From all of us in the foam asylum we would like to thank all of our customers and all the many people that have supported use through the year Big thanks.
Lets look foreward to the new year some good waves and great times, If we all stick together we can be strong.
Merry Christmas and a good new year.
Nigel
The two boys got there new boards and went straight to the beach and got in some waves they look really stocked nice one have a good Christmas lads cheers.
Nigel
I watched The Master Glasser (Jason) do the blood'n guts tint on my 7'0 B3 gun today. Pretty amazing how little time there is to get a good glass job... so to get the tints beautiful takes a lot of experience. I managed to get my new trainers covered in resin and got high 20 minutes later on the fumes...
This board is the first with the new-old Ocean Magic logo on it - I'll get a better picture of it next week. The last photo really appeals to me as you can see the colourway that I did for Jase to work to in the back ground.
It's going to have a cool black to red bursts spray on the deck, with some dusted peace bubbles over the hotcoat, pinlines, and some custom black doodles by yours truly on the two modified boozer side fins in a smokey layup.
Its the only thing I'm looking forward to coming back from New Year in Baja for (and the dogs of course).
Merry Christmas all.
Kasper our team rider getting some great air time on his new NS pod board in some great looking waves in Holland just looks a little chilly boys. Hope you had a great time and enjoy the boards cheers. Nigel
To young lads who will have big smiles this Christmas both custom made boards for them with their art work and personalised logos on them. Hope you're stoked lads... have a great Christmas.
Nigel
15 year old newquay surfer Tom Good got an early Xmas present today as he got British junior team selection, for 2009 ISA world junior championships to be held in Ecuador next March.
Tom officially finished the 2008 contest season at 2nd place on the BSA u/16 rankings,
& 4thplace on the UK pro tour u/16 rankings.
With the start of 2009 he will move into number 1 position on both BSA & UK pro tour as the older surfers will move up a division.
Tom has two training camps lined up starting with Algarve this Thursday & a February half term camp with the BSA junior team, & is Focussed on improving on the ASP pro junior European tour 2009.
Photo's attached at recent training camp in northern Spain, taken by Polly Martin.
Merry Xmas & a great new year!
I know there will be those that disagree - but not a lot of difference is there! Surfboards may have come along way and the boundaries have certainly been stretched but some things, like a nice full rail carving cutback, well they have always been cool....
Top: Nigel Semmens on a 6 + twin fin, Thurso around 1979
Bottom: Sam Boex on a modern high performance F16 thruster in 2005.
Both Photos by Alex Williams
A selection of sticks from the late 1990s for your enjoyment. Photos by Alex Williams
If you know what this year was then please tell us. It was Alexandra Palace back in the 1980s - a few twin fins with the rear stabiliser on the wall and (yes, confession time) even a wind surfer or two! This scan came from Alex Williams - thanks Alex.
Two nice shots of Jack at the Euros in Morocco on his new 5'10'' F16 look like the boys are doing well. Lewis is in the Semi,s as well So best wishes to him hope the boys bring home some silverware.
It was 1979... the second oil crisis had just begun, the Christian World was rocked with the launch of the Life of Brian, the IRA murdered Mountbatten, the Russians invaded Afghanistan... and Nigel was forced to surf the summer in a little Gul shorty...
Nigel - where was this photo taken? Looks like Leven to me and from that solid bottom turn must have been pre-twin fin days :)
I stumbled across a box of old surf magazines in the garage this weekend. This picture is from Atlantic Surfer #4, photo by Andy Bennetts.
I asked Nigel about Thurso today as he shaped my new 7'0 semi-gun. Thurso is also one of my favourite breaks and location of my first deep reef barrel, and this is what he had to say... "I became a bit obsessed with Thurso for a while - making 8 or 9 trips up there just to score some of those epic barrels. It was never really that cold but then I did normally go in Autumn".
What a girl - I used to go in March!!
Think Keith from Free Ride looks really stoked with the new Ultimate Style progressive mal we just designed and made for his shop. Don't think this will be in the shop for to long.
Check these boards think Jas has done a great job on these tints these wont be in the shop long so hurry up and get there.
We just got some pics of some interesting boards we had the pleasure of making with Malcolm Campbell last year. He came and took over the shaping room for a week and made close to 50 boards for a variety of clients in Europe. The boards then went through the factory under the guidance of Nigel, Phil and Malcolm's agent, Guy Penwarden. Daz had to get to grips with the delights of fixing and sanding Bonzer 5s and Bonzer 3s, together with a huge swath of gloss and polish. It was an interesting slug of boards and a process we enjoyed being a part of. The pic is of a 6'0 Bumble Bee and a 6'6 POD.
Just got some shots from our Team Rider Kieran of one of his trips to Puerto Escondido a couple of years ago. He says the sand is as hard as concrete...
Kasper catching a few nice little waves in his late session after work looks like he is stoked on his new NS pod.
Will - son number 2 of Kelvin is the second lucky lad to get a new board for Christmas - similar to Nick's but 2" longer and with a hot red and yellow spray.
Nick's Dad has gone all out for Christmas with this 6'8" 2+1 diamond tail. It's got a rad red and black spray to go on after the hot coat has been sanded. Watch this space...
PS Nick - don't worry - your "Nick" logo is to go on over the hotcoat before the spray :)
PPS Tim says he wants a ride on it!
Ben Howey just got his new board - shame about the onshores for the rest of the week...
Tom Good, finished off the 2008 contest season last weekend with a 4th place in the u/16 finals of the UK pro tour, making it 6 out of 6 finals on the tour.
With another year ahead of tom in the u/16's he will kick start next season as the number 1 seed, as the older boys ahead of him move up a division.
Results 2008
Tom is off to the European junior championships the following Thursday, then down to the Algarve for Xmas training & will be training with the British junior squad through the winter off season.
He knows how hard he must train as his goals are to improve on the asp Europe pro juniors 2009.
Thanks to sponsors for continued support.
A big well done to Tom from Nigel and all the boys at OM foam Asylum
