When we say agave, you lot probably think of tequila or mescal. You probably don’t think of surfboards, but a couple of weeks ago we welcomed Adrian Kuschke to the Cord Surfboards factory to showcase these plant-based sustainable surfboard blanks. We cut and shaped a Flying Vee for team rider Noah Lane to test, and are looking to introduce agave as a gold-level EcoBoard option across the Cord range.
What Is Agave and What Is It Used For?
Agave is a genus of large succulent plants that originate in the arid and semi-desert areas of the Americas, but that are now cultivated around the world. It has historically been used as a source of food and fiber; agave syrup is used as an alternative to sugar or honey, sap can be fermented and distilled to make mescal (with the blue agave being used to produce tequila) and the leaves of species such as Agave sisalana are used to produce strong fibers such as sisal which are used to make rope, twine, carpets and handicrafts such as baskets.
Agave Surfboard Blanks
When Agave sisalana is farmed to make rope, after the leaves have been harvested the long, thick, stem that the flower head grows on is cut down and usually burnt. It is a by-product. Those stems are lightweight and really strong thanks to the fibers and cellulose running the length of the stem. They are just like a plant-based foam – perfect as the core material for surfboards.
Most Sisal is grown in Brazil, but the largest sisal farm in the world is in Kenya and that is where Grow Blanks, who produce agave surfboard blanks, are based. They take the stems that would ordinarily be burnt or disposed of, sort, grade and profile them and then glue them up into surfboard blanks. Because agave is a plant the material is not completely uniform in weight, density, hardness or colour, but by sorting and grading the stems and using multiple stems to make each blank that natural variation is reduced. The blanks can be shaped on a surfboard shaping machine or by hand, and laminated to produce a surfboard that Grow Blanks claim has a carbon footprint between 70-90% less than a standard PU blank at point of production. The blanks are organic, sustainable, and completely biodegradable.
A More Sustainable Surfboard
As an organic material it is no surprise that agave has a smaller carbon footprint than fossil-fuel derived plastic foam, so it is a more sustainable alternative. Surfboards with agave cores are eligible for level one EcoBoard certification or gold level if laminated with a bio resin. Like almost any eco alternative though, we’ve discovered through our due diligence process that this alternative is better but not perfect – the blanks still have to be shipped from Kenya (slightly less than the shipping distance from California), and whilst agave surfboard blanks utilise an offcut of the sisal fiber production process that would otherwise be burnt, that original sisal farming for the manufacture of ropes and sacks has multiple inherent problems associated with it. These include environmental degradation due to monoculture farming, post colonial land rights issues, and the labour rights of farm workers. Surfing can’t solve these problems, but we hope that through the increased visibility and attention focused on this offshoot material from its use in the world of surfing, greater pressure can be applied and positive environmental and social changes made within the sisal farming industry in East Africa.
How High Performance Are Agave Surfboards?
The primary pioneer of agave as a core material for surfboards was Gary Linden, renowned Californian surfer, shaper, founder of the original Big Wave World Tour and former president of the ASP (the precursor of the WSL). Gary started sourcing agave from Mexico as an alternate to standard foam, and proved its performance in waves of ALL sizes. The first surfboard that we have made with an agave core was a Flying Vee fish for team rider Noah Lane. Noah will put the board through its paces in Ireland in waves ranging from summer fun surf through to challenging slabs, and we’re excited to get his feedback on the board’s strength, flex and weight.
Noah’s Flying Vee
5’6”
19 ¾”
2 5/16”
If you know that you want your next surfboard to be more sustainable, stronger, and damn cool looking, and you don’t need to wait for confirmation from Noah, then get in touch today.
We’re pleased to be able to offer another more sustainable and certified gold-level surfboard core option alongside our Arctic Foam Bio Blanks, so that surfers looking to tread a little lighter on this planet have options to choose from at Cord.
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