AOR Surfboards

I’ve been playing around with finless wooden boards for about a year now since I first read about Alaias. It’s been a pretty interesting journey so far, it really has been like learning to surf all over again, in the best possible way.

Here’s an alaia I’m working on for a customer, it’s solid cedar and doesn’t needed to be glassed. You just need to treat the wood every so often with linseed oil.

Although it might not look like much this board has some very subtle design elements and has to be seen first hand to be truly appreciated. This particular customer was a long-time bodyboarder who hasn’t ridden a bodyboard since he got his first alaia. The speed you get from these boards is incredible.

I’m looking to source some Paulownia wood pretty soon to build a few more stand-up alaias. If you’re interested in trying out one of these boards, just gimme a shout!

This is one of the latest boards I’ve done, it’s a 6′6 x 20″ x 2 1/2″ perimeter stringer thruster. The outline is based on a beefed-up Al Merrick/Taylor Knox board with a rounded pin tail. The idea behind the perimeter stringer is that the rail acts like a bow when performing turns, so as you compress you’re storing energy in the rail which is released as you uncompress and come out of your turn. I’m hoping to do up some videos quite soon to demonstrate the difference between a center-stringered board and a perimiter-stringer board.

I used Cedar for the rails on this board because of it’s good weight to strength ratio. Cedar also looks fantastic when it’s glassed. It really does “pop”. I used Future Fins on my shortboards and highly recommend the Black Stix range. Since I’ve shaped this board her new owner has taken her out a few times and the initial feedback is very positive, in fact I’m itching for a go on it myself!

Are you interested in shaping your own board? I’m available on Saturdays for one-on-one tuition and guidance for anyone who’s interested in shaping their own board. We’ll go through every stage of the process from drawing up the templates to cutting out the blank to glassing the finished board.

It’s a very satisfying feeling to ride a board you made yourself for the first time, and not one that many surfers experience. So if you’re interested then drop me a line and we can get cracking on your new board!

The fish from the last post is now finished and we’re looking for a good home for her! We’re really happy with how she turned out.

This board isn’t a solid wooden board, it’s not even a hollow wooden board. This board has an EPS core with cedar perimeter stringers and a wood veneer on top and bottom. The keel fins are mahogany and really set the board off.

The shape is a classic Californian Fish, 6′0 x 21 3/4 x 3, with a flat bottom, wide tail and huge buttcrack catching waves won’t be a problem for whoever takes this beauty. The traditional lines are designed for speed, speed and more speed.

Every surfer should have a fish in their quiver, great in the summer slop or when you need a bit of extra paddling power, fish also really complement a longboard as the feel of riding a fish can sometimes be very similar to riding a log (except cut in half and twice as fast!)

This board is ready to put a very big smile one someones face, and it could be yours for € 790. Drop me a line if you’re interested.

Well it’s been a busy few weeks since the contest last month. I’ve shaped the board for the winner and it’s ready to be glassed now, I’ve also been working on a few other interesting projects. I’ve been helping John out with his latest build which is a massive 11′6 Eagle a la Skip Frye. He wanted a triple stringer with 1 inch of Cedar in the center and two half inch stringers on either side. We glued it up last Saturday and it’s now ready for shaping. It *just* fits inside the shed

11'6 Blank

Myself and Frank have also been working on a wooden fish using my new vac-bag setup. I haven’t laid down the final layer of glass yet but already this thing is bomb-proof!

Wood Fish

I’ll go into the construction of this board in a later post but I’m very excited about this new technique, it’ll allow me to create lighter stronger boards. I think it looks gorgeous too.

Wood Fish

I’ll be making a few more fish too to show off at the upcoming Fish Fry in Lahinch this September, it’ll be on the same weekend as the Longboard Contest so it should make for a good weekend away.

I’ve also been working on another perimeter string board, this time with Cedar rails. Cedar really pops when it’s glassed, this thing is going to look fantastic!

Perimeter Stringer Shortboard

The Order Form is now up and running so if you’re interested in buying a custom board just fill out the form and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Each board is different but here’s a list of approximate prices:
Epoxy Perimeter stringers – starting from € 600
Polyurethane boards – starting from € 490
Longboards – starting from € 700

I also do Alaia boards and I have a few available for test drives, so if you’re into trying something completely different then don’t hesitate to ask.

If you’re not 100% sure of what you’re looking for then don’t worry, just fill out the form and I’ll contact you as soon as possible to discuss it.

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who turned up at the Surf Competition yesterday at Inch Beach. The surf wasn’t epic but the lads who competed made it look like it was. Out of 16 competitors it came down to Eddie Lacey, Rob Underwood, Carlsen Cloney and Kerry Larkin in the final. Rob Underwood was the strong favourite going into the final after a superb performance in his semi, absolutely demolishing two set waves in the second half of the semi to qualify for the final.
But it was local Eddie Lacey who stood up to the plate in the final to take 1st prize. The final results were as follows:

1st. Eddie Lacey

2nd. Carlsen Cloney

3rd. Kerry Larkin

4th. Rob Underwood

Thanks also to all the sponsors: Bowlers Toyota, Brehon Killarney, E&D Marine, Jamie Knox and www.humanseals.com

Be sure to check out the Event Gallery for pics of the day, thanks to all the photographers for supplying pictures!

The Surfing Event will take place this Sunday the 14th
Location: Inch Beach
Registration closes at 10.00am sharp!

Prize giving in Sammys Bar afterwards

Welcome to my new website!

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Alan O’Riordan.  I’m a surfer and shaper based in Farranfore, Co. Kerry. I’ve been shaping surfboards for the last 15 years and I’m now open for orders for custom boards.

I also provide guidance on shaping your own boards and do professional ding repairs.

To celebrate the launch of the site I’m running a competition on Sunday the 7th of June in Dumps, Castlegregory in association with Bowlers Toyota. The grand prize will be a brand new AOR surfboard.  See the Competition Page for more details.

Update: Online Event Registration is now ready. Click here to pre-register for the event to guarantee your place.