Surf’s Up: N.S. craftsman creates rideable pieces of art
Nova Scotia has earned an international reputation as a destination for surfing enthusiasts.
Now a Maritime craftsman is also getting attention for helping riders catch a wave.
“As a surfer, you want your equipment to be dialed in and specific to not only your body type and size, but your skill as well,” says Christopher Mathers, founder of Black Tuna Surf Boards. “It’s constantly a quest for finding the right dimensions, the right type of surfboard, for the right day of surfing.”
Mathers’ love of surfing inspired him to start his own business, designing and constructing surfboards from scratch.
“Not being able to find something right off the rack, it was almost easier to make my own and see what ticked,” explains Mathers.
“I build them all, start to finish with one pair of hands, and they are a labour of love. I think you put a little bit of yourself into each part of rideable sculpture, a piece of art, it will become a totem for someone in their surfing life.”
Much like the sport itself, Mathers says creating the perfect surfboard is something that requires patience and dedication to the craft.
“Starting with raw materials and ending with a finished surfboard, you basically have a block of foam with a piece of wood glued down the centre, we call that the stringer, it’s for flex and strength characteristics. Then you also have some sort of reinforcement cloth, most cases fibreglass, and a hardening system, a polyester or epoxy resin,” says Mathers.
“You shape it kind of like a miniature sculpture, and once that is finished, it’s very delicate so we laminate it with fibreglass and resin, give it a rigid structure and make it waterproof, then you sand it smooth and you have a surfboard.”
You can check out Mathers’ creations in person at Lawrencetown Surf Co. or on the Black Tuna Surfboards website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
VIDEO Flavour? Heat? Pain? 'Heatseekers' share their keys to a great bottle of hot sauce
What do you look for in a good bottle of hot sauce? Sweet or smokey flavours? Or, perhaps, you're a 'glutton for punishment' — the words of one person in attendance at Windsor's 2nd annual Heatseeker Hot Sauce Festival.