9’4 Seasaw: Wooden Surfboard Ride Report

We first met Flo when he joined us in August 2022 to make his own wooden surfboard. Making the trip over from Germany for the week, he stayed in one of the shepherds huts onsite here at the Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Porthtowan Cornwall, an easy few minutes wonder from our workshop.

During the week we were lucky enough to jump in the sea for a bodysurf at the local beach, and enjoy the fine summer weather in between all the making.

You can check out his week with us in the video below!

In the last couple of years Flo has taken his wooden surfboard on a few trips to France, where he has had time to get a feel for the surfboard that he made with his own two hands. Here’s what he had to say:

“The board feels amazing, both in how it rides and knowing that I am surfing on something I made myself. It took some getting used to because it has a bit more rocker and less volume on the tail than I expected. This initially caused me to miss some waves in small conditions due to my positioning on the board and the wave not picking up my tail or my board. Once I figured it out, the ride was extremely smooth, and the rails held firm on the faces of the waves, much more than I’m used to. I’m still working on turning properly over the tail instead of the rails, so I can’t say much about the tail shape yet or the transition from the round rail to the edgy tail, which I spent a lot of time sanding and shaping and discussing with Chris.

I was worried that the heavy rocker would make paddling harder, but that’s not the case; the board glides very well. It’s just that smaller waves only pick up the board when there’s enough weight towards the tail, which now makes total sense to me and is something I wouldn’t have learned without knowing the board’s shape so well. The added weight of a wooden surfboard is a drawback when carrying it, but in windy conditions, I believe it helps keep the board steady and less affected by tiny wind-waves between the larger waves.

Overall: The board makes me appreciate surfing even more.

PS: I don’t usually wear sunglasses during surfing, I just forgot when paddling out and it was small enough to keep them on!”

Flo, June 2024

If you would like to join us to make your own wooden surfboard, just like Flo did, click here!

All of our wooden surfboards are made using sustainable wood, from local, regenerative woodlands, for a lifetime of waves.