Bamboo surfboard delivers cutting edge design

A surfboard that relies on bamboo rather than plywood and fibreglass for its strength received the top Award in the ADA Products category for 2002. Bamboo Surfboards are hand shaped using non-toxic, eco-friendly materials to produce a board that is extremely light, flexible and more durable than conventional surfboard.Environmental considerations are central to the design. Bamboo is not only the strongest natural material on earth relative to its weight, but it can be renewed in 3 to 5 years as opposed to 50 years for some timber crops. The boards have a non-toxic polystyrene foam core that is recyclable, unlike the industry standard polyurethane core and the use of organic substrates rather than fibreglass combined with an epoxy resin that is less volatile than standard surfboard resin reduces the occupational hazards for workers.The performance of Bamboo Surfboards is enhanced by the distribution of weight and strength distributed away the centre. Where a conventional board uses a central plywood "stringer", the Bamboo board design places the strength in the outer casing for exceptional rail to rail flex and to nose to tail flex. The lightweight boards also provide greater aerial potential and produce a "push-flex" effect known in snow skiing delivering higher control and speed in turns. as proof of its performance credentials the company has a two year deal with current World Surfing Champion (WCT) Sunny Garcia and is widely regarded for quality craftsmanship within the surfing community.Bamboo Surfboards produce custom boards as well as a range of different size stock boards and the design and engineering advances it represents can also be applied to skateboards, snow skis and small boats. Bamboo Surfboards have the of bamboo as opposed to the bleached white look of conventional boards. See www.bamboosurfboards.com.au for further reading and a list of estimated prices beginning at around AUS$700 for a 6" board. Read more about this and other fantastic ADA winners in the next Print Edition of Gizmo magazine.