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news<br />
ITALIAN<br />
BALSA<br />
Mark Riley’s beautiful balsa has made its way<br />
across the globe to Italy, linking up with former<br />
factory hand Michele Vallenari. Michele set<br />
up his own surfboard building business in his<br />
homeland a decade back and recently accepted<br />
his first shipment of Riley Balsa. Looking at his<br />
craftsmanship, we’re sure Michele will put it to<br />
good use.<br />
Mark had this to say on the arrival of his stock<br />
in Verona.<br />
“Finally, we have some 150kg/m3 balsa in stock<br />
in Italy. We have been working on this shipment<br />
for years. Europe is ahead of the pack with the<br />
development of eco-friendly surfboards.<br />
“At Riley Australia, we have been importing and<br />
building boards in Sydney for over 25 years. In<br />
Australia, we supply the likes of Outer Island<br />
Surfboards, Dick Van Straalen, Sam Egan, and<br />
Pieter Surfboards.<br />
“We have been sending balsa to single retail<br />
customers, but the freight was expensive. This<br />
is why we loaded a container and sent it directly<br />
there (Italy).”<br />
As for the wood itself, four-year-old trees have<br />
been selected at the end of their lives and<br />
cut, dried, and dressed to specifically suit the<br />
surfboard industry.<br />
Photos supplied courtesy of Michele Vallenari.<br />
# 59 // smorgasboarder //<br />
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