I love surfing Alaias. Tom Wegener who is largely responsible for the rebirth of the alaia is a full advocate of the DIY approach to alaia surfing. The way he tells it, you can start with a long wide plank of wood and shape a 7ft alaia, then go for a ride.
From my experience you fall off loads on the first attempt, but you also get that feeling; fluid and super fast, melding with the wave yet skating across the surface. Surfing an alaia is all about feeling the wave and dancing with it.
Now back to the DIY part. After a surf or two take the 7ft alaia back to the work shed and re-shape it. Make it a 6 footer with a swallow tail or deepen the center concave or re-shape the rails all you need is sandpaper, a hand plane and a saw. Each surf alter a different aspect of the board and then ride it to feel how that affects performance. It really is a great way to learn about hydrodynamics and surfboard design. When you have sanded and chopped that alaia till it is too small to ride (you can belly board a 4ft alaia), give it to a kid and spread the stoke.
A wrote an article on alaias for The Surfboard Man.