Two shining examples are Jericho Poppler and Rell Sunn, two ladies who have worked hard for this social change. In the mid 60's, they were both regarded as strange, in the almost totally male-dominated sport. Jericho was 1970 and 1976 U.S. Women's World Champion. Rell was Hawaii's number one woman amateur surfer for five years and in 1975 joined the first women's pro tour. When the growth of professionalism enabled them to travel and give their views to the world, they had little trouble raising genuine public support. These two ladies aren't just ambassadors of surfing, but champions for preserving our ocean environment. Making the Surfboard There are many steps that take place for the masterpiece of a surfboard. There is much skill and expertise that is needed for each and every step. The first step is shaping. The shaping of the foam blank determines the characteristics and performance of the surfboard. This is the most crucial stage of manufacture. Professional shapers take about 45 minutes to shape a board. Glassing is next, once the board has been shaped it must be coated with protective layers of fiberglass that will give the foam strength and durability. Many great shapes have been destroyed due to a bad glass job. It is important the glassing of a board does not alter the shape or add excessive weight, yet it must be strong enough so that it gives you a realistic life span. Once the board has been glassed, it must be sanded in preparation for the finishing stage. Sanding is underrated stage of manufacturing. Over sanding will reduce strength and incorrect sanding will leave the board with an uneven surface that does not replicate the original shape. Next is finishing, there are several ways to finish a board. There is a gloss finish, the wet rub finish and the speed finish. If your board is going to have a gloss finish, you must out any required color spray directly onto the shaped blank prior to glassing. If...
