Custom wood surfboards - Burnett Wood Surfboards

BOARD GALLERY

ORDERING INFORMATION

Details on pricing, timing, special woods and customisations, and local and international shipping.

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FUNCTIONAL ART

Find out how they are made and why wood is such a naturally inspiring material.

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ABOUT

My boards use real wood and up-cycled materials to put the environment at the heart of making surfboards.

The mission is to make stunning surfboards that show off the beauty of nature found in wood.

Each surfboard is handcrafted from the carefully selected rough shorn timber through to the final finish. The grain patterns, textures and hues differ in every piece of wood, making each surfboard a highly individualised item never to be repeated.

My boards can be found not only in South Africa, but in Australia, England, France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, United States, Switzerland, Ireland and elsewhere.

Click on the board display for more details, or scroll this page to find out more about how the surfboards are made and why they’re an environmental choice.

HOW THEY ARE MADE

My boards are made using the hollow wooden surfboard method – a design that stretches back to the late 1920s and early 1930s when Californian waterman Tom Blake designed the hollow wooden surfboard.

What’s changed in the 100 years since Blake’s innovation is that making hollow wooden surfboards now involves advanced computer design and modelling, and composite materials which allow for sophisticated and precise shapes.

Some things remain the same though. Making hollow wooden surfboards is labour intensive and requires a unique combination of woodworking and surfboard design and construction skills. Apart from designing the shapes on a computer, the process is majority handcrafted. There is no substitute for time, patience and attention to detail.

All of my wood is hand-selected from rough timber for the best available weight, grain and texture.

Once the internal frame construction and wood are ready, building of the surfboard begins. This involves gluing wood planking together, setting rocker specifications according to the computer dimensions and completing the construction of the rough wood blank. Once this is done, the board is shaped in much the same way as the traditional shaping process. I glass all of my wooden surfboards to ensure the highest quality finish.

ENVIRONMENT

There is no such thing as a "green surfboard" but the environment is at the centre of the boards I make. Everyday operations integrate a principle of up-cycling and re-use of waste material:

I use all wood off-cuts to make skegs, surf furniture and a variety of other creative products.
All sawdust is re-used for animal bedding on the farm where my workshop is, and for general garden use.
I use South African grown wood wherever possible in order to avoid excessive carbon emissions through transport. When using imported wood, I try to establish as far as possible that it is sourced sustainably.

Why wood works for the environment

Wood is biodegradable; foam used in surfboards is not.
Correctly looked after, wood boards will last longer. There are no further emissions that would usually be associated with the constant replacement of a surfboard with a shorter life span.
Wood is a natural product that can be replaced and offers a natural alternative to synthetic materials.
The off-cuts associated with wood surfboard production are recyclable.

Life Cycle Analysis

Wood surfboards do have strong environmental credentials.

In one 2011 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) study that specifically compared polyurethane (PU) foam boards with wood boards, it was found that wood surfboard production produced less than half the CO2 emissions and other noxious emissions of foam boards.

The LCA looked at raw material production as well as production and assembly of the board itself. It excluded the use of resins in the glassing process because both foam and hollow wood surfboards make use of resins and therefore the emissions were equal.

According to the Cradle to Grave project conducted by the University of Berkeley, California, the carbon emissions from the foam blank production and shaping processes are 60kg of CO2 gas per six foot surfboard. In addition to this are smaller amounts of various toxic chemical emissions.

But in the 2011 study, the LCA of a hollow wood surfboard was estimated at 23.3kg of C02 emissions – less than half that of a foam surfboard. This included the entire life cycle production of a board, from the raw materials in the form of logs through to sawing, drying, planning and manufacture of the actual surfboard.

Find out about ordering information, pricing and international shipping.

Ordering information

Orders take anywhere between 4 and 10 weeks to complete. If your surfboard is taking longer than you expected, please be patient. This is an entirely handcrafted process. Extra time just means that I am making it as best as I possibly can.

Custom order price list

Shortboards: R11,500 - R12,500

Mid-lengths: R14,500 - R16,500

Longboards: R18,500 - R20,500

Delivery fees not included. Boards can be sent anywhere in the world (see below). You will get a quote on shipping before finalising your order.
You will be invoiced for a 50% deposit when ordering. The balance will be payable when your board is finished.
Please see the shop section of this website for detailed pricing on specific board shapes. Board prices displayed in the shop may be different due to speciality woods and/or added features.

Charges for special features:

Speciality and/or imported wood: Add 15% to the prices

Driftwood inserts: R150 per foot (20mm wide), curved or straight lines

Shell inserts: R350 per foot (20mm wide), curved or straight lines

Wood Stains: R1,000 per board

Pin lines: R500 per board

International Shipping

I have many years of experience in shipping surfboards all over the world. Because of the size of the item, a custom quote needs to be obtained. This will take 1-2 days. Please email burnett.patrick@gmail.com to start this process.

Shipping surfboards safely is not cheap. All quotes include a specially constructed box for your surfboard to make sure it is protected in transit, internal packaging for extra safety, and insurance.

I cannot offer returns or refunds on internationally shipped orders. Once your board is finished you will be sent detailed pictures before shipment and given the opportunity to provide feedback before you pay the balance and shipment takes place.

Please note that each country has their own customs tariffs for a surfboard. It is your responsibility to understand your countries customs duties - these are not included in the courier cost. Some countries have 0% duty, while others may have a duty on imports. Burnett Wood Surfboards does not accept responsibility for duties imposed by your country's customs.