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
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
BMO services restored following outage from data centre fire alarm, the bank says
Bank of Montreal clients saw services restored Thursday morning after an overnight, false fire alarm caused outages, the bank says.