DIY-SUP

Born from the desire to share his passion for fine craftsmanship with a wider audience, head shaper and founder, Jordan Crawford has launched his own range of DIY stand-up paddleboards and surfboards under new venture, Periodic Surf Co.

After many years as lead designer and maker at Period Furniture Studio, Jordan explains the switch to specialising in surfboards fuels his greater creative interest.

“I ran Periodic Furniture Studio, where it felt like I was creating dining table after dining table. While it was enjoyable for the most part, it wasn’t all that fulfilling. At this point, I decided that I was going to change things up entirely and this is what I came up with.”

Jordan’s years of problem-solving in furniture making led him to create the simple and effective DIY design for his surfboard kits, which accessible for people at all levels of working with wood crafts.

“I supply my kits with pre-machined timber that is the perfect thickness and width for building our boards. By doing this, the end user no longer requires any expensive or specialised equipment,” Jordan says.

The boards are made of three primary materials to make up the unique hollow-wood design. Marine plywood makes up the internal structure and gives the board its overall shape.

Ultra-lightweight, but surprisingly strong Paulownia wood is then used to cover the plywood and gives the board its deck to stand on and rails to shape. Finally, fibreglass is used to waterproof the boards and provide overall strength. An epoxy resin is used, making Period Surf Co. boards more eco-friendly than conventional foam and fibreglass boards.

“With all three of these materials combined, we end up with a hollow core wooden surfboard that is super strong thanks to its torsion box style of construction that is only slightly heavier than an equivalent foam board. But most of all, they’re all individual works of art hand-built by the user themselves, allowing their creativity to expand.”

Original imagery by WADES.