More Eco-friendly Surfboards from York, Maine

Who: Grain Surfboards – York, ME

What: Grain Surfboard Kits

Where: Grain Surfboards – $520-$820, 9 models available in DIY kits

Why We Love ‘Em: Hurricane Earl is on his way, and you know what that means? Surf is up! Great time to get out there (okay, not if you are directly in the eye of the storm and you know how to circumvent a rip tide – just take a breath relax and swim parallel to shore…) and hit the waves. The waves up in York have been awesome and what better way to catch some waves than with a more eco-friendly surfboard.

It seems contradictory that a sport with such a reverence for nature, uses so many materials that are not that kind to the environment. Most boards are made from non-renewable foam core boards, but local board maker Mike LaVecchia, founder of Grain Surfboards set out to change that by creating a greener alternative, wood. They do still use some volatile organic compounds, non-renewable resources and components sourced from all over the country but they rely on more classic board building techniques to create a surfboard that is more in line with a surfers eco-sensibilities.

The board is composed mostly of air trapped between layers of sustainably managed cedar wood locally sourced from family-owned mills in Maine. The wood provides a sturdier base than traditional foam boards that are susceptible to dings and scratches (ours suffered a few over the weekend…). Take away the zero-voc epoxy resin (which is pretty awesome, by the way) that coats the board and the board is 99% biodegradable.

In addition to incorporating more eco-friendly alternatives, they also running a pretty eco-friendly manufacturing process reusing materials as often as possible, hiring locally, and reusing the wood scraps for fuel, compost and wood shavings for local horse barns.

The result is a board that balances design, beauty and longevity for a sweet, sweet ride…

For more ways on how to ‘green’ your surf routine check out this episode of the Lazy Environmentalist where he takes a look at how to green the sport of surfing.