fjordfiend said...
Ive made a couple of solid Balsa boards and they definitely need to be glassed as balsa is very soft so dings easy and loves absorbing water.
Ive also made a paulownia board which I sealed with epoxy resin, without glass, the paulownia is hard /strong enough that it does not need the glass (or a stringer).
Balsa is light enough that it does not need to be chambered but Paulownia is too heavy to leave solid and you need to chamber out the excess wood from the middle which is quite a bit more labour.
If I made another wooden board I would go with unglassed Paulownia again.
Paulownia is chepaer than Balsa as it is farmed in Australia, I used a timber yard in Rockingham which has every thickness and length you could want.
Wooden boards are labour intensive and heavy but are great fun to ride .
Where is the timber yard in Rockingham, I live close by and would like to make an alaia (old hawaiian board)