About Longboard Surfing

Surfing is water sport, but it it also a culture that has its own language and draws people to the ocean. It's an exhilarating and, some say, spiritual sport. People typically start out longboarding because it is easier to paddle out on a longboard and to catch a wave. Once caught, people get hooked.

  1. History of Longboard Surfing

    • Surfing is an integral part of Hawaiian culture, spirituality and history. Believed to be traced back as far as 1000 A.D., according to Matt Warshaw's "The Encycolopedia of Surfing", surfing in Hawaii was a passion shared by commoners and royalty alike. The boards they rode were different based on class; noblemen rode longboards 14 to 16 feet in length while those of the commoner were 10 to 12 feet in length. The longboards were made from the Wili Wili, the Ula and the Koa trees.

    Evolution of Longboard Construction

    • The typical longboard today is half the size of the ones rode by the Hawaiian noblemen. The first to cut his board, which was then made of redwood, was George Freeth, who used his shorter board to become a professional surfer in California. In 2005, 1940s redwood longboards were worth between $6,000 and $8,000. Longboards today are typically made from fiberglass.

    Differences in Boards

    • Longboards today are more than 8.25 feet long. They tend to be slower and not as easy to maneuver as a short board. The ease of paddling and catching a wave on a longboard compensates for this lack of maneuverability. The stability of the longboard comes from its single fin, which extends 9 inches into the water. Shortboards tend to have three fins that extend only 4 to 5 inches into the water.

    Maneuvers on a Longboard

    • The long, workable ride is the core of longboard surfing, particularly if the ride is in a tube. Long rides also allow for tricks such as the hang five or moving forward until the toes of the lead foot are hanging over the tip -- a sister trick to the popular hang ten -- or whipturns, walking, standing and crouching.