Hello Jon,

Yes, it seems to have taken off better in AU and NZ than in the US. Many have tried and failed at marketing it in the states. I have only found one person growing it and he doesn't always have it available. I actually got it from Brad at Wood Surfboard Supply, who got it from this guy in bulk. If you are not buying in bulk they don't always want to sell to you. I think the problem is the startup costs of growing a plantation and waiting the 10 plus years to the first harvest. It's sad because it is sustainable, grows fast, and has many advantages for kayaks, surfboards, and other small vessels.

I am going to do walnut accent stripes like on this board, plus the Cross of St. James inlay that is my trademark. It didn't look too good on the walnut in red, and I actually ended up redoing this inlay in natural abalone. The one in the pic is abalone coated in red. It looks much better in red against a light background. I will also do a Virgin Islands flag on either side of the bow because this is a racing SUP and the bow (from the side) is what usually gets seen in photographs. The VI racing team wants everyone to know that a wood SUP won the race and that it was from the VI!

So I hate when people always ask "how much does it weigh," but I am asking about your Yost SOF because that had to have been very lightweight with paulowina.