News & Updates

Fall is here and I thought it would be nice to have a “News & Update” page on the website.

Currently Lotus Earth is full steam ahead with product research and development.

As you may have seen on the blog site, the Tombstone Fish Model is now ready.

I just completed a 5′ 6″ version of this board for myself and it is
unreal! This is hands down the best all around board I have ever
ridden in my twenty years of surfing. This is the board which gave me
the confidence to create the Lotus Earth Company and the board you will
see me riding 90% of the time.

Next week I’m beginning production on the classic noserider. This
board will be available in 9’2 – 10′ 2″ and have all the bells and
whistles of a classic 1960’s longboard. Look for it in the water
within the coming months.

The Eco-Friendly apparel line is growing everyday. Check out the
sample shirts and caps on the website already… This is just the tip
of the iceberg as I’ve recently discovered an unbelievable resource of
organic cotton, hemp, recycled and alternative low-impact textiles.
This is very exciting news for me and our planet!

Thank you to everyone for your interest in Lotus Earth. I am truly humbled and forever grateful for your support. I’ll let you guys know the moment we have a projected launch date.

Mahalo,

Tom

The First Ride…

From this…

To this…

Is a most incredible feeling…

Gone Fishin’

I polished the 5’6″ Tombstone Fish today. The cut laps turned out so clean I decided to forgo the standard pin lines… It really looks great!

Tools of the Trade

Prior to Lotus Earth I held a contractor’s license in master carpentry. My focus was historical restoration.

With this background I had a large workshop with just about every tool on the market.

I quickly learned that many of the tools required for shaping surfboards are specific to this art.

In fact the entire room used for shaping a surfboard is unique.

There’s a stand in the center of the room. On either side of this stand are florescent lights mounted to cast a shadow and show any deviation in the pure white foam.

The room itself is painted a bright solid color (usually blue) to further the process of creating perfectly smooth lines.

I love the peaceful color and ever present aroma of fiberglass.

Today I decided to display some of the tools used for shaping.

Check it out:

Starting from the bottom of the photo:

1)Various paint brushes with natural bristles.
2)A dark artist pencil named “The General”
3)Two squares & angle finder for setting fins
4)Razor Blades by the Hundreds
5)Handmade Leash Plug Guide
6)Circular Rasp for the Fish Swallowtails
7)Handmade scribe for cut laps & pin lines
8)Two planes- One large, one tiny.
9)Standard Tape Measure
10)Whisk for thoroughly mixing resin tints
11)Handmade Sanding Block- Oak/Foam
12)Handmade Calipers
13)Various Sureforms- Quintessential Shaping Tool
14)Silver Spoon (which I was born with)
15)Trusty Stanley Hand Saw
16)Squeegee for laminating- I have several sizes
17)My original Steve Lis Keel Fin Template
18)Hand built “Fred Tool” for the rails
19)Hand built Two Foot Flat Sanding Block
20) Si’ Si’ Tool for perfect tape lines
21) Paint Stirrers/Tongue Depressors by the case
22) Catalyst Dispenser
23) Expensive Tape Various Widths by the case

Lights on the Horizon

Sailing at night there are always dim lights on the horizon.

What future do these lights represent?

Today in the Studio:

I’ve applied to the wonderful Riverside Arts Market as a sculptor of foam. The board on the left is part of my portfolio.

It’s a 5′ 6″ traditional fish with hand foiled wooden keels. The color process is pigment dyed resin versus the modern technique of paint on foam. Resin tints are extremely difficult to achieve and the depth of color is unparalleled.

Tomorrow I’ll sand the entire board several times and follow with a heavy gloss coat.

The board will need to cure for several days and be polished to a brilliant shine.

Foam & Function

Introducing the Five-Six Tombstone Fish
5′ 6″ x 19 1/4″ x 20 1/2″ x 16 3/4″ x 2 3/4″

This board has a traditional cut-lap yellow resin tint and a really nice set of hand-foiled wooden keels.

I laminated the deck today and wanted to share some photos.

Much pin-lining, laminates and gloss to follow soon…

The Blank:

Shaped & Ready for Glass:

6 oz. Cloth:

Yellow pigment:

Cut-laps:

Hand-foiled Wooden Keels:

Stay tuned

The Value of a Dream

Not so long ago I traveled to central California for the first time. This was the first time I saw the Pacific Ocean from domestic sand, the first time I tasted wine at a vineyard, the first time I experienced the mighty redwoods, explored Yosemite, overlooked the jagged cliffs of the Coastal Highway and felt the cold water of mainland surfing’s birthplace at Santa Cruz.

Throughout California are pods of unique surfers sharing their love for the ocean through art. Surrounding these pods are small boutique surf shops in quaint historic beach towns all along California’s coast. These shops showcase locally shaped surfboards, handmade soy wax, paintings, photographs, board bags and apparel. All the products are handmade and eco-friendly.

These shops and artists inspired me to create Lotus Earth on the East Coast and I would like to share my thoughts on the value of this dream.

I certainly believe there is a place for mass produced goods. These companies were born from a love of the lifestyle in which they were founded. Unfortunately most of the time this same art, creativity and excitement is replaced with the universal love of money.

A corporate monster is born and envisions a vast investment opportunity.

The profit margins are counted and weighed as oversees manufacturers are contracted.

The company is absorbed by a master of brands. The original vision is lost and the consumer is now able to purchase a label with the highest status symbol at the lowest cost.

The value of the brand was built on it’s foundation principles. These principles have a calculated expiration by the master of brands and thus the lifespan of the product begins it’s decline. This is the natural evolution of a successful product.

Billabong, Quicksilver, and Rip Curl all started out as small unique companies with the univeral love of surfing. People really connected with their brand image and do so more than ever today.

I did too for a long time and have nothing against the success of a large company. I simply prefer individuality.

I’m easily bored and always thriving for new music, art, places, insightful inspiring conversation and living life everyday.

We are all so different and it’s hard to feel like an individual when I see two or three guys wearing the same shirt or surfing the same mass produced board as I’m riding.

Lotus Earth is my dream. There is no business plan or expected return on investment. There is only the hope that you will dig the idea and simply enjoy the products as much as I do

Mahalo,

Tom

American Beach

My buddy Kevin is in town for a few weeks before returning to graduate school in Providence.

Kevin travels with a multitude of Nikons and offered to photograph the Econoline.

American Beach offered a fine backdrop even in the high noon light…

Wrinkles in Time

Over the years I’ve completed many restorations- cars, boats, phonographs, bicycles, victorian architecture… You get the idea!

I enjoy history and the nostalgia of a simpler time.

These days we know everything about everything and if we don’t, GOOGLE is only a few clicks away.

Which is good and bad.

This morning it is good! I’ve already spoken to experts from California to Australia regarding the Bing restoration.

Along the way I found history I never knew about Bing-

The Bing era represents a very unique period of time in California… From the early days of classic longboarding in the late 1950’s to the transitional shortboards of the early 1970’s!

Check out Classic Bing Surfboards for some amazing history on Bing!

Restoration- 1968 Bing Nuuhiwa

I got an interesting call from my old high school dean this afternoon. Hearing his voice brought back some memories.

I had a habit of sneaking off campus to surf during the lunch hour and most of the time not returning until the following morning. Consequentially, I spent some time in the dean’s office

Anyways, the dean was a surfer long before those days and still has his original high school board, a 1968 Bing! It’s a ten foot David Nuuhiwa Noserider model in need of a full restoration.

Thought I would post the process here. This is a special board for a special friend and I’m going to pull all my tricks outta the hat to really make this Bing sing!

Check it out:

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