Surfboard industry rides a wave of eco-friendly change
By TIFFANI N. GARLIC For The Press, 609-569-7483
Published: Monday, June 23, 2008, The Press of Atlantic City: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/186/story/188873.html

Some area surfers are going green because it's the right thing to do, they say. Others will tell you it's for a better ride on the waves. Whatever the reason, a shift in surfboard production is changing what surfers bring to the beach.

"The last few years the surfing industry has gone through a complete revolution with the materials that are being used," said Jim Hennessy, owner of Heritage on West Avenue in Ocean City. "The industry is going a long way to reducing production waste."

Two types of surfboards dominate the mainstream market today: the traditional polyurethane (Fiberglas) boards and the new epoxy boards. The difference is environmental safety.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Web site, the chemical 2,4-Toluene diisocyanate, or TDI, is the toxin that makes polyurethane environmentally dangerous. Released during production, TDI is extremely toxic in short- and long-term exposure, causing severe skin and eye irritation as well as respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system complications. In 1985, the chemical was officially recognized as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the EPA.

Although the effects of TDI are only harmful during production and after disposal, the surfing community has become much more aware of the environmental impact. In December 2005, Clark Foam, the leading producer of polyurethane surfboard cores in the U.S., was shut down by the EPA, which cited several violations related to TDI emissions from the factory building.

Referred to as "Black Monday" in the surfing industry, Clark Foam's halt in production hasn't been a wipeout for surfboard sales in area surf shops. On the contrary, Hennessy said, "Business is very good, we've probably sold 1,000 boards between the three shops." He sees the emergence of epoxy boards as a positive factor for the industry and says that they are stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly than traditional polyurethane boards.

Friends and surfers Chris Conte, 17, and Dan Ginolfi, 14, have been braving the waves for the past five years and say they see a difference between the boards. Conte, who owns an epoxy board, said "it floats better in the water," while Ginolfi said his polyurethane board "doesn't break as easy." Going through about two boards per year, the Stone Harbor residents have to take price, performance and personal style into consideration when buying a new board. Ginolfi said that he'd be switching to an epoxy board for his next purchase.

Mike Rossi, 14, has surfed for the past five years and feels that epoxy surfboards are going to be the wave of the future. Crediting professional surfers with the switch, the Ship Bottom resident predicted the change in the industry. "There's always going to be a hardcore surfer that wants an old-school Fiberglas board, but I think that's going to change now that pro surfers are riding epoxy boards," he said. "Kids will want to follow that."

Skeptical about the trend toward epoxy boards in the past few years is Michael Lisewski, owner of Matador Surfboards on Beachview Avenue in Manahawkin. "I don't doubt that people are buying thousands of these boards, but when I go out to the beaches I don't see them (the boards) under their feet."

For Lisewski, traditional polyurethane boards are the best way to go. The East Coast surfboard shaper said that most surfers won't want to have a mass-produced board when they can get one that is hand-crafted and customized to fit their needs.

Preferring to use a less harmful polyurethane chemical called Methyl diphenyl diisocyanate, or MDI, Lisewski realizes that the environment is a pressing issue but said no material is perfect.

"I think the surfing industry is extremely environmentally concerned but resin is resin," he said of the shell that covers polyurethane surfboards. "It's all nasty, but it's still the best way to make boards."

To e-mail Tiffani Garlic at The Press:

TGarlic@pressofac.com