At Your Service: Leave No Trace
March 1, 2008
Surfing is about as green as green gets. But the boards surfers use to catch waves have historically been anything but. Made from non-biodegradable foam, old surfboards never die.
Ric Allison and Charles R. Barrett, cofounders of Philadelphia-based Rayskin Longboards are looking to change that. The duo was inspired to create wood surfboards after industry giant Clark Foam shuttered its doors in 2005, citing environmental concerns. The result: eco-friendly hollow wooden surfboards that are both beautiful and fun to ride. Another bonus: The boards are completely customizable, says Barrett.
"We can change the adornments completely," he explains. "We can do company logos, and if someone wants to use a certain kind of veneer or create a design of a favorite flower, beach or sea creature, we can do that. We use laser cutters to do all the board work, and can add things like mother-of-pearl or abalone shell to the designs as well."
After reviewing Rayskin’s current designs, however, you may not feel the need to. Currently, there are three options; all are longboards that weigh approximately 30 pounds. (A foam board weighs between 20 and 50 pounds.) The base board with no veneer design costs about $5,000. The Hokusai Wave , modeled after a Japanese block print and available in four veneers—mahogany, white birch, fiddleback maple and bird’s-eye maple— starts at $7,900. A "Haeckel" octopus board ranges from $10,000 to $12,000. This spring the company will introduce a fourth option—the $6,000 Classic Fish shortboard with a clear cutout, so you can see the wooden skeleton inside.
Rayskin Longboards, 267.258.8853, www.rayskin.com
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