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The history of balsawood as a material for surfboard making goes back to the Hawaiians but really hits of in the late 1930s. Being light and strong, balsa wood was long considered a perfect material for surfboards. However, shapers could not use this fragile wood to make entire surfboards until after WW2 when fiberglass was invented. Binomial name Ochroma lagopus Sw. ...
A surfer carries a surfboard along the beach. ...
Bob Simmons and Matt Kivlin, both from California, were two of the pioneers to trade heavy redwood for the lighter balsa wood to make their surfboards. Soon after, balsa surfboards were a common sight in California line-ups. The advantages of these new boards were obvious: They were a lot lighter, more buoyant and therefore easier to handle.
During this time surfers started using a skeg or a rudder which made it easier to maneuver the boards. In combination with the light balsa surfboards, this new approach led to a more radical style that came to be known as "Hotdogging".
After a drop in popularity due to the arrival of polyurethane surfboards, the retro movement has brought balsa surfboards back. Nowadays they are favoured by surfers and collectors because they are more durable than a regular surfboard, environmentally friendly and have a beautiful look. A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links. ...
Today, some of the most famous craftsmen of balsa surfboards include Mark Riley, Bill Eberwein and Skip Kozminski.
External Links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: - Mark Riley of Riley Classic Balsa Surfboards www.balsasurfboardsriley.com Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
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- Bill Eberwein of Balsa Bill and www.balsabill.com
- Skip Kozminski of Balsa Flite Surfboards.www.balsaflite.com
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