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Just in time for summer, we know you’ve waited a long time, but the Wood to Water T-Shirt is back in all its glory. Now printed on a 55% hemp/45% Organic Cotton blend, this shirt proves that good things can and do grow on trees. The artwork was designed by our good friend and local artist Ty Williams and features the tree graphic on the front and the classic Grain logo on the back.
We’ve also replenished our inventory of Grain Logo T’s and Hoodies, all printed on 100% Organic Cotton. Get em’ while they last.

June 20th was International Surf Day. Select spots around the globe were blessed with waves, while others were not so fortunate. Southern Maine was one of those places where the Atlantic Ocean decided to go flat for what seemed like the 20th day in a row. Doing his part over at Grain, board builder Brad Anderson decided to observe the day by using zero electricity while shaping his 10′6 pintail. Below are some photos of Brad having very little environmental impact on the surfing world. For more photos of International Surf Day from around the world check out surfingthemag.com

In a “global” economy, shipping often carries greater costs - both financial and environmental - than producing the products being shipped. This month we began a new relationship with UPS who’ll now be our primary shipper. Worldwide, UPS has shown it has an interest in reducing its contribution to world pollution by utilizing more hybrid vehicles, doing extensive research and even developing its own route-planning software to reduce fuel usage. Besides being rated as one of the most socially responsible package carriers in the world UPS also offers us more than the other shippers we have tried. This translates to more efficiency for us, which reduces costs for our customers and friends.

To celebrate our switch to UPS we’re offering FREE SHIPPING within the continental U.S. on all of our Home Grown Wooden Surfboard kits for a limited time. Place your order today and have your board ready for those long summer days at the beach.

Also on sale is everything we have left in our inventory of Mens and Womens T-shirts and Hoodies, all 20% off until we re-stock! Note: Small & X-small T’s are a great fit for kids.

Sign up for our email newsletter to get advance notice of sales and other news.
Look forward to helping you get on a wooden board.

After a nice little holiday weekend, the Grain crew eased back into the swing of things with an adventure packed field trip to Portland’s Corduroy Surf Shop and Boutique. Everyone was pretty excited to pile into “the Pug” (our stylin’ 1966 Grumman Step Van) and open ‘er up after all of her recent ‘modifications’. So we loaded in some kits, one of our new long boards, a pile of apparel to handout, and our showroom’s three person couch. Ready to roll. Mike at the helm, we began our barrel up 95, wind in our hair, shifting gears, and everyone on the interstate motoring right by us as we dominated the slow lane.

Spirits high, we were making our way to see surfer artists Andy Davis, Tyler Warren and Jeff Canham for their Corduroy stop on the Ando and Friends “Unleashed in the East” tour. All was well until ol’ Pug started to sound a bit taxed and a worrisome cloud of dark smoke began billowing from the engine housing. After a couple of shoulder stops, a quart and a half of oil, and a limping pace….we rolled up to Corduroy.

A bit late, and a bit bummed at the Pug’s fate, we were excited to head into the shop to check things out. Jim, Tyler and the Corduroy crew threw a smashing event and the Grain kids’ forgot their Pug woes as we mingled with Ando and Friends, our own friends and other guests. (Later, we would face the fact that Pug must be abandoned in Portland after suffering a fatal blow to the engine. We were rescued by an angel in a minivan).

The next day, Ando and Friends stopped in for a visit at the Grain shop. It was great to have them here, scoping out our day-to-day, skating around the shop, and getting the chance to chat with everyone. Thanks to Andy and crew for dropping in. Good luck on the rest of the tour.

Words from the immortal and talented Lissa Luckey
* By the way, if anyone knows of a cheap Chevy straight-six, we need one!

We had so much positive response on the recent wooden surfboard building workshop that we wanted to announce the next ones as soon as possible.

Course Schedule is as follows:

Classes begin Sunday mornings and end Saturday

August 17 thru August 23 - FULL

September 21 thru September 27 - NEW

October 26 thru November 1 - NEW

NOTE: Full payment is required to reserve a spot.

Spring Class of 2008 - our first!

The classes are held right in our shop in York, Maine where you’ll learn alongside the same builders that craft our custom wooden surfboards from locally grown, sustainable white cedar. At the end of the seven-day class, each student will walk away with their own hand-built, wooden surfboard.

Throughout the week you will learn the following skills:

Each student will take home his/her own board ready for glassing and finishing on their own. Glassing demonstrations will be held in the evenings to help students with the basics. Materials used in the board and those to be taken home with the student are the same as we use in our Grain Home Grown Surfboard kits. The cost of the Home Grown kit is included in the course.

Students will have their choice of building our 9’ Root or 10′ Waterlog longboards. Two instructors will be available to guide each student through the easy step-by-step process to ensure that each board that leaves the shop will be a beautiful one-of-a-kind surfboard that will last a lifetime. Our Wooden Surfboard building manual will also be distributed as part of the materials for the course.

Tuition for the week-long course is $1,575.00, which includes the cost of the Home Grown Surfboard kit.

This tuition covers 7 days of instruction, all materials, including glassing supplies, use of all necessary shop tools, access to the shop, including your own shaping stand and rocker table, as well as full hot breakfast and lunch each day. Students are responsible for their own accommodations and dinner; we’re happy to recommend some nice places around the area.

Five new boards in the Grain Shop

The Grain shop has plenty of room for each student to spread out and enjoy the process. We have a great mill shop complete with state of the art dust collection, a full kitchen, bathrooms, shower, wireless internet, and plenty of space outside to enjoy the sunshine. The shop is conveniently located within a short drive to the beach and surf.

Located just an hour north of Boston, York, Maine is a historic, coastal village with beaches, shops, great restaurants and lodging right in town.

We’ll post more information on these surfboard building classes soon, but note that past classes have filled in just a few days, so please call or email to reserve your shaping stand soon.

Please feel feel free to call us at 207-457-5313 or email mike@grainsurfboards.com with any questions.

Look forward to seeing you at the shop!

In some way, I have been a teacher for most of my adult life. Long ago it was as a ship’s officer aboard educational and research vessels teaching young people lessons in seamanship, navigation and being a good shipmate. More recently it was at the University of New Hampshire teaching condensed courses in GIS. So I have had a pile of great experiences with students – often watching them gain new skills in intense situations that required a compressed time-frame and the need to gain skills rapidly.

But nothing compares to the experience we had with the guys from the Spring 2008 Longboard Workshop last week. You couldn’t have five more stoked guys – friendly, fun, relaxed and more than willing to be the guinea pigs in our first-ever attempt to teach others the process of building their own surfboard. And they simply sucked up knowledge. They were all enthusiastic, quick to learn, careful workmen that took the time to add great looking detail to their boards.

We didn’t know what to expect of this experience going in – we even wondered if it could be done since almost all of them had little or no woodworking experience! The week started first thing Sunday morning with breakfast in the builder’s lounge at the shop (all our meals were prepared by our good friend Molly who impressed the guys twice a day with fresh, freakishly good food). For the seven days following, there was always a mix of stuff, sometimes demonstration, sometimes a chalk-talk. But mostly, it was full on, hands on, getting-it-done surfboard-building where the five guys – each with his own building station – constructed a 9’-0” Root or 10’-0” Waterlog.

Mike, myself and John all cycled through the shop as instructors, but make no mistake – these guys did the work themselves and built five very impressive boards with high-quality attention to detail. A couple of the fellas even made some changes to the shapes of the boards as they constructed them based on what they learned about rail and board shape principles and to suit their own preferences.

One problem we had was that we couldn’t get them out of the shop at the end of the day – they just wanted to stay and stay to keep working on their boards. We crammed a lot of board building and learning into the seven days they were here. We also had time for a few nights on the town, a trip to a local surf shop, an impromptu lobster bake with new and old friends and a first-rate morning session during which everyone surfed wood.

Here are a few great quotes from the guys after the Course ended. It occurs to me that these guys may not fully realize how great this whole experience was for us too. We had nothing but fun, and we can’t think of a better bunch of guys to be our first.

Check back or subscribe to our newsletter to get word of future wood surfboard building courses and new announcements we have coming up. Thanks.

“Excellent food, Molly Rules!”

“Most memorable: The surfing, the lobster jam, the night at the bar, the amazing board I’m leaving with. I feel like I have new friends. I would recommend the class to anybody interested in surfing or woodworking!”

Thanks,

Brad

I recently returned from a surf trip to Alaska with pro surfer and Grain Surfboards poster boy, Ben McBrien. Back in the early months of ‘06 Ben spent many weeks in our basement banging his head and building the first two 5′4 Waka’s ever. Lucky for us Ben brought his board along for the trip to Alaska. What I witnessed over the next 8 days was pure magic between Ben and that board. After returning home I asked him to write a few words about his experience. Below is what showed up in my inbox only minutes later.

Ben and his 5′4 Waka’s in ‘06

“If you asked me a week ago to describe my wooden board I would have told you it was a novelty board. Sure it looks good. Yeah it’s a miracle of modern woodworking. But looks only go so far until you combine the right board with the right wave and I had ridden it only 5 times with only marginal success in the wrong conditions for it.

Taking the plunge in icy Alaskan waters

Alaska is more beautiful than any tropical destination on earth. For serious!!!!! Walking out of the snow and moss covered forest and seeing driftwood piled up on the dunes, four foot round trees thrown onto the beach like matchsticks, and oil slick glass with a perfect head high swell reeling just off the beach was a dream come true. It was clear that I had chosen wisely. But my first session with the wood board was not what I expected. First of all we were at a beach break and I was working against the weight of the board once again and second, I was chased from the water within 10 minutes by the Alaskan locals, Sea Lions; huge, hulking, masses of gristle and fat coming at me with teeth-bared. I was out of there.

Perfect trim

GLIDE… that is the gift of a wood board. Taking off on my first wave I realized that this board and this wave were meant for one another and I was along for the ride. I could go on for hours bro-ing out over how perfect my session was but it won’t do it any justice. I’ll just let Nick’s pictures do the talking.

I had one of the most perfect sessions of my life the first night, I was on fire, (if I don’t mind saying so) riding the board better than I had ever guessed I could.

Hard on a rail in Alaska

This board has been through a lot in its life and put me through a lot as well. Like all the greats this board went out on a high note, in it’s prime, like the Beatles or Seinfeld. I want to remember that session for the rest of my life and I may not ever ride it again. I’m never going to top that session, and that’s fine with me.

Chased out of Alaska from all angles

Brad has just finished building one of our newest designs to date, and we think it’s going to turn some heads. Our friend, who sails as a chief mate on oil tankers, asked us to build him a custom longboard suited for our local conditions and well as to his physical size and style of surfing. Nothing in our current line was really right for him, so a new shape was required.

Developing new shapes for custom orders is a growing part of our custom board building business, but it requires a whole pile of additional steps, the most important of which is getting as much input from the surfer as possible.

For smaller modifications, when we have a current design as a starting point, we can begin the construction process and alter the frame shapes as we go. But for completely new shapes, we draw new designs using a 3D CAD program. This enables us to design boards in 3D space and create the exact shape we’re looking for. We can send models to our customers for review and really dial in the shape that our customer has been dreaming of. From there we design the internal structure, create the frames and check them out to be confident that we got it right.

Our new mini-tanker

For this mini-tanker, we chose our 8′ Sapling as a starting point, pumping it up to a more classic longboard shape. Brad started by adding width and volume to the nose and tail of the board for more glide and to make it a sure-fire wave-catcher. He rounded out the rails keeping them full to create some suction in the softer, slower waves we get around here, transitioning to a tucked rail toward the tail for speed.

Flat entry, and a gentle belly running to a slight ‘V’ at the fins should help this board serve surfers of all skill levels. The 2+1 setup allows this mini-tanker to surf as a traditional single-fin or for more control and performance, with sidebites. We designed it to work well in a variety of conditions, but it’s definitely intended for the lighter-weight longboarder looking for a classic glide.

This new board’s dimensions are 8′ x 22 3/8″ x 3″, 19″ nose width and 15.25″ tail width.

The current 8′ Sapling and 9′ Root with the new 8′ mini-tanker

Let us know what you think as we’re considering adding to our line in the coming weeks, if there is enough good support for this board.

Thanks.

Our Spring Special ends this Sunday April 13th. If you’re thinking of buying a kit and are looking for ways to save money on tools, now is the time.

Place your order before midnight on Sunday April 13th and get a free Stanley Spokeshave, the most useful tool you could have with your new kit.

Happy Spring, and keep checking back for more news from Grain Surfboards.

Ever since I was young, I dreamed of living on the coast of Maine. I’m not sure what first sparked my interest, but I know from a young age, I was drawn to the water, and the boats that floated on it. Growing up, we’d go to the Jersey Shore in the summer and my family would lay on the beach all day, but I was happiest at the boatyards, walking the docks.

One day at a bookstore I opened up Wooden Boat Magazine, and everything changed. Every page I looked at was filled with beautiful wooden boats, rowing, sailing and power. Compared to the fiberglass production boats seen running around our waterfronts these days, these boats had character and romance and were built for a purpose. Suddenly everything became clear and I realized my love for traditional boats and our maritime history.

You can’t really think of Maine without thinking of boats. No other place in the country has such a rich connection with the sea, from fishing and coasting schooners built by the thousands to lobster boats and dories used to fish.

When I finally did move to Maine, and prior to building wooden surfboards, my first job was working for a boat builder named Paul Rollins, http://www.rollinsboatshop.com/. Paul learned from the best and has been building and restoring classic wooden boats for over 30 years. It was in Paul’s shop, one summer day laying down a deck on an old cruiser where the dream of building wooden surfboards was born.

For the last year or so, just down the road from Grain, Paul and his crew have been working away on a schooner named Magnolia. On a bright December day, some of the crew from our shop had the pleasure of joining friends and family at the launch of the Magnolia and I realized finally, I was exactly where I wanted to be.

We know better than anyone that it’s a daunting task to consider building a wooden surfboard, even with a well-designed kit in front of you. So we’re always looking for ways to make it easier for our customers and future builders to make the leap.

To encourage all those garage builders to “come out of the woodwork” and to celebrate the coming of Spring, we’re offering a Spring Special on all of our Home Grown Surfboard Kits.

Here’s the Deal: Buy any Home Grown Surfboard Kit, and get a Free Spoke Shave with your order ($35 Dollar value).

A Spoke Shave is the most important tool for shaping a wooden surfboard and is an essential part of the customizing process. It also happens to be one of the tools many new builders do not yet have, so that’s one more thing you don’t have to worry about.

Springtime is the right time to start building. Check out our FAQ section (Now with PDF downloads!) for more detailed information on what it will take for you to put wood to water.

Thanks, Mike

Come Build Your Own Wooden Surfboard with the Builders at Grain Surfboards.

Randy and Mike railing up a couple longboards

Due to growing interest, Grain Surfboards is now offering wooden surfboard building classes right in our shop in York, Maine. You’ll learn alongside the same builders that craft our custom wooden surfboards from locally grown, sustainable white cedar. At the end of the seven-day class, each student will walk away with their own hand-built, wooden surfboard.

Throughout the week you will learn the following skills:

Each student will take home his/her own board ready for glassing and finishing on their own. Glassing demonstrations will be held in the evenings to help students with the basics. Materials used in the board and those to be taken home with the student are the same as we use in our Grain Home Grown Surfboard kits. The cost of the Home Grown kit ($670- $720 retail) is included in the course.

Students will have their choice of building our 9’ Root or 10′ Waterlog longboards. We’ll be installing a single fin box allowing the builder/surfer some room for personal preference as to fin placement. Students will be able select their own planks as well as use a mix of woods to glue up custom tail blocks. Two instructors will be available to guide each student through the easy step-by-step process to ensure that each board that leaves the shop will be a beautiful one of a kind surfboard that will last a lifetime. Our Wooden Surfboard building manual will also be distributed as part of the materials for the course.

Tuition for the week-long course is $1,525.00, which includes the cost of the Home Grown Surfboard kit.

This tuition covers 7 days of instruction, all materials, including glassing supplies, all necessary tools, shop use, as well as breakfast and lunch for each day. Students are responsible for their own dinner costs as well as accommodations, although we’re happy to recommend some nice places around the area.

Our neighbors at the shop

The Grain shop has plenty of room for each student to spread out and enjoy the process. We have a great mill shop complete with state of the art dust collection, a full kitchen, bathrooms, shower, wireless internet, and plenty of space outside to enjoy the sunshine. The shop is conveniently located within a short drive to the beach and surf.

Located just an hour north of Boston, York, Maine is a historic, coastal village with beaches, shops, great restaurants and lodging right in town.

Course Schedule is as follows:

Classes begin Sunday mornings and end the following Saturday

NOTE: Full payment is required to reserve a spot in one of our classes.

We’ll post more information on these surfboard building classes soon, but note that past classes have filled in just a few days, so please call or email to reserve your shaping stand soon.

Please feel feel free to call us at 207-457-5313 or email mike@grainsurfboards.com with any questions.

Look forward to seeing you at the shop!

Waves just 6 miles from the shop

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.