The Secrets of Wood
We are sometimes asked why we make wooden kayaks and paddleboards when you can buy, at fairly affordable prices, paddleboards made from other materials—plastics—that are light, durable, and easy to transport. Well, I am not sure the “light and easy to transport” part is entirely true, but in recent years, every summer day we see couples and groups of young people heading down to the beach carrying inflatable paddleboards, paddles, and pumps. They spend quite a while in the sun, on the sand, stones, or rocks, pumping air and later folding their boards. I notice that many couples use their paddleboards much like we used beach air mattresses years ago.
As for kayaks, inflatable ones are still seen along the Alicante coast, but rigid kayaks are becoming more common. These are usually rented directly on the beach or belong to schools that organize excursions along the coast. We see groups of people arrive at the beach, receive instructions, start paddling, and return after the scheduled time. Then, they review and share the photos on their phones, often saying they had a great time—even if paddling was quite tiring.
The experience of being on the water on a wooden board or kayak is completely different. Wood has its secrets, and when you learn to work with it, care for it, and enjoy it, it reveals some of them. Wood speaks to you about silence—although it may seem like an oxymoron, it is not—the silence you feel around you and how relaxing everything becomes once you move away from the shore.
Wood speaks to you about nature—how wonderful it is and how determined we are to leave behind traces of who we are—when you glide over the water, stopping occasionally to collect floating plastics or diving near the posidonia meadows to discover something incredible. And wood speaks of resilience: that of the environment and of wood itself, a noble material, a superior element—durable and aesthetically valuable—as such materials are identified today.
Navigating on wood is “something else.” It feels closer to the personality of a walker than with that of a race car; it leans more toward permanence than brevity, and more toward serenity than effervescence. Yet it also shows us its nobility by allowing us all to step away from rush, the fleeting, and the effervescent whenever we choose to do so.
