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| History of the Surfboard |
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The first surfboard were shaped from the trees of Koa, Wili Wili, and the Ula. The gods blessed the people of Hawaii with fine woods for making high quality surfboards. A sacrificial Redfish (Kuma) was buried at the foot of the tree that was chosen as pa-ha (surfboard). The boards were sanded with coral (pokaku puna) and rough stones (oahi). Kukui bark juice, Ti plant root, banana bud juice, burnt Pandanus and Kukui nut oil were used to treat, color and preserve the board. Some of the first surfboards were up to 15' to 18' long and weighed over 100 lbs. Surfboards originally did not have fins (or skegs) therefore maneuverability was limited. The skeg was introduced in the 1930's and gained popularity in the 50's and 60's with the rapid advancement of surfboard technology. With the advancement of plastics, fiberglass, polyurethane, foams and epoxies, technology has played a large roll in the advancement of surfing. Surfboards have gone from a slab of wood to a product that is easily available custom-made for your size, technique, skill level, surf spot, material of choice and skin design.
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