Archive for February, 2008

We’re often blown away by some of the boards built by our customers using our Home Grown Surfboard Kits. Click here to see some shots of one customer’s board that we’re particularly fond of. Great job Scott!

The Internet offers many ways to share images and stories about building wooden surfboards and Flickr is a great resource and tool for sharing images. Be sure to check out our growing customer board galleries filled with garage-built Home Grown wooden surfboards.

If you’re just into wooden surfboards and have some images to share on Flickr, join the Group Pool called “Wooden Surfboards” or just check out the images by clicking here.

If you have shots you’d like to share of boards in production or complete, send them over to us via email and we’ll post them in our Flickr galleries.

Spring is creeping in… slowly.

A typical, multi-tasking day at the Grain Shop. Mike, Brad, Randy and the boys keeping things moving. Here are some images for you to enjoy.

We receive a ton of email across the Grain-waves and occasionally some of them make us believe even more in what we’re doing and why. Here’s a glimpse of some of the email comments we’ve been receiving lately from happy Home Grown Kit builders and Grain board riders.

From Jodie, after purchasing and receiving some Grain Gift Certificates for her husband:

“When he paddles out and – he is in his element. He is at peace. I get it because we share an affinity for the ocean. Smiles were brighter, colors were more vivid, food tasted better, the sunset went slower – life was good, he loved himself more therefore he loved me more.
 
Today, I go to my best friends house to get my mom’s order, from you to my husband. I open the package and fell head over heels in love with these wood certificates! I LOVE THEM! I love the concept. I love the creativity.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!~ I AM IMPRESSED!

I NEEDED to let you know what my husband would be putting into a board that he will create because of you. I wanted you to know how meaningful surfing is to him and to my family. I wanted to thank you. I knew you would ‘get it’. Peace- Jodie”

From Tim, to Grain builder, Randy Gaetano as he was finishing up Tim’s custom board:

“I’ve been in the water 27 years now and love it. I tend to do the dawn patrol with the sun coming up. Clean waist to head high for the rest of my life would be fine with me. Still like a big day when its clean, guess I’m getting older.

We vacationed up your way in August and stoped by to see your shop, cool tour with Mike, Brad & Gretchen. Mike loaned me a ten footer, loved it. Time slowed down on those rides, so cool! Your the captain of this ship, look forward to hearing how its going. Thanks, Tim”

From Chris, to Mari:

“WOW!!! I checked out the Grain site and I’m totally SOLD!! I am definitely going to buy a kit and build my own board. I’m so excited I’m shaking!! Doubly the company is incredible, something I can really get behind. I’m going to send this link to all of my surfer friends for sure. I’m ridiculously excited, I might order the kit next week!! I can’t wait to start construction!!

Take it easy and take care, Chris”

From Thomas, upon finishing his new Home Grown Surfboard Kit:

“Hey Mike, Finished my board this weekend. For a first attempt it came out pretty well, very slight twist in the tail. If I built a few hundred more of them I’d say I could get pretty good at it. I’ve been trying to talk a few friends in to surfing the darn thing, but they are afraid that it looks too good and they don’t want to break it. I just tell them, like a glass board, that’s what it’s for surfing it and breaking it.

My business partner, Lloyd is supposed to take it out tomorrow at Honolua Bay if the waves are not too big. Good waves here in paradise this winter. At any rate, despite me being a retard and you guys with your less than complete instructions it came out nice. Thanks for making this kits available it was a very pleasant experience building it. Thanks, Thomas. “

NOTE: Hey Thomas, we took your advice and our new Kit Manual will be MUCH improved… thanks!

From Alex, Home Grown Kit customer:

“First of all, I want to say how impressed I am with your guys’ website. I am a teacher and I am in the middle of building my own site, and your website is beautiful and easy to navigate. I went onto the site to browse and I ended up buying, which is exactly what a website should do.

I ordered a fish kit from you a few weeks ago and I just got the glue and epoxy today. Do you know when I can expect that box to arrive? Anyway, you guys are doing something awesome and amazingly different in Maine and I am glad to be a part of it. – Alex”

From Jonathan, one of the most inspiring messages we’ve received:

“You can’t imagine how excited I am to finally be able to put “Custom Board” in the subject line of an email to you guys!  I’ve been a long time admirer of the beautiful work you do up there, and I am extremely impressed with your focus on sustainability. As a fellow “green-minded” soul (my wife and I are about to move into a custom-built, green, sustainable, home that is 15 minutes from some great breaks here in Jersey) it’s awesome to see that there are others out there dedicated to green ideals.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you. Jon”

For more good words, check out other people’s blog posts about Grain Surfboardshere.

Nick LaVecchia has been an integral part of Grain Surfboards since we first started building boards. My brother, Nick, and I moved to the Maine coast together back in 2005 and from the day one, he’s been critical to the operation. Come to think of it, I remember day one.

My friend and I were standing around the garage, which eventually became the Grain shop, talking about board designs and construction techniques. Not being much of a hand’s-on tool guy, Nick slowly lost interest, drifted away and picked up a broom and started sweeping up the place. I laugh to myself every time I think of that day, and how Nick just picked up the broom and did what he could. But more recently, Nick’s truly created a place for himself around our growing company. Every image on the Grain website and in our marketing stuff is Nick’s photography. Our photo gallery is basically Nick’s photo gallery! We get more positive comments about the website and we believe it’s in large part due to the amazing images of boards, surfers and our environment that Nick provides.

Back in the day, Nick changed careers and left a great job as a graphic designer at a well-respected agency to travel and shoot photos. Since then, through a ton of hard work and dedication to the medium, Nick’s photography skills have really blossomed. Somehow he figures out a way to make every shot unique, to make the natural beauty of the environment compliment the action, or portrait or product shot. From setting up a studio shot here in the Grain shop or capturing the lifestyle out in the ocean, Nick’s got an amazing eye and the technical knowledge to make the shot happen.

Not only does Nick work as a full-time surf and lifestyle photographer but he also answers almost all of our incoming emails even while on photo shoots in places like the Dominican and Ireland! He spends a ton of time as our front line of customer service, helping customers decide which board would be best for them, getting shipping quotes, and forwarding tech questions to the builders. In addition, Nick also designs all of our print materials and advertising, maintains the website, sends out press releases, and he even acts as an informal “QC” department. While he may not be comfortable using a spokeshave, he’s got a great eye for board shapes, and is always around the shop critiquing and offering thoughts for refining our boards. I can honestly say if it wasn’t for Nick and his contributions, Grain would be just a splinter of what it is today and we’d still be bumping our heads on the ductwork in that old garage.

Check out his Nick’s site at www.nicklavecchia.com.