A Chair inspired by surf culture
Surfboard shapers have always been some of my favorite design heroes. From Dale Velzy to Greg Noll, these shapers developed beautiful water craft through an iterative process based on other surfer’s feedback and their own intuition that came from years spent in the ocean. The forms and materials these craftsmen used inspired the construction and design choices I made for this unique chair project.
Left: Inspiration image by Leroy Grannis, Right: My “Three Stringer” Chair
The form and overall style of the chair were driven by the nose and rail shapes of longboards in the 1950's and 1960's. Three stringers were often used in surfboards of that era to increase strength and rigidity. Using tapered wooden legs and round dowels was inspired by the mid century modern furniture of the same era.
Early development chair sketch
Form and materials were refined using Blender and Fusion 360
Overall proportion and fit was evaluated with full scale print outs
The materials used to build the chair were sourced from one of the first surfboards I ever shaped. It was no longer usable as a surfboard, so it gave me a great opportunity to see if traditional surfboard materials could be used to make a chair.
Top Left: Original surfboard before it was sacrificed to make a chair, Top Right: 3 wooden stringers glued into the seat pan and backing blanks, Bottom Left: Fiberglass cloth cut to size before laminating it with resin, Bottom Right: First round of sanding done on the bottom of the chair
The hardest step in creating the chair was sanding and polishing the final "Hot Coat." A hot coat is a final layer of thinned polyester resin that has a wax surfacing agent and excess catalyst added so it cures quickly into a smooth surface. The surface was wet sanded with grits from 150-1200 and then polished.
Wet sanding the seat pan and backing of the chair separately before assembling
Final chair assembled next to the remnants of the original surfboard
surf chair
Thanks to my friends Calli and Zach for letting me use their home to photograph this chair!