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I’ll be honest, my time surfing the East Coast is limited. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the surfers of New England, and that’s in no small part due to the crew at Grain Surfboards and the community they’ve built around them. It took about five minutes of hanging out with founder Mike LaVecchia to know he’s the kind of person you want more of in the surf world: genuine, considerate, funny, and fun-loving—clearly in this for the right reasons.

Having dived into the specifics of various alternative construction styles over the years, I’m always curious to see what people are developing and, more importantly, how they ride. So when I saw the news this week about what Grain is calling Bio•Logic, I was quickly stoked.

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After 21 years of building wooden surfboards, Grain has developed a new construction method that eliminates foam, fiberglass, and virtually all resin from the process. For an industry that has long relied on petroleum-based materials (and has been rightly criticized for it) this is great news. The best part is they’re offering special discounts for those who want to get involved with the research and development of the technology. Yeah, you too can become a surfboard tester.

Bio•Logic boards are built using Maine-grown Northern White Cedar, FSC-certified plywood, natural cork, and 100% natural flax fabric, which is vacuum-bagged to the inside of the board in place of traditional fiberglass lamination. The result is a board that Grain says is lighter, more flexible, and more responsive underfoot than conventional construction — and one that has been quietly tested in real surf conditions over several years before this announcement.

“After more than two decades of refining wooden surfboards, we’ve reached a goal we’ve been chasing since day one,” said LaVecchia. “A performance board with zero foam, zero fiberglass, and virtually zero resin.”

That word—”virtually”—is worth noting, and it’s exactly the kind of thing that earns trust. In an age where greenwashing is rampant, Grain chose to explain rather than hide: more than 99% of resin has been eliminated from the process. The remaining few ounces exist solely to install fin boxes and leash cups. They could have just said “resin-free” and nobody would have checked. Honesty is, after all, the best policy.

The innovation has already been recognized beyond the surf world, earning the Trailblazer Award for Innovation at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit and a grant from the Maine Technology Institute offering validation that what Grain is doing has implications for sustainable manufacturing well outside the lineup.

Exterior boards are finished with a plant-based hard-wax oil that seals the natural wood tones and creates a durable, repairable surface. Serving as safeguard against landfills in a world where most surfboards are essentially disposable (especially the soft tops).

To launch the technology, Grain is releasing a limited Founders’ Batch of Bio•Logic boards, each carrying a unique serial number and built-to-order with a six-to-eight week turnaround. They’re being offered at the most competitive pricing in Grain’s history, and the company is specifically looking for surfers willing to test the boards and help refine the design (I’m joining this train so you’ll be sure to hear more from me).

“We’re looking for thoughtful surfers that want to ride something new and help shape what comes next,” the team says.

For more information, visit grainsurfboards.com.

Related: Miguel Blanco & The Eco-Board Project Charge The World’s Heaviest Waves (Video)

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