Surfboards

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Surfboards

Surf boards are not a new invention, quite the opposite. The first surf boards were used by pacific islanders, and their use predated European contact. The first European observation of surfing occurred in 1767 in Tahiti. The crew members saw locals propelled about the water on boards of wood. According to records, the original boards made modern day long boards look small. Some boards could be as long as 20 feet, and weigh in at over 150 lbs!

The boards followed somewhat of a caste system in the ancient times. The quality, and more importantly the size of the board was an indication of the wealth of the owner. This is because on islands, land is in limited supply. What’s that have to do with wood you ask? Well the less land there is, the fewer trees there are, and the fewer trees you have, the less wood there is. This becomes even more complex when you realize that most islands are really the tops of a mountain range that started underwater. The rocky soil isn’t exactly the best habitat for large hardwood forests.

Surf boards were also more than a mere piece of sporting equipment. Accurate accounts are scarce, but surfing was a quasi religious event to the Polynesians. They didn’t go out to hit the waves just for the fun of it; it was a way of communing with nature. Because of these religious overtones, surfing was nearly stamped out by Christian missionaries who deemed it a sinful pagan practice.

Thankfully, the missionaries failed to completely eradicate surfing. In the beginning of the twentieth century, an Olympic swimmer by the name of Duke Kahanamoku was responsible for reintroducing western culture to the art of surfing. With the assistance of the duke, surfing became popular both in California and in Australia. Surf boards began to evolve from the ancient, log like boards towards the boards we are familiar with today. The boards were still long boards, primarily because those boards are easier to learn on than short boards, and they can be used under a greater variety of circumstances.

With the westernization of surfing came commercialization. A surf board is one of the first things companies saw as a commercial opportunity. The first boards were very heavy, as mentioned previously. One of the first innovations in the business came in the form of hollow boards. This cut a huge amount of weight off the boards, making a smaller board provide enough buoyancy to carry a the same sized person as heavier, larger boards did in days past.

From hollow wooden boards another transition was made into foam core boards. Because the surf boards were still so long, they needed wooden or plastic “runners” to reinforce the structure. These runners could be placed similarly to a keel on a ship, providing both structural integrity and stability. With the addition of foam and runners, the buoyancy of the boards was still further raised. This brought about the invention of the short board. a short board is much more maneuverable than a long board, at the cost of being more difficult to learn on. They are popular among surfers who like to do tricks, such as flips and grabs.

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Surf boards are not a new invention, quite the opposite. The first surf boards were used by pacific islanders, and their use predated European contact. The first European observation of surfing occurred in 1767 in Tahiti. The crew members saw locals propelled about the water on boards of wood. According to records, the original boards made modern day long boards look small. Some boards could be as long as 20 feet, and weigh in at over 150 lbs!

The boards followed somewhat of a caste system in the ancient times. The quality, and more importantly the size of the board was an indication of the wealth of the owner. This is because on islands, land is in limited supply. What’s that have to do with wood you ask? Well the less land there is, the fewer trees there are, and the fewer trees you have, the less wood there is. This becomes even more complex when you realize that most islands are really the tops of a mountain range that started underwater. The rocky soil isn’t exactly the best habitat for large hardwood forests.

Surf boards were also more than a mere piece of sporting equipment. Accurate accounts are scarce, but surfing was a quasi religious event to the Polynesians. They didn’t go out to hit the waves just for the fun of it; it was a way of communing with nature. Because of these religious overtones, surfing was nearly stamped out by Christian missionaries who deemed it a sinful pagan practice.

Thankfully, the missionaries failed to completely eradicate surfing. In the beginning of the twentieth century, an Olympic swimmer by the name of Duke Kahanamoku was responsible for reintroducing western culture to the art of surfing. With the assistance of the duke, surfing became popular both in California and in Australia. Surf boards began to evolve from the ancient, log like boards towards the boards we are familiar with today. The boards were still long boards, primarily because those boards are easier to learn on than short boards, and they can be used under a greater variety of circumstances.

With the westernization of surfing came commercialization. A surf board is one of the first things companies saw as a commercial opportunity. The first boards were very heavy, as mentioned previously. One of the first innovations in the business came in the form of hollow boards. This cut a huge amount of weight off the boards, making a smaller board provide enough buoyancy to carry a the same sized person as heavier, larger boards did in days past.

From hollow wooden boards another transition was made into foam core boards. Because the surf boards were still so long, they needed wooden or plastic “runners” to reinforce the structure. These runners could be placed similarly to a keel on a ship, providing both structural integrity and stability. With the addition of foam and runners, the buoyancy of the boards was still further raised. This brought about the invention of the short board. a short board is much more maneuverable than a long board, at the cost of being more difficult to learn on. They are popular among surfers who like to do tricks, such as flips and grabs.

Surfboards

Kite