A Wooden Good'un..!

Three weeks ago I decided to document the building of an Alaia board.

I had a broken rusted tripod and a few POV cameras to use and asked my housemate Ryan if I could use his garage and tools.
The timber was delivered and work began, its amazing how quickly the board takes shape once the gluing process has been taken care of.

There are a few stages involved, and each one seemed to blend into the next quite seamlessly, the paulownia timber is amazing to work with, and is as light as a feather. The grain is a lovely sandy yellow colour and it really comes to life as you work. Power tools are overkill for the most part, and I found hand sanding was the best way to get a feel for the boards outline, rails and the all important concaves.

Once I was done sealing the board, I didnt surf it for a week as mother nature threw down a flat spell on Sydney, but when the day came it was perfect.

I had the local point which is normally packed all to myself for over an hour. I was definitely surprised at how easily the board paddles, and catching a wave is akin to doing it on a longboard.
Riding without fins is like nothing I've ever felt, such a weightless glide.
The timber absorbs all chatter off the face making for one of the smoothest feelings I've yet felt in surfing.

Today I saw the video is on Magicseaweed, as Video of the Day and 4500 people have watched it already. I hope its inspired some other people around the world to look into this sustainable form of wave riding.

Wood is Good.