Get Wood: Grain Surfboards Say its Good
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.19.07
Grain surfboards are made of wood, specifically Northern White Cedar, with some Western Red Cedar added for colour accent. The timber is sourced in their home state of Maine. And although it is not yet FSC certified they are continuing to seek this out. The white cedar is said to be “super light, extremely rot-resistant and beautiful to look at.” The boards are claimed to ding and crack much less than standard non-renewable foam based surfboards. As to how they perform afloat, Grain says, “You’ll discover that wooden surfboards ride with more energy and carry more momentum down the wave. And while they may seem slightly heavier on land, in water, they feel much lighter due to the inherent buoyancy of wood.”
The company has a strong green ethic. “All our wood shavings are donated to local horse barns, our clean floor sweepings are sent to a composter, our off-cuts are used for heating fuel, and our total weekly waste is carried to the curb in one trip. Everyone that works at Grain commutes less than five minutes.”
But they are also very admirably transparent about where there is room for improvement and provide a list of aspects where their board construction is less than green.
They appear to produce a full range of board styles and even have kits for folk wanting to make their own. We found their website to be refreshingly open, full of detail and peppered with gorgeous photography. Worthy dropping in on, even you aren’t a board rider, to see just how ‘together’ a small green business can be. ::Grain Surfboards via ::Changents.
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Hey, thanks for the Grain post. They're currently glassing boards with bamboo cloth and experimenting with Bio Resin on the path to a completely green wooden surfboard. Keep an eye on the site and watch for the tour coming to the west coast.
Wonderful website and photography indeed. However, it would be refreshing to see them build boards out of recycled wood like many true wood craftsman if they are truly 'green'. Moreover, the fact is that wood boards have been around since the late 1800's.
Grains market is the do it yourself rider. The kits allow the builder and rider to be as one. What a satisfying feeling it must be to build your own board and ride it. It reminds me of kids building go-karts and riding down hills.
I must extend congrats to Grain. They have taken a product that has been around for over a century and turned it into a project that brings pure satisfaction to the builder/rider. Best of luck Grain.
Wonderful website and photography indeed. However, it would be refreshing to see them build boards out of recycled wood like many true wood craftsman if they are truly 'green'. Moreover, the fact is that wood boards have been around since the late 1800's.
Grains market is the do it yourself rider. The kits allow the builder and rider to be as one. What a satisfying feeling it must be to build your own board and ride it. It reminds me of kids building go-karts and riding down hills.
I must extend congrats to Grain. They have taken a product that has been around for over a century and turned it into a project that brings pure satisfaction to the builder/rider. Best of luck Grain.
A bit of a worry that builders using this method experience major cracking when laminating on the deck or bottom, when confronting Rich on the tree to sea forum he admitted that this often happens and that he discards these and starts again. . . a bit of a hit and miss approach
IMO
Try Roy's plans at [url]http://www.olosurfer.com/[/url] for some foolproof plans that don't need squads of clamps, for designs that have been THOROUGHLY tested for years (not marketed after building only one proto type as in the case of Grain).
The youngest builder using these plans succesfully is only 11 years old. . .
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