.
Here are some exerpts from the article:

Creating a custom surfboard is a specialised and personal practice. The board, from inception to completion, is also an individual. It reflects the methods adopted by the shaper, and the intricacies of his craft. This story charts the construction of a WidowMaker from blank to glassed and ridden article, but first, a bit of history. Dave Parmenter developed the WidowMaker from the Terry Fitzgerald "Drifta" shapes of the late 1970s and early 80s. Fitz was taking his cue from Mark Richards' twin-fin supremacy and the recently devised Simon Anderson three-fin. The boards were characterised by a larger back fin and two smaller side fins. Utilising the benefits of the thruster - which made for critical manoeuvres and ease of turn - and the single fin, with its irresistible invitation to draw open lines and trim with momentum - the WidowMaker seemed to combine the best of both worlds.

Arriving to an untouched blank (Clark foam 7’11’R) is a blessing. Watching board and craftsman from the earliest possible stages is a rite that no surfer should miss. The shaping bay is an alien environment when it is not your livelihood. Here are the smells, the sounds, the pulsing (and toxic) heart of surfing creation

Every shaper approaches the blank in a distinct way, and this is where the most fascinating stage begins. By watching master craftsmen (and women) at work in their environments an appreciation of the individual is conveyed.

Having a shaper bear you in mind throughout the creation of a board surely has a bearing on how the board arrives, and therefore how the board rides. The custom surfboard is one of the most wonderful things a surfer can enjoy. As an art form, it is uniquely precious.

The "Widow Maker", might be a fun one to try to make someday?!

To check the complete article click on this link http://timesonline.typepad.com/surf_nation/2006/11/making_widows_w.html .

The holidays are coming fast and Foam E-Z has the perfect gifts to put on your wish list.

Happy Holidays from the Guys at Foam E-Z!

FALL SPECIAL, SAVE 10%

Celebrate Fall and SAVE 10% on your entire order (excluding Blanks), between November 1st and November 30th 2006. This coupon is good for ONE online order during this period, so use it wisely! Not valid for walk-in or phone orders.
You can redeem this coupon during checkout. Just enter the code BLOG in the box provided, and click on the redeem button. Check it at www.foamez.com
Hope you're getting some great surf this Fall!

DISCUSSION FORUM!!!

Guess what we finally have a forum of our own! We'd love for you to get involved and become a regular. There are three different categories to perk your interests. Check it out http://www.foamez.com/forums/ .

Our US Blank stock is about up to par. The blanks are looking great and we have had awesome feedback. The full line should be available online in the next couple of days. We are taking custom orders and receiving them back within one week. Get your blanks with colored glue, custom rockers, and/or different stringer set ups.

Thanks-

The guys at Foam E-Z

NEW BLANK CATALOGS!!!

We have the newest blank catalogs up on our site from US Blanks and Bennett Foam USA. These catalogs will give you an idea of what to expect in the upcoming months. Bennett Foam acquired all Rusty's old molds while US Blanks had new molds made. Both offer a full range of sizes and shapes to choose from. Check it out at http://www.foamez.com/index.php?main_page=page_2 . Keep checking back for more updates.
Thanks!

US BLANKS ARE HERE!!!

Our first load of US Blanks arrived yesterday August 29th and they look incredible. We received a partial delivery so the availability is limited for now. We expect to get our next delivery very soon and should be fully stocked with everything available within two weeks. For those of you who have not heard of US Blanks they are the group of former key employees from Clark Foam. We will have a US Blanks blank catalog available on our site very soon in addition to the full range of blanks available to purchase. If you're in the area feel free to stop by and check this foam out or check back for more details.
Thanks, the Guys at Foam E-Z

THINGS ARE STARTING TO GET A LITTLE NUTTY!!!

In the last week or two we have received sample blanks from the three biggest "new" players in the polyurethane blank world: US Blanks, Bennett USA, and King Mac. These companies jumped on the void as soon as Clark Foam closed their doors and having been working diligently since. The sample blanks look real cool. US Blanks looks almost exactly like their predecessors (Clark Foam) and have received incredible feedback from the shapers we have talked to. Their catalog has all the flavors and sizes made by experienced shapers/plug builders like Timmy Patterson, Pat Rawson, Bruce Jones, and Yater. Bennett USA's blanks have also had great feedback with most shapers saying the foam feels something like a blend between Clark and Walker. They got all Rusty's old plugs so their catalog looks complete with the majority of the "R" blanks included. We hope to have a full stock within the next few weeks.

For you tool junkies we received the Spiral Shapers Barrel last week and are getting great reviews from the shapers who have tested it. This thing is ideal for shaping EPS and works great with polyurethane too. Check it out http://www.foamez.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_25&products_id=506 !

NEW SITE!

Well the long awaited new site is up and running. There are so many new features it would be hard to list them, but here's few of the best: ability to choose your shipping option (ground, 2nd day, or overnight); international ordering directly online (no more quotes); more products and easier to use. Please give us all feedback, good or bad. We need to know how you like the new site since you are using it.
Thanks for your support.

FISH AND EXTENDED SUMMER HOURS!!!

Hey everyone!!,
The water is warm and summer is finally here, at least it feels like it!!! We are fully stocked with surfboard blanks and accesories and are firing away as usual. Our first "Fish" blanks showed up last week and we expect to have a full stock sometime next week.

With that being said we are going to be extending our business hours effective Monday June 5th. They will be as follows; Monday thru Friday from 12:00 to 5:30p.m. and Saturday from 11a.m. to 4p.m. So come on by check out our new spot and hang with us.

Look forward to seeing you soon.
Grant and the guys at Foam E-Z

FUTURE FINS - ALL STYLES!!!!

We can get you any Future Fins available and ship out the same or next day. You can find all style and templates on theFuture Fins website http://www.futuresfins.com/index.php# . To place an order, find the fin(s) you want and call us at 714-896-8233 or email us. As you know Future is on the cutting edge with their unique fin shapes and materials. Check it out and let us know how we can help. Thanks

THE LATEST!

There is so much happening that's it's hard to keep up to date. Here is a little sampling:

We are starting to take custom blank orders for stringers and rockers from Walker Foam. Currently the lead time to get these custom blanks is approximately 2-1/2 weeks. We received our first ones this week and they look awesome!

We got the EZ Calipers in and we're really stoked how they turned out. They are one hand useable and are accurate to the 32nd of an inch. The material is lightweight and extremely durable. Check them out on our site.

FISH blanks are around the corner! We should be receiving our first batch of Fish blanks next week. Although the first few weeks will be lean, we expect to have a full stock of Fish blanks available at the end of May or the first week of June.

We are helping with the Surfer Divas board building classes. It's pretty neat to see these girls getting full of foam dust! Check out their site http://hbcsd.org/surf for pictures and video of the first two classes.

Look for more updates very soon.

Thanks for the support!

PRICES REDUCED!!!

Hello everyone,
We have some unusual news for you this time, we have lowered our prices on our large stock of Walker and Just Foam blanks. They are moving fast so your best bet is to come down, give us a call for a price/availability or to place an order. Our Resin Research Epoxy has also had a price reduction so now it's more affordable than ever.

Our DPS Foam has arrived! These EPS blanks are true 2 lb foam, have basswood stringers, precut outlines, and are blown with 100% virgin foam (no recycled material). These blanks look a lot like Clark Foam except they are EPS instead of polyurethane.

Thanks for your continued support.

JUST FOAM AND DPS FOAM IS HERE!!!

We are now carrying JUST FOAM polyurethane blanks and have plenty available for everyone. The blanks can be purchased online http://www.foamez.com/store/products.cfm?subCategory=8 or feel free to stop in the shop. Currently Just Foam has short boards available in 6'5" and 6'9" lengths and should be adding new sizes within the month. The blanks come with 2.7mm unidirectional Balsa veneer stringers , that are very strong and light.

DPS Foam is delivering their first load of EPS to us at end of this week to add to our inventory and choices in blanks. These EPS blanks are true 2 lb foam, have basswood stringers, precut outlines, and are blown with 100% virgin foam (no recycled material). These blanks look a lot like Clark Foam except they are EPS instead of polyurethane.

We continue to receive Walker Foam shortboard and longboard blanks on a weekly basis as well as keeping a large stock on hand of American/Segway (EPS) blanks.

Give us a ring with any questions about availability or pricing.

WALKER FOAM BOARD KITS AVAILABLE ONLINE!!!!

Walker Foam's availability is getting better and we're starting to build a small stock again. Therefore, we are currently offering Surfboard Kits with Walker Foam blanks online and to walk-in customers. Here's the link http://www.foamez.com/store/?CategoryID=34.

We are very close to being completely setup in the new shop and are looking forward to having a Grand Re-opening in the very near future. Keep checking back for the details, it will be a good time!

Thanks for your support-
The Guys at Foam E-Z

Surfboard Kits and Walker Availability to the Public!

We are settling into our new spot and Walker Foam is starting to send regular shipments to us. Once again, we can offer our Surfboard Kits and Walker blanks to the general public and Garage Shapers. We'll put together custom surfboard kits with either EPS or Walker blanks for you. Please feel free to call us for availability and pricing or just stop by the shop to check it out.

NEW LOCATION!!!

Well we've finally finished moving our stuff up the street to our new location at 6455 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683. It's immediately on the right when you enter Industry Way (where Chas used to be), just 100 yards away from our old spot! Our phone number is the same 714-896-8233 and our website hasn't changed either www.foamez.com. It will take us a couple of days to settle in, but we are open for business nonetheless. Please feel free to stop in the shop to check it out but bear with us on the mess and disorganization from the move. We are really excited to be in such a great new shop and look forward to servicing you even better in the future.
Look forward to seeing you soon.

We're Moving!

After thirteen years of doing business in the same location, we will be moving on February 15th, 2006 to a larger street front spot . The new address will be 6455 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683. Our phone number will stay the same (714-896-8233) and so will the website address (www.foamez.com). We are extremely excited for this move since we will have more space for the variety of blanks. We'll also be more visible and easier to find.
We are still your One-Stop Surfboard Supply Shop, now even better! Feel free to come into the shop, place orders online or call with any questions. Thanks for your continued support.

WALKER FOAM - Availability and Pricing

We have been receiving an average of fifty Walker Foam blanks every week and a half since December 23rd. The blanks have been well received and appear to be the only polyurethane longboard blanks currently available in the US. As you can imagine since we have been getting such small quantities and shipments, it is hard for us to service all the shapers in the Southern California region. It appears we should start getting regular weekly shipments of a hundred plus in the very near future. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks things should start to get more regular and we will be releasing the Walker Foam to the public . The Walker blank prices look like they'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of ten to twenty percent more than the Clark Foam blanks (short boards ~ $65; longboards ~ $115). Here is the link to the Walker Blank catalog the http://walkerfoam.com/BlanksCatalog.pdf, hopefully it will get better as will our stock. Our shipping rates are still the same which makes for some pretty affordable polyurethane blanks to the end user. By March we should have a wide range of quality polyurethane as well as EPS foam to choose from.

CLARK FOAM PLANERS ARE BACK IN STOCK!

The CF03 (Hitachi) power planers are back in stock http://www.foamez.com/store/products.cfm?subCategory=24 ! We have a limited number of these planers but they should last for a while. The planers are being modified by the same machinist that was doing them for Clark Foam. In addition to the planers we also have some of the Clark Foam accessories. Unfortunately the planer blade service that Clark Foam provided is not available at this time, we hope that we will be able to provide a similar service soon (please check back for updates). Feel free to call or email with any questions. Thanks for your support.

Resin Research and EPS

We are now carrying Resin Research Epoxy resin and American blanks (formerly Segway Composites). We are very excited about working with the guys from Graphite Master (R.R.) due to their great service and high quality products. We have EPS blanks that have PVC stringers and some that have wood. The blanks have similar rockers as Clark foam blanks and we have them from 6 foot up to 9'4". All of the blanks are small beaded 2 & 3 lb. foam and are very easy to work with. Just like the EPS foam, the resin is very easy to work with and is more environmentally friendly. This resin is great because it gives you unlimited glassing options. The resin cures stronger, is lighter, odorless, and can even be used on polyurethane blanks. We have all of the products you need in order to build an epoxy board from start to finish.

Update and Thank You!!!

Hello all,
First of all thank you for being patient and understanding during these unsure times. This has been a most challenging time for everyone involved in the industry. Every hour of everyday seems to have new developments in foam options. We have had meetings around the clock since Monday December 5th. Although it seems that the industry has slowed down, we have not. It is true what is being said, there will be foam. We've seen many different options. Unfortunately a vast majority of the foam is unusable due to very poor quality. That is why we continue to invest our time and money in finding the best foam, and selection, that we can offer. As of now we are able to provide a very nice selection of EPS foam, epoxy resins and the knowledge to guide you through this new process. Feel free to come by or call us with any questions you have. We are very excited to back these products that are able to meet our level of quality at Foam E-Z. Thanks again for your continuing support.

Swaylocks Post 12-07-05 after Blank Monday

On the day after “Black Monday” I dropped by Foam E-Z to primarily “wish them well in their future business endeavors” as they were immediately one of the first things I thought of when the news broke, as I mentioned in my initial post in the “Clark Foam is over” thread. Although I had only been into Foam E-Z a few times to buy blanks and supplies, I not only felt obligated to pay my respect and wish them well, it was something I truly wanted to do from the bottom of my heart as Brad and all the employees were more than class acts and fine business men in helping a humble, beginning backyarder make his dreams come true. After waiting around about an hour to an hour and a half with about three other gentlemen we finally got to talk to, I believe it was Grant R. (forgive me if I’m wrong, and if I’m correct thank you Grant) as he came outside to post the temporarily closed sign outside the shop and, were then shortly greeted by Brad as he drove up to handle business in what was to say the least a melancholy day filed with what I could only imagine to be chaos. Phones were absolutely ringing off the hook as you might suspect. While there was little doubt there would be NO blank sales (and very much understandably so) these gentle men actually let the few of there gather some small supplies in the midst of the crisis. This was a true testament to the character of Brad’s business ethics and his outstanding employees. And while I got a chance to personally thank Brad and Grant for their service to the shaping and surfing community and wish them the absolute best in the future I would like to publicly thank them again in this forum on this thread for their outstanding contribution. To Brad and the Boys… THANK YOU. Loyal customer for life… Tony.