Brad and Mike head up a collective of craftsmen located in York, Maine where they build surfboards, hold classes, and try to think of new ways to reduce the environmental impacts of building surf-craft.  They are the first to credit the great team of friends who collectively make Grain go. "It's the dedication and spirit of all Grain's people that really make it what it is" says Mike.

Mike founded Grain in his basement after the closure of Clark Foam for environmental reasons caused the Associated Press to write Mike into a worldwide side-bar blurb about alternatives to foam.  Having come from a long career in the boardsports industry working for Burton Snowboards and with a background in boatbuilding, it was a natural for Mike to discover a better way to build wood boards.

Brad came along soon after, and with a varied history in boatbuilding, computer technology, process analysis and business management, became a co-owner with skills that dovetailed with Mike's in a way that has allowed Grain to maintain an ongoing dedication to innovation.

About Grain's Boards:

Grain's owners applied their years of experience with time-tested boat-building techniques to develop Grain surfboards. Built of local white cedar on a lightweight internal frame, every board in their lineup is fully structural before it's even glassed.  The goal? To create surfboards that will never show pressure dings, don’t stress-crack, and that surf and look as good years from now as they do when they first hit the water. Grain's surfboards have no veneers or foam –  inside, they’re just the same clean air we breathe. Outside, wood coated with zero-VOC Entropy epoxy and fiberglass or bamboo cloth protects and seals the board for years to come. Designed for longevity, a Grain Surfboard should never see a landfill in your lifetime.

Because Grain uses 3D CAD software, custom board shapes can include the customer’s input after they review screen-shots emailed from Grain HQ. From their 3D designs, Grain Surfboards creates the two-dimensional flat sections that become precision-cut frames and “stringer”, then they carefully select graceful, book-matched wood that blends together to form totally unique patterns on the deck and bottom. Using a careful milling process and unique construction, Grain is able to efficiently saw logs into small parts, then re-assemble the living wood into a seamless, hollow surfboard with a minimum of waste.

Grain also offers most of the boards in their line as complete kits. If you’re good with your hands, can work carefully and follow written instructions, then you will love the feeling of dropping into your first wave on a beautiful wooden surfboard you built yourself. It’s indescribable. For those that’d do better with a little guidance or are looking for a cool, surf-styled vacation that includes a bunch of honest work, Grain holds Wood Surfboard Building classes all year long – it may be just what you’re looking for.