Old man and the sea. Australia.

[SURFFOILS]

Shouldve been born a Great White but alas I’m in Sydney and I surf, sail, SUP, swim, SCUBA, spearfish and snorkel and generally do anything in the ocean. It’s just my personality to be a ratbag but I have great respect for the forces of the ocean and try to have as much fun as I can without upsetting the Gods that may smite me for being a ratbag. Greatest joy is a sunny day in the ocean doing all the things that make life amazing then a few beers and doing it all over again the next day and for the rest of my life. I build surfboards, fins, spearguns, dive floats, inflatable mats, hydrofoils and almost anything that goes in the water, so if you’re nearby and keen to chat or have something new to build then drop me a line at surffoil@gmail.com

 

[BatRay]

Welcome to deeperblue! Enjoy the forums

 

[SURFFOILS]

Welcome to deeperblue! Enjoy the forums

Thanks for the welcome.
Your male Budgie is native to Australia where they flock in the thousands.

 

[foxfish]

Ha Ha, you sound like me 30 years ago!

 

[SURFFOILS]

Ha Ha, you sound like me 30 years ago!

HI Foxfish, you mean the ratbag, the constant immersion or the creative building or all of the above ?
And what made things change ?

 

[SURFFOILS]

Man that’s art right there !

 

[foxfish]

Getting old mate, that is what has changed!
Of course I still dabble in all things sea & creative but, not with the same enthusiasm as I once did.
Not that old but at 58.5 I am feeling many of my life's adventures effecting my abilities & especially my stamina.
I have not been on a surf board for 15 years but I am always thinking about it...
I used to spearfish at every opportunity night and day but for medical reasons I have had to restrict myself to 'occasionally'
However I still organise the 'deeper blue Guernsey fish in' every year, still build guns, repair surfboards, go fishing & build guitars.

 

[SURFFOILS]

I thought it might be the effects of time. I’ve just turned 56 and realise too that I need to ‘focus’ rather than have a go at everything that comes into my head. I might actually complete something !

 

[cdavis]

Pretty piece! Did you make that? Surffoils, when did you start diving?

What is this 50 something business? That's about the time I began to realize my horizons were contracting, a little, but you guys got a long way to go. Bill M is still shooting big fish in his 70s and the Baron must be over 80 now, multiple joint replacements, and can dive way deeper than us. I'm pushing 70 and will admit to slowing down a bit, but still dive as long and almost as deep. Can't say I'm capable of loading the boat with fish anymore, not enough stamina, but dinner is no problem.

One nice thing about getting more "mature" is wanting to take the time to post interesting stuff on DB. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to rant.

 

[SURFFOILS]

Started SCUBA when I’ve as 14.
Foxfish did the piece, the guy who replied above me.
Beautiful woodwork isn’t it .

 

[cdavis]

Hey Foxfish, I had no idea you were so talented. You got other stuff out there?

Surffoil, you got me beat by a year. I shot my first fish at 15.

 

[foxfish]

Ha ha yes well I can and do build things......
When the forum was at its peak, I thought I could of possibly made a living just building spearguns!
However like most of the things I enjoy doing, they don’t pay much money!
It’s all about guitars and wood fired ovens at the moment but I have made a living building all sorts of things, I just go with the flow......

 

[SURFFOILS]

Ha ha yes well I can and do build things......
When the forum was at its peak, I thought I could of possibly made a living just building spearguns!
However like most of the things I enjoy doing, they don’t pay much money!
It’s all about guitars and wood fired ovens at the moment but I have made a living building all sorts of things, I just go with the flow......





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That’s some amazing building and craftsmanship.
Very talented.

 

[BatRay]

Thanks for the welcome.
Your male Budgie is native to Australia where they flock in the thousands.

Yes indeed! And a fantastic little bird he was, too. A real character with a decent vocabulary and a very cheerful personality. It would be surreal to see thousands of budgies just like him, all flocking in the wild.

 

[Mr. X]

Foxfish what do you call that instrument you made, is it a "guitalele "? I met a well-to-do old chap last year who takes ukelele Summer classes every summer. He had several Ukes and a Banjolele. He insisted on giving a free 5 minute lesson: 3 chords, he reckoned that was enough to play most tunes! If I bump into him again, I'll send him your way

 

[foxfish]

No it is a tenor guitar, they were very popular back around 80 90 years ago.
If fact there is a very interesting story behind the tenor guitar....
Back in the 1920 when live music was not electrically amplified, the most popular string instrument was a tenor banjo.
The tenor banjo was one of only a few stringed instrument that was loud enough to compete with the bass instruments, they were many thousands of professional banjo player ( music was a viable job in those days)
However as electric amps and 6 string guitars became domineering during the 30s, the demand for tenor banjos declined... so the tenor guitar was born! It was made to help the many banjo players now desperate for work
It is tuned like a tenor banjo .. cgda in 5ths. but has a guitar sound.
I specialise in building tenor guitars, there is a bit of a market but they are an unusual instrument.
Here is a video showing how they can be played in a traditional way, played by the amazingly talented John Lawlor