It’s 6am, the air is crisp, but the sunrise warms the skin. We look over Long Sands Beach in York Maine as locals flock to the ocean to catch the chest high glassy sets rolling in. We meet up with some of the guys from Grain Surfboards as they unload their signature wooden boards from the trunk of their car. We exchange niceties, but the ocean calls. Two hours of dropping in on glass is the perfect start to the Grain Surfboard workshop.
Scrimshaw took a trip up to York, ME to partake in the Four Day Grain Workshop. During these days we built one of their signature boards from scratch as part of a class of 8 surfers. Our board of choice was the 8’ Steamer, an all around beauty that allows for a gnarly pivot carve, but also catches some serious log time.
The physical Grain workshop is on a farm in the beautiful backcountry and is an absolute dream to anyone who enjoys working with their hands. The relaxed Maine surfers, who work at Grain, are nothing but absolute professionals. Their knowledge about woodworking and the ocean allows for an amazing experience.
The four-day class begins with choosing your cedar planks and creating your side rails with an epic amount of clamps. Shaping your rails makes you feel connected to your board and seeing it go through intricate steps into slow formation makes you appreciate the art that is board shaping. The days are long, but rewarding as each one tests your attention to detail and enhances your passion for surfing.
After days of gluing, clamping, sanding, and shaping, your board starts to come together. The guys of Grain are there every step of the way to help customize and create the board of your dreams. After day three, your board is mostly formed and we were itching to test it. We grabbed some completed boards from the Grain surf rack and gunned it for the beach. The waves were waist-high but looked as though painted into the horizon. We carved through the open line-up and dropped in as smooth as butter on everything we paddled for. The Grain boards are pure wood so being buoyant yet heavy make for no wobbles while dropping in, forcing the wave to acknowledge its presence.
The whole experience was perfect. The Grain crew knows their stuff and are humbly chill, creating an atmosphere for a true wanderlust surfer. This workshop is an absolute must and it changed the way I look at surfboards. Surfing will not be the same, after you ride Grain.
Also, if you find yourself wandering around southern Maine on September 26th, stop into Grain Surfboards for their Surf Re-Evolution, a day of sun, surf, art, and music.
