ERICEIRA To the sound of howling dogs I hear myself think: ”I am going to build a hollow wood surfboard.” Xandi, the teacher and artist, show me templates to a longboard 9,0: ”This is Paulownia, light weight wood, for you! You think?” Yes! Check the lines, feel the rocker and know your liters! Building a board is an art and design experience at the same time. ”Liters is everything nowadays”, Xandi says tapping the mahogany stringer softly with the tip of his finger.

First It is all about ribs and spine. Work shop has begun. Templates copied on to the wood start of the job. Parts glued together then look like a stiff skeleton pinned down on to the rocker table. The rocker table is like the beat in a song, keep it steady and do not play with It during the process. Set it straight and keep It so. Xandi contemplates, looks at the spine from several angles and nods his head gently, sort of pleased. Ok. Next step, rails.

On to the rails. Slowly built up on the sides, thin stripes of wood prepared in a bead an cove fashion hooked on to eachother for strength with fast setting glue. Resting on the ribs they slowly reveal the actual board. Pause. I take one step back from the rocker table as the glue set, squint my eyes just to have a look. It comes to me: ”I will surf this one! This is Fly 45!” Aroused by the name desicion I take a deep and long breath. The air is filled with small wooden particles and I can feel the thin scent of wet sweat and dry glue. This is board building in Portugal - sweat and glue.

Board building is not science, but It helps  having an outline that is consistent and some what symmetrical. It has all to do with the surf you want to get out of it: Big waves - small board, small waves - long board. Of course that is not always the case but a rough idea helps narrowing your alternatives down. I am building a long board. It is a gift from my wife and family. Probably the best gift an aspiring board builder can get. It is fun to learn something not common knowledge to everyone. A board could pretty much look like whatever you want It to, and It is without a doubt a direct reflection of your thoughts and feelings. And skills of course! Function and form come together as one: check the lines, feel the rocker and know your liters! 

Multi colored clamps presssure the paulownia stripes in place one by one. ”Now listen! Start from the widest point and work yourself out to the front and back. This is fast glue. You are fast now!” Building instructions. Robert, a carpenter from Munich who also attends the work shop, study the glue bottle, looks at me and nods his head in a familiar fashion. He probably knows glue but I am hungry so I can’t resist the food association: ”Pass me the caramel sauce, please, and let’s get to work!”

Skeleton sea is an art project raising awareness to environmental questions. Xandi and his colleague creates art from trash found in the sea and they teach young kids how to take better care of the ocean and our planet.