Sunday, January 17, 2016

Grain celebrates 10 years of building wooden boards


 In commemoration of it's tenth year building wood surfboards, Grain Surfboards is creating a limited edition series of "Decennial Surfboards" that reflect the earliest efforts of founder Mike LaVecchia. The first of these is traveling with at least one of the two Grain Surfboards Mobile Workshops as it carries not only the tools, materials and supplies necessary to conduct surfboard-building workshops anywhere, but also a bit of Grain's roots and ethos as well.

With the Decennial Surfboard "on the bus", the Grain Surfboards Mobile Workshops will have with them a modernized example of the first attempts made in Mike's basement to craft a surfboard built as boats are.  Just as the first board had, the Decennial Surfboard has black deck seams, screw-fastening details, and a darkly grained deck of salvaged red cedar.  But unlike that first board, this one has built into it all the advancements that the team at Grain Surfboards has evolved over the last ten years; it's light, strong, and has lifetime construction that Mike never imagined possible in those early days.

Though Grain's steady decade of growth has inspired scattered attempts at duplication of their unique business model and construction techniques, much of what the small, dedicated team brings to the experience of "building your own" is not easily replicated. It's partly vibe, and partly their unusual dedication to putting thought into action that has contributed to the types of innovations in wood surfboard technology that are embodied in the Decennial Surfboard.

This year, Grain celebrates not only their own birthday, but also the growing community of surfers from all over the world who have found in Grain Surfboards an unusual commitment to the way surfers get to experience surfing. "It's only fitting that the Decennial Surfboard is traveling to the Great Lakes workshops," said co-owner Brad Anderson. "Over ten years, we've advanced the way we think about surfboard design, and now we're evolving where and how surfers get their boards. When was the last time surfers got to build their own boards in that part of the country?"

About Grain Surfboards
Grain Surfboards is committed to promoting the benefits of building and surfing wooden surfboards and believes that wooden surfboards can have more impact on the surfing experience and less impact on the environment. All of the wood products used in Grain surfboards and kits are sourced from local mills and forestlands in Maine that practice sustainable harvesting. All wood waste from the production of Grain's boards and kits is actively reduced and creatively recycled.  Grain ships surfboards and complete surfboard kits worldwide and hosts week-long classes in which anyone can learn to hand-craft their own wood surfboard. Grain is co-owned and managed by Mike LaVecchia and Brad Anderson.  For more information, please visit http://www.grainsurfboards.com.


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