Custom wooden sup boards...

[noa]

A great part of me would like to get off the "mass produced in Asia" boat and aquire something with more soul. Also wanting a greener product, I'm getting interested in custom wooden or bamboo sup boards. Who makes quality, natural material gear ?

[Velasco]

You might want to call 'Grain Surfboards' up in Maine.

They make Cedar planked boards with 'cove-bead' strip rails.

Beautiful boards.  They may push back - something about having tried making a SUP before and it being too much - but maybe times have changed.

Fiberglass Supply in Oregon sells a plywood kit (DIY).

Chesapeake Light Craft also sells the Kaholo kit (also DIY).

Wood is really nice, but unless you go veneer over foam (which gets you a ding resistant/energy returning flex layer), you start getting into weight issues (even the hollow ones get hefty quick).

Good luck!  An all wood board (with sugar based resins and bamboo fiber 'glass') would make the ultimate green board.

[whiskeyjack]

I talked with Mike L. from Grain about this a few times in the past. As of May of this year, any plans for SUP boards from Grain are "back burnered."

They just aren't convinced they could make them light enough to be viable.

Danny B.
Whiskeyjack Paddles
www.whiskeyjackpaddles.com

[melonhead]

There's a fellow in B.C. that makes wood surfboards, and I know he was talking about making SUP's.  The only info I have is his facebook page though.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105237124001&v=wall

[chad_s]

I built a 6'6" hollow wood single fin a couple of years ago.  A lot of fun and worth the effort, but it is tough to get a wood board with the same weight as a foam board.  They usually come out about 20% heavier.  Paul Jensen was working on a hollow wood SUP.  He builds some beautiful boards and reportedly they are relatively light.  I never saw any details on the finished product.  In order to get it close you would have to go with a very thin skin reinforced on the inside with carbon fiber or Kevlar.  It would also require a light frame reinforced with the same.  That said I may take a shot at a 12'6" flatwater board with this type of construction next year.  It will be very difficult to get it to the same weight as a foam board, but at least it won't have to handle surf conditions.

[GSXXTRS]

andygere from here built a really beautiful 11'6" from redwood.  He has his build detailed in a blog here:

http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=554

I think it weighed in the mid 30 pound range.

[srowndedbyh2o]

Check out this website. Beautiful Bamboo Boards made on The Big Island of Hawaii.

[andygere]

My 11'-6" Waveyarder weighed 36 pounds before I put the deck pad on.  A little awkward to carry, but the board paddles and surfs well.  If you read the article linked by GSXXTRS, there's a section where I discuss how to reduce the weight.  I built this board using Grain's technology (Mike L. was nice enough to share a few tips with an old snowboarding friend) and I'm convinced that a lot of weight can be reduced using different wood, less epoxy and no varnish.  In a lot of ways, this board was over built, and much of that excess weight can be reduced by a savvy builder.

This was the first board of any type that I've built, and I did it from scratch including the board design.  It took some time, but all the information you need is out there on the net.  If you're into wood, take the plunge and build a wood SUP, you won't regret it.

[JeffBach]

x2 what Andy says.

I built a wooden SUP from the plans that CLC Boats offers. A Kaholo. Great plans. Safe to say mine is overbuilt as well and could be lightened considerably.

But the more I use my board the more "off" the weight train I am getting. I'm just not seeing or feeling why the weight of the board s/b the first parameter someone worries about when thinking about boards. Maybe it is because I'm not remembering my college physics, but I fail to see how 5 or 6 pounds on a board is any less important than 5 or 6 pounds on the rider.

I use mine as a flatwater workout and touring board. I'm guessing that maybe surf consideration are more weight sensitive? But even there, how can the weight of the rider not play more of a part than the weight of the board?

Maybe a surf physicist is lurking and provide an answer

JB

[chad_s]

I am no physicist, but I did pretty well in it the second time around.  So I will take a shot at answering your question.  Mass is mass whether it is on the paddler or the board.  So if you are trying to accelerate that mass to the highest velocity possible (board hydrodynamics being equal) the lightest mass will take the least effort.  Is a couple of pounds a big deal?  For most people probably not unless you are an elite flatwater racer.  I will add the caveat that there are lots of other considerations in board mass such as handling in the wind, center of gravity, etc.  The weight of a surfboard for surfing applications is hotly debated by some and I am not going to jump into that one. 

That said I am a big fan of wooden surfboards. If you checkout the forum that Andy's build is posted on you will see many examples.  I had a chance to checkout Andy's board in person and it was gorgeous.  If anyone enjoy's building I would recommend taking a shot at building your own board.  On the flipside for a performance board for any application it is hard not to see the benefits of vacuum bagged carbon fiber/EPS construction.  It has proven to be very durable and lightweight.  If a board lasts a long time and stays out of a landfill that is pretty green.  DW has some great videos on his blog of building EPS/carbon fiber boards.  It is definitely on my list of future projects.

[HB]

I make wood SUP's in Michigan.  I could send you pictures if you want. my personal one is 12'x34"x4.5" and weighs about 28 pounds.

I'm currently making one for a friend in florida at 11'

[BSLNoel]

unless you go veneer over foam (which gets you a ding resistant/energy returning flex layer)

This is what I have, not a US nor a custom, and I am noticing soft spots where the impact has taken place.  Is this something I can do anything about?  Should I just not worry?

I have some tie down straps on the front and a misplaced heal pushes them down into the board quite hard.  I noticed two soft spots right under them, but cosmetically you can't really tell unless you catch light just right off of it.

[Paul Jensen]

(above)12’ x 28” x 4.75”

Designed and built specifically for my wife for use on flat water…

We have three large lakes within a mile of our home…Puget Sound is minutes away…


(above) The deck woods are western Red Cedar and Basswood…

Glassed on the underside of the standing area of the deck is a 5’ long carbon fiber laminate…The rest of the underside of the deck has a layer of 3 oz. fiberglass…

The deck port is for dry storage…

The traction pads are clear skateboard grip tape filled smoother 9that stuff is rough…!!!…)

The elastic bungees on the back are for securing things topside…



(above) The rails are Afromosia plywood…

The outside has a single layer of 3 oz. fiberglass…

Resin Research epoxy resin…



(above) Deck handle with leash cups glassed into the ends of the handle…

1/4” cord with a plastic tubing handle makes moving it pretty simple…



(above) On the nose I glassed in a 1/2” brass FIP insert…

Into that I can mount a GoPro camera at water level…



(above) …or mount it on a pole…


(above) I also can thread in this brass plug…



(above) …which I’ll use to lock the board with this cable…

More later…