For these Bali ‘beach boys’, it’s all about a love of wood. Well, almost. As you’d expect, it’s also a lot to do with surfing. Pooling their skills, and working together in a collective, they have combined the two and the result is KAYU surfboards, a brand based on the art of working with wood and on surf culture. Bas Ackermann, who is involved with creative strategy and product development, spoke with My Lombok, about the project.

The art and culture of surfing goway back – possibly about three thousand years. The first surfers were fishermen in Western Polynesia, whowould ride the waves on wooden boards, as a quick way of bringing their fish back to shore. It grew into a sport, one of the oldest on Earth. Now it has its own associated lifestyle, and is connected with a strong respect and appreciation for the power of the ocean.

The same connection with nature goes into the making of the boards. The founders of KAYU surfboards have 20 years experience in wood –in supply, craftsmanship and manufacturing.

Eventhe brand, KAYU,means’wood’ in Indonesian.It reflects the heritage of the company and what the company does best: working with wood.

They are based in Bali:”We love to surf and travel around all the beautiful spots Bali and Indonesia have to offer”, they say, and so for them it’s logical the whole process should be local – “from seed to sea”.

“All our surfboards are manufactured in Indonesia and crafted from Indonesian wood”.

It starts with the wood

For surfboards the ideal material is balsa wood (Ochroma pyramidale), a fast growing plantation softwood,native to the South American rainforest.

KAYU blanks are 100% balsa. The trees are sourced from local, small-scale plantations in East Java,and the best are handpicked, harvested and dried. The end result is a smooth, lightweightbut incredibly strong timber.Its low density and good mechanical resistance makes it perfect for the precise crafting required in surfboard frame-building and shaping. And, most importantly, it is a superbly buoyant wood; ‘balsa’ is the Spanish word for ‘raft’.

Finishing touches

The next stage is ‘glassing’ –adding layers of epoxy fiber resin, whichprotect the wood from direct contact with water. Then come sanding and polishing, and finally theboards areready to be released into the sea.

Wood has its own unique performance in the water. Because of its structure and weight, itoffers an experience that’s quite different fromusing a foam-based board.

“It’s a cycle. Seeds–water–trees–water. It’s interesting, when you think about it. You can basically plant your own ride”.

Local connections

KAYU is committed to working with the locals at every stage: farming, shaping, design, and photography.

“We cooperate with local farmers in the hills of Central Java, andafter our recent rebranding,we decided to work with well-known Bali local shaper, Robi Hendra”.

KAYU also works with Desature Design.

“Java has a lot of great creatives and designers.As well as a local manufacturer, and shaper,we also have a local designer working with KAYU”.

Global awareness

Bali, as well as other areas of Indonesia, hasexperienced significant growth in tourism, and often that means massive amounts of waste and plastic pollution. KAYUdoes what it can to reduce the amount of plastic and chemical waste.  

For them, sustainability means:homegrown materials; cooperation between local farmers, wood manufacturers, shapers and designers; and a manufacturing process that uses minimal chemicals.

Result:high quality, beautiful looking surfboards at an affordable price. Handled with care, KAYU wooden boards will last a lifetime.

Classic products

KAYUserves a niche market – wooden surfboards that stay close to their cultural roots. The boards are sustainable pieces of art that combine a classic look with functionality.

“We care for our product.We like to look at it as wellas to surf it. You could compare it with a good wine: it givesyou a good feeling, it’s very tasteful,it’s made from the best ingredients, and is always given time to mature”.

KAYUproduces a range of signature boards, created and inspired by classic shapes, ranging fromclassic longboards down to their ‘Little Fish’.

“We also havefins, glasses, special helmets, clothing and accessories, and soon we will proudly present our balsa wooden Jeep”.

The KAYU showroom is in Canggu,in the Berawa area of Bali.

KAYU is proud of its carefully crafted products, and maintains a traditional ‘old school’ approach to surfing.

“We don’t aim to step into the high performance surf industry. Personally,we’re fans of the days when surfing seemed less of a marketing activity, and more abouthaving fun. It’s a style,a culture.

“We don’t have sponsored riders yet, but we like to do photo shoots and hand out models to classic riders likes Oka Kawan, who’s a Canggu local.His style and personality fit KAYU;he’s creative and joyful to watch”.

In the end, KAYU is about”producing wood you can ride, and letting people experience the way wood surfs”.

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