“The very best part of surf culture is to help, not harm, our beloved Ocean,”says California native and lifelong surfer, Ryan Lynch, founder of Timber Surf Co. “Building hollow wooden surfboards is one way we’re taking steps to minimize foam and plastic from our waters.”

For the last 75 years or so, most surfboards are made with the same three components: 1) a foam core 2) covered in fiberglass cloth 3) coated in resin, which cures and hardens. Traditional surfboard manufacturing is now a well-known environmental and human health hazard—“toxic from the cradle to the grave”. Recent advancements in technology, coupled with growing consumer interest in the lifecycles and eco-friendliness of materials, have begun to fuel an industry-wide push toward finding a better more environmentally conscious and sustainable way to build modern surfboards.

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙.

Timber Surf Co. hopes their boards will inspire a change in consumer preference. It’s founder, master shaper, Ryan Lynch graduated with a Bachelor Of Science in Material Studies/Product Design from the University of Oregon. He worked as a Design Engineer for Tesla for six years before quitting his fancy job to pursue a life happily covered in a combination of sea salt and sawdust. His handmade, sustainable surfboards are made using reclaimed and organic materials. Ryan’s surfboards are beautiful works of art, but they are not crafted to hang on a wall—they are meant to be surfed.

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“Riding a hollow wooden surfboard fosters a more symbiotic connection with our planet, perpetuating an uninterrupted and elemental cycle that links us humans to both land and Sea,” says Ryan.

Santa Cruz, California is where surfing was first introduced to the United States back in 1885 when three teenage Hawaiian princes surfed the mouth of the San Lorenzo River on solid, wooden plank boards. The original Hawaiian surfboards were all made of wood. Timber Surf Co. is passionate about preserving the beauty and ecological diversity of Monterey Bay, the oceanic playground it calls home.

“𝙱𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢, 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢.” 𝚁𝚢𝚊𝚗 𝙻𝚢𝚗𝚌𝚑, 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎.

That is why Ryan crafts hollow wooden surfboards. Wood is strong, innately durable, lasting hundreds of years if treated properly. Wood surfboards also perform well in a variety of conditions and climates.

“As a biologically organic material, it (wood) has a natural flex and stretch pattern in proximity to the wavelength of the human body which creates a familiar experience when surfing,” says Ryan.

In addition, wood is sustainable. When sourced and milled in a sustainable fashion, it is estimated that replacing one cubic meter of PU Foam or PE Resin production with a wood or a bio-resin will save approximately one ton of carbon emissions from entering our atmosphere, creating a healthier Ocean and cleaner living for all.

“No more toxic foam in this industry and in our Ocean, it’s seen enough,” says Ryan.

“𝚂𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚝!” 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚁𝚢𝚊𝚗. 𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏.

To learn more about Ryan Lynch and Timber Surf Co. follow him on Instagram:  @timbersurfco

***All Timber Surf Co. surfboards are stamped with Sustainable Surf’s Certified Level One Ecoboard Logo.Shop Hansen Surfboards