What is going price for a balsa blank??

I have the opportunity to pick up a balsa blank from Ecuador, it comes chambered and will include extra pieces of hard wood for a nose and tailblock. The price for an 8’6’’ is $500 and longer blanks >9’ are $550. This seems a bit steep to me but I don’t have a point of reference. What do you guys think?

Right now Frost Hardwood, in San Diego, is selling balsa boards for $8 per board foot. You will probably need around 60 board feet to make a blank.

60 x $8 = $480

That’s just for the raw lumber!

What has happened to the price of Balsa lately? Less than a year ago the price was around $5 per board foot. Is there a shortage of timber or something?

There’s a guy selling blanks in Hawaii try looking up Logcabins surfboards. I’ve also checked out solarbo. They make big blocks that you’d have to cut and chamber yourself, but I think the prices were really low, like around $200 not including shipping.

Yeah, you’re right, that’s way too much money to pick wood for lightness, check the maximum natural rockers to facilitate using the minimum amount of wood.

Joint and size the wood in pairs for color and weight, glue planks for extra rocker down center of blank, band saw rockers.

Then use strong backs to keep all the glue ups in a true center line, piece of cake, shouldn’t cost any more than $9.99, in China

lol, right on Jim.