Why 3D Print A Surfboard? 

Produced in partnership with Wyve.

Not to be a hardass toughguy corelord, but I’ve been to a fair few surfboard factories in my life. 

And shall we lean into the cliches? 

The old school Reef posters on the wall. Shapers who are sometimes chatty. Laminators who look at you, knowing that you both know, deep down, that you’re fucking lucky they’re here. The mild headache and tingle in the lungs that you only realize you had once you walk back out into the sunshine. 

But I’ve never been to one like the Wyve factory in Anglet, France. 

Up front, there were quite a few more MacBooks than I’d expected to see. Then a room full of 3D printers, all humming away. A stack of plastic skeletons resting on the wall. And a bay that seemed to be using a new glassing technique. Finally, a handful of objects that looked something like surfboards.  

Far out. How did this happen? 

“My business partner Leo and I have been friends for over a decade,” says Wyve founder Sylvain Fleury. “We were both studying engineering and both loved surfing. Then we started working engineering jobs in Paris. He was specializing in naval architecture, and I was in environmental engineering. We’d often leave the city to surf together, and were getting frustrated with the number of boards we were damaging or breaking. Surfboards have pretty much been made the same way since the ’60s so, to start, we just wanted to see if we could use our engineering backgrounds to make something more durable. Around the same time, we also had one of our best friends doing his Master’s degree in Berkley. He introduced us to 3D printing.” 

They made their first prototype in 2019. While the goal was originally to 3D print a board from start to finish, they realized that it wasn’t realistic with today’s technology. So they decided to 3D print the interior of the board and then laminate it. And they went with a hexagon pattern. 

“We took some inspiration from the aeronautics industry,” says Sylvain. “There is a mathematical theorem about the honeycomb pattern. It’s the strongest and lightest pattern per the amount of material used.” 

That first board was 5.5 kilograms (just over 12 pounds — roughly double the weight of a standard surfboard). It was enough to prove that they could do it, but they’d need to make some serious improvements if they ever wanted it to be anything more than a novelty. A bit of experimentation with materials helped them crack the code. And as they got deeper, they realized that the 3D printer could also help make a board more sustainable and open up new perf options.

“We started seeing how much you could change a board’s flex by printing different patterns,” says Sylvain. “And, with our process, you can be much more scientific than with foam. Flex is everything, and it’s a huge part of our roadmap in the next 10 years. We’re doing some formal tests around it right now.” 

So, how exactly do they make 3D-printed boards? 

To start, they design a surfboard file on Shape 3D. That file helps make the skeleton with a bio-based plastic made from sugar cane and polylactic acid. Essentially, a 3D printer melts the material at the head of the printer. Line by line, it takes the shape of their design. 

From there, they laminate it with a type of fiberglass that comes from the naval industry, and is not common in surfboards, and a 50% bio-based epoxy resin.

Then, they sand and finish it like a normal board. 

“Our whole process is patented, but we have a step in the lamination process that is a little more automated than normal,” says Sylvain. 

Weight-wise, their finished boards are somewhere between a standard EPS and a PU. And they can sell them at the same price. A standard shortboard will set you back 700 Euros. 

“When something truly new comes along, I think it’s worth paying attention,” says Johnny Cabianca. “The 3D-printed core gives boards a totally different look. It feels futuristic, which I think is awesome. What really convinced me to keep working with WYVE is how the boards come out. They match my designs exactly, right down to the smallest details. And they’re constantly coming up with new ways to finish boards. It’s a creative process. And it’s refreshing to see that kind of energy and dedication. They’re a group of young, talented, and reliable people. I think there’s real value in mixing generations, bringing together years of shaping experience with this new innovation.”

So, what’s the end game? 

“More than selling Wyve board models, we want to collaborate with the world’s best shapers and give surfers a new option. Long term, we’d like to be considered an alternative option to PU. Shapers are usually impressed by how close the end result is to their design. Our manufacturing process is really precise. They always test the flex and seem quite into it as well. 

Now, the only question that really matters: Do the boards work? 

I’ve tried one, and, in a word, yes. 

It was a standard shorty — in my opinion, the best way to vet a brand or tech, the same way you’d honk into a plain slice to judge the quality of a pizza place. The thing felt alive. A lot of spring. A lot of pop. Very fun. I’d still be riding it if I could have kept it. 

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Surfing is at a weird crossroads. At best, surfboard choice is an artistic pursuit and, at worst, it’s the continuation of whatever it is that drives the pathetic desperation of a toddler kicking and screaming for a new toy. “I just wanted to feel something new” is becoming an increasingly popular justification for board choice. But, all too often, our desire for something different extends only as far as questionable shaping decisions that those laminators we talked about earlier will have to clean up. 

Is it OK if a board feels different because it, like, actually is? 

Next week, the Wyve crew is off to CA to meet up with some big-name shapers. 

Let’s see how they go.