Fill us in. I’ve not heard of hemp being used in a manner where it’s blown into a mould, nor have I heard anything that leads me to believe that the US will anytime soon let up on the use of hemp as a viable crop for countless applications. If however this does happen, the world will be a better place for it. Fill us in on what you know. There have been some discussions of hemp here, although relatively few as hemp is not the easiest product to come by. Most applications in surfboard manufacturing have occured with regards to glassing boards using hemp. I am not aware of any others, but I’m sure it is at least an option to look into. If it is a viable option, it would be by far the most environmentally feasible as it would be even easier to produce without harm to the environment than wood boards. Tell us more about what you know AmySC so we can suss out the kind of technologies and applications that hemp has for surfboards.
Thanks Brett - I’d be happy to. I’m the Director of Business Delevopment for a company out of Santa Cruz California called U.S. Hemp Co LLC and have been recently keeping a close ear to whats happening leagally. I beleive we are much closer to having hemp cultivated on our soils then we think. www.votehemp.org There is a long way to go but the industry is changing, fast. New players are jumping on board that are young business professionals with the capitol and a fresh way of approaching the legal fight.
The application of using hemp in molded products has been happening for years although no one wants to admit it because of the stigma that comes along with the confusion between the differences of Hemp and Marijuana (guaranteed nothing but a fat headach if you smoke hemp). There is a US company doing Hemp Fiber Composits and currently has been using (“blown hemp fiber”) in molded car door panels and dashboards in cars Chryster, BMW etc… Turning Hemp stalk into boards is still very new although we do have access to what would be comperable to OSB board currently. Although it is not legal to grow hemp on US soil the Canadian hemp acherage has increased by 24,000 last year (if my stats are correct). It is legal to import raw materials from out of the country today, so long as there are no “viable” seeds (meaning seeds you can plant to grow) Canada has the market on Hemp Oil using the seeds themselves. Most of the fiber gets burrned and waisted, only because there isnt a market yet!
What you have heard is actually a common use for hemp as a replacement for molded fiberglass using hemp canvas textiles that come in various weights according to your specs. Its not only used on surfboards, but skateboards and snowboards as well. Hemp is natually bacterial and mildew resistant and is stonger than fiberglas, although currenly more expensive.
I hope I gave you at least enough to think about. I really think there’s something here and I welcome any questions!
Yeah hemp is an amazing plant. I’ve been into it since reading Jack Herer’s book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” a couple years back. The value of hemp is definitely going to make a difference if we are going to attempt a more environmentally friendly world. Good on ya and everyone else for pushing forward with hemp tech. Keep us updated on the various uses beyond glassing boards with hemp cloth.
TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) data shows releases and transfers
of toxic chemicals from manufacturers only. Data exists for the
years 1987 - 2003.
CLARK FOAM LAGUNA NIGUEL CA 2000 TRI ID: 92624CLRKF25887 Waste Generated (lbs): 167 Lbs Released: 167 Lbs Transferred: 0CLARK FOAM LAGUNA NIGUEL CA 2001 TRI ID: 92624CLRKF25887 Waste Generated (lbs): 152 Lbs Released: 152 Lbs Transferred: 0CLARK FOAM LAGUNA NIGUEL CA 2002 TRI ID: 92624CLRKF25887 Waste Generated (lbs): 153 Lbs Released: 153 Lbs Transferred: 0CLARK FOAM LAGUNA NIGUEL CA 2003 TRI ID: 92624CLRKF25887 Waste Generated (lbs): 157 Lbs Released: 158 Lbs Transferred: 0