Working with wood: Burnett surfboards

I am fascinated by the various ways of working with wood and recently discovered the Triton blog where they showcase individuals they consider 'Masters of Wood'. A recent feature highlighted the exceptional talents of Patrick Burnett, a journalist with a love of sea and surf who now hand-crafts hollow wood surfboards.

 

Patrick's passion for making hollow wood surfboards is driven by the beauty of nature in every single piece of wood. "Each board has something unique. It might be the magic of nature found in the grain of a special piece of wood, the pleasing curve of a beautiful surfboard shape, or the satisfying feeling of riding a wave on a board that I’ve made. But the goose bumps keep on coming," says Patrick.

Burnett Surfboards have been hand-crafting hollow wood surfboards since 2007. At the time, Patrick was a journalist who started making surfboards in his spare time as a hobby. Realising that he loved working with wood,  research on how to make surfboards out of wood led him to  Jack Young, a wood surfboard maker in California who produced a book about wood surfboards. This was the inspiration behind the beautiful range of Burnett Surfboards.

What started out as a hobby in his home workshop is now a thriving business at Imhoff Farm Village in Kommetjie, Cape Town. Here, Patrick builds all his custom boards, as well as hosting a variety of  wood surfboard building courses.