Got Wood?
As far as sustainability and surfboard building go, wood seems like an ideal medium. The classic solid balsa planks come to mind, but the scarcity and price of a balsa blank makes it somewhat out of reach for the average builder/enthusiast.
On the other hand, the hollow wooden surfboard seems to offer a compromise between weight and cost, and local availability of the necessary materials needed to build a wooden framed shred sled. Paul Jensen’s finely crafted boards set the benchmark as far as hollow wooden boards are concerned, with a nod to Tom Blake for inspiration. It seems many have taken notice and come up with their own variations on the theme with wood being the common denominator as the material of choice. Not only is this choice more sustainable, and more durable, but a finely crafted wooden board also has an aesthetic all it’s own.
A short video from Current TV featuring hollow wooden boards from Grain Surfboards
We hope to have interviews and essays from today’s premier wood surfboard builders in the near future. Keep your peepers peeled.