a belly board maker
There’s a natural direction we often take when we live close to the sea. We swim in it but a large proportion of us are drawn to the waves we find in it. Here’s Robs story on how he found himself linked to those waves…
Rob was born in London but grew up in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He was schooled there but sadly remembers hating every minute of that part of his life. Rob wanted to be a firemen or go in the army but neither of those routes came about at the time. Instead, his father found him a job as a tool maker and he embarked upon an apprenticeship. He spent the next few years on the shop floor until there came a point where he fancied a change of direction and blagged himself a job in the design office at Electrolux.
“I was diagnosed with heart failure and given 2 to 5 years to live”
He spent the next ten years there until an offer of consultancy work within the aerospace and automotive industry came up. Sadly he became redundant some time later. He then moved direction on the work front for a while before going into retail and opened a vintage shop with his partner.
Rob’s life then took a very different route. He became very ill. So ill in fact that he was given 2 to 5 years to live. Given that dreadful news, Rob had to re evaluate his life. His love of surfing and those childhood memories holidaying by the sea prompted him to make the move to Cornwall. That was three years ago. Since moving here, his medical notes followed him and he was introduced to a new heart specialist, Mr Slade. His view of Rob’s terminal condition was to say that he could put him right and that’s exactly what he did. He saved Rob life and extended his time with us.
So, I asked Rob, how did the belly boards thing come about then. He told me “I found one in a junk shop in Truro and was gonna hang it on the wall but tried it first! Loved it so much more, than the foam bodyboards I was using at the time, so I decided to try and make one”. I’m told that ended up in failure at first but Rob persisted and did some research and now he feels that he’s mastered the art of constructing and designing his belly boards.
I visited Rob in his workshop which he said was called “The Rocket Shed”. It was named by the locals as this was where all the breeches buoy rockets were stored - I’ll leave it up to you to find out what one of those are. I wasn’t sure myself. Rob’s workshop was like most I’ve visited, everything to hand and tools everywhere. I particularly liked the Sainsbury’s golden syrup jars full of random stuff and the old school storage units plus the smell of wood, obviously!!
Rob was kind enough to show and guide me through the process of creating what he does so well, his unique wooden belly boards. All made with love and detailed so well.
Cheers Rob. RD
