I knew my “short answere” was going to get me into trouble. The question was “water resistant” right? To me that meant “resistes water” as in water does not penetrate. Water does penetrate Balsa. Balsa does not soak it up like a sponge or the guys that use these would all be dead.
From what I have seen it sheds the water it has pretty quick. I have Balsa boards that I made over thirty years ago that are still ridden on occasion. They still look great and ride good. I have always fixed em FAST whenever there has been a ding. I have seen boards that were not fixed and water was allowed to enter the board and the effects over time is not good. I think one of the reasons we are so aggresive about fixing the ones we have is that the water could get into the hollow parts of the boards and really create a problem.
So again do I think Balsa is “water resistant”, no. Do I think it’s a “sponge”, no. To me if you are going to go through all the trouble it takes to make a Balsa board, and Bill I think yours look fantastic, and not preserve your work so that it can be enjoyed for a long time is “not good”. Thats my take on it.
The pressure effect of immersing a warm surfboard in a cold ocean is the culprit in ''sucking'' water through any hole in the skin, however tiny. Open blocks of wood or foam don't behave quite the same.
Balsa is always repairable , no matter how old or damaged. Thats why its always a good option in the first place . Its performance is its greatest virtue.
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Yeah, I picked it up really cheap at a garage sale one Saturday !($180)
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AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>.....JUST KIDDING !!!!-..........If I'm really really lucky, one day I might see it in the flesh , until then I only have a picture
I have seen the balsa rafts at work since the 50's go in & out of the ocean every day and be used for not just years but decades, I wonder what other wood unsealed and light like balsa can take that kind of punishment especially on the Equator.
In Ecuador as in most latin countries everything including there language of spanish is derived between macho and hembra/male and female. The balsa tree is described up to as much as 10 years old as hembra and after after that age as macho. Of course it can differ from tree to tree due to the soil types,access to water when not raining and the other variables that affect plants. The balsa tree.which by the way is classified as a hardwood tree, but according to Dr, Brown Univ of Florida he believes it is actually more in the what we would call a weed family,but has yet to be proven /due to to its rapid growth is called female because it is so soft up to 8-10 years old and after that it becomes hard and is called a macho tree and is not of much use , maybe to build local house or furniture it becomes very dense and tall. So I remember at the Surf Expo around 1986 or so having conversation with some the old legends from California and they told me they only used the female tree, I had a good chuckle with them that day being friends ,because I asked them since it was blond and female did the tree come with a bikini also. Since the revelation of the old mystery of male and female trees is long fading away.
The truth female tree cut from 3-8 years of age.Male tree,same tree just keeps on growing. Until it is in the way of more female[young trees /or someone wants to use it for a house or something}
I hope that clarrifies the myth of female vs male tree,it is the same tree just different age.
My balsa sample has been soaking in my fish pond since novemember 2 and I have been to lazy to take it out. Its still floating and not turned to mush. As far as reproduction of the trees go there is no male or female tree . They start blossoming at two or three years old and the flower is both male and female and that dosen't change with age. The flower needs to be polinated by fruit bats. Thats why we have not been able to get any seeds from our trees here in hawaii. I think it is possible to hand polinate but them flowers are a long way up. I got an old gyne 40 foot extension lift a couple months ago and when I get it fixed I am going to try to polinate by hand. I just found me a new place to plant trees and I will start germinateing seeds tomorrow. I am going to try to get about 50 trees in this winter. I did find a tid bit of info on the balsa life rafts and jacket used during WW 2. The balsa was dipped into melted paraffin wax to protect it from water.
Bill, I have never heard the term "Balso" in Ecuador. It would actually be the reverse for male/female. since male is the O and female is the A . The first thing they call the tree is a female light and soft which female is derived with an A"Hembra". Secondly caliing it a male "Macho" hard and heavy!
Hopefully the trees all grow good for you, 97 % of the world's production A grade balsa comes from Ecuador. Reason being is the perfect climate conditions on the western slope and flatlands at the base of the Andes Mountains. With almost never any wind of any more than 10 knots ,lotsa rain,perfect soil type,many other variables,but the most important is the equatorial zone. In the physiology of plant's growth in the equatorial zone there is a change in the growth pattern. The Kreb's cycle which has the process of photosynthesis in it, there is a change from a 3 carbon chain to a 4 carbon chain due to the closeness of the sun. For example a citrus tree on the equator produces some really insipid oranges,almost bitter, due to 3-5 fruit sets in a year,whereas in a good zone like Fl or CA you will only have 1 fruit set a year. So plants in the equatorial zone grow very fast. Perfect for the production of balsa wood trees{could be weeds} There have been experiments done worldwide to produce good balsa,US,Sweden and other places but none have been able to produce what God had intended.
Ecuador is the place.
Just as most cases you could probably produce some balsa for your own use but vast amounts have so far only been limited to the country of Ecuador!
Watch out for the wind when they get big, and I don't know how you will produce the equatorial closenes of the sun.
