INTRODUCTION The following will guide you around the pitfalls of building your first surfboard. With this help you won't have to learn as so many of us have... by making every mistake possible. This book is for the garage or backyard builder who has few tools and little money. The following information has been tested, and is the result of friends building their first surfboard with me. Also, thousands of interesting people have emailed their questions and results. If you are browsing for general information, and not building a board right now, please go to the MISCONCEPTIONS and TIPS chapters. At this point you might ask yourself, do I really want to do this? Is it worth saving roughly half the cost of a showroom board? Is it worth buying new tools? No book or video can make building your first surfboard easy. If you are not used to building things, it may be so difficult you regret it. It's dusty, sticky, sweaty, and toxic work, and the pro shops mostly do a good, cosmetically pleasing (although somewhat disposable) job. Consider reading this in order to gain information on how to custom order a more durable surfboard from a shop. On the positive side, building a board can be very rewarding. Everyone who follows the directions manages to finish somehow, and almost everyone who makes one will make another. Much of the work and expense on the first board (such as racks, blocks, and tools) won't have to be duplicated on following boards. This guide was written for first time builders. Many of the techniques mentioned differ from production surfboard building. Much effort has been made to lessen problems, and save money. Read through the entire book before making any purchases. There are many options. First time builders tend to make the same kind of mistakes. The goal of this book is to prevent board ruining mistakes. [Next]