It’s Moving Day! And we’ve got a brand new shop to build boards in!
Running a wooden surfboard manufacturing business on the coast of Maine is not all fun in the sun. Winter weather makes the forestry and milling resources that we count on work on schedules that often conflict with our own. And as a small team, our whole crew has to rely on each other, even as constantly shifting priorities are moving all of us in several directions at once.
You can get an idea of how complicated our logistics are by knowing that Brad is also a winter caretaker of a remote island 6 miles off the Maine coast, which sometimes requires hitching rides with fishermen. He makes the trip in almost any weather in order to keep building boards with us, but since he is also our shop manager (and more) when weather keeps him away, the rest of us have to fill in the blanks to keep things running smoothly.
Through it all, Grain Surfboards has taken on a life of its own. It’s now a living organism, much like the trees from which our boards sprout. Our little company is not only building and selling amazing boards and kits, but we’re improving our shop, supporting each other, contributing to the local economy and most importantly, helping to open people’s eyes to a better alternative to foam surfboards. We’ve shipped boards and kits to every corner of the country as well as Hawaii, Japan, England, Ireland, Australia, and other surfing zones. We understand why surfboards were made of wood before they were made with chemicals. Wood is just good and we’re committed to building surfboards that have more impact on your surfing, and less impact on the environment.
We believe in the experience of building and surfing wooden boards so much that we’ve moved the whole operation into a new, 4,500 square foot facility on a small farm in York, Maine, not far from the small garage where everything began. Realizing production space and storage for materials was quickly running out, we began the search that materialized with the perfect location, just six miles from the beach and close to Interstate 95. Now, we’ve got everything we’ve ever wanted in a surfboard shop, and more. We’d love to show you around, so give us a call and let us know when you want to stop by. We’ll even get you going with a kit or custom board design while you’re here.
The best part of the big move is that Grain Surfboards is now better equipped to meet the growing demand for custom boards and kits. Grain moved out of the garage to give more surfers the chance to move into their own garages and get started building their dream boards.
Frequently, we find ourselves talking about the best times, “back in the day”. Well, we truly feel like today is that day and we’re psyched to have you along with us. We look forward to putting you on your dream surfboard when the time is right.
