The Albacore video is UP!

by admin on January 6, 2012

Check out this new video starring some local shredders, as well as the Wegener family-

The Albacore is the bubbliest, most fun, simplest finless board in the world. It makes the thrill of finless surfing easy and user friendly. The flex of the EPS core gives absolutely surprising grab off the bottom and holds a line even in a tube yet it still does the controlled side slip with ease. The board bounces from turn to turn and feels light underfoot. It surfs much like a thin wood alaia because of the flex yet it is soft and paddles very well. It takes the joy of finless surfing out of the advanced surfer’s world and into the realm of the beginner to intermediate. After riding two waves and doing a 360 spin in the pocket my friend said, “You have created the Volkswegener” the finless surfboard for the people.
Aside from surfing really well, there are other huge advantages to the soft board. You just throw it in the car (literally) and not worry about fins, wax or dings. If the surf is small or too shallow to surf, the board rides prone like a high end body board. If the beaches are flagged off to surfers, you can still surf the 4’11. If there is no surf the board doubles as a skim board or even a sand board. If you are spending the day at the beach or camping, the board works as a good bench seat. If you happen to be on the ski slopes the board is a great sled and even snow board in powder conditions.
I have been riding the prototype for a year now and cannot fault the board. It brings the best elements together from several distinct surfboards. It has the flex and feel of the alaia, it has the paddling and floatation of the EPS fun board, the holding edge of a boogie board, the comfort of the soft board, and the maintenance is next to zero from the latest soft board construction materials. With the Albacore I am ready for anything from small slop to powerful double over head tubes. But, my favourite surf is head high peaky beach breaks. It brings a new spark to this common surf.
There is one more thing to the Albacore, it is safe. The soft round nose and finless tail is infinitely safer than a normal surfboard. In crowds with lots of swimmers I know I am doing the right thing. When there are lots of surfers I like to ride over the top of my friends. In big hollow closeouts I love enjoying the moment in the tube without the danger of sharp fins or a hard board. In 2009 when I started on the tuna project, safety was actually the primary objective.

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Golden Days Festival – Green Day Out

by admin on November 21, 2011

alaiareligion01 301x400 Golden Days Festival – Green Day Out

Tom with Italian visitor from Alaia Religion

It was an Alaia Bonanza at the recent Green Day Out, held in conjunction with the Golden Days Festival at Coolum Beach! Hosted by Sunshine Coast Surfrider Foundation for just a few gold coins donation you could surf an alaia from Tom Wegener’s extensive personal collection.

This was the brilliant new fund raising event dreamed up as a part of the Golden Days Festival at Coolum beach.  The Surfrider Foundation, Coolum Surfing School and Tom Wegener Surfboards teamed up to put on this unique event which brought lots of attention and donations to the local Surfrider Foundation and delivered a one-time, wood alaia experience to the public.

In the morning several top local rippers took out the alaia shapes that have been made famous by Rob Machado and David Rastovich.  They said they have been curious about the boards and this was the first time they could try one and it was great to see the local rippers step out of their comfort zone and face the challenge of something new.

boards03 455x400 Golden Days Festival – Green Day Out

Experienced surfers, new surfers and even very young surfers!

As the morning progressed families came to the beach and kids and parents alike were keen to ride the wood alaia body boards.  The old style boards are addictive to ride in little shore breaks. The buzz is the same regardless of the skill level.  No less than 100 people made the Surfrider donation, put on the Coolum Surf School jersey and braved the waist high reforms! The smiles were a clear indication that they felt the joy of surfing.

This was a special day; Pico and the Golden Days Festival crew promoted the event, Coolum Surf School helped with safety and insurance, the Surfrider Foundation facilitated the event and Tom Wegener Surfboards provided surfboards and instruction.  For the public, they got the chance to ride the little wood alaia and find out what the ancient surf stoke was all about!

aisha02 524x400 Golden Days Festival – Green Day Out

Aisha, with her new Tom Wegener alaia bellyboard, and family.

In a little fun competition – where the criteria was based on the biggest smile, the best wave entry and the longest ride onto the sand – the winner was 12 year old Aisha who was visiting Coolum with her family from Melbourne. We hope she remembers this day forever! More on the ALAIA

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Family Film

November 8, 2011

Our first day of filming a brand spanking new project with Sally Haxton – the Family Film. We have a pretty firm outline of where we want to go with this, sort of “a day in the life” of the family members, told from each our of four perspectives as everyday life unfolds… won’t say [...]

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Who wants an alaia for Christmas?

November 4, 2011

We are now taking custom orders for alaia surfboards that can be made in time for a Christmas delivery. Australian orders shouldn’t be a problem; we can ship Australia wide. Outside Australia, contact us quickly and we will see what we can do. This week I have had a great time making and shaping an [...]

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Wooden Surfboards and more…

October 31, 2011

1951 to 1971 vs. 1991 to 2011- Thoughts from the Byron Bay Surf Festival I recently spent the weekend at the Byron Bay Surf Festival with my son Finley and good friend Sandy Haynes. We piled up the van with a load of new wooden surfboards and alaias and hit the road south. The festival [...]

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Shaping Surfboards

October 19, 2011

This first video is simple with just me talking in the shed, but it has very profound ideas about surfboard design. The world of surfboard shapes is exciting and vast. It just keeps getting bigger and better. If you are interested in this video, please email me. I may try to get these videos strait [...]

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Channel Ten Story on Tom Wegener and the rebirth of Hawaiian Style Surfing

September 26, 2011

Last Friday, September 23 2011, Channel Ten did a story on the Seaglass Project and the 2011 Design Award. Tegan, the presenter did an amazing job researching the story and pulling lots of clips off the internet. Who said investigative journalism is dead? It is a good story please check it out. Just click on [...]

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Mini Simmons to Fish Comparison

September 14, 2011

In March, 2011, I started to make a line of foam boards with Noosa Longboards. The biggest challenge for me was the Mini Simmons. I wanted to make a board that was half way between a Seaglass and a fish. When the first batch of boards came back from the glassers the surf was pumping [...]

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Wood Bodyboards: English and Japanese

August 30, 2011

Some people may think that I have lost my mind with this post, but it is the opposite. This is fundamental wave enjoyment with a very complex board. Just wading out into the water and jumping on to little waves is really a lot of fun and the best way to share your surfing experience [...]

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Model A: Creation Plantation TV show 2

August 24, 2011

I have wanted to make a little Model a video like this for ten years. I made the first Model A in the year 2000 and couldn’t believe how easy it was to ride. It has been tested contunuously since then and the shape has definitely withstood the test of time. I took the design [...]

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