Many surfing aficionados often wonder exactly how the board they are riding was built. The process of surfboard design and construction is surprisingly complicated today, especially when you consider that the surfboards used a century or two ago were literally boards cut from a single tree trunk.

While for centuries surfboards were solid wood, the modern era of surfboard design began in 1946, a date which marks the first fiberglass surfboard design. This early style consisted of two hollow, molded pieces with a piece of redwood running down the center for stability. In 1949, the first board with a Styrofoam core was built. This buoyant center was enclosed not by fiberglass but by thin sheets of plywood sealed with resin. The first truly modern boards were built beginning in 1958. These surfboards, designed by Hobie Alter, were produced with a polyurethane foam core and fiberglass shell. Today, nearly every surfboard design uses this mode of construction.

Typical surfboards sold today have a polyurethane core, surrounded by fiberglass and polyester resins. Often, a redwood “stringer,” or stabilizer is contained within the core. The fin of the board is made either of wood or of laminated fiberglass and resin layers. While this basic construction has remained the same for many years, the shapes and styles have certainly changed. Over the past few decades, boards have grown shorter and longer several times, with popular designs including one fin, two fins, or three fins. Today, surfboard makers continue to experiment in the search for the perfect board. Serious surfers may use as many as five or even ten different boards for different surf styles and beaches.

Although there are certainly many brands offering standardized and mass-produced boards, the highest quality surfboards are individually crafted by talented surfboard makers. Although techniques vary from one builder to another, most surfboards are built one at a time starting with the formation of the foam core. Known as a “blank,” most surfboard builders form this core in a large mold that is roughly the shape of the finished surfboard. Liquid polyurethane is poured into the mold in order to form a dense foam. Once cooled, the surfboard core is removed from the mold.

Now, the core is cut in half, from the nose all of the way to the tail, to allow for the insertion of the stringer. The purpose of a stringer is to provide stability, keeping the board from snapping in half. Glued between the two halves, the core is then clamped back together.

Now, it’s time to finish the shaping of the board. The outline is cut and then smoothed into its final shape. Some builders use computer-guided machines to do this, while many surfboard builders often use only their experienced eye to guide the shaping process. The blank is now ready to be covered in a fiberglass and resin shell. The core of the board is covered with a fiberglass cloth, and then a layer of polyester laminating resin. When done, the leg leash and fin are attached to the board. During the final finishing process, excess resin is sanded away, leaving a glossy and perfectly smooth coating.

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