While i admit with all the carbon burnt transporting materials around the world it’s almost impossible to produce a fully Eco Friendly Surfboard however there is a lot of things we can do as Surfers and Surfboard manufacturers to reduce the impact we have on the environment. That is why i have been experimenting with all types of new and old natural fibers to try and maintain the performance while reducing the surfboards overall carbon footprint.
Hemp Surfboards
Hemp was first spun into a usable fiber cloth over 10,000 years ago it’s a fast growing member of the cannabis plant family, compared to Cotton it’s stronger, more durable, needs a lot less water to grow and is grown without the use of Chemicals due to the Plants natural resistance to pests. Hemp also wets out well with resin as a cloth in fact hemp being a more porous and one of the strongest natural fibers makes it an ideal material to use in the production of Surfboards.
Cork Surfboard Deck Grip
Another way to reduce our impact of the environment is to use a Exposed Cork Deck instead of the usual Surf Wax. Cork has been used for bottling wine for centuries it’s a buoyant layer of bark from the Evergreen Oak Tree, when attached to the deck of a Surfboard it creates a waterproof buoyant layer than has fantastic grip properties when wet, It’s long lasting and very comfortable to lie on while paddling your Surfboard. Cork is also quite cheap compared to a lot of Eco Friendly products considering a Bar of Surf wax costs about £2 you could soon have your money back from a Cork Deck Grip.
Eco Friendly Recycled EPS Surfboard Blanks
A lot of my Eco Surfboards are built using EPS foam this is ideal for reducing the weight of your board so that i can improve the performance while keeping the Carbon footprint down to a minimum. Marko foam Recycled EPS is an ideal alternative to a Poly blank it’s easy to hand shape and is one of the top foams on the market today.
Eco Surfboard Performance
The thing that has surprised me the most about the feel of a Hemp Surfboard is the Performance it’s great! By using a lightweight blank and the latest Vacuum bagging techniques to build your board you can create a fast responsive Surfboard that is tough compared to a normal poly board. Hemp has a nice smooth natural flex on a mid range single fin it draws out the turns lovely while on a Fish it is buoyant and fast you can easily drop the volume of your surfboard and still catch more waves a Hemp board seems to make it over the flatter sections of the wave more easily giving you more options and a longer ride.
Eco Surfboard Features
As you can see from the pictures there is no reason why your Eco surfboard can’t have all the latest Surfboard features like FCS11 or Future fins, Leash Plug or a hemp leash loop and even some color now that i have been experimenting with dying the Hemp before glassing to give more options instead of the normal natural look. Tough construction, Lighter surfboard, no more wax!
Why not give me a call to talk about your options on your next surfboard and discuss a way we can reduce your impact on the environment without it costing the Earth!
