Grain Surfboards: Locally Grown – Hand Built

When we first saw a handmade Grain wooden surfboard on Instagram, we were mesmerized. The craftsmanship and smooth wood finish was just like buttah. A few months later, we weirdly enough found ourselves only miles from the farm where all the magic happens. We decided to drop in and bug them and they couldn’t have been nicer! We were welcomed into the back area where a board building class was on its fourth day. Tools and wood shavings were all around and …damn these people were lucky to be building their own boards! And it smelled really good because there was no foam, no fiberglass, no fumes.

Matt, our tour guide, along side the tour bus for mobile classes

Here is one of the do-it-yourself kits ready to ship

Grain Surfboards has been around for 10 years. Owner, Mike LaVecchia, started his career as a boat builder building wooden boats. In 2005, he moved from Vermont to Maine and had a little down time from his boat building career, so he started doing research about wooden surf boards. He wanted one that was made without the foam using local materials. He read about the history of surfboard making and started building modern wooden boards using traditional techniques. He had a few customers right off the bat until he finally got so busy, he had to move out of the basement. He met up with his partner, Brad Anderson, and they continued build boards, teach classes on building, and selling the do-it-yourself kits with all the supplies needed to build your own board in the comfort of your garage… along with a 140+ page how-to manual. Since then, they have grown into an international company selling kits all over the world to places like Australia, India, Europe and all over North America. They continue teach 4 to 7 day board building classes on the farm and just recently started doing mobile classes up and down the East and West coast.

Every year in September, they throw a big party called Surf Re Evolution where they take all the wood scraps from the past year and have a big ass bonfire. This year, the party is on September 26th ( click here for more info) AND its their 10th anniversay. its going to be a big one. The day starts with a fundraising beach paddle called Wall to Woods where paddlers journey from Rye, NH to Long Sands Beach. Afterwards, everyone heads back to the farm for lots o’ fun! Check out their schedule for the day and swing by there if you ever happen to be in their neck of the woods. I bet they will give you a tour too!