Surfboards have always been a little bit magical. You take a weird foam plank, throw it onto moving water, and for a few seconds you get to cosplay as Poseidon’s less coordinated cousin.

But surfboards also have a dirty secret: a lot of them are basically petrochemical burritos wrapped in more petrochemicals. Which is why I love when a company looks at the standard “foam + fiberglass + shrug” formula and says, “What if we did… literally anything else?”

Enter the Ventana SwellCycle 6'6" Downrail. It’s the first release in Ventana’s SwellCycle series, and it’s a three-way Santa Cruz collaboration between Ventana, SwellCycle, and Blade and Board Fabrication.

And the premise is kind of wild: build a high-performance board around a plant-based, 3D-printed core, then top it with reclaimed wood that has more backstory than most of my friends.

The “Wait, What Is This Made Of?” Moment

At the heart of the board is a 3D-printed, plant-based PLA core made by SwellCycle, designed to be lightweight, durable, recyclable, and resistant to pressure dings. It’s even manufactured in a solar-powered facility in Santa Cruz, because of course it is.

Then Ventana adds a 3mm reclaimed wood top deck sourced from:

Old growth redwood salvaged from a Martini & Pratti red wine tank built in the 1950s
Alaskan yellow cedar offcuts from the Western Flyer boat rebuild

So yes, part of your surfboard used to be a wine tank. If your bottom turns feel slightly more sophisticated, that’s why.

The wrap and finish go full eco-nerd in the best way: flax cloth wrap (natural fiber reinforcement), Entropy Resins sap-based epoxy, and a 4-ounce Hexcel fiberglass sheet on the top and bottom. And it has a permanent one-way breathable GORE-TEX plug that vents the board on its own, which is basically a tiny surfboard lung.

Also: ECOBOARD Project Gold Level Verified by SustainableSurf.org.

The Part You Actually Care About: How It Surfs

Ventana describes it as a modern revival of their iconic wooden Downrail design, built to surf “fast and smooth in any size surf,” trimming easily but also capable of “soulful, drawn-out turns.”

Performance-wise, the product notes read like a wish list: smooth acceleration, quick rail-to-rail transitions, stability in mellow to pumping surf, moderate entry rocker for paddling and wave catching, balanced volume, and a squash tail for hold plus clean release.

Fin-wise, it ships with a longboard-style center fin box for a single fin (with an option for side fins if you want to get spicy).

So What is this Board, Really?

It’s a board that tries to pull off an absurd balancing act: future-tech performance (3D-printed plant core) + old-world craft (reclaimed redwood and cedar) + “please don’t cook the planet” materials choices.

In other words: it’s a surfboard for people who want their wave-riding to feel a little less like participating in an oil refinery’s side hustle.

Learn more

Related Articles