Black Surfboard

The development of surfing and surfboards has a long history. The earliest surfboards have changed a lot compared to today. Can you imagine the feeling of surfing on a 35 kg solid surfboard without a kickup or tail fin? Compared with existing surfboards, you will understand that this is not easy.

Some people estimate that surfing has a history of more than 1,500 years. Just imagine that people who have lived by the sea for thousands of years were bored and took a board to the sea and were hit by the waves. This can be considered the invention of this sport.

The first revolution in surfboard design occurred in 1926, when an American surfer named Tom Blake invented and patented the first hollow surfboard, becoming a surfing sensation. He punched numerous holes in redwood to reduce its weight, then applied a thin layer of wood veneer to both sides for waterproofing.

Even so, the board still weighed nearly 50 kilograms, and hugging it felt like hugging a woman. Initially, many Hawaiians mocked him, calling it a "cigar board," but their complaints were silenced after they saw its performance. Mass production of the board began in 1930, and in 1935, he invented the fin, which significantly improved the board's stability.

In 1934, a group of surfers in Hawaii were inspired by Blake to make the tail of the board smaller and the edge rounded, making the board more maneuverable so that it could ride tube waves. This type of board is called a Hot Curl board.

At the same time, people discovered that South American balsa wood, also known as balsa, was lighter, less than half the weight of rosewood, and more suitable for making surfboards. However, the strength of this wood was relatively poor, so it was popular at the time to make half of it with rosewood and half with balsa wood, with balsa wood in the middle and rosewood edging.