Treehouse Surfboards
Sustainable surfboard shaper Dave Porter explains in no uncertain terms why wood is all good.
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I first met Dave at the pub through a friend of mine. Dave makes beautiful surfboards out of sustainable materials, which he sells under the moniker, Treehouse. And with the Australian Government dolling out $900 willy nilly to stimulate the economy – I've just decided how I'm going to spend mine.
So Dave, lets say I just snapped my old board and need a new one. I would also like the new board to attract members of the opposite sex, so why should I give your board a go when there’s a fancy pants shiny white one I can have instead?
Ours are stronger and more durable. They have a lower overall environmental impact and are less hazardous to construct. They’re light weight, and have snappier flex characteristics which make for a smoother, faster ride. And they have a beautiful Australian aesthetic due to local timber with unique grain patterns.
"I used to shape boards out of traditional materials but a chain of events led to me being obsessed with doing something better."
Timber hey? So you do cut down trees. Why is that any better than using fibre glass?
The timber used is all sourced from managed plantations certified by the Australian Forestry Standard and Good Environmental Choice Australia. Species used are fast growing species that can be sustainably managed.
It looks like it weighs a bloody ton. I ain't no Hawaiian Duke or animated penguin -- will it sink?
We still use a foam core. This is necessary to keep the boards at a modern weight. We use a type of foam called Extruded Polystyrene which is waterproof, recyclable, has superior strength properties and does not contain isocyanates like traditional polyurethane foam. It was the use of isocyanates that led to the closure of Clark Foam (the world’s largest surfboard blank manufacturer) in the United States a couple of years ago. Apparently is was the isocyanates that led to health issues and even the death of some of their long-term workers. Most boards made in Australia still use this type of foam. This traditional foam is not recyclable.
How do they ride? Are they heavier, flimsier, quicker, last longer – what’s the deal?
The ride is smooth and fast. Our boards are a comparable weight to a standard sanded finish polyester board and lighter than a gloss finished polyester board. Due to the composite glass/timber construction we use, the boards are extremely strong and don’t get pressure dents on the deck like standard boards. It is our goal to design boards that can be passed on to the next generation rather than ending up as landfill.
Matt Johnson (Credit: Ray Ryan)
Why didn't you just go and shape boards with all of the traditional materials and get rich quick like the rest of them?
I used to shape boards out of traditional materials but a chain of events led to me being obsessed with doing something better. I studied Environmental Science at University, so always had an increased awareness about the need to lower our consumption and the impact of our products.
Returning from surf trips with snapped boards always left me with a feeling of guilt and after years of shaping standard boards I was concerned about the impact this was having on my own health. When I first started Treehouse I had been living overseas and reconnecting with Australia made me really want to create boards that also had a connection to the Australian environment – that had a real Australian character about them. I put over three times the amount of labour into each of these boards than I was putting into making traditional boards, so it definitely makes things harder financially but it’s my passion. I have no interest in shaping boards out of traditional materials now.
"I hope that we recognise what a special connection we have with nature and that this will infiltrate surf culture more in the future."
What has the response been?
The response has been really positive so far. The boards always attract a lot of attention on the beach and all of my customers are loving riding them. I often get emails from customers telling me about a great surf they just had and how much fun they had on the board. On the other hand there are still the sceptics out there who think that a modern surfboard needs to be white and have three fins, so you can't please everyone. Although, quite a few of those sceptics now own a Treehouse board after trying one.
What do you think is the biggest environmental challenge facing the surfing industry?
I believe the biggest initial challenge is to change the culture of surfing. Many surfers and surfing based organisations are very environmentally aware. But for a lifestyle that is so closely linked with nature I think as a group and as individuals we can do a lot better. Lets face it: we drive to the beach; we fly overseas; jump on boats looking for waves; we go though a surfboard every few seasons; we go through a wetsuit every couple of years; we buy surf brand clothes and boards that are mass produced in countries that may not have adequate environmental or working conditions and standards. I don't mean to paint all this in a negative light, but I do think we can be more conscious of our impact and should make decisions to reduce that impact where possible. Surf culture has been very performance-focused for a long time. I hope that we recognise what a special connection we have with nature and that this will infiltrate surf culture more in the future.
Do any of the pros ride your boards?
No pros ride our boards and to be honest I can't see us approaching any, it's not where Treehouse is at. The most notable person we could ever have on our boards is just the average surfer who loves surfing for what it is - a thrill, an escape, a connection with nature, an adventure. At the moment, our customers are exactly this and we build boards for them that suit their skill level and surfing style so that they can enjoy the ocean as much as possible.
Nice.
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Treehouse Surfboards (text) by Jess Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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