Making It: Grain Surfboards

If you’re going to buy a wooden surfboard, there’s really only one company to buy it from: Grain Surfboards. What began in a basement in York Beach, Maine, has become a full-fledged surfboard manufacturer known for classic designs, innovative techniques and groundbreaking products.

Grain believes in a winning combination: wood surfboards that have more impact on the surfing experience and less impact on the environment. All of the wood used in production is sourced from local mills and forests in Maine that practice sustainable harvesting, and all the wood waste is creatively recycled.

Co-owned and managed by Mike LaVecchia and Brad Anderson, Grain also hosts classes in which anyone can learn to handcraft their own wooden surfboard. For example, last month they hosted a group of creative minds from Vans for a special three-day workshop. Broken into teams of two, each duo built a different shape, and created some amazing boards. Check out the amazing photos from Nick LaVecchia.