How do balsa wood trees get made into surfboard blanks?
A. Local families have managed their forest plots for generations, their knowledge in the location of good quality balsa is vital as it is dispersed amongst other wild trees, grapefruit, coffee, palms, oranges etc and can take many hours on foot. The owner fells and cuts the balsa in location, lashes the 12 foot lengths to horses which drag them to the nearest road. The balsa is kiln dried for 11 days to remove moisture, insects and fungi. Lengths of equal density are matched, cut, shaped and glued together often with a Cedar wood stringer in the centre. After two weeks they are finally clamped together and left in the sun to dry – a blank is born!
