18/10/2025
The History of Longboarding: From 24-Foot Boards to Today
By Jason Lock
To talk about the history of longboarding is to talk about the origins of surfing as a whole. Ancient Polynesian cultures rode boards that were thin, heavy and made from solid wood like koa. (Good luck turning that on a dime.) The boards were like alaias, the modern surfboard’s grandparent—made centuries ago by Pacific Island communities.
Nowadays, longboards are far more progressive. They include performance-based boards, lightweight boards, boards for nose-riding, boards for pointbreaks, shorebreaks and everything in between. In fact, longboarding is surfing’s most popular board, despite what the zeitgeist may have you think.
Origins: Ancient Polynesia and Hawaii
The story of longboarding begins in Polynesia, where surfing was a spiritual practice and potentially a display of social status. Surfing was an integral part of island culture. Archaeological evidence suggests that Polynesians were riding waves on wooden boards as early as the 12th century.
In ancient Hawaii, surfing was known as he’e nalu, which literally means “wave sliding,” with some boards as long as 24 feet. Imagine that on the points of the world these days.
The longest type of the ancient Hawaiian board was called the olo, and it was reserved for Hawaiian royalty. The commoners were relegated to the shorter alaia boards.
Board-making was different then, too. The process involved prayers and rituals, and the trees used were carefully selected. Shapers used traditional tools, creating heavy, plank-like boards. The cultural significance of surfing was so profound that Hawaiian mythology featured numerous surf-related deities and legends. For example, Kanaloa, the god of the sea, is credited with introducing surfing to the islands.
19th Century: Surfing’s Dark Period
The arrival of missionaries in Hawaii in the 1820s marked a dark period for surfing culture. Viewing the practice as heathen and immoral, partly due to the mixed-gender nature of surfing and its association with gambling and sexuality, missionaries actively discouraged the practice. Combined with the devastating effects of disease on the native population, surfing nearly disappeared by the late 19th century.
By the 1890s, traditional longboard surfing had become rare, practiced by only a handful of native Hawaiians who maintained the ancestral knowledge in secret.
Early 20th Century: Revival
The early 20th century saw a revival of longboard surfing, centred around Waikiki Beach, on the South Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.
This is where the story of Duke Kahanamoku begins. An Olympic swimming champion and native Hawaiian, Duke was a skilled surfer who preserved the traditional techniques of the ancient Hawaiians—but who also began sharing them with visitors and travellers.
Duke became surfing’s first global ambassador, traveling the world teaching people how to surf. He introduced the sport to California, Australia and the East Coast of the United States.
During this period, board construction began to evolve, as well. While maintaining the length and style of older designs, shapers started experimenting with lightweight woods and improved shaping techniques. At this time, however, the boards remained finless.
Post World War II: The Golden Age Begins
After World War II, the popularity of longboarding exploded. New materials were introduced, including lightweight balsa wood and eventually fiberglass, which made boards more accessible and easier to maneuver. And, finally, the addition of fins helped revolutionize board performance and made longboard surfing more approachable for beginners.
California quickly morphed into the center of longboarding culture. Surfboard shapers like Hobie Alter, Greg Noll and Dale Velzy created designs that helped define the era. One such board was the log, which typically ranged from 9’6” to 10’6” in length and had a rounded nose and single fin. This became the template for all modern longboard designs.
During this period, nose-riding took off, as boards were specifically created to allow a surfer to cross-step up the deck of the board. The success of the classic surf flick Gidget, released in 1959, helped popularize the sport, and The Endless Summer fully solidified longboarding in the mainstream vernacular.
Then came the rise in surf music and a broader entrenching in counterculture, which celebrated the laid-back nature of longboard surfing.
1960s: The Shortboard Revolution
The late 1960s brought dramatic changes to surfing with the advent of the shortboard. Shaping pioneers like Bob McTavish, Dick Brewer and Maurice Cole began creating boards under seven feet in length, emphasizing radical maneuvers and high-performance surfing over the smooth style of longboards.
This shift was driven partly by evolving wave-riding philosophies and partly by discoveries in board design and materials. Shortboards allowed for tighter turns and more vertical surfing. Professional surfing began favouring shortboard competitions, and longboarding soon fell out of favour.
For nearly two decades, from the early 1970s to the late ’80s, longboard surfing existed in the shadows of the surf world. Many shapers stopped producing longboards entirely, and the style was dismissed by younger surfers as antiquated. But a dedicated core of enthusiasts continued to ride longboards, preserving the traditions that had been developed for centuries.
1980s and ’90s: Another Revival
The late 1980s and early ’90s witnessed a revival in longboarding. A new generation of surfers, led by innovators like Joel Tudor, Alex Knost and Herbie Fletcher, began rediscovering the joy of riding a longboard, with the charge picked up by the likes of Harrison Roach in the modern era. This was fueled by a few key factors, including a desire for alternative approaches to high-performance shortboard surfing and an appreciation for surfing’s traditional roots.
Modern longboard design has evolved significantly while honoring traditional shaping theories. Contemporary boards feature refined outlines, better foam and any number of complex fin systems, which all work together for a board you can fling around and barrel ride, putting it on par with shortboarding in some respects.
These days, most competitions feature both classic divisions that focus on traditional techniques as well as more contemporary divisions, which showcase progressive approaches.
21st Century: Looking Toward the Future
In the 21st century, longboarding has secured its place as a distinct and respected discipline within surf culture. Major surf brands produce high-quality longboards, and surf schools often begin instruction on longer boards, or soft boards, due to their stability and wave-catching ability.
Longboard surfing today maintains its connection to a more traditional way of riding a wave. It embodies a philosophy that values flow over force and more graceful surfing over quick-snap turns. As surfing continues to evolve and grow globally, longboards will act as a bridge between past and present.
The enduring appeal of longboard surfing lies in its accessibility to surfers of all ages and abilities, its emphasis on style and creativity and its deep connection to surfing’s cultural heritage. The longboard will continue to offer a unique pathway to experiencing surfing.
