HomeBlown Foam – Surf Expo Update
Phoresia staffers attended the 2007 Orlando Surf Expo to check out what’s going on in the sustainability movement within the surf industry. I was fortunate to catch up with Ned MacMahon from HomeBlown Foam and put my hands on some of their new Biofoam. HomeBlown also had a really nice fish there that Ned shaped with some clean resin pin-line work on it to show off how nicely the blanks worked with resin color.
Working closely with my shaper has allowed me to see lot of different types of foam and I have to say the Biofoam looked and felt really good. It has a very dense cell structure and felt consistent all the way through. Unfortunately, at this time they don’t have a distributor on the East coast of the U.S. As Ned pointed out though, it’s not very “eco-friendly” to ship a blank 3000 miles.
Hopefully the demand will reach the point where HomeBlown can set up a shop on the right coast and provide an alternative to the TDI blank standard. But, for all of you on the West Coast, their San Diego factory should be able to supply all your blank needs. Much respect to Ned and the HomeBlown crew for stepping up and making a difference in the industry.
Phoresia also talked to the guys from Grain Surfboards and got to put our hands on a few of their hollow wooden boards. I noticed solid construction and great looking craftsmanship. We’ve got a great interview coming up with Mike LaVecchia from Grain Surfboards, so check back in the coming weeks.
by D. Lawless
Thanks again for mentioning Homeblown and our new Biofoam. I wanted to also thank you for mentioning Grain Surfboards. I think these guys are great and doing a great job. I hope they can develop a business as strong as the homebuilder kayak market. I wish them the best of luck and I am ordering a Grain for myself too!
Aloha,
Ned
Hi Ned and the staff at Phoresia,
Thanks so much for all the support, it really makes me feel good about what we’re doing.
I also really want to compliment you, Ned, on Biofoam. It’s a great product at a very necassary time, and I hope it will help open some eyes to alternative materials and a healthier environment.
Thanks again,
Mike