So what the heck is a handplane? Jeez, if you gotta ask... ;-)
A handplane, in the water-sports world, is used on the lead hand when bodysurfing. It helps to bring the upper half of the body out of the water, and replaces that planing surface with the handplane itself. It can also be used to help steer while in the wave, and paddle getting into waves. Some people don't feel they need 'em, some people really dig 'em.
I started making them around 2013, from old broken surfboards headed for the landfill on the central coast. I use the foam from broken Polyurethane boards, Volan cloth, and Polyester resin. Each handplane is constructed exactly like a regular, traditional surfboard. They are cut, shaped and glassed by hand, the only power tools used are a random orbital sander to sand hotcoats, and a bench top polishing wheel for gloss coat polishing. I have been pinstriping since 2005, and dig bringing that art into the mix as well.
Below is a mailer I made that comes with each handplane, that kind of explains a little more-
If you're interested in a custom handplane (i.e. name on the stringer, color pallette of your choice, custom imagery, etc.) shoot me an email in the contact section and we can chat, they make great gifts for body surfers!
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