: Malcolm-Hello. I ordered an 8' MiniMal kit from Wooden Surfboard
: Supply and just opened it. The rails are square. I thought that
: they would be the same as your RA board (similar to a Grain
: board). What other boards (from Wooden Surfboard Supply) are the
: same building process as how you did it on grainsurf form? I've
: just finished my 20th kayak/canoe and my 1st surfboard. I might
: be able to make it to Santa Cruz for the SC show. It's a long
: drive from Bend, OR, but worth it. If I do, I'll bring a couple
: of kayaks. The Elkhorn Slough is an amazog place to paddle.

Hello Greg,

I just replied and in the middle of my reply lost internet connection. If the other reply suddenly shows up sorry for the duplicate. The Mini Mal is a great board. It jumps up on plane and paddles easily. That's the board I built for Amy. The Malco was the first kit that WSS did with the hollow rails, and the Robert August followed. I believe Brad is working on hollow rails for the other boards but right now I think those are the only two that have that option.

There is an advantage to the solid rails. It gives you freedom to shape the rail the way you want, and it's not terribly heavy. I used Mahogany and Pine on the deck of Amy's Mini Mal and used Balsa and Mahogany on the bottom and rails, and it weighed in at 22 pounds fin and all. The Malco and the RA board actually have the rails scored for those that want to do a solid rail. They can break off the rounded portion at the scored line. Now for the Malco I would suggest not going solid rails because the board is 4" thick and there you would add a good bit of weight, but for the Mini Mal it won't be much.

I hope you make it to the show and I'd love to see the kayaks if you can.