Surfboards

Surfboards are long, buoyant decks used in the sport of surfing. They are relatively light, but strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave. Like the sport itself, they were invented in Hawaii, where they were known as Papa he‘e nalu in the Hawaiian language, and usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa, and were often over 15 feet in length and extremely heavy. The major advances over the years were the addition of one or more fins on the bottom rear of the Surfboard to improve directional stability and a change of materials and shapes.Modern surfboards are made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam covered with layers of fiberglass cloth and polyester or epoxy resin.The end result is a light and strong surf board that is buoyant and maneuverable. Since 1995 a new breed of shapers including Paul Jensen, Tom Wegener, Roy Stewart (surfer) (Power Surfboards), and Peter McMahon (Empress Surfboards) have re-invented hollow wooden surfboard. A few specialty surf board are made out of hollow carbon fiber or aluminum for added lightness. Most modern surfboards can be divided into two main categories: longboards and shortboards. Longboards as the name suggests are longer (often eight or more feet), and are also thicker and wider with a more rounded nose than a shortboard. Shortboards are shorter (5–7ft), thinner, and have a more pointed nose. They are not as wide as longboards and are typically more maneuverable. Other variants include guns, longboard guns, olos, Surf Board, fish, eggs, bonzers, quads, tow-boards, and hydrofoils. In order to discuss board design, it is helpful to have basic knowledge of the vocabulary used to reference each part of the Surf board.