Has anyone has experience with making a paulownia full wood board. Know surfers are doing them and they love the look and they are light and perform well. Wondering whether it would hold up to a mast track insertion and some wave or freeestyle pounding.
Any comments welcome. The blanks seem fairly cheap too and no fibre glassing required as i understand it. Although that is for surfing so may need some more strength. Early R+D days.. maybe just a pipe dream
From my understanding it's fairly impact resistant though takes on/absorbes water quickly. I made a frame from paulownia for the back of my van to hold my boards and sails which is as light as, easily removed by one person.
No Fibreglassing?????
I would have thought that anything that is made of wood would take up water.
As far as I know even wood surfboards have an epoxy layer around them.
Once its epoxied, it should be watertight and strong as.
Have heard that bamboo works well as well.
I have been discussing a similar project with a mate but as far as I understand it a fibreglass finish coat would be an essential.
There is a fair bit of information at www.clcboats.com/modules/forum/threadcat.php?quickname=clcforum .
the guys building the surfboards use coatings of wax and a varnish
apparently it doesnt absorb waterhttp://www.paulowniaparadise.com.au/surfboards.htm
Check out swaylocks.com heaps of info in there. Its mostly surf related but it will help. Interesting to see the finished product 
I've made 2 paulownia surfboards and 2 balsa boards
Solid timber that I chambered out to reduce the weight.
I did not get too aggressive with the chambering and left it solid under my feet.
I glassed the balsa boards and one paulownia but sealed the other with a single coat of epoxy without glass.
all the boards are heavy but indestructible.
I'd reckon a windsurf board made this way would be too heavy.
It s possible to make a wood board with a frame and skin technique, itwould be lighter and use less timber but is time consuming. probably not very ding resistant either.
best option would be too go for foam core with wood laminate and vacuum bagging, you would get the strength and aesthetics of wood without the weight penalty.
Have a look at the post by KIT33R www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Wooden-Surfboard/?page=1
Below is a board made of ply and balsa. This one weighs about 7kg.
If you want to build solid, you would be best doing a chambered board to keep the weight down a bit. There is some good information in this build. http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2831
