What was once a ritual and spiritual experience for early Hawaiians and Polynesians in building their surfboards has now become a multi-million dollar industry with technologically advanced materials, endorsements and celebrities. The surfboard has undergone as many changes as surf culture advances. Ancient Hawaiians built ‘Olo’ (boards reserved for chiefs and royalty) and ‘Alaia’ (ridden by commoners) with wood from the Ula, Wili Wili or Koa trees. The construction of these boards was ceremonial and the utmost respect was given to the board makers.
The boards varied from 10 to 16 feet, depending on the social class of the rider. The longer the board, the higher the surfer’s rating. After Calvinist Christian missionaries succeeded in slowing down the decline of surfing in the late 19th century, much of the board building and tradition had ceased. George Freeth, an early 20th century surfing pioneer, developed a new style of board half the size of a traditional surfboard.
Freeth professionally experimented with this plate in California and it was a turning point in plate design. In 1926, the legendary Tom Blake created the hollow surfboard, much to the delight of local Hawaiians who nicknamed it the ‘Cigar Board’. It was made of redwood with numerous holes drilled for it to float. It sped across the ocean at a length of 15 feet long, 19″ wide and 4″ thick. By 1930 Blake’s board was in mass production and 5 years later he developed the first fin for the bottom of the board. This provided surfers with additional stability and increased maneuverability.
The next wave of builders in 1934 were famous surfers John Kelly, Fran Heath and Wally Froiseth, who created what are called ‘hot curl’ boards. So named because it allowed surfers to ride the ‘curl’ of a wave and surf the pipe. The redwood boards weighed 100 pounds and were replaced with balsa wood construction that reduced the weight of the board to 30 or 40 pounds. Balsa wood was not readily available and mixed Redwood and Balsa construction became a new standard in deck design.
At the end of World War II, surfboard design benefited from new materials and technologies as a result of wartime manufacturing techniques. Fiberglass, polystyrene foam and plastics were used in these new boards. In 1946, Pete Peterson created the first fiberglass surfboard. 1949 saw Bob Simmons’ revolutionary ‘sandwich’ board design. It contained a Styrofoam core, enclosed by thin layers of plywood, balsa wood rails, and a fiberglass liner.
Dave Velzy opened the first surf shop, building his own surfboards and improving and creating new designs. The polyurethane foam boards of the 1950s were longboards between 9 and 11 feet. George Downing developed ‘Gun’ boards, thinner and longer boards, for surfing big waves in Hawaii. In 1956, some surfers from California brought their fiberglass Malibu boards to Australia and amazed the surfing world with their agility on the waves. In the 1960s and early 1970s it started to get lighter and shorter. The new construction earned the name “pocket rocket”, designed by Dick Brewer.
Twin fins were added for stability and with this combination a surfer could surf with speed and increased maneuverability. The next revolution in surfboards was shortboard design, which allowed for experimentation and allowed surfers to tailor boards to their specific riding style. In 1971, the surf leash was developed and kept frustrated surfers strapped to their surfboards forever. Australian surfer Simon Anderson designed the three-fin Thruster boards in 1981. Surfboards are constantly changing, based on the need and desire of surfers around the world. Longboarding returned to the scene in the 1990s for veterans and newcomers alike.