Wood is good

Just a sample of some of the boards and brands on show last weekend.There really are some very talented people out there. And they come from all walks of life. In fact full time surfboard shapers were way in the minority , maybe less than 20% of those on show.

Someone asked me “do you get board-envy being surrounded by so many beautiful boards?” My answer is ”there is a great mutual respect for the builder of each and every wooden board, as those of us who have built them know that none of it has come without a lot of time and effort”. There is no quick way of building a board. And it’s not so much envy, but more mutual appreciation and respect.

The difference with this year from last year is that every board on display was hand built by the person themselves and a great vibe was felt as they shared their experience and journey in building what they had on display. Paulownia was definitely the wood of choice for most people as it is strong and light as well as resistant to salt water.