Shaping Your Own Alaia Manual - A Simple Guide to a Wooden Alaia Surfboard

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Adam

Step-by-step guidance for shaping a wooden alaia surfboard, covering setup through finishing. Details include selecting appropriate wood (notably paulownia and alternatives), choosing clamps and glue, and using templates with the Boardcad program. The guide walks through cutting and shaping—rails, concave, sanding stages, and applying sealant—followed by final oiling and safe first surf. Clear sizing and practical shop tips help turn the process into a rewarding project.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Getting Started

Supplies

Wood

Clamps

Glue

Template

Pen

Saw

Sanders and Sandpaper

Hand planer

Sealant

Gluing the Planks

Cutting Your Board

Leveling the Rails

Planing the rails

Cutting the Concave

Sanding

Oiling

Surf It!

Shaping Your Own Alaia Manual A Simple Guide to a Shaping a Wooden Alaia Surfboard [www.papakai.com](www.papakai.com) Table Of Contents Getting Started Supplies Wood Clamps Glue Template Pen Saw Sanders and Sandpaper Hand planer Sealant Gluing the Planks Cutting Your Board Leveling the Rails Planing the rails Cutting the Concave Sanding Oiling Surf It! [www.papakai.com](www.papakai.com) Getting Started Shaping an alaia isn’t too complicated and turns into a fun and rewarding project. Even if you don’t get it perfect your first time around the beauty of an Alaia is that you can keep reshaping it until it’s just right for you. The only warning I’d give you is that eventually it’ll be too small for you (but perfect for your little brother/cousin/kids/smaller acquaintances) . Maybe then it becomes a Christmas present... On the other hand, maybe you want a piece of the surf world to hang on your wall. Alaias are great for that too. These boards are just as much pieces of art as they are fun surf experiments. It may even be a bit easier for you that way considering the technicalities of concave, rails, etc, aren’t quite as important when it’s hanging on the wall. No matter why you’re doing it, making an alaia will be a fun experience. So enough chit-chat, I’m going to break it down into a few simple steps for you. Let’s start off with supplies. Supplies Wood Paulownia is the golden crown of wood for Alaias. I’m on Oahu and sell blanks for $150/blank or $125/blank when you buy two or more. They measure 7’8” x 18” x ¾” and we ship throughout the USA. You can also take a look at our Paulownia supplier list on the website at, [http://www.papakai.com/alaia-resources/paulownia-wood-directory](http://www.papakai.com/alaia-resources/paulownia-wood-directory to find)[ to find](http://www.papakai.com/alaia-resources/paulownia-wood-directory to find) other suppliers throughout the world. Paulownia is pricier than other types of wood but is by far the best for the job at about ½ the weight and twice the buoyancy of other readily available types. If you intend to surf it and have the money, I highly recommend it. To order a Paulownia blank contact us at [papakaiboards@gmail.com. However](papakaiboards@gmail.com. However), if you don’t want to spend the money you can make do with pine, douglas fir, or any other wood you can find that has a relatively high strength to weight ratio. And if you’re doing it as a wall hanger/art piece, just find some wood that looks good. I’ve actually made a few with mahogany that turned out beautiful. Your board’s height is up to you, but for a 5’7”, 140 lb. guy who’s an experienced surfer, I keep my boards around 6’3”, 16” wide, and ¾ ” thick. That’s really more about function than buoyancy though because, let’s keep in mind, it’s a piece of wood. You could add an extra two feet of wood and it’s still not going to be too buoyant and you’re still going to feel like you’re swimming out there. However, shorter boards, in that 6’ range, tend to help prevent nose diving so that’s what I stick with. If you’re buying planks of wood to glue into a blank make sure the total width is wide enough. Also, you want sharp edges on your planks so that the seams fit tightly together. If you’re getting them from the local lumber shop see if they can mill off the rounded edges that lumber planks of some woods (like mahogany) typically have. [www.papakai.com](www.papakai.com) Clamps I’ve jimmy rigged it with two in the past but it’s not recommended. You’ll want at least three but ideally, you’ll have four clamps. Either way, make sure they’re at least 20” wide. This part is optional but you may also want four smaller 6” clamps. See the gluing section. Glue Normal wood glue will work fine. I use Titebond III. This stuff is money! I’ve split boards ⅔ of the way down the length and used titebond to put them back together. One board lasted another two years after

FAQs

What wood is recommended for an alaia surfboard?

Paulownia is emphasized as a top choice due to its low weight and buoyancy. If budget or availability is an issue, the guide suggests pine, douglas fir, or other strong-to-weight woods.

How should clamps and glue be selected?

The guide recommends at least three clamps, ideally four, with a minimum 20-inch width, and suggests optional smaller clamps for certain steps. Normal wood glue works, with Titebond III specifically recommended by the author.

How do the templates help during shaping?

The guide advises against eyeballing and provides nine templates that work with the Boardcad program. Templates are offered for free through the linked site.

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Adam