A new chapter for our HomeGrown Surfboard Kits
At Grain, every new product starts the same way, with a few questions and a desire to do better.
How can we build better surfboards with less environmental impact?
How can we convince more people to give wood a shot?
How can we make the building process more accessible without compromising our values or a board’s performance?
Our new CorkRail Kits are the next generation of product development. After years of thought, material testing, hands-on building time, water time, and teaching others through our workshops, this new kit is taking a lead spot in our HomeGrown line of DIY surfboard kits. And we’re excited to finally share it.
Why cork?
Since our very first boards, cork has always had a place in our shop, often sitting on a dusty shelf waiting for a quiet day when we’re most able to do some R&D. It’s a renewable, regenerative material that can be harvested time and time again without damaging the tree. It’s a forest product with a rich history and tradition, and we like that.
From a performance standpoint, it offers a rare combination of ease of use and impact absorption.
Rails are one of the hardest-working parts of a surfboard. They define how water flows, how a board hangs onto a wave face, and how it responds underfoot. From a board-building perspective, they’re also one of the most complex shapes to create in wood. Just as importantly, cork aligns perfectly with our waste-no-waste mantra and is opening some doors we’re excited to explore.
How the build works
The CorkRail Kit follows a familiar Grain process, with a few important changes along the way.
Much like our Cedar Rail kits, the board is built hollow. You’ll start by glueing up pre-milled Maine-grown cedar planks, then using a rocker table, you’ll glue down the internal frame that defines the shape. The big difference is that this frame now has a perimeter plywood rail band. From there, the cork comes into play.
Flexible cork bands are glued and clamped around the perimeter of the board, forming the rail band that will later be shaped into its final profile.
After a little prep work, you’ll add your top planks to the board (maybe the best part!) before moving into final shaping and sanding. This step is both forgiving and rewarding — cork is easy to work with, responds well to shaping tools, and looks great paired alongside cedar. From there, you’ll glass your board and wax it up — ready to surf something you built entirely by hand.
Who this kit is for
You don’t need to be a master woodworker to build a board with our CorkRail Kit. We’ve designed this kit to be much more intuitive to build and require about 40 hours of time (20–30 hours less than most people would spend on our Cedar Rail Kit).
Some woodworking experience is always helpful, but more than anything, this kit is designed for people who enjoy working with their hands, are curious about how things are made, and can follow instructions. The process is intuitive, and with a banded rail, there’s some built-in room for error. If you’ve been looking for a project that’s immersive, rewarding, and rooted in craft, this is it.
What’s included
The CorkRail Kit includes everything you need to build your board, from start to finish:
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Maine-grown cedar planks
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Precision-cut internal frame set
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Flexible cork rail material
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Hardware and blocking
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Adhesives and glues
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Epoxy, fiberglass, and basic glassing supplies
All materials are selected to work together as a system, reducing guesswork and unnecessary waste while keeping the process approachable for home builders.
Part of something bigger
The CorkRail Kit is part of a broader shift in how we think about surfboard construction and how we can best achieve our goal of getting more wood boards under more feet. It represents years of learning, listening to builders and surfers, and letting the right materials guide the process.
This kit is an invitation to be part of our shared history, to build something meaningful, and to better understand what goes into the products we use.
The future of surfcraft is simple. Better materials, smarter designs, and an understanding that building things the long way means building things for the long term.