Longboard Surfing and its evolution

These are the very original style boards used in stand up surfing as we know it. They started out 10 – 14 ft long made from solid wooden. Surfing really took off in CAlifornia in the 1920’s particularly in Malibu, hence where the name now comes from. In the 1950’s longboards changed from balsa wood to more lightweight materials.  Polyurethane and fibrelgass came on the scene and changed surf boards forever. Boards became lighter, faster and more manoeuvrable.

The modern longboard design has come leagues away from its classic predecessors. Modern boards use firbreglass, polyurethane and now epoxy materials reducing drag coefficients and increasing performance in the water. These boards are typically in the 9 – 10 ft range and are generally the type of board you will find when you get your first surf lesson.

The fin configuration of a modern longboard is still largely influenced by its classic ancestors. A typical large single fin setup giving good control but slow response. With modern innovation and technological advances the thruster setup has taken flight. This three fin setup introduces better turning and thrusting capability over the 1950’s style boards.

Big wave surf boards, or Gun’s as they are commonly called range from 9 – 12ft. These sleek tear drop shaped boards pierce through the large waves effortlessly. The Gun incorporates shortboard performance features into a longboards structure. The hybrid structure allows better paddling performance to catch the big waves but then shortboard performance and handling to cater while riding it. This is far from a beginners board and surf conditions.

Longboard surfing is like the circle of life. In your infancy as a beginner surfer during your first surf lesson you’ll appreciate every extra foot you can get for your balance, buoyancy and stability. Then as your experience level progresses you’ll work up to shorter faster boards that need the extra paddling power of a sub olympic swimmer.

As the years pass and your pursuit of speed and sharp turns flails you’ll come back to your old friend. Your longboard that you can now ride with finesse and caress your way through the water,  tango down the stringer to get your feet wet.

Your new found appreciation of your longboard will stay with you forever, not to say that you wont go and get a rush of speed on your shortboard every now and then but you will always know that your old friend is not too far away.

• Longboard surf festival Poster by rclesign | non.convencional … – Longboard surf festival Poster by rclesign. Here it is, the poster for the National Longboard first leg championship. It was pleasure doing this, working the main illustration, the type and logos to get a beautiful and harmony poster. …
• rclesign sponsors Longboard Surf Festival | non.convencional … – rclesign sponsors Longboard Surf Festival. Yeahh!!! Ist’s true, rclesign will be a sponsor of the first leg of the Longboard National Championship that will occur in April 2009. We will design the championship poster and some more stuff …