Surfboard History: How Modern Surfboards Came To Be

Have you ever questioned just how your favored surfboard advanced as well as what browsing was like in old times? Well, these concerns can be responded to by having a look at the dynamic background of the surf board.

Surfing is an experience; a pastime to the ordinary internet user as well as a passion to the skillful one. The flight, the styles and the methods of puncturing the waves is such an incredible feeling.

Surfboard background goes back to the late 17th century when surfing in Hawaii was even more of a spiritual event of the town principals and also village surfboard leaders instead of an entertainment task. They dealt with disputes and made decisions by getting answers from the waves. They believed that the gods are with the waves to help them in their decision-making. They also had routines in making the suitable surfboards that the gods accepted.

Solid Redwood Surfboards

The very first surfboards utilized by the chiefs were in fact made from solid redwood. With dimensions varying from 10 to 16 feet as well as considering in between 77 as well as 200 pounds, these surfboards were indeed rather hefty compared to the average surf board made use of today. But for the chiefs, those were the designs suitable for a king!

There were two sorts of solid redwood surf boards, the Olo, made and used by chiefs and also rich guys, as well as the Alaia for the regular individuals. The dimension of the surfboards determined the ranking of the internet users, as well as by doing this you would certainly recognize the standing of a person within their community or town.

When Captain Cook’s ship, HMS showed up on the islands of Hawaii in 1778, they saw that surfing was already a well established activity in the islands. However, when the European promoters started conquering the villages, browsing began to shed its location in the seas. The oldest strong surf board is still protected to now and showed at the Diocesan Museum in Honolulu.

Hollow Surf boards

At the beginning of the 20th century, the influence of the western promoters started to weaken, as well as the Hawaiians along with the European and also Americans that pertained to the islands, began surfing again. The resurgence of searching was accounted to Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian native that introduced browsing to the globe.

In 1926, the renowned web surfer Tom Blake developed the very first hollow surfboards which were lighter as well as much faster. Although these boards were still made from redwood, they were a great deal lighter than the initial ones. Their weight was no more than 100 extra pounds. Tom was able to achieve this by making the boards thinner with a number of holes in them and also framing them within marine plywood. This style was so amazing during that time such that Tom Blake’s hollow surf boards were mass produced in 1930.

Up until 1935, the idea of using lighter varieties of wood such as the balsa timber rather than redwood was commonly approved. Surfboards made of Balsa timber were 30-40 pounds lighter than redwood surf board as well as were much easier to navigate. Likewise, it was throughout this arrival that Tom Blake created the very first surfboards with fins.

Fiberglass Surfboards

After the Second Globe Battle numerous adjustments were made to the then wood boards. Surf board manufacturers such as Pete Peterson intended to develop far better surfboard that were lighter and also water resistant. One of the products readily available at the time was fiberglass. Undoubtedly, this product was much lighter than balsa timbers as well as surf boards would not need to be covered with aquatic plywood to make them water-proof.

Polyurethane Foam

A few years later in surf board history, another surfer George Downing, generated a design made from polyurethane foam which allowed for much better controlability, buoyancy and also maneuverability. Polyurethane foam boards were additionally less complicated to make, therefore to this day, the core of numerous modern-day surf boards is constructed from this material.

Style Evolution

At the end of the 20th century, further advancements were carried out and also this time, surfboard makers focused a lot more on revolutionizing the layouts particularly the shapes and sizes of the boards.

In 1980s, the renowned Australian internet user Simon Anderson designed the first high performance surf board known as a thruster. The thruster was a 3-fin system that made searching as we understand it today.

And with the intro of modern computer systems, surf board shapers started developing stylish and also perfectly crafted surf board styles.

Posted by Alberto