New ThermoTech Fin Material From Futures Fins!

Futures Fins are excited to introduce the new F series of ThermoTech fins. The series contains F2, F4, F6, and F8, which cover pretty much any weight from very small to large. The F series are balanced templates that are designed to work for all surfers in a variety of conditions. Each fin’s flex and resiliency has been precisely controlled by quantifying their flex on our fixture, and matching the resin composite, glass fiber content, and the geometry of the fin to each other. We are stoked with the results. The fin’s solid base directly transfers power, while the tip is still flexible and resilient allowing it to bend and load up. The ThermoTech fins come with the Futures Truss Base which makes them lighter, and they are designed to break under impact reducing the risk of injury.

Not only do these fins look great, in fact, in a board they look like a glass on. Most importantly, they feel unbelievably smooth and the performance is incredible. These fins do not have the traditional plastic feel of a composite fin. Instead, they have a very consistent flex that holds well off the bottom then loads up and releases through turns.


The new F2, F4, F6, and F8 templates are all derivatives of the F4 template which has a full base and tip.  The F2 is the grom template; the F4 is the existing template in the small category.  The F6 is a medium size template that can be used in place of the JC1 or the EA.  The F8 is a large template that would be similar, with the exception of the trailing fin, to the AM2.  These fins are 100% made in the USA under a completely controlled environment with the highest attention to detail.    

In addition to the new ThermoTech fins we have this little video with Grant (from our shop) "The Fin Connoisseur" for you to enjoy.

Laylan From The OC Register Came By To Learn To Shape A Board!!!

A few weeks back Laylan Connelly, OC Register Writer, stopped by the shop to learn to shape her own board. She came in with no knowledge of the shaping process and very little experience working with her hands. Approximately four hours later, Laylan along with instruction from Chris Carrozza (Shaping Instructor at Foam E-Z) crafted a nice looking Fish board. After designing her own custom logo she brought the shaped blank to Tim Stamps to get the board glassed. When the board was done Laylan's next step was to take her creation out in the water. According to Laylan the board feels great she just needs some time getting used to riding a short board.

Videographer, KJ, came along to shoot Laylan's experience at the shop and the below video is the result. Thanks to everyone for all their help and thanks to girls for putting up with us during the process!

E-Z Square Pro Video Tutorial Starring A Famous Actor!

Enjoy my debut as the resident shaping tool aficionado! Go ahead and laugh, I know my acting doesn't compare with Brad Pitt but at least we look good on camera!



Hopefully this tutorial will ease the learning curve when using the E-Z Square Pro. In case you didn't know we recently upgraded our E-Z Square Pro to now have the ability to measure and mark toe-in on fins. Everything is done with just the one tool! All the detailed instructions are on the square in case you don't have a computer in your shape room or don't own a smart phone.

Keep your eye out for more tutorial/demonstration videos of our products to come.

Thanks for your support!

FUTURE FINS COLORED BOXES, FUN STUFF!

Custom paint, graphics, drawings, and glassing have always been fun ways to personalize your board. Now you can add Colored Fin Boxes to that list thanks to the magical mystical wizards over at Futures Fins. Besides offering 7 new colors (Red, Neon Orange, Neon Yellow, Lime Green, Blue, Purple, Black), they have also redesigned their boxes to be lighter and stronger bringing fashion and engineering together to make us all cooler than ever. Check our boy Grant starring as "The Fin Connoisseur" in the official Future Fins video release:



Introducing the new colored boxes from Futures with Interwoven Laminate Technology (ILT). The lightest, strongest fin system in the world now bonds even better to the skin of your board. The cutouts in the ILT Box create a stronger bond without increasing weight, because resin is interwoven between the flange of the box and the fiberglass of the board. The interwoven resin forms pillars that lock the fiberglass to the flange with a solid physical connection. Our colored ILT boxes are all made right here in Huntington Beach, CA, and are available in a full range of colors, including red, orange, yellow, lime-green, green, blue, purple, and black.

Tim Stamps Test Shapes an Orange Foam US Blank!

Hope everyone had a great X-mas holiday weekend and are now ready to get back down to some serious business of building boards.

About two weeks ago the brass over at US Blanks threw us (Foam E-Z) a sample Orange Foam surfboard blank to shape out. This NEW surfboard foam is 6% lighter or 1/2 pound compared to their Red Foam formula. We thought we would enlist pro shaper Tim Stamps as test pilot since he is a stickler when it comes to his foam. We knew we could get an unbiased, honest opinion from Stamps whether it was good or bad. We interviewed Tim at the end of this video for his take on this new foam. We were pleasantly surprised by US Blanks latest creation so look for the Orange Foam at Foam E-Z in 2011.

The Parting a movie by Foam E-Z customer Jeremy Lynch

Check out this short movie from one our customers Jeremy Lynch, it stars Andrew Doheney. Might be a little too artsy fartsy for most of you but the idea of recycling used boards is fun.

Jeremy has traveled extensively and now resides in Huntington Beach, California. He is working as a Director, Editor, Shooter, Writer by day and an Artist by night.

"The Parting" from Jeremy Asher Lynch on Vimeo.

PRO-SHAPER PROFILE- Jason Hoffman by Grizzly

Here I am with this month’s Pro Shaper Profile and I’m proud to say we have a video interview with Jason Hoffman. We are highlighting the artisan board builder which Jason and business partner Casey McCrystal truly define. Like many other shapers over the past five years, Jason has been building his boards from start to finish in house. He used to shape out of a room he rented at Foam E-Z and just crank them out and then drop them off at a glass shop. Since times are tough he made the move and bought the glass shop next door to the old Foam E-Z location and has been building his business even during this crazy time. As I mentioned before he has teamed up with Casey McCrystal to form a company called Ricochet. They are hands on and build each board from start to finish, that’s right, they take your order, shape it, glass it, and even hand it off to you when it’s done.

It’s been great knowing and working with Jason over the years so take a second to check out the conversation I had with him on this video. Check out their websites for more information.

A Fly on the Wall, by Jeremy Lynch!

"A Fly on the Wall" Jeremy Asher Lynch from Modus Films on Vimeo.

Jeremy is a local HB guy, home board builder (Foam E-Z customer), artist, and film director. He is going to be featured at an art opening this Friday night November 13th from 7-10pm. The location is LeBasse Projects, 6032 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA.

Here's what he's been up to:

"I just finished the first installment of a new videos series we are doing at Modus Films.

It is gonna be a short abstract series called, "A Fly on the Wall".
In this series we are taking a voyeuristic approach to the everyday life of people we know and are influenced by.

The first video is on me as I prepare for my show this Friday. I have 6 new pieces in the show!"

The show is open to the public, hope to see you there!

Go to www.lebasseprojects.com for more info

Dane Reynolds and Dan Malloy ride some interesting boards!!!

TSJ | POV - "Dan Malloy & Dane Reynolds Board Swap" from The Surfers Journal on Vimeo.

Ride shotgun with Dan Malloy and Dane Reynolds as they cruise from their Ventura homes to Emma Wood State Beach for a quiver swap. This insider look at their modes of surfing comes to a head as they trade—and ride—everything from homemade hunks to foiled Fryes.

Legendary Hobie Shaper, Terry Martin Shapes it up on video!

TSJ | POV - "Terry Martin and the perfect 40-minute board" from The Surfer's Journal on Vimeo.

This is a great viewing of legendary Hobie shaper Terry Martin shaping up a traditional longboard. He starts with a US Blanks 9-3Y as his canvas and works his Skil 100 planer over the blank. Those old planers just eat up the foam like no other.

Having started shaping wood as a lad in '50s San Diego, on through to shaping sleek Phil Edwards Models, to the now - where he finds himself an in-demand builder of boards of all denominations for Hobie- Terry Martin is the consummate craftsman. In this short video, Terry shapes a perfect traditional noserider, talking us through his philosophy and technique as he works.

Enjoy the video, we hope it provides some insight to your shaping experience.

Brad

International Surfing Day!

Ever needed a legitimate excuse to go surfing? Well, on June 20, 2009 you finally have it, International Surfing Day. Created by Surfing Magazine five years ago, this unofficial, official surfers' holiday gives us a chance to promote and celebrate the sport while bringing awareness to the state of our oceans and beaches. The goal is simple, take the day off or at least part of the day to go out and catch a wave or three and... while you're at it...help cleanup your favorite beach. In conjunction with the Surfrider Foundation, Surfing Magazine will be organizing a a handful of official beach cleanups. If there isn't an official beach cleanup in your neighborhood don't let it stop you from beautifying your own stretch of sand!

What are you doing tomorrow for International Surfing Day Saturday 2009? We'll be down in Huntington State Beach (North Side of River Jetties) from 8am to 1pm, along with a number of other surfing enthusiasts! Come down and join us there will be plenty of swag given away, refreshments, surf music, sun, and fun.

Some of the participants setting up tomorrow are: Foam E-Z, Future Fins, Harbour Surfboards, Van's Shoes, Katin Surf Shop, Greek Surfboards, Surfline, Monster Energy Drinks, Surfing Magazine, The Sierra Club, and many more. So as you can see it will be a great day to kick off the summer.

Hope to see you there!

Brad

UV Resin Now in Stock at Foam E-Z!

We're now stocking the UV Cure Resin Lam/Sanding in quarts and pints and will soon have it available in gallons. The keys to this resin is that it has an unlimited working time therefore making it easy to conserve resin. Basically you apply indoors and when you've worked out all the bubbles or what have you just walk the board outside. It will harden in a matter of minutes!

Check out this short video for an example of a board being lammed with UV Cure Resin:



There are a few tricks so don't treat it exactly like the traditional MEKP catalyzed resin. Use a small amount of MEKP catalyst when applying your logo to the board. "Flash it" when hotcoating, this means to walk it out side for a minute then bring it back for the wax to rise, then bring it back outside to fully harden. This resin can be used directly from the can since UV resin hardens when exposed to sunlight therefore it doesn't need to be mixed. If no UV source is available MEKP Catalyst must be used to cure the resin. There more tips and full directions on the back of each can.

This stuff is the best for ding repair, you just can't beat the speed in which you can do a repair correctly.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Brad

A Guided Tour Through Foam E-Z's Shop!

We put this video together to try to give everyone a better idea of what our shop looks and feels like. In addition, we wanted to put some faces with the voices and emails for the Guys at the shop (Grant and RadRob). Foam E-Z is housed in a 1200sq foot retail shop/warehouse here in North Orange County, Southern California.

Aloha Glassing is a large professional glass shop just adjacent to our shop that can meet all your glassing needs, if that's what you desire. There are a number of professional shapers (Minchinton, Bettis, Stamps, and more) making surfboards in our business complex and they are always more than courteous to give advice or answer some shaping questions. Ding Repair is another service available at our location.

So as you can see we are full service providing all the tools, materials, knowledge, and a professional shaping room to build your own board (B.Y.O.B.) all under one roof. For more information on the EZ Shaping Box view the video in the blog. If you decide that you only want to shape your own board (S.Y.O.B.) and want it professionally glassed we can provide that service for you right next door.

If you haven't been to our shop and are in the area please stop by and check us out. For all of you that haven't visited Foam E-Z, we hope the video tour gives you a good picture of our committment to providing the best in board building supplies that are available.

Look forward to seeing you soon-

Brad

SHAPING BOX RENTAL PRICES

Here's the rates for renting "The BOX":

$30.00/board up to 3 hours *
$6.00 each additional 30 minutes *
$55.00 for entire day 11am-5pm (6 hours) *

*Starter Tool Kit included (David Top Plane, Spokeshave, 10.5" Surform, 5.5" Surform, Fred Tool, Hand Saw, HD Foam Shaping Block, C-Caliper, Tape Measure, Goggles)

Bring Your Own Tools or rent our Tool Kits! Rent the tools before you buy!

Available hours: Monday thru Friday 11am-5pm


Buy or Bring:
Dust Mask
Sand Screen
Sand Paper



Call 714.896.8233 or email Support@FoamEZ.com for for additional information or details.

Look forward to seeing you soon!

Sheldrake's Cardboard Surfboard Cores!

Pretty cool stuff that Mike Sheldrake's up to. He's created a computer program that designs the surfboard cores out of cardboard. The CNC machine cuts the cardboard and it's all numbered and put together like a jigsaw puzzle. The trick now is to glass the board so the cloth doesn't droop between the hexagonal holes. Resin Research Epoxy has been used in the prototyping of these boards. We're stoked Mike purchases his resin and supplies from Foam E-Z. It's cool to be involved in such cutting edge technology. Check out his site for more cool information http://www.sheldrake.net/cardboards/ .

A view from above San Onofre

Can you believe this? A model airplane shooting an aerial assault on the famous surf spot San-O. The video footage was shot by the aerial genius known as Warz earlier this week. The surf was pretty small, the conditions were nice, and the crowd was at a minimum. This gives a great view of the lay of the land and the water that makes up San Onofre. Check out Church's and Lowers in the distance to the north. If you look close you can see the nuke plant south of Dogpatch. Stay tuned for more views in the near future.

FCS FUSION PLUGS!

We just got the Fusion Plugs in and they seem to be a nice alternative to the usual FCS Plugs. The Fusion Install Kit makes it extra easy to install teh plugs the correct way. Here is a link to the FCS Fusion Install Manual http://www.foamez.com/pdfs/Fusion_Manual_Final_Rev3.pdf

FCS created the Fusion because of a need for a high quality, easy to install system, that can be installed under the fiberglass (as preferred by boards using new technologies such as EPS). This also provides the consumer a higher performing fin system that fits the worlds largest range of premium fins.

The insert provides a base of high density foam. This helps disperse any forces on the plug. It provides a solid base so the plug does not rotate or sink into the foam. This is especially evident in EPS blanks of low densities.

The slots in the Fusion plugs are slightly elongated which allows slight fore and aft movement of the fins, this is great for fine tuning the performance of the board.

The FCS Fusion offers 3 different cant angles (0º, 5º, 9º): This makes the system easy to install and minimizes the chance of error in fin angles.

We appreciate any feedback you can give us on new products.

Foothill-South 241 Toll Road Fails to Meet Criteria for Bush Administration Override

Elected Officials and Save San Onofre Coalition Voice Strong Opposition To Toll Road Through San Onofre State Beach

DEL MAR, Calif., Sept 22, 2008 In an eight-plus hour event and with more than 3,000 toll road opponents in attendance, state and local elected officials and members of the Save San Onofre Coalition spoke before three Bush Administration officials overseeing a Commerce Department hearing on the Foothill-South Toll Road.

"The people of Orange and San Diego Counties reject this road," commented Bobby Shriver, Santa Monica Councilman and former president of the California State Park and Recreation Commission. "They have proved that by showing up in huge numbers at the Parks Commission hearings, at the Coastal Commission hearing and again today at the Commerce Department hearing."

Testimony focused on how the toll road fails to meet the Commerce Department's specific criteria to overturn the California Coastal Commission's Feb. 2008 decision against the project. Some notables testifying included: California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer; State Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego); Santa Monica Councilman Bobby Shriver; Irvine Councilman Larry Agran, who as a TCA board member cast a vote against the proposed toll road alignment; and San Diego Councilwoman Donna Frye.

"There is no compelling national interest to over-ride the California Coastal Commission, the toll road fails to meet the criteria for an override, and the proposed toll road's adverse impacts outweigh the purported and questionable benefits of this project," Lockyer stated in his testimony at today's hearing. "Reasonable alternatives exist that both TCA and the Federal Highway Administration have refused to explore adequately."

"No credible basis exists to believe the TCA's 11th hour claim that its project is essential to national security. The Marine Corps has publicly rejected the claim, presumably because running a toll road through Camp Pendleton would inevitably impede, not improve, our military readiness," added Lockyer.

"The TCA and the politicians comprising its board provided no new information that supports a Bush Administration override of the State of California," stated Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation and member of the Save San Onofre Coalition. "For the TCA, a single-purpose agency focused solely on building and operating toll roads, to select a route through the 5th most popular state park in California is a bad idea...one that must be stopped."

Big Props to all those who went to the hearing!!!
.

SAVE TRESTLES TODAY!

Please go to the Commerce Dept. Hearing on the Toll Road - You are Needed

Where : Del Mar Fairgrounds
When: TODAY September 22, 2008 ~10:30 A.M. - 8:30 P.M.

WHAT: A public hearing regarding the toll road through San Onofre State Beach. Throngs of toll road opponents gathering to ensure the Federal Government upholds the decision made by the California Coastal Commission--no toll roads through state parks!

WHEN: Monday September 22, 2008. The hearing is from 10:30am-8:30pm. Of course, we would like everyone to attend all day (take a sick day, like the rest of us: ) or come for at least a few hours.
WHERE: O'Brien Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Del Mar, CA 92014. Just off the I-5 in Del Mar at Via de la Valle exit.Do you have friends who are out of state and can't come? They can stay updated throughout the day. http://twitter.com/savetrestles

Agenda for Hearing:

Surfrider, and our partners, will be providing supporters with tee shirts and other goodies (first come, first served). We will have food coupons to distribute to those who sign in at the welcome booth. Since we are a nonprofit, it's hard to feed everyone huge meals, but we do want to make sure that our supporters are taken care of and have sustained energy to be at the hearing all day. Upon arriving, please check in at the welcome booth to receive your tee shirts and food coupons. Please note the following agenda is a rough estimate.

• 10:30am-1:30pm: Testimony from Elected Officials. There are several outstanding elected officials speaking on our behalf including Bobby Shriver, Donna Frye, Bill Lockyer and others.

• 1:30pm-2pm: Testimony from Organizations. Surfrider Foundation and other interesting organizations will be heard during the next few hours.

• 2:00-2:30: Official Hearing Break. We are having a rally in the pavilion area behind O'Brien hallcome and learn more about how the day will go and what to expect.

• 2:30-5:00: Continued Testimony from Organizations and Native American Tribes.

• 5:00-5:30: Official Hearing Break. Please be sure to visit our letter writing station during the break. We want to fill the drop boxes with letters opposing the toll road.

• 5:30-8:30: During this time, organizations will finish speaking and the general public will begin testimony. It's challenging to say exactly what time the general public will speak. As you know, not everyone from the public will be able to speak since the meeting ends exactly at 8:30pm. See the list of speakers below.

• 8:30pm-9pm: Meet us outside of the O'Brien hall as we gather to celebrate our efforts, enjoy acoustic music, and listen to special guest speakers. Recognized singer-songwriter Steve Ybarra will play music which has been featured on radio and television across the country. Shaun Tomson, World Champion Surfer, will be our featured guest speaker. Upon listening to Shaun, we will hear from prominent environmental leaders. As you know, there will not be a decision made at the hearing, so it's important that we come together to ‘celebrate our efforts of the day' and begin to look forward! We expect the Federal Government will make their decision by then end of the fall/early winter.

View list of speakers: click here If you plan to drive yourself please note that the Del Mar Fairgrounds charges $9 for parking. Check out carpool belwo. Please pass this around to everyone who cares about protecting our State Parks! We need thousands of people to attend!

Also, please review guidelines for the hearing. click here Attending hearing is much like being in a court room; we need to be calm, cool and collected. We can't cheer, hold our signs above our heads, or be distracting. Read the rules--they are long, but they say it all! See you on Monday Sept 22 at Del Mar…


Your pals at Surfrider,

Cool Custom Colored Blanks!

Check these polyurethane blanks from US Blanks. This is just a small idea of the possibilities for your next custom surfboard blank. Most custom blanks take only one week to arrive! Let us know if you'd like to customize your next blank.