The quest for a 100% sustainable surfboard recently hit another milestone with the success of a surfboard blank derived entirely from algae oil. A whole bunch of people and organizations came together to make this leap forward in surfboard blank manufacturing a reality, and the results so far have been astonishing. UC San Diego, Arctic Foam, Solazyme, Avila Surfboards and more collaborated on a project that has seen endorsement from the likes of pro surfer Rob Machado. Check out the next video to find out a little bit more about the algae-based surfboard:
How It All Started
So things first got underway in the laboratories at UC San Diego, where both biology and chemistry undergraduates came together to solve this problem; how algae oil can be used to create the equivalent of a polyurethane foam surfboard blank. Polyurethane surfboard blanks are petroleum-based, so finding a green alternative to this step of the surfboard building process is a big deal. After some hard work they found that by chemically changing the algae oil and mixing it with a catalyst, it can be expanded into a foam much like the polyurethane surfboard cores currently used by most surfboard shapers.
Collaboration Made It a Success
So the first big step was a success, and with the help of Solazyme a gallon of high-quality algae oil was donated to the cause. However, more help was needed, because what did these UC San Diego science students know about the intricacies of surfboard design and shaping? This is where Arctic Foam and Avila Surfboards came into the picture, by taking the new algae-based blank, shaping, glassing and sanding it to a finished, ridable surfboard. The end result was a board that looks no different to the standard surfboards in the racks of surf shops across the world.
What We Can Expect in The Future
This project focused solely on the foam core of surfboards, which is just one part of the entire surfboard manufacturing process. Even if the foam core is sustainable, what about the fiberglass and resin needed to glass over the soft foam core? Well, that is where there is room for even more innovation, and steps are already being taken to find bio-degradable, sustainable alternatives to the toxic materials currently being used.
Finding a Better Way
A company called Ocean Green has dropped fiberglass cloth in favor of organic hemp cloth, which is 100% bio-degradable. Entropy Resins are doing a great job at developing a bio-resin, and already offer bio-based epoxy resin (although not 100% bio-based) that is suitable for surfboard manufacturing. Hopefully we will see more companies and organizations coming together and collaborating on green initiatives for surfing as an industry and a sport. To keep up to date on all the sustainable surfing developments happening across the world head over to sustainablesurf.org. Check out their ECOBOARD Project to see how far the sustainable surfboard has really come along.