Ryan ChartrandThe surfboard shaping class is welcoming back the waves this quarter with a revamped work area and loads of new equipment.
“We haven’t offered it the past couple of quarters and now the room is going to be a lot bigger because we are using the leftover space where Mustang Express used to be,” said, Matthew Burch, a Craft Center student manager and industrial engineering junior. The Craft Center was allowed to use the space after approval from the University Union Advisory Board and the Associated Students Inc. Directors Board.
As one of the many hands-on classes from the Craft Center, the surfboard shaping class will allow more students to work on their boards at the same time, as well as more equipment so that each person can have their own tools to use.
“It used to be really crowded in there. Only six people could shape at a time and some people would have to wait on the side,” said Tim Sleeper, Craft Center class instructor and industrial engineering junior. “And there weren’t enough tools, so people would have to share them.”
With all of the extra room from the old Mustang Express area, as well as $1,600 worth of new equipment, the class has received a fresh facelift. New vacuums, planers and hand tools have been purchased and placed, as well as new tables and light fixtures, just in time for spring quarter enrollment.
“It’s going to be a big hit, and it’s one of our main priorities right now,” Burch said. “We will offer five classes, with eight people in each class.”
Registration starts at 11 a.m. on March 14 at the Craft Center, and is only available for students the first two days. Burch and Sleeper anticipate that the class will fill up within those first couple of days.
“It’s a pretty popular class and it’s first come, first serve. There will definitely be a line on the 14th,” Sleeper said.
If it doesn’t fill up right away, then enrollment will continue on March 15 for the general public. The fees are $150 for students and $190 for non-students. This covers the price of the blank board and the instructions to shape it.
Students will also be taught how to decorate their boards, which is considered a type of homework to work on outside of class, if desired. For the final touches on the boards, students are then referred to different glassing companies, based on price, convenience and how long it takes to finish.
Sleeper will be teaching the class in the same way that he has in the past, except now with a little more freedom since there is more room and more equipment.
“The first week is an overview and we figure out the width of your board. Then we do the thickness, and then the rails,” Sleeper said. “In the fourth week we finish the rails and in the fifth week we put on the finishing touches.”
More details about the class outline, registration and procedures can be found on the Craft Center’s Web site through www.asi.calpoly.edu/uu/craftcenter or by calling (805) 756-1266.
The Craft Center also offers classes such as skateboard making, ceramics, stained glass, bike repair and more.