Our story
Ondanova Surfboards began in 2014, when Antoine left his life as a seaman in Belgium to settle in Portugal after years of traveling and working at sea.
It grew from a simple wish: to live from something more grounded and meaningful. A passion for shaping functional art by hand, with all the emotion, patience, and imperfection that come with it. Making our own tools and boards brings a sense of independence, freedom, and quiet joy. It’s about the making, not just the result.
A surfboard is one of those rare creations that unite science and art, hydrodynamics and aesthetics. Riding them completes the circle, connecting craft, nature, and experience.
From the beginning, our main goal has been to create surfboards while removing or minimizing the use of foam, resin, and fiberglass, which are the primary ingredients of “modern” surfboards. As surfers, using wood also narrows the paradoxal gap between our love for the ocean and letting more plastic afloat.
Since 2016, we’ve been sharing this approach through immersive workshops. These 3-day experiences invite people to slow down, learn, and shape their own board from start to finish.
We share everything we’ve learned, every technique, so each person leaves not only with a board, but with the knowledge and confidence to keep exploring on their own.
Process
We build hollow wooden surfboards: meaning that each board is made around a lightweight internal skeleton structure, think of it as the spine and ribs of the board, over which a thin pannel of wood is applied.
The result is a surfboard that is mostly made of: air, some wood and a small amount of fiberglass and resin.
The process begins on a computer. We create each board digitally and export the internal skeleton, then laser-cut it in our workshop. From there, the real craft begins: assembling, gluing, planing, sanding, glassing. Every board is built by hand, from start to finish.
Materials
We use Paulownia wood (also known as Kiri in Japan) for both the skeleton and the outer skin. Paulownia is ideal: light, yet resistant, and naturally rot-resistant. It grows fast and regenerates from its roots, making it one of the most sustainable timbers available. Our current supply comes from Europe, and we’re in the process of growing our own here in Portugal.
Wood is our main material, but we do still use fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin for the final lamination. This makes the board watertight and long-lasting, while keeping the resin content to a minimum, far less than what’s used in traditional foam boards. We’re constantly testing alternative, lower-impact finishes, but ocean conditions demand durability, which is also part of the ecological equation.
The weight of a wooden board is usually 0 to 20% higher than a foam version of the same shape, depending on the dimensions and design details. It's true that a high-performance shortboard in foam is hard to compete with in terms of pure lightness: they're designed to be extremely light, and often extremely fragile. In these low-volume shapes, the proportion of wood compared to air is higher, which naturally adds weight. But for more alternative designs with a bit more volume, the difference becomes much smaller. On some longboards, for example, our wooden builds are sometimes even lighter than their foam equivalents.
And with that small difference comes greater strength, a longer lifespan, and more glide. The extra momentum makes them flow through sections with surprising ease.
More about us
We prioritize eco-friendly materials like sustainably sourced wood, cork, partially bio-sourced resins and natural oils. Our process minimizes waste, reduces synthetic resins, and focuses on longevity, creating boards that last much longer than traditional foam models.
Beyond materials, we also believe sustainability is about the way we work. During our workshops, we encourage a collaborative spirit, participants help each other, share tips, and enjoy the process together. Shaping a board becomes a collective experience rather than a solitary task, which adds meaning and connection to the final product.
At the moment, we don’t offer test boards.
Since each board is custom-built and not part of a rental stock, we prefer to keep them in the best possible conditions.
That said, if you have questions or need help choosing the right shape, we’re happy to guide you through the decision process. Just reach out and we’ll help you find the board that fits you best.
Not necessarily.
Our boards are designed to balance weight and durability, making them comparable in weight to traditional foam boards while being significantly stronger. For boards over 7’ and alternative shapes (like fishes or mini-Simmons), the weight is similar to conventional foam boards. Performance shortboards, however, are about 20% heavier than their foam counterparts.
You can either build your own during our 3-day workshop →, order a custom board → or one of our fixed shapes →.
If we haven’t quite managed to answer your question, it might be on our FAQ page → or contact us directly through our contact form →
