Want to build an alaia

[surfaMIKE]

Ok, so Im young and got stupid ideas going through my head...cuz now I wanna drop the longboard project and build an alaia! Geez you guys must be @#$%ed off at me...

I had a look at Tom Wegener's site of wooden boards and had a look at the alaia. It hit my heart right away because it was so simple, so easy, so natural, so much more cheaper, so environmentally friendly and....unique...

Iv thought of building one of about 7'6"x18"x1.5" with a slight roll in the deck and gentle single concave running from nose to tail. Problem is I cannot get paulownia wood here in South Africa. We only have pine wood. And to import paulownia is out of the question....too expensive with the exchange rate now

So is pine wood ok to use as a material for this alaia? I will be waterproofing it with linseed oil, but my parents say that pine is too porous, and will soak up alot of water (well its the only wood in South Africa, apart from cedar, so I dont really have a choice)

So can I use pine to build this board?

Thanks for any comments or advice

[billie_morini]

Fun and informative video about shape and use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYVjVqSPZnQ

The pine/cedar you want to use, SurfaMIKE, should be OK, if:
1. it is pressure treated
2. it is sealed with something like polyurethane. Oil treatment will work, but not as well, and requires maintenance.

The pressure treatment helps discourage damage from moisture. Pine is used throughout North America for fence posts set in the ground. Cedar is less likely to shrink, warp or split than pine.

When I was a kid, my favorite home-made skim board was made from pine plywood that was sealed with polyurethane. I used this skim board endlessly in North and South Carolina. It was never affected by the water.

[surfaMIKE]

Shweet thanx man

[surfinggreen]

we have some instructions and free templates on making alaias here -

http://www.surfinggreen.com.au/How-Shape-Alaia-Surfboard

You can use any wood, but the lighter the better. Paulownia is ideal. Lots of people have used pine but it tends to soak up water and deteriorate quickly unless you seal it permanently with resin or varnish.

1.5" may be a bit thick. The ideal thickness for an alaia is 3/4" to 1" for good flex and trim - the two funnest parts of riding an alaia.

you dont want the concave to go past half way up the board or it will try to spin too much. Keep it in the back 1/3 of the board to get the most control.

good luck. grant
http://www.surfinggreen.com.au

[dicky b]

I would love to build one of these boards, I just have a couple questions.
What tools are needed?
How much does the finished product cost to make?
Thanks for your help

[bitness]

I did a pretty detailed 8-part series on how to build an Alaia starting from a Wegener blank. Check it out (starting with post 1) here: http://bitness.com/?p=364

Details on tools, dimensions, cutting, concave, rails and finishing. I hope you check it out and good luck with your project.

Brgds,
Lawrence

[dicky b]

Bitness,
How did you like the board once it was done. Are the fun to ride and play around on. What did the finished board end up costing?

[bitness]

Hi Dicky B,

The board is insane - very fast. It's fairly difficult to ride and I'm most belly boarding it with brief success standing-up. Conditions will be a big factor in standing up consistently.

Once I purchased the blank for about $250USD from Jon Wegener the costs were minimal. I probably shelled out about $25USD on sandpaper, a sanding block with handle, small hand plane, boiled linseed oil and a wood burner (to burn the turtle illustration on the board). I had a jigsaw, belt sander and some other tools, so factor that in if you don't already own.

Good luck and check it out on http://Bitness.com!

[Alaia Cape]

Hey surferMIKE

Hope by now that you have your alaia up and running.

With regards to the pine, our SA pine is very cheap and nasty compared with the North American pine.
When the guys over there say it might be ok, it won't.
Because of the colder conditions in the northern parts of America, their pine grows at about half the speed of ours and is such, not that bad. Ours on the other hand, grown very quickly and is of a far lower quality.

I have been trying to get my wood supplier to bring Paulownia into the country, but they say that the demand is not enough yet.

From my research, nothing beats Paulownia for strength, weight and rot-resistance.

We are using Obeche, (light, moderate-light strength, readily avaialable in long straight planks) and so far so good. We do add Walnut stringers into ours for extra strength.

Let me know if you have got yours in the water and how it went.

Cheers.

[DreadManFred]

thanks guys fo' this. i cant wait to start my alaia board process.

[gianni]

Alaia board is a dream

for moment I work on balsa board...

[Barrelboy]

I've recently started building my first Alaia, a standup, 6'8 x 21" x 1,25" and chose Meranti as the guinea pig.
Our pine in South Africa is way too soft for marine application, and as a boat builder Meranti has always proven most reliable and cost effective when considering the elements.

If anyone has their heart set on pine, try using Origon Pine which can be found at a lot of second hand window and door dealers in the Cape Town area that come from old revamped houses. I will definitely try O-Pine as soon as I've finished my Meranti version.

I'm using an all purpose epoxy for the laminating, and am gonna be sealing it with a marine grade clear varnish, as Meranti is fairly porus. Will post some pics soon as I'm done.

[gianni]

Hi,

uh, second hand goods....Meranti is bit far from Italy...

pics, please just possible....

[friso]

hey, where i live i could only find wood with a maximum thickness of 18 mm ( 0.7 inch ). is this too thin or will it be okay?

[bitness]

Hey Friso, I think that'll work but it's ideally 3/4" at it's thickest point.

[friso]

Hey Friso, I think that'll work but it's ideally 3/4" at it's thickest point.

but the thickest point is gonna be 0.7 inch now. because that's the thickness of the wood.