Shunning neoprene for vintage knitted bathers, favouring brogues over trainers, and understanding that every cup of tea deserves a decent piece of cake are the prerequisites for entry into this select gang. But those with a few English pound notes in their money clip can purchase a slice of the rebirth of cool at the Revolver shop in Newquay, and now also available to all on that damn fine new-fangled invention, the internet.

Mr Isaac – please introduce yourself…
Ermm… “Hi, I’m John!”

Whenever I see you, you seem to be accompanied by the vast Revolver retinue – who’s in your gang?
Every hanger-on in Cornwall it seems!
There’s Jimbo (aka Chief Grom) who’s been with us since he was 12 or so.
Kev Elphick (who at present is a housekeeper on a large estate).
Shakey Pete, the bearded tattooist.
Jimbo’s own groms (Devro, Rows of Teeth & Watty).
Brad, the good looking prone hellman from SA.
Christiaan (Bathe it Daily) Bailey.
Elsie Pinnafore, Adam @ Trim, Mark (rowotents) Leary.
And not forgetting Marky, Perry, Jimi Newitt, John Eldridge, Neill Erskine, Lionel Dufau, Little Rich from Bantham, Candice O’Donnell, Sally Parkin, Friend Of Mine, Dan Crockett, James Parry…
The list grows and shrinks depending on whether we have wax for scabbing or not!

Where did the Revolver concept spring from?
It was born of frustration, a lack of regard for the past and because I wanted to be able to get hold of more alternative boards for my quiver.

What’s in your quiver at the moment?
9’9 Junod Pignar
9’6 Hynson Red Fin
7’10 Skip Frye singlefin
10’ Bilbo
8’ Eaton Bonzer
8’ Balsa Vee Bottom
9’ Experimental Squire Spoon
7’ Wegener “Finley” Alaia
5’ Wegener “Peaches” Alaia
4’ Wegener Special
8’ Wegener Tuna
About 20 old ply bellyboards
airmat
various handplanes

What makes Revolver stand out from the crowd?
A complete disregard for making it a business rather than a real surf shop, a refusal to sell just for the sake of it and being ready to shut the shop on a Saturday (retail suicide) if certain spots are on.

What are you rocking in the shop right now?
Handlebar moustaches, American tan tights, soul glow hair products, tweed hunting suits for Adam and a few other treats… Andrew Crockett’s new book, ‘Switchfoot II’, is flying off the shelves. Those trad English bellyboards are a worthy addition to any quiver, but for surfers who prefer two feet to belly, we’ve got boards from the likes of Michel Junod, Bing, Weber, Yater, Andreini and Squire.
Now that we’re online, you can enjoy a selection of the Revolver bounty without having to travel.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
1950s Malibu on a solid south swell.

A movie is to be made about your surfing life; who would play you and which other actors would play your friends?
Bruce Forsyth, Benny Hill & Alan Partridge.

Are there any songs that would have to be on the soundtrack?
My Boomerang Won’t Come Back!

What three things would you save if your house was on fire?
My family, my surfboards & my cameras.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Special biscuits.

What will you be doing 10 years from now?
Smoking a pipe.

Pet hates?
Big swell with big winds.

Of what are you proudest?
My family.

If you had to have a motto, what would it be?
Let them eat cake!

It’s not often that we at Drift urge you to consume, but this particular tasty morsel is health-food for your surfing soul. To whet your appetite, here’s a sample of what lurks between the covers…

It’s stupidly early and I am NOT a morning person.

But today I’m running on empty, fuelled by Mars bars and copious amounts of sugar, because the day ahead promises a shoot with surfboard shaper of the year (and Drift’s wooden wanderer) Mr Tom Wegener.

I’m genuinely stoked about meeting Tom; we’d spoken via email about a year back when I was planning some eco-based surf shoots, but due to his escalating status within the surf scene he was snowed under with film shoots and our schedules seemed to be ever conflicting.

I’m heading into Cornwall to the Revolver surf/tattoo emporium in Newquay, where Tom is holding some alaia shaping sessions as part of his European tour (keep up with his progress here). If you’re ever down in the ’quay I’d definitely pop round and say hi – the place is amazing, with pebbled floors and a Tiki garden complete with grass-roofed hut bar and decking. To quote the owner “It’s more like a surf club than a shop… I didn’t even know we sold stuff”. Genius!

It reminds me very much of Skip Fry’s set-up from the Dogtown and Z-boys era, and oozes the laid back vibes and charm that surfing is all about.

…but I digress!

Tom is an incredible person; from the word go you could tell he was genuinely stoked about the day. First lesson – picking the board shape and size. Tom has a range of alaias in his quiver which cater for a variety of sizes and styles, and from stand-up surfing to riding prone, each has their own place in Tom’s mind. And rightly so.

When everyone was prepped and sorted on how their chosen shapes would perform they were handed a semi-shaped blank, proudly stamped with the Wegener surfboards logo.

At this point I chuckled to myself as three grown men looked like kids in a sweet shop, holding onto their new prize stick and running their hands over the grain, no doubt silently praying that they wouldn’t cock it up!

Tom and Matt drew the outline and rails templates onto each blank – guides they would use to shape the rocker and to also tweak the rails, an incredibly important factor in alaia shaping because the rail is effectively the fin. Too tight and it will dig, too loose and it simply won’t perform.

The next two stages demonstrated the perfectly tuned working relationship that Tom and Matt have formed; Tom works the rocker and the base of the shape while Matt does the final tweaks and sands everything down… which is inevitably looked over again by Tom, whose attention to detail is admirable in an industry that seems to be dominated by money over quality.

Then it’s back to Tom for the rails. This man’s hands are some of the finest shaping tools I’ve witnessed at work – he’s constantly running them over the board after every stroke of the planing tools. The reason was perfectly demonstrated when he asked us all to look at the board he’d just shaped. To the eye it looked perfect. But after running our hands over the tail concave we could feel an oh-so-subtle slight rise in the grain. A simple oversight like this can severely affect the performance of an alaia, mainly because the board is a single entity – simple only works right if it’s shaped right!

After slowly guiding everyone through the final part of the shaping – which was taken ever so slowly because no-one wanted to end up with an expensive toothpick – four finely crafted Wegeners lay before us. Tom branded each one with the Wegener logo and signed them with a personal message for each of our super-stoked shapers.

The final stage was to treat the boards with a linseed oil and vinegar mix – this seals the wood and also creates a natural stickiness, reducing the need to wax. The seal also acts like a slight stain, drawing out the grain of the wood and giving it a gorgeous shine, no doubt something that will be gazed upon with a smile every time it’s paddled out.

It was at this point that we all realised the time… The tide was mid push and the swell had been pumping all day. John knew exactly where we were headed: Crantock rivermouth. We packed three cars full of amped surfers, wood, longboards and wetsuits, jumped the headland and parked up.

Everyone was suited and booted in record time, although Tom (obviously used to board shorts and warmer climates) needed a slight hand! Instead of paddling from the beach we opted for the more exciting approach, and weaving our way down the cliff we looked across the bay at the chunky lefts that were peeling into the rivermouth.

Jumping off the rocks, everyone headed straight across out back. The next few hours saw some serious nose time, massive grins, and slipping and sliding on newly crafted wood. Tom emerged more amped than ever, explaining that even if it was breaking you’d never paddle across a rivermouth in Oz to surf, simply because you’d get eaten!

God bless the English climate!

Heading back to Revolver for a beer and more banter, we proudly sat our boards against the wall.

Beautiful to watch. Beautiful to ride.

The future is definitely wood.

I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetic of wood; I guess it conjures up memories of being a kid and building tree houses in the woods surrounding my house. But it’s also the patterns… the natural flow of the grain that’s brought out by varnish is an exceptional example of how intricate and beautiful nature is. I might just hug a tree…

Years back, I was perusing the boards in Tiki when I noticed a dark wood laminate longboard with a lighter inlay, which signified the start of my love affair. It firmly planted the idea that one day I would invest in such a luscious looking stick.

Later, when I was in my last year of university and planning my final exhibition piece, the world of wood and eco surfing popped back into my field of vision. I came up with a plan and spent the next few months emailing shapers and surfers around the world, gathering info, eyeing up flights and creating storyboards. To cut a long story short, I flew to Ecuador (more to come on that in a later blog, promise) and returned home with memory cards rammed to the brim with photos and a tasty 6’6 balsa fish under my arm.

There’s something very relaxing about surfing a wooden board (and I want to point out here that I’m no pro surfer… nor am I exceptionally good. I’m an average Joe who surfs ’cos it gets me stoked). The board sits high in the water, making it easy to paddle. This positioning also means it copes well with our English mist, gracefully cutting through the chop with minimal effect on your balance. It also seems very appropriate to be harnessing the power of nature with a natural product, almost like the ocean rewards you for not filling it with polyurethane. Plus you look pimpingly hot walking down the beach with the board!

Since then I have sold that fish, but replaced it with a 9’2 D-fin longboard courtesy of Vintage Surfboards in Newquay (shaped by Mr Mark Neville at Seabase). And I’m equally intoxicated by the ride.

Bottom line is wood surfs well, looks gorgeous and is better for the environment. Sure it costs more dollar, but it don’t cost the Earth – that’s a good tick in the karma box.

My wooden stoke is hitting an all time high this week as I’m heading down to the ’Quay to meet the ever inspiring (and Drift’s champion wood-crafting wanderer) Mr Tom Wegner at Revolver for a day of alaia, sawdust, banter and hopefully a few good waves. I shall, of course, be providing you all with a host of lovely images that might possibly inspire a few of you to shape your own alaia blanks.

Take it easy.

Tom Wegener has long been heralded as the man who sparked a resurgence of interest in that ancient Hawaiian craft, the alaia board. While modern shapers have adapted, enhanced and modified this original surf board almost beyond recognition, Tom has gone back to basics to explore a whole new way of riding waves, revelling in the simple pleasures of surfing pared-back to the bare essentials.

The man’s a genius, and he’s been refining his alaia design for years now. If you’ve seen ‘Musica Surfica’ by Mick Sowry or Thomas Campbell’s ‘The Present’ (and if you haven’t, please do – they’re both uplifting and inspiring) you’ll already be familiar with the grace and beauty of Tom’s boards, and may have been surprised by the moves you can pull when riding one of these beauties.

At home in Noosa Tom’s living the good life, using the sawdust from his alaias to fertilise his pumpkin patch, but this summer he’s dragging himself out of paradise and around Europe, making it to Cornwall in August 2009. He’ll be hosting three alaia day workshops at Revolver in Newquay (01637 875730 info@revolversurf.co.uk). Details as follows:

Dates: 21, 22 & 28 August, 10am start.
Cost: £325 per person (£100 deposit on booking). Places are limited to 8 people per workshop.
Includes: partially shaped alaia blank; the tools and guidance (provided by Tom and apprentice Matt) you’ll need to shape your blank; lunch (Tom’s legendary chilli, if you’re lucky); alaia DVD; private screening of Tom’s favourite alaia moments on film, plus Q&A session.

You might even get to catch a wave with Tom if the conditions are looking good.

Come along and share the stoke.

www.tomwegenersurfboards.com
Revolver Surfing Emporium

LIMITED PLACES LEFT, SO PLEASE ACT TODAY TO SECURE YOURS!