Article from PISCES HAWAII newsletter:
When PISCES Program Manager Rodrigo Romo realized that basalt fabric — a material that PISCES is investigating as the source of a new manufacturing industry in Hawaii — has highly similar properties to fiber glass, he was struck with a novel idea: Can it be used to make a surfboard? An avid surfer himself, Romo took his idea to a local board maker named Stan Lawrence, owner of Orchid Land Surfshop in Hilo.
A short while later, Romo had an answer to his question: Yes! And it looks incredible.
Using a thin sheet of basalt fabric supplied by a Rhode Island-based company called Smarter Building Systems, Stan glassed the unique material into the standing surface of one of his custom, nine-foot longboards.
Seeing the outcome, Romo is setting his sights on a fully-surfaced basalt board, and even a canoe paddle. He hopes not only to have a sharp looking wave-rider, but also to raise awareness around the possible applications for basalt-based materials in Hawaii.
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