surfresearch.com.au  ancient hawaiian surfboards

1. THE FIRST REPORTS OF POLYNESIAN SURFRIDING
The earliest written reports of Polynesian surfriding activity were initially in Tahiti by crew members of James Cook's Pacific expeditions, before his visits to the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 and 1779.

"Cook's journals are the starting point for all studies of the history and culture of four major island groups in Polynesia (Society, Tonga, New Zealand and Hawai'i) and of eastern Australia, Vanuatu (New Hebrides) and New Caledonia." (1)

1.1 Joseph Banks, in company with Cook and Solander, reported in his journal, 29th May 1769:

"In the midst of these breakers 10 or 12 Indians were swimming who whenever a surf broke near
them divd under it with infinite ease, rising up on the other side; but their chief amusement was
carried on by the stern of an old canoe, with this before them they swam out as far as the
outermost breach, then one or two would get into it and opposing the blunt end to the
breaking wave were hurried in with incredible swiftness." (2)

This first report corresponds to a description of basic surfriding activity- the paddle out, the take-off and the ride.
In particular it notes the use of a craft to increase surf riding performance, albeit "the stern of an old canoe".
Although not detailed in any of the available literature, the recycling of damaged canoes into smaller craft may have been common practice in ancient surfboard building.

1.2 On Cook's third Pacific voyage, a report of Tahitian canoe surfing was recorded by William Anderson, Surgeon 'Resolution' in August-September 1777.

"He went out from the shore till he was near the place where the swell begins to take its rise; and,
watching its first motion very attentively, paddled before it with great quickness, till (it) had
acquired sufficient force to carry his canoe before it without passing underneath.
He sat motionless, and was carried along at the same swift rate as the wave, till it landed him on
the beach.
Then he started out ... and went in search of another swell.
I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while his was driven so fast
and smoothly by the sea." (3, 4)

1.3 About the same time, another member of Cook's crew, William Bligh, observed Tahitian surfriders using another rudimentary craft.

"The general plan of this diversion is for a number of them to advance with their paddles to where the sea begins to break and, placing the broad part under the belly, holding the other end with their arms extended full length, they turn themselves to the surge and balancing themselves on the paddles are carried to the shore with the greatest rapidity." (5)
 

This report, echoing Banks', notes the use of a craft to increase surf riding performance, in this case laying on the blade of a canoe paddle with the handle extended forward. Similarly, the recycling of damaged paddles into surf craft may have been common practice in ancient surfboard building. Consider the image right, Hawaiian paddles, circa 1800,  Bishop Museum Collection. (6) The paddles (hoe) held by the Bishop Museum  have an average blade (laulau) length of 23 inches and a width of 12 inches. The large bladed paddle to the left is a steering paddle (hoe uli). It is 7ft 4'' long with a blade 38 inches x 16 inches. Most blade shapes "are slightly convex on both sides" however there is some variation. (7) Note that the paddles were shaped from on piece of timber and a broken shaft would render the paddle unusable.

Any of the illustrated paddle blades would make a suitable prone board.
Also note that the blade shapes "are slightly convex on both sides", a feature in common with descriptions of ancient surfboards by some commentators.

2. Banks, Joseph: The Endeavour Journal of Joseph Banks 1768 - 1771
Edited by J. C. Beaglehole
The Trustees of the Public Library of New South Wales in Association with Angus and Robertson
89 Castlereagh Street, Sydney.
First published February 1962. Second Edition 1963.
Two Volumes. Volume 1, page 283. (1963)

3. Quoted in  Warshaw, Matt: The Encyclopedia of Surfing
Viking
Penguin Books Australia Pty Ltd
250 Camberwell Road
Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia. 2004. Pages 134 - 135.

Warshaw contributes the quote to James Cook, as does Dela Vega (2004) who notes
"In (Cook, 1784) Vol. II, Chapter 9, 1777, Capt. Cook describes canoe surfing in Tahiti."Dela Vega, Timothy T. (editor):  200 Years of Surfing Literature - An Annoted Bibliography
 Published by Timothy T. Dela Vega.
 Produced in Hanapepe, Kaui, Hawaii. 2004 (ed, 2004), page 15.
For the full Cook (1784) reference, see below.

In a personal email, July 2006,Patrick Moser, Drury University, noted
"the famous description of Tahitian canoe riding by William Anderson (not James Cook) on Cook's third voyage"
Sincere thanks to Patrick Moser for his substantial contribution to this subject.

4. All reproduced text is in bold italics.
For screen clarity, the reproduced text and my own work has been adjusted to my standard online format, that is paragraphs are indicated by a spaced line (replacing indentation) and each sentence takes a new line.

5.  Quoted in McGinness, Laurie. Photographs by Crawford, Peter: Wildwater - The Surfriding Way of Life
Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd. Rigby Ltd Sydney 1977. page 1.
Awaiting confirmation of the full reference.

6. Holmes, Tommy: The Hawaiian Canoe - Second Edition
Editions Limited, PO Box 10558 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.
First Edition 1981. Second Edition 1993. Second Printing 1996. page 59.

7. Holmes (1993), op. cit. pages 59-61.
Holmes devotes a (fully referenced) chapter to paddles, pages 58 to 63.
The second edition adds a further chapter, pages 203 to 205.

2.1 An early description by Charles Clerke, Captain 'Resolution' at Waimea, Kauai or Kamalino, Ni'ihau
 between 19th January to 2nd February, 1778 notes:

"...a thin piece of Board about 2 feet broad & 6 or 8 long, exactly in the Shape of one of our bone paper cutters; upon this they get astride with their legs, then laying their breasts along upon it, they paddle with their Hands and steer with their Feet, and gain such Way thro' the Water, that they would fairly go round the best going Boats we had in the two Ships, in spight of every Exertion of the Crew, in the space of a very few minutes." (1)

Although Clerke does not indicate the use of the boards for surfriding, but rather notes their effective use as paddleboards, no doubt they served both purposes.
The use of, even a small, board is a significant advantage to paddling speed relative to swimming speed.
Furthermore, employed as a floatation device a board can significantly reduce fatigue.
Generally, the larger the volume of a board, the greater the improvement in padding speed and distance.
Also note that if the board's volume allows the rider to sit above the water line while stationary, there is a marked improvement in their field of vision.

A 18th century bone paper cutter was a thin straight blade with bevelled edges and rounded at both ends.
Unlike the later pointed letter opener, the 18th century item was designed to break the wax that sealed correspondence, and not cut the paper. (2)
In modern parlence, the shape of a wooden ice-confection stick.

To summarize Clerke's description: a thin timber board about 24'' wide and with length varying between 6 and 8 feet, the template is essentially parrallel with rounded nose and tail.

2.2 A second report describing boards used for paddling is by William Ellis, Surgeon's Mate, 'Discovery', at Waimea, Kauai, January 1778.

"Besides these, they have another mode of conveying themselves in the water, upon very light flat pieces of boards, which we called sharkboards, from the similitude the anterior part bore to the head of that fish." (3)

In contrast to Clerke, Ellis describes the boards with a a semi-pointed nose, similar to the profile of a shark's head.
Ellis's comment on the boards' weight ("very light"), is either based on him personally handling an example or he has noted a similar report by another crew member.
The boards may have been built from willi willi (Erythrina sandwicensis) or breadfruit (ulu) (Artocarpus incisus).
These timbers will further discussed at length, below.

2.3 George Gilbert, midshipman 'Resolution', also observed Hawaiians paddling boards as an alternative to transportation by canoes.
In February 1779, Gilbert reported from Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i:

"Several of those Indians who have not got Canoes have a method of swimming upon a piece of wood nearly in the form of a blade of an oar, which is about six feet in length, sixteen inches in breadth at one end and about 9 at the other, and is four or five inches thick, in the middle, tapering down to an inch at the sides." (4)

Gilbert's description, while indicating a length at  the bottom range of Clerk's account, varies in the narrow width and a tapered template ("sixteen inches in breadth at one end and about 9 at the other") and, significantly, in the thickness ("four or five inches thick").
The template is possibly indicated as featuring a rounded nose "in the form of a blade of an oar".
The account later implies that members of the crew attempted to paddle the boards, without success.

"These pieces of wood are so nicely balanced that the most expert of our people at swimming could not keep upon them half a minuit without rolling off." (5)

This is consistant with Ellis' comment (above) that indicates the boards have been examined closely by some crew members and must have been held to report the weight.

2.4 Apart from the written accounts, Cook's artist, John Weber in "A View of KaraKakooa, in Owyhee" illustrated a Hawaiian paddling a surfboard for transportation as an alternative to canoes, as described by Clerke, Ellis and Gilbert, noted above.
An engraving by W. Byrne, based on an original drawing at Kealakekua Bay, 17 January 1779, was printed in the official account of the voyage, Plate 68.
The board and paddler is depicted in the image below, cropped from the much larger work.
 

First drawing of a surfboard, circa 1779. Detail from  John Webber : A View of KaraKakooa, in Owyhee. An engraving based on an original drawing at Kealakekua Bay, 1779. Printed in the official account of the voyage, Plate 68. (6)

While it does not indicate any significant details of the board's template (unless the nose template is said to be square), the estimated dimensions closely correspond with Samwell's Kealakekua Bay report of "a thin board about six or seven foot long & about 2 broad" .

2.5 The first report of surfboard riding activity in Hawaii, is by David Samwell, Surgeon's Mate 'Discovery', at Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i, dated January 22, 1779.
Samwell describes the board as:

"a thin board about six or seven foot long & about 2 broad" (7)

This is similar, if a little shorter, to the dimensions as estimated by Clerke, above.

2.6 Another journal entry descibing board riding is from Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i, March 1779, by Lt. James King of "Resolution" .
Following Cook's death on the 14th February 1779, King was promoted to first lieutenant and his duties included continuing Cook's log.
King describes the board as:

"an oval piece of plank about their Size & breadth" (8)

This appears to indicate a board approximately 6ft long and 20'' wide with a rounded nose and tail template.
The description is consistant with that of Clerke, above.

2.7 Following the return of Cook's third Pacific expedition to England on the 4th October 1780, the Admiralty selected the Reverend John Douglas to edit the logs and journals to prepare them for publication.
The first edition was published in 1784. (9)
In an entry for Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i, March 1779, a surfboard is briefly described as:

"a long narrow board, rounded at the ends" (10)

Despite the similarity in the two surfboard descriptions, there are significant differences between the two accounts of surfriding activity attributed to James King.
Finney and Houston  (1996) caution that
"... the official publication ... was heavily edited by  ... Douglas ... adding marterial of his own and from other accounts of the voyage."  (11)

2.8 It should be noted that these reports provide a limitted perspective of Hawaiian surfing at the time.
Although the reports only indicate prone surfriding, undoubtedly native skills far surpased this activity and there was a greater range of board designs than those observed.

In total, the ships of Cook's third pacific expedition were anchored in Hawaiian waters for 49 days.
The longest stay was at Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i (30 days) but much of the return visit would have been
preoccupied with Cook's violent death and its aftermath. (12)
It would appear that the most observations were probably at, or around, Kealakekua Bay.
Note that there are no reports from Hilo Bay on Hawaii or Wakiki on Ohau, apparently the two major centres of
ancient Hawaiian surf-riding. (13)

Also note that at this time of the year the predominant swell direction is the famed winter swells originating in
the North Pacific, and the extended anchorages were all on the southern coasts.
Generally, the southern coasts best surfriding conditions are with the summer swells from the southern ocean,
although some may also be exposed to winter swell from the west. (14)
If the Kona coast surfriders had been questioned as to the suitability of the conditions, their response may have
translated approximately:

The one northern anchorage, at Waimea Bay on the island of Ohau, was only for one night (27 - 28 February
1779).
Given the modern reputation of this location for big wave surf-riding at this time of the year, it appears that
Clerke's decision to relocate to Waimea Bay on Kaui was sensible.

2.9 It is important to note that all hand shaped surfboards are unique and any general reports of a board's characteristics as these would not indicate specific individual features.
Also note that craftsmen working in timber are likely to be guided to some extent by the specific chracteristics of a particular tree or piece of timber, for example splits, knots or woodrot, that may determine a board's dimensions.
Furthermore, board design could be significantly restricted if, as previously suggested, "the recycling of damaged canoes into smaller craft may have been common practice in ancient surfboard building." (1.1)
Finally, board design may fluctuate with local conditions and/or local precedents.

2.10 The reports by Cook's crew are summarized in the following table.

2.11 The accounts of Hawaiian surfboards detail four cases of their use for transportation (Clerke, Ellis, Gilbert and Weber) and three cases of prone surfriding (Samwell, King and King as edited by Douglas).
Undoubtedly, the boards observed as 'paddleboards', were also used, if not intended, for surfriding.

In all cases, the reports refer to adult (on one occassion, tandem) paddlers or riders and those that indicate an empirical length, record a consistent six foot or longer, one indicating a maximum of eight feet.

Three reports indicate a width of about 24 inches, one at 20 inches.
Since maximum board width is essentially determined by the width of the paddler's shoulders, these boards probably fell in the range of 20 to 24 inches.

Two reports indicate the board is ''thin'' , one as ''flat'' and one notes the lightweight of the timber.
The latter feature may indicate the use of willi willi, see below.

The nose is reported in four accounts as "round", and the tail as "round" in three accounts.
Samwell's distinct description of the nose profile as "the similitude the anterior part bore to the head of that fish (a shark)", resembles some early examples held by the Bishop Museum.
Ellis implies the nose and tail have identical profiles, but in the other cases both ends may be "rounded" but with differrent profiles.

2.12 Gilbert's account contrasts substantially to the other reports yet, as the most detailed, it cannot be discounted.

While the length conforms to other accounts, the width measurements may be in dispute.
It is difficult to know whether the 16 inch width ("sixteen inches in breadth at one end") indicates a measurement at the nose, and the maximum board is somewhat wider, or 16 inches is the maximum board width.
Certainly the dimensions ("and about 9 at the other") indicate a foiled template which is not recorded by the other observers.

Gilbert's dimensions certainly indicate the board in cross-section is convex, at least on one side if not both.
This feature is possibly infered by Clerke (3.1) who noted "exactly in the Shape of one of our bone paper
cutters" (my emphasis), but is not indicated in the other reports.
A convex cross-section is a noted feature of many examples of ancient Hawaiian paddles. (see 2.3, above)

The noteable difference is the  thickness.
Many later reports, and most known examples, of boards of this length note their thinness, with measurements of one and a half inches or less. (16)
Gibert's specific report "four or five inches thick, in the middle, tapering down to an inch at the sides" , contrasts markedly with (the more the general term) "thin", as used by Clerke (2.1) and Samwell (2.5).
The difference is significant and  it is hard not to conclude from the sum of the reports that there are two distinct designs identified.
One design is wide and thin, the other a narrower and thicker board.

The rationale for two distinct designs may be the result of a number, or a combination, of factors.

i. The specific chracteristics of a particular tree or piece of timber may determine a board's dimensions.(2.9)
In this case it might have been difficult to source trees of desirable width, and the volume was adjusted by shaping a thicker board.
Alternatively, if the source timber was a lighter and structually weaker variety than the common koa (that is willi willi or breadfruit), such a thickness may have been considered necessary to retain strength.
Furthermore, a lighter or structually weaker timber may be more susceptible to impregnation by seawater and a thicker board may have reduced the possibility of wood rot.

ii. board design may fluctuate with local conditions and/or local precedents. (2.9)
The narrower and thicker design may have been deemed more suitable to specific wave riding conditions.
A narrower board may be more suitable for riding in a prone position, but it is speculation if the thickness was preferred for waves with a gentle or a steep sloping face.

Note that some commentators (17) have determined  thickness (in excess of three inches) as a distinct feature of the olo board, the largest known design that reportedly extended to 18 feet in length.

2. Conversation with Scott Carlin, Curator, Vaucluse House, Sydney, March 2006.

3. Ellis, William : An Authentic Narrative of a Voyage Performed by Captain Cook and Captain Clerke,
in his Majesty's Ships Resolution and Discovery, During the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 and 1780; In Search of a North-West Passage Between the Continents of Asia and America.
Including a Faithful Account of all their Discoveries, and the Unfortunate Death of Captain Cook, Illustrated With a Chart and a Variety of Cuts.
G. Robinson, J. Sewell and J. Debrett, London.
Two Volumes. 1782. Page?
Possibly also ...
Ellis, William : Narrative of a Tour Through Hawaii
H. Fisher & Son & P. Jackson, London. 1827.

The quotation was contributed in a personal email by Patrick Moser, Drury University, July 2006.
Sincere thanks to Patrick Moser for his substantial contribution to this subject.
The publication details were prepared by Alan Twigg,
http://www.abcbookworld.com/?state=view_author&author_id=4312

4. Quoted in Dela Vega (ed.) (2004), Op.cit., page 15.
Note, however, the quotation omits the final phrase "to an inch at the sides."
The full quotation was contributed in a personal email by Patrick Moser, Drury University, July 2006.
Sincere thanks to Patrick Moser for his substantial contribution to this subject.

The original quotation is possibly in
 Holmes, Christine(editor): Captain Cook's Final Voyage: The Journal of Midshipman George Gilbert.
Caliban Books, Horsham, Sussex.
University of Hawaii Press. 1982. Page?

5. Gilbert in Dela Vega (ed.) (2004): Op. cit.

6. Douglas (ed.)(1784) : Op.cit., Plate 68.

The full and/or the detailed image have been extensively reproduced, including:
Beaglehole (ed.) (1967): Op. cit., Plate/page???

Finney and Houston (1966): Op. cit.,  Plate 1, between pages 14 and 15.

Margan, Frank and Finney, Ben R.: A Pictorial History of Surfing
Paul Hamlyn Pty Ltd, 176 South Creek Road,
Dee Why West, NSW 2099. 1970.  pages 20 - 21.

Young, Nat with McGregor, Craig: The History 0f Surfing
Palm Beach Press, 40 Palm Beach Road,
Palm Beach NSW 2108. 1983. page 33.

Lueras. Leonard: Surfing - The Ultimate Pleasure
Workman Publishing
1 West 39 Street New York, NY 10018. 1984. pages 44 - 45 and 47.

Kampion, Drew:: Stoked : A History of Surf Culture
 General Publishing Group
Los Angles. 1997. Second edition 1998. page 32.

Finney and Houston (1996): Op. cit., page 12

De Vega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 15.

7. Quoted in
Aughton, Peter : The Fatal Voyage - Captain Cook's Last Journey
Arris Publishing Ltd. 12 Main Street, Adlestrop, Moreton in Marsh
Gloustershire GL56 0YN.  2005. Pages 146 and 147.
Referenced as "Samwell page 1164".

8. Beaglehole, John C. (editor) : The Voyage of the Resolution and Discovery 1776 - 1780.
Cambridge Hakluyt Society, Two Volumes.
Volume 1, 1967, page 268.

The quotation is reprinted in
Finney, Ben and Houston, James D.: Surfing – A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport.
Pomegranate Books
 P.O. Box 6099 Rohnert Park, CA 949271996.
Appendix B. Page 97.

9. Alan Twigg details the history of the publication of Cook's journals on his web page, The British Columbia Bookworld Author Bank:
"The British Admiralty published an edited account of Cook’s voyages in three quarto volumes and a large atlas in 1784-1785, now generally known as 'A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean'.
The journals were heavily edited by Dr. John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury.
As commissioned by the Lords of the Admiralty, Douglas embellished much of Cook’s original journals with material gleaned from Cook’s officers.
In particular, Douglas extrapolated from Cook’s reports of ritualistic dismemberment among the Nootka, beginning the belief that the Indians engaged in cannibalism when Cook had, in fact, described them as “docile, courteous, good-natured people.”
Some of the more sensational revelations added to the text were designed to encourage the spreading of “the blessings of civilization” among the heathens and to help sell books.

For almost 200 years Douglas’ version of Cook’s writings was erroneously accepted as Cook’s own.
Cook’s journal, with its bloody ending supplied by James King, proved popular.
Within three days of its publication in 1784, the first printing was sold out.
There were five additional printings that year, plus 14 more by the turn of the century.
Translations were made throughout Europe.
The original version of Cook’s journal was edited by J.C. Beaglehole and finally published for scholars in the 1960s.
It reveals that Cook was a somewhat dull reporter, more interested in geography than anthropology."
http://www.abcbookworld.com/

10. Cook, James and King, James: A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean Undertaken by Command of his Majesty For Making Discoveries in The Northern Hemisphere Performed Under Captains Cooke, Clerke, Gore in Years 1776, 1777, 1778, and 1780, being a copious and Satisfactorary Abridgement.
Douglas, Reverend John (editor)
G. Nicholl and T. Cadell, London, 1784. pages 145 to 147.

A second edition compiled by another editor followed.
Cook, James and King, James: A New, Authentic and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the World, Undertaken and Performed by Royal Authority. Containing an Authentic, Entertaining, Full, and Complete History of Capt. Cook's First, Second, Third and Last Voyages
Anderson, George William (editor).
(London, 1784-1786).

Several translations were published, one example being
Neueste Reisebeschreibungen; oder, Jakob Cook's dritte und letzte Reise . . . in den Jahren 1776 bis 1780. Nuremberg, 1786.

The quotation is reproduced in
Finney and Houston  (1966): Op. cit., Chapter 3. pages 36-37.

11. Finney and Houston  (1996): Op.cit.,  Footnote, Page 32.

12. Robson, John: Captain Cook's World -  Maps of the life and Voyages of James Cook R. N.
Random House New Zealand
18 Polard Road, Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand. 2000
Information specifically relevant to Hawaii is on pages 154 to 155, pages 159 to 160 and the
maps 3.12, 3.23, 3.24 and 3.25.
This is a unique work with a wealth of information in the form of maps, providing a wonderful geographical
context to Cook's voyages that is simply not possible from written accounts.

13. Finney and Houston  (1996):Op. cit., pages 28 to31.
Eight ancient surfing locations are identified at Waikiki and Honolulu on Oahu (page 30), seven at Hilo, Hawai'i (page 28).

14."Winter (November-February) swells are born from fierce storms in the north and west Pacific.
These powerful swells generate strong surf along the NORTH, WEST, and EASTERN shorelines.

During summer months (May-August), waves are generated from storms located in the south Pacific where winter is in full force.
These warm, blue swells will cause surf along any shoreline with a southerly exposure."
Wright, Bank (Wright Jr, Alan B.): Surfing Hawaii
Mountain and Sea
P.O. Box 64 Redondo Beach, California 90277. 1971 page 9.
 

Commom swell directions, Hawaiian Islands. Wright, Bank (Wright Jr, Alan B.): Surfing Hawaii  Mountain and Sea  P.O. Box 64 Redondo Beach, California 90277. 1971 page 9. Illustration by Bill Penarosa.

16. Caton (5.6), circa 1880, specifies "about one and one-half inches thick".

17. Intially identified by David Malo, circa 1840, the extreme thickness was determined as one defining characteristic of the olo board by Blake (1935) and adopted by Finney (1959).

3.1 In the wake of the success of the publication of Cook's journals in 1884, further tales of Pacific adventure were in demand.
Archibald Campbell published an account of his travels that included a reference to surfriding in Hawaii, circa 1812, briefly describing the board as

3.2 John B. Whitman (possibly) wrote the first account of surfriding at Waikiki (indicated as Honolulu), Oahu, circa 1815, outlining surfboard construction and maintainance.

"The surf board... is admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is used. ...They are preserved with the greatest care, as with their crude tools it is an immensity of labor to make one." (2)
 

3.3 French naval officier (?), Louis Claude Freycinet recorded prone surfriding in the Hawaiian islands (?), circa 1820.

"When using the board, he holds it in his hands and lies down flat on his stomach, head toward the rounded end, or else he uses his hands like paddles and with his feet directs this sort of a float with astonishing skill and swiftness." (3)

Freycinet's report, while probably inferring the boards were short, only confirms that the nose was round.

3.4 Rev. Charles S. Stewart served in the US Navy and and served as a Christian  Missionary to the Hawaiian  Islands, 1823 to 1825. (4)
He was personally acquainted with Rev. William Ellis, a fellow missionary and reporter of surfriding activity.(5)
See below.
His surfboard description is taken from an entry dated 24th January 1825 and located at Lahaina,Maui. (6)

... a plank of light wood, eight or ten feet long, two feet broad, decreasing to a sharp edge at the sides and ends, which are rounded, and having the whole surface finely polished, is necessary; and forms an article of personal property among all the chiefs, male and female, and among many of the common people." (7)

Stewart's estimation of width ("two feet broad" ) and  the weight ("light wood"), and description the rail profile ("a sharp edge at the sides and ends") have precedents, however the length is significantly longer than in any of the previous reports.
This is the first report of the board as "having the whole surface finely polished".
The fine polished finish was a noted feature of ancient Hawaiian canoes.
This was achieved by fine sanding with selected stones and corals. and sealed with a variety of organic paints, generally called pa'ele. (8)

While the dimensions would appear to indicate that the boards were potentially suitable for standing surfriding, there is some difficulty in determing the postion of the riders as reported by Stewart:
"with the arms and feet skillfully keep their poise in the swell, so as not to be sufficiently forward to be
overwhelmed by its combing, nor so far behind as to lose its impetus" (9)
The phrase "with the arms and feet skillfully keep their poise" could equally be interpreted to descibe prone or standing surfriding.

3.5 Rev. William Ellis's highly detailed descripton is congruent with Stewart's, circa 1825, but there are significant differences probably due to observations at different locations, in this case from the large island, Hawai'i.(10)

"a board, which they call papa hi naru [papa he'e nalu], (wave sliding-board,) generally five or six feet long, and rather more than a foot wide, sometimes flat, but more frequently slightly convex on both sides.
It is usually made of the wood of the erythrina, stained quite black, and preserved with great care. (11)

The length ("generally five or six feet ") and rail shape ("sometimes flat, but more frequently slightly convex on both sides") are similar to the previous reports from Cook's crew and the width ("rather more than a foot" ) is probably at least 18 inches.
Athough these dimensions may appear to indicate a "small" board, Ellis cleary reports the boards were capable of being ridden in a standing position, presumably by adults.

"Those who are expert frequently change their position on the board, sometimes sitting and
sometimes standing erect in the midst of the foam."(12)

This is the first report confirming the wood used for board construction, in this case willi willi ("erythrina "), the perferred timber for outrigger floats, or ama. (13)
Noted for its light weight, willi willi may have been the wood used for board construction as described by Ellis's namesake in 1769 (2.2, above).

Also, the board is described as "stained quite black".
The dark stain was a feature of ancient Hawaiian canoes that sealed the wood with a paint  produced from a variety of organic products, generally called pa'ele.(14)

Of particular significance is the report of the indegenous name, "papa hi naru [papa he'e nalu], (wave sliding-board)", which in translation srongly infers the actvity entails the angling of the board on the wave face.

Elli's account further reports the neccessity to dry the board after use and the application of oil, possibly to prevent the timber splitting  and probably to act as a water repellent when next immersed.

"After using, it is placed in the sun till perfectly dry, when it is rubbed-over with cocoa-nut oil, frequently wrapped in cloth, and suspended in some part of their dwelling-house." (15)
 

3.6 Captain Byron, of H.M.S. Blonde, witnessed surf-riding at Hilo, Hawai'i in 1825 and commented on the status of surfboards in Hawaiian culture.
 "...to have a neat floatboard, well-kept, and dried, is to a Sandwich Islander what a tilbury or cabriolet, or whatever ligh!t carriage may be in fashion is to a young English man." (16)

His report is consistent with Ellis's (4.3) account that the boards are "neat .., well-kept, and dried".

3.7 Dutchman, Frank J. A. Broeze, visited Hawaii circa 1828 and wrote of the the natives familarity with the ocean from their earliest years and their subsequent exposure to the use of surfboards. use

"Thus the children become daily accustomed to stay in Neptune's element...
Finally, when the child has learned to walk, he is given a plank, like a rectangular shield.
He goes into the water with it, farther and farther away from the shore." (17)

Broeze' description of "a plank, like a rectangular shield" is difficult to interpret.
The use of "shield" may be intended to convey the approximate dimensions, the ratio of length and width, or some other feature of the board.

3.6 Theodore Adolphe Barrot (1803-1870) visited Hawaii in 1836 and recorded a instance of female surfriding, possibly at Kealaleakua Bay, Hawai'i.

"the entire female population of Kealaleakua assembled to bathe... Then they plunged thence entirely naked, into the waves which were breaking upon the shore; a plank, six or eight feet in length, and pointed at one end, enabled them to sustain themselves on the crest of the waves. It was indeed, a singular picture..." (18)

The  description of board length ("six or eight feet") is familar from earlier reports, however this is one of the earliest report of a pin nose ("pointed at one end"), possibly indicating a nose profile similar to Elli's (2.2) "sharkboard".

3.8 Walter  Colton (1797-1851), an American naval officer (?), recorded royal surfriding at Honolulu (?) in his dairy, the entry dated 19th June 1846.

"Nothing here has amused me more than the surfsports of the young chiefs. Each takes a smooth board, of some eight feet in length" (19)

Reminisent of Gilbert's account (2.2), Coulton records attempts by visitors to replicate native surfriding skills, with litle success.

"A young American, who was among them, not liking to be outdone in a sport which seemed so simple, thought he would try the board and billow. He ventured out a short distance, watched his opportunity; and, as the roller came, jumped upon his plank, was capsized, and have, half strangled, on the beach." (20)

3.9 From the same location and in the same year (Waikiki,1846), Chester S Lyman also reported surfriding activity in his travel diary .

"Rode to Waititi (Waikiki) 3 miles where there is fine bathing in the surf.
The premises there are in the hands of the chiefs.
Near the beach are fine groves of coconut trees, & Kou trees, also several thatched houses one of which is occupied by the young Chiefs as a dressing apartment while bathing.
They have an attendant on the grounds.
... The young chiefs are all provided with surfboards, which are kept in the house above mentioned. They are from 12 to 20 feet long, 1ft wide, & in the middle 5 or 6 inches thick, thinning towards the sides & ends so as to form an edge.
Some of these have been handed down in the royal family for years, as this is the royal bathing place. None of these belonging to Kamehameha 1st (d. 1819) are now left, but one used by Kaahumanu (Regent 1824-1832) & others belonging to other distinguished Chiefs & premiers are daily used by the boys, & on one of them (Kaahumanu's I believe) I had the pleasure of taking a surf ride towards the beach in the native style.
Tho' the motion is swift it is very pleasant & by no means dangerous unless the surf be strong." (21)

Lyman describes what is usually know as an Olo board, makes the earliest assocciation between this design and Hawaiian royalty and identies Waikiki as a royal surfing location.

2. Whitman, John B.: An Account of the Sandwich Islands: the Hawaiian Journal of John B.Whitman, 1813-1815.
Honolulu: Topgallant Pub. Co.; Salem: Peabody Museum of Salem, 1979. pages 57-58.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22.

3. Freycinet, Louis Claude de Sau1ses De (1779-1842)
A46- Voyage autour du monde [microform].. entrepris par ordre du roi, exe- cute sur les corvettes dR S.M. L'Uranie et In Physicienne pendant les annees 1817,1818, 1819 et 1820 (Voyage around the World Undertaken by Order ofdle King, PerfOnIled on
His Majesty's Sloops L'Uranie and L'Physicienne in the yean; 1817, 1818, 1819,cafi'
7 Vol. (Paris: Olez Pillet alne, 1825) vol. 2, part 2, bk4. ch. xxvn, pages 517-516j2.
Engravingby A. Pellion 'The houses of Chief Kraimokou, Prime Minister of the King" Kailua, on page 9).
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22.

4. Charles Stewart's cultural and religous perspective is possibly indicated by his comments on Hawaii in "The Advertisement" (1839 edition). Page ? ...
"It is yet scarce twenty years since the American churces first projected the enterprise of introducing the blessings of Christianty and civilization to that people - then a nation of open and gross idolators, degraded not only by all the pollutions of paganism, but doubly cursed with vices and scourges of destruction, imported and widely spread through the population by dissolute and reckless visiters from Europe and America."

5. "Stewart  ... was personally acquainted with Rev. William Ellis."
Stewart's work includes an account in Chapter XI of  "A Visit to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis", Pages 232-233?
The Fifth Edition (Enlarged) of  1839 includes  an "Inroduction by the Rev. William Ellis, from the London Edition' and is dedicated to "the Honorable Samuel L. Southard, Secretary to the Navy, etc, etc."

Stewart was probably aware of Ellis' work (which also includes an account of surfriding) and both authors were published by the same London company.
The two accounts have some similarities, see  Ellis (1831).

6. Finney and Houston (1999) note four located (and two unlocated) ancient surf breaks at Lahaina, Maui, page 30.

7. Stewart, Charles Samuel: A Journal of Residence in the Sandwich Islands during the Years 1823, 1924 and 1825.
Fisher, Son and Jackson, London, 1829.
Chapter 10, Sports of the Surf, Pages 196 to 197.
Reproduced in
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit.,  Pages 27 to 28.

8. Holmes, Tommy: The Hawaiian Canoe - Second Edition
Editions Limited, PO Box 10558 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.
First Edition 1981. Second Edition 1993. Second Printing 1996. page 40.

9. Stewart, Charles Samuel: Op.cit.

10. Ellis records the location of his observations as Waimanu , Hawai'i.
Finney and Houston (1999), pages 28 and 29, locate Waimanu ("bird - water") on the north coast of the large island, Hawai'i in their list of ancient surfriding  breaks.

11. Ellis, Rev. William: Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands, Volumes I to IV..
Fisher, Son and Jackson, London, 1831. Pages 368 to 372.
Reproduced in
Finney, Ben and Houston, James D. : Surfing – A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport. 1996.
Appendix C. Pages 98 to 99.

12. Ellis, Rev. William: Op. cit.

13. "wili wili.  2. n. A Hawaiian leguminous tree ('Erythrina sandwicensis', formerly called 'E. monosperma'), found on dry coral plains and on lava flows, somewhat spiny, with short thick trunk.
<...>
The wood is very light and formerly was used for surfboards, canoe outriggers, net floats."
Pukui, Mary Kawena and Elbert, Samuel H.:Hawaiian Dictionary
University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 1986 page 385.

14. Holmes, Tommy: Op. cit., page 41.

15. Ellis, Rev. William: Op. cit.

16. Byron, the Rt. Hon. Lord (1789-1868): Voyage of the 'H.M.S. Blonde' to the Sandwich Islands in the years 1825-26.
London: J. Murray, 1826. pages 97 and 166.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit.,  Pages 27 to 28.

17. Barrot, Theodore Adolphe (1803-1870):"Les Iles Sandwich"
Revue des deux mondes (a French magazine)
August 1, 15, 1839.
Later reprinted in a translated version as
"Visit of the French Sloop of War 'Bonite', to the Sandwich Islands, in 1836."
The Friend
Serialized Jan.-Nov.,1850.

16. Broeze, Frank J. A.: Voyage to the East and West Coast of South America and thence to the Sandwich and Philippine Islands, China, etc.; done in the years 1826-1829 (
Amsterdam, Holland: 1835-6) ch. 21. Original in Dutch.
"Thus the children become daily accustomed to stay in Neptune's element... Finally, when the child has learned to walk, he is given a plank, like a rectangular shield. He goes into the water with it, farther and farther away from the shore."
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 19.

18. 1846
Walter  Colton (1797-1851): Deck and port, 01; Incidents of a cruise in the United States Frigate Congress
to California.. with sketches of Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Lima, Honolulu, and San Francisco
NY: A.S. Barnes & Co.; Cincinnati: H.W. Derby & Co., 1850)
Notes of 6/19/1846, pages 352-353.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 19?

20. Lyman, Chester S. (1814-1890):Around The Horn To The Sandwich Islands And California 1845 -1850.
New Haven: Yale University Press 1924) Chapter II, page 73.
Travel diary in 1846 notes.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22

3.1 One of the earliest 19th century desciptions of a Hawaiian surfboard is an illustration by Jacques Arago, "The Houses of Kraimokou, circa 1819", who visited the Hawaiian Islands when circumnavigating the world 1817 to 1820. (1)
A wonderfully detailed  illustration of Hawaiian dwelling with the chief in ceremonial dress and his wife beating
tapa cloth, a large Olo board takes a central position in the drawing and presumably a similar culutural position.

Given the scale of the illustration, the board is approximately 15 feet long, 20 inches wide and, less accuarately, three inches thick.
The template is foiled with a round nose and square tail, the later possibly indicating a convex bottom profile.
While the rails appear square, this possiblly is an artistic compromise to give the board perspective.
The print, below, shows the board constructed from a light-toned timber, perhaps indicating willi willi rather than the significantly darker koa wood. 

Jacques Arago, Engraving by Alphonse Pellion:  "The Houses of Kraimokou", circa 1819. (2) Finney and Houston (1996) Page 37..  First image of an Olo board.

The buildings closely resemble a house initally drawn by John Webber in 1779 titled "An Offering before Capt Cook in the Sandwich Ilses".
An engraving, based on the drawing by S. Middleman and J. Hall,  was included in Cook's published journals in 1884. (4)

Jacques Arago  :  "Wahine, Hawaii", circa 1819. (4) Finney and Houston (1996) Page 38.

3.3 Ellis's published account (4.1) included a drawing by F. Howard, titled "Sandwich Island Surf-riders", circa 1830. (6)
Although it is probably the first reported Western image of standing surfriding, correctly identifying the stance, the depiction of the boards is crude and they appear, given modern surfriding experience, to be too small for succesful riding.

F. Howard : "Sandwich Island Surf-riders", circa 1830. (7) Finney and Houston (1996) Frontpiece. The first reported Western image of surf-riding, it correctly identifies stance.

Francis Olmsted  :  "Sandwich Islanders Playing in the Surf,  circa 1841." (9)  .Lueras (1984) Page 39. First image by the same writer and artist.

Of the two, E. Riou's (1833-1900) "Jeux Havaiens" (Hawaiians playing) is a wide seascape that views the boards from a considerable distance. (12)
Leuras (1984) page 52, notes that that the illustration has "a Tahiti-like backdrop"and there are several standing riders apparently riding away from the beach.
There are some similarities with Howard (1830), particually the attire.
At best, the boards could be estimated as flat, six feet long and 20 inches wide.

E. Riou  :  "Jeux Havaiens" (Hawaiians playing), circa 1873. (13)  Lueras (1984) Page 53. Probably reconstructed from reports  or sketches.

Emile Bayard :  "Jeux Havaiens" (Hawaiians playing),  circa 1873. (15) DelaVega (ed, 2004) Page17. Probably reconstructed from  reports or sketches.

De Rienzi, Domeny (1789-1843) & Gregoire Louis
Oceanie; au cinquieme partie du monde revue geogrophique et ethnogrophique de la Malaisie, de la Micronesie, de la Polynesie et de la Melanesie; offrant les resultats des voyages et des decouvertes de l'auteur et de ses devanciers, ainsi que ses nouvelles classifications et divisions de ces con trees (The Universe, History
and Description, of All the People) 3 Volumes (Paris: Firmin Didot 1836-7) vol. 2, plate 115. "Habitations" Image of house and surfboard (See next page bottom). French cultural anthropology book. No surfing content.
DelaVega page16
 

2. Finney and Houston (1996) Page 37.
The image, in various sizes and/or cropped versions, has been reproduced in many surfing books.
Finney and Houston (1966) Plate 12.
Margan and Finney (1971) Page 19
Nat's History (1983) Page 33 Badly cropped.
Lueras (1984) Page 35. Colourised, see below.
Kampion : Stoked (1997) Page 31. Credited as  "Kraimoku Homestead" by Villroy. Bishop Museum.
Dela Vega (ed, 2004) page 20.
 

3. Jacques Arago (Engraving : ?) : "Wahine, Hawaii, circa 1819."
 First printing in :Arago, Jacques : Recollections of a Blind Man
An account of a tour around the world, circa 1820.

4. Beaglehole, J.C.: The Life of James Cook
Stanford University Press Stanford, California. 1974.
Original publisher : A. & C. Black, Ltd. London, 1974.
Plate 41, between pages 672 and 673.

4. Finney and Houston (1996) Page 38.
Various resized and/or cropped versions are also printed in
Finney and Houston (1966) Page 43, Figure 5.
Margan and Finney (1971) Page 19.

5.The fascination with the naked female breast can be, perhaps, assessed by a desciption of a young aboriginal woman by Watkin Tench, a British Army officer posted to the initial occupation of Australia at Sydney Cove in 1788.
  "She excelled in beauty all their females I ever saw.
Her age about eighteen, the firmness, the symmetry and the luxuriancy of her bosom might have tempted painting to copy its charms."
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/t/tench/watkin/settlement/chapter17.html
Rendered into HTML on Mon Nov 3 09:50:03 2003, by Steve Thomas for
The University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection.

6. F. Howard  : "Sandwich Island Surf-riders", circa 1830.
Etching by W. Finden.
First published ... Rev. William Ellis : Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eighty Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands, Volumes I to IV..
Fisher, Son and Jackson, London, 1831.   Title page to Volume  IV (?)
The first reported Western image of surf-riding, it correctly identifies stance.

The "Sandwich Islands" was the name originally given to the Hawaiian Islands by Cook, for a patron, Lord Sandwich (as in the "invention" of a piece of meat between two slices of bread) and was used up to the late19th century.

7. Finney and Houston (1996) Frontpiece.
Various resized and/or cropped versions are also printed in
Finney and Houston (1966) Frontpiece. A particually poor reproduction, unlike the other images in this book.
George (1990) Page 21.
Dela Vega (ed, 2004) Pages 18 -19

8. Francis Olmsted  (drawing) : "Sandwich Islanders Playing in the Surf", circa 1841.
Lithograph by Endicott, New York.
First printing ... Francis Olmsted, F.A. : Incidents of a Whaling Voyage...
Appleton and Co., NY, 1841. Page 222 or 223.
First image by the same writer and artist.

9. Lueras (1984) Page 39.
Various resized and/or cropped versions are also printed in
Nat's History (1983) Page 33
Dela Vega (ed, 2004) page 24.

10. de Varigny, Charles: "Quatorze Ans Aux Iles Sandwich (Iles Havai)" (Fourteen years in the Sandwich Islands)
Le Tour du Monde Volume II, 1873, Pages 224, 237and 238.
Reproduced in Dela Vega (ed, 2004) Page17.

11.  I have been unable to locate any record of Bayard or Riou, the illustrators  of "Voyage Aux Iles Sandwich (Iles Havai)", visiting the Hawaiian Islands.

12. E. Riou  : "Jeux Havaiens" (Hawaiians playing), circa 1873.
The first  printing acompanied
de Varigny, Charles : "Voyage Aux Iles Sandwich (Iles Havai)"
Le Tour du Monde (A French magazine) Volume II, 1873, Pages  224,237 or 238.

13. Lueras (1984) Page 53.
Various resized and/or cropped versions are also printed in
George (1990) Pages 12 -13
Kampion (1997) Page 42 - 13 (cropped).

14. Emile Bayard : "Jeux Havaiens" (Hawaiians playing), circa 1873.
The first  printing acompanied
de Varigny, Charles : "Voyage Aux Iles Sandwich (Iles Havai)"
Le Tour du Monde (A French magazine) Volume II, 1873, Pages  224,237 or 238.

15. DelaVega (ed, 2004) Page17.
Various resized and/or cropped versions are also printed in
Finney and Houston (1996) Page 20
Margan and Finney (1971) Page 14.

20. Knox, Thomas W. (1835-1896) :The Boy Travellers in Australasia.
Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Sociey, Samoan and Feejee
Islands and Through the Colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria,
Tasmania and South Australia.
New York Harper & Brothers 1889.
Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1902.
Charles Tuttle Co, Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan. reprinted1971.
Paul Flesch & Company, Melbourne.1971 pages ???

20

4.1 In the wake of the success of the publication of Cook's journals in 1884, further tales of Pacific adventure were in demand.
Archibald Campbell published an account of his travels that included a reference to surfriding in Hawaii, circa 1812, briefly describing the board as

4.2 John B. Whitman (possibly) wrote the first account of surfriding at Waikiki (indicated as Honolulu), Oahu, circa 1815, outlining surfboard construction and maintainance.

"The surf board... is admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is used. ...They are preserved with the greatest care, as with their crude tools it is an immensity of labor to make one." (2)
 

4.3 French naval officier (?), Louis Claude Freycinet recorded prone surfriding in the Hawaiian islands (?), circa 1820.

"When using the board, he holds it in his hands and lies down flat on his stomach, head toward the rounded end, or else he uses his hands like paddles and with his feet directs this sort of a float with astonishing skill and swiftness." (3)

Freycinet's report, while probably inferring the boards were short, only confirms that the nose was round.

4.4 Rev. Charles S. Stewart served in the US Navy and and served as a Christian  Missionary to the Hawaiian  Islands, 1823 to 1825. (4)
He was personally acquainted with Rev. William Ellis, a fellow missionary and reporter of surfriding activity.(2)
See below.
His surfboard description is taken from an entry dated 24th January 1825 and located at Lahaina,Maui. (3)

... a plank of light wood, eight or ten feet long, two feet broad, decreasing to a sharp edge at the sides and ends, which are rounded, and having the whole surface finely polished, is necessary; and forms an article of personal property among all the chiefs, male and female, and among many of the common people." (5)

Stewart's estimation of width ("two feet broad" ) and  the weight ("light wood"), and description the rail profile ("a sharp edge at the sides and ends") have precedents, however the length is significantly longer than in any of the previous reports.
This is the first report of the board as "having the whole surface finely polished".
The fine polished finish was a noted feature of ancient Hawaiian canoes.
This was achieved by fine sanding with selected stones and corals. and sealed with a variety of organic paints, generally called pa'ele. (6)

While the dimensions would appear to indicate that the boards were potentially suitable for standing surfriding, there is some difficulty in determing the postion of the riders as reported by Stewart:
"with the arms and feet skillfully keep their poise in the swell, so as not to be sufficiently forward to be
overwhelmed by its combing, nor so far behind as to lose its impetus" (7)
The phrase "with the arms and feet skillfully keep their poise" could equally be interpreted to descibe prone or standing surfriding.

4.5 Rev. William Ellis's highly detailed descripton is congruent with Stewart's, circa 1825, but there are significant differences probably due to observations at different locations, in this case from the large island, Hawai'i.(8)

"a board, which they call papa hi naru [papa he'e nalu], (wave sliding-board,) generally five or six feet long, and rather more than a foot wide, sometimes flat, but more frequently slightly convex on both sides.
It is usually made of the wood of the erythrina, stained quite black, and preserved with great care. (9)

The length ("generally five or six feet ") and rail shape ("sometimes flat, but more frequently slightly convex on both sides") are similar to the previous reports from Cook's crew and the width ("rather more than a foot" ) is probably at least 18 inches.
Athough these dimensions may appear to indicate a "small" board, Ellis cleary reports the boards were capable of being ridden in a standing position, presumably by adults.

"Those who are expert frequently change their position on the board, sometimes sitting and
sometimes standing erect in the midst of the foam."(10)

This is the first report confirming the wood used for board construction, in this case willi willi ("erythrina "), the perferred timber for outrigger floats, or ama. (11)
Noted for its light weight, willi willi may have been the wood used for board construction as described by Ellis's namesake in 1769 (2.2, above).

Also, the board is described as "stained quite black".
The dark stain was a feature of ancient Hawaiian canoes that sealed the wood with a paint  produced from a variety of organic products, generally called pa'ele.(12)

Of particular significance is the report of the indegenous name, "papa hi naru [papa he'e nalu], (wave sliding-board)", which in translation srongly infers the actvity entails the angling of the board on the wave face.

Elli's account further reports the neccessity to dry the board after use and the application of oil, possibly to prevent the timber splitting  and probably to act as a water repellent when next immersed.

"After using, it is placed in the sun till perfectly dry, when it is rubbed-over with cocoa-nut oil, frequently wrapped in cloth, and suspended in some part of their dwelling-house." (13)
 

4.6 Captain Byron, of 'H.M.S. Blonde', witnessed surf-riding at Hilo, Hawai'i in 1825 and commented on the status of surfboards in Hawaiian culture.
 "...to have a neat floatboard, well-kept, and dried, is to a Sandwich Islander what a tilbury or cabriolet, or whatever ligh!t carriage may be in fashion is to a young English man." (13)

His report is consistent with Ellis's (4.3) account that the boards are "neat .., well-kept, and dried".

4.7 Dutchman, Frank J. A. Broeze, visited Hawaii circa 1828 and wrote of the the natives familarity with the ocean from their earliest years and their subsequent exposure to the use of surfboards. use

"Thus the children become daily accustomed to stay in Neptune's element...
Finally, when the child has learned to walk, he is given a plank, like a rectangular shield.
He goes into the water with it, farther and farther away from the shore." (14)

Broeze' description of "a plank, like a rectangular shield" is difficult to interpret.
The use of "shield" may be intended to convey the approximate dimensions, the ratio of length and width, or some other feature of the board.

4.6 Theodore Adolphe Barrot (1803-1870) visited Hawaii in 1836 and recorded a instance of female surfriding, possibly at Kealaleakua Bay, Hawai'i.

"the entire female population of Kealaleakua assembled to bathe... Then they plunged thence entirely naked, into the waves which were breaking upon the shore; a plank, six or eight feet in length, and pointed at one end, enabled them to sustain themselves on the crest of the waves. It was indeed, a singular picture..." (15)

The  description of board length ("six or eight feet") is familar from earlier reports, however this is one of the earliest report of a pin nose ("pointed at one end"), possibly indicating a nose profile similar to Elli's (2.2) "sharkboard".

4.8 Walter  Colton (1797-1851), an American naval officer (?), recorded royal surfriding at Honolulu (?) in his dairy, the entry dated 19th June 1846.

"Nothing here has amused me more than the surfsports of the young chiefs. Each takes a smooth board, of some eight feet in length" (17)

Reminisent of Gilbert's account (2.2), Coulton records attempts by visitors to replicate native surfriding skills, with litle success.

"A young American, who was among them, not liking to be outdone in a sport which seemed so simple, thought he would try the board and billow. He ventured out a short distance, watched his opportunity; and, as the roller came, jumped upon his plank, was capsized, and have, half strangled, on the beach." (18)

4.9 From the same location and in the same year (Waikiki,1846), Chester S Lyman also reported surfriding activity in his travel diary .

"Rode to Waititi (Waikiki) 3 miles where there is fine bathing in the surf. The premises there are in the hands of the chiefs. Near the beach are fine groves of coconut trees, & Kou trees, also several thatched houses one of which is occupied by the young Chiefs as a dressing apartment while bathing. They have an attendant on the grounds."
"... The young chiefs are all provided with surfboards, which are kept in the house above mentioned. They are from 12 to 20 feet long, 1ft wide, & in the middle 5 or 6 inches thick, thinning towards the sides & ends so as to form an edge."
"Some of these have been handed down in the royal family for years, as this is the royal bathing place. None of these belonging to Kamehameha 1st (d. 1819) are now left, but one used by Kaahumanu (Regent 1824-1832) & others belonging to other distinguished Chiefs & premiers are daily used by the boys, & on one of them (Kaahumanu's I believe) I had the pleasure of taking a surf ride towards the beach in the native style. Tho' the motion is swift it is very pleasant & by no means dangerous unless the surf be strong." (20)

2. Whitman, John B.: An Account of the Sandwich Islands: the Hawaiian Journal of John B.Whitman, 1813-1815.
Honolulu: Topgallant Pub. Co.; Salem: Peabody Museum of Salem, 1979. pages 57-58.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22.

3. Freycinet, Louis Claude de Sau1ses De (1779-1842)
A46- Voyage autour du monde [microform].. entrepris par ordre du roi, exe- cute sur les corvettes dR S.M. L'Uranie et In Physicienne pendant les annees 1817,1818, 1819 et 1820 (Voyage around the World Undertaken by Order ofdle King, PerfOnIled on
His Majesty's Sloops L'Uranie and L'Physicienne in the yean; 1817, 1818, 1819,cafi'
7 Vol. (Paris: Olez Pillet alne, 1825) vol. 2, part 2, bk4. ch. xxvn, pages 517-516j2.
Engravingby A. Pellion 'The houses of Chief Kraimokou, Prime Minister of the King" Kailua, on page 9).
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22.

4. Charles Stewart's cultural and religous perspective is possibly indicated by his comments on Hawaii in "The Advertisement" (1839 edition). Page ? ...
"It is yet scarce twenty years since the American churces first projected the enterprise of introducing the blessings of Christianty and civilization to that people - then a nation of open and gross idolators, degraded not only by all the pollutions of paganism, but doubly cursed with vices and scourges of destruction, imported and widely spread through the population by dissolute and reckless visiters from Europe and America."

5. "Stewart  ... was personally acquainted with Rev. William Ellis."
Stewart's work includes an account in Chapter XI of  "A Visit to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis", Pages 232-233?
The Fifth Edition (Enlarged) of  1839 includes  an "Inroduction by the Rev. William Ellis, from the London Edition' and is dedicated to "the Honorable Samuel L. Southard, Secretary to the Navy, etc, etc."

Stewart was probably aware of Ellis' work (which also includes an account of surfriding) and both authors were published by the same London company.
The two accounts have some similarities, see  Ellis (1831).

6. Finney and Houston (1999) note four located (and two unlocated) ancient surf breaks at Lahaina, Maui, page 30.

7. Stewart, Charles Samuel: A Journal of Residence in the Sandwich Islands during the Years 1823, 1924 and 1825.
Fisher, Son and Jackson, London, 1829.
Chapter 10, Sports of the Surf, Pages 196 to 197.
Reproduced in
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit.,  Pages 27 to 28.

8. Holmes, Tommy: The Hawaiian Canoe - Second Edition
Editions Limited, PO Box 10558 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.
First Edition 1981. Second Edition 1993. Second Printing 1996. page 40.

9. Stewart, Charles Samuel: Op.cit.

10. Ellis records the location of his observations as Waimanu , Hawai'i.
Finney and Houston (1999), pages 28 and 29, locate Waimanu ("bird - water") on the north coast of the large island, Hawai'i in their list of ancient surfriding  breaks.

11. Ellis, Rev. William: Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands, Volumes I to IV..
Fisher, Son and Jackson, London, 1831. Pages 368 to 372.
Reproduced in
Finney, Ben and Houston, James D. : Surfing – A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport. 1996.
Appendix C. Pages 98 to 99.

12. Ellis, Rev. William: Op. cit.

13. "wili wili.  2. n. A Hawaiian leguminous tree ('Erythrina sandwicensis', formerly called 'E. monosperma'), found on dry coral plains and on lava flows, somewhat spiny, with short thick trunk.
<...>
The wood is very light and formerly was used for surfboards, canoe outriggers, net floats."
Pukui, Mary Kawena and Elbert, Samuel H.:Hawaiian Dictionary
University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 1986 page 385.

14. Holmes, Tommy: Op. cit., page 41.

15. Ellis, Rev. William: Op. cit.

16. Byron, the Rt. Hon. Lord (1789-1868): Voyage of the 'H.M.S. Blonde' to the Sandwich Islands in the years 1825-26.
London: J. Murray, 1826. pages 97 and 166.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit.,  Pages 27 to 28.

15. Barrot, Theodore Adolphe (1803-1870):"Les Iles Sandwich"
Revue des deux mondes (a French magazine)
August 1, 15, 1839.
Later reprinted in a translated version as
"Visit of the French Sloop of War 'Bonite', to the Sandwich Islands, in 1836."
The Friend
Serialized Jan.-Nov.,1850.

16. Broeze, Frank J. A.: Voyage to the East and West Coast of South America and thence to the Sandwich and Philippine Islands, China, etc.; done in the years 1826-1829 (
Amsterdam, Holland: 1835-6) ch. 21. Original in Dutch.
"Thus the children become daily accustomed to stay in Neptune's element... Finally, when the child has learned to walk, he is given a plank, like a rectangular shield. He goes into the water with it, farther and farther away from the shore."
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 19.

18. 1846
Walter  Colton (1797-1851): Deck and port, 01; Incidents of a cruise in the United States Frigate Congress
to California.. with sketches of Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Lima, Honolulu, and San Francisco
NY: A.S. Barnes & Co.; Cincinnati: H.W. Derby & Co., 1850)
Notes of 6/19/1846, pages 352-353.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 19?

20. Lyman, Chester S. (1814-1890):Around The Horn To The Sandwich Islands And California 1845 -1850.
New Haven: Yale University Press 1924) Chapter II, page 73.
Travel diary in 1846 notes.
Quoted in DelaVega (ed, 2004): Op. cit., page 22

xxx
1812xxxx
Campbell, Archibald 1787- I".'. ".' \
A20- A voyage round the world, from 1806 to 1812; inwhichJapim, Kamschl1tkii, 1 the Aleutian Islands, and the Sandwich Islands were visited; including alnamitive of the 1 author's shipwreck on the island of Sarmack, and his subsequent wreck in the ship's long-boat; with an account of the present state of the Sandwich islands, and a vtJt:abulary of their, language (Edinburgh: A. Constable & Co., 1816) pp. 145-6 \ j
,
"From the earliest years, the natives spend much of their time in the water... that ..! they seem as much at their ease in that element as on land; they after swim several i miles off to ships, sometimes resting upon a plank shaped like an ancfor stock... "
Dela Vega p 19
xxx
xxx1850
Lyman, Chester S. 1814-1890
A61- Around The Horn To The Sandwich Islands And California 1845 -1850 (
New Haven: Yale University Press 1924) ch. II, pp. 73. Travel diary in 1846 notes.
"Rode to Waititi (Waikiki) 3 miles where there is fine bathing in the surf. The premises there are in the hands of the chiefs. Near the beach are fine groves of coconut trees, & Kou trees, also several thatched houses one of which is occupied by the young Chiefs as a dressing apartment while bathing. They have an attendant on the grounds."
"... The young chiefs are all provided with surfboards, which are kept in the house above mentioned. They are from 12 to 20 feet long, 1ft wide, & in the middle 5 or 6 inches thick, thinning towards the sides & ends so as to form an edge."
"Some of these have been handed down in the royal family for years, as this is the royal bathing place. None of these belonging to Kamehameha 1st (d. 1819) are now left, but one used by Kaahumanu (Regent 1824-1832) & others belonging to other distinguished Chiefs & premiers are daily used by the boys, & on one of them (Kaahumanu's I believe) I had the pleasure of taking a surf ride towards the beach in the native style. Tho' the motion is swift it is very pleasant & by no means dangerous unless the surf be strong."
Dela Vega p22

1815
Whitman, John B.
A93- An Account of the Sandwich Islands: the Hawaiian Journal of John B.
Whitman, 1813-1815 (Honolulu: Topgallant Pub. Co.; Salem: Peabody Museum of Salem, 1979) pp. 57-8. Whitman wrote of surf-riding at Honolulu.
"The surf board... is admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is used. ...They are preserved with the greatest care, as with their crude tools it is an immensity of labor to make one."

4.3 Frenchman, Charles de Varigny, recorded Hawaiian surfriding activity circa 1850, however his description of the board, which he labels a 'canoe of a new genre' , is limited to merely noting its light weight- which may, as noted previously, indicate the use of willi willi.

"... this 'canoe of a new genre' ... The light board, easily maneuvered, was raised like a feather on the crest ..." (13)

de Varigny , like Rev Ellis (4.3), also reports the board was capable of being ridden in a standing position, apparently by adults.
"I saw a native accomplish this 'tour de force' while upright atop the board." (14)

de Varigny's published work features two images of surfriding activity (3.5 and 3.6).

4.4 In 1886, America author Mark Twain, travelled to the Pacific and recorded a brief account of native surfriding on the Kona coast, on the large island,Hawai'i. (15)
Unfortunately, his desciption of the board is simply, "short".
Twain writes of his subsequent attempts at surfriding and his failure to master the activity.
He concluded:

"None but the natives ever master the art of surf-bathing thoroughly." (16)
 

4.4 A report of Hawaiian surfriding by John George Wood circa 1880 includes portions of Lt. King's journal entry (as edited by Douglas, 1874) as well as the observations below.

"For adults they are about six feet in length.
They are slightly convex on both sides, and are kept very smooth all surf-swimmers cherishing a pride
in the condition of their boards, and taking care to keep them well polished and continually rubbed
with cocoa-nut oil." (17)

Given the report does not indicate a location or date and the extensive scope of his work (The Uncivilized Races of Men in all Countries of the World), it is probable that his report is not based on personal observation.
It appears to essentially paraphrase Rev.Ellis (4.3), above.

4.5 Two late 19th century reports are located at Hilo, Hawai'i. (18)
The first, circa1880, by John Dean Caton (19) records:

 "... these boards as being about one and one-half inches thick, seven feet long, coffin shaped, rounded at the ends, chamfered (beveled - Blake) at the edges; about fifteen inches wide at the widest point near the forward end, and eleven inches wide at the back end.
... boards of the aliea, or thin design, were usually made of koa or wood of the breadfruit tree." (20)

The board is identified as an "alaia, or thin design - presumably there was an alternative thick design.
It is seven feet long and one and a half inches thick.
The template is foiled ("coffin-shaped") and about fifteen inches at the wide point, possibly about 12 inches forward of centre.
The nose and the "eleven inches wide" tail are rounded.
The rails are chamfered, or as Blake indicates bevelled.
The board is constructed of koa (Acacia koa) or breadfruit (ulu) (Artocarpus incisus).

4.6  The other, a less detailed but significantly different, report from Hilo (circa 1888) is by Thomas W. Knox.(21)

"Each man had a surf-board, which was a thick plank twelve or fifteen feet long and perhaps thirty
inches wide, and said to be made from the trunk of a bread-fruit tree." (22)

The thickness and the length (12 to 15 feet) of the boards appear to describe the olo or thick design.
The reported width of "perhaps thirty inches" is certainly extreme.
As maximum board width is essentially determined by the width of the paddler's shoulders (2.10, above), the boards were probably somewhat narrower.

Knox's book includes a engraving titled "Surf Bathing, circa 1873" by Com. William Bainbridge Hoff ,

4.8 These reports add several specific features to the initial reports by Cook's crew, .
Two native surfboard names are recorded- "papa hi naru [papa he'e nalu], (wave sliding-board,)" and "the aliea, or thin design".

Three timbers for board construction are identified- willi willi, koa and breadfruit (ulu).

Stewart and Ellis (collectively) report that the boards were stained and polished to a fine finish and were sun dried and treated with a preserving oil before they were carefully stored after use.

The length is at an extreme, 15 feet, but olo.
Otherwise 10 feet.

Caton compare Gilbert - thinness!

14. de Varigny, Charles: Op. cit.,

15. Twain, Mark : Roughing It.
American Publishing Company, Hartford. 1872.
F.G. Gilman and Co. Chicago. 1872.
G. Routledge and Sons, Lonon. 1872. page 526.
"Fully illustrated by eminent artists", the book includes two illustrations of surfriding activity.
The relevant text from Roughing It is excerpted in Finney and Houston (1996) Appendix D pages 100 - 101.

16. Twain: Op. cit., page  526.

17. Wood, John George (1827-1889): The Uncivilized Races of Men in all Countries of the World : Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics.
G. Routledge and Sons, London. 1868-80 2 Vol.Pages 168 to169.
Includes portions of Lt. King's entry as well as the observations below.
Also
Wood, John George (1827-1889) : The Uncivilized races, or, natural history of man; being a complete account of the manners and customs, and the physical, social and religious condition and characteristics of the uncivilized races of men throughout the entire world.
2 Vol.Pages 168 to169. ???
Hartford American Publishing Co. 1870.

Digitally collated and formatted from ..
Dela Vega (ed, 2004) Page17.

18. Hilo was a famed surfing location on the large island, Hawaii, and said to rival Waikiki for the quality of it's surf.  Finney and Houston (1996) identify seven different breaks, page 28.

19. This quotation has been collated from Blake (1935), see below, and may not accuartely reproduce Caton's. text.

20. Caton, John Dean (1812-1895): Miscellanies
 Houghton, Osgood & Co. Boston. 1880 Pages 242 to 244.
Digitally collated and formatted from
Tom Blake : Hawaiian Surfriders 1935
Mountain and Sea Publishing.
Box 126 Redondo Beach California 90277 1983 Pages 41 to 43.

21. Thomas W. Knox was a journalist and profilic author, most noted for his Boy Travellers series, originally
based a a world tour in 1866.
The 1888 Australasian volume was produced in conjunction with Australia's centennial.
The 1971 edition includes an Appreciation by Charles V. S. Borst, that notes...

     "All these works are inspired by Knox's philosophy of travel which is expressed in his little
     guide How to Travel (New York, 1881): "To an observant and thoughtful individual, the
     invariable effect of travel is to teach respect for the opinions, the faith, or the ways of
     others, and to convince him that other civilizations than his own are worthy of consider-
     ation." This lack of condescension - rare for the often patronizing Victorian traveller - of
     course contributed to the accuracy of Knox's reporting in such a book as The Boy
     Travellers in Australasia. Combined with this accuracy is his insatiable curiosity about all
     aspects of life in the countries he visited - his work indeed foreshadowing the writing of
     modern anthropologists"  - page xiii

22. Knox, Thomas W. (1835-1896) :The Boy Travellers in Australasia.
Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Sociey, Samoan and Feejee
Islands and Through the Colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria,
Tasmania and South Australia.
New York Harper & Brothers 1889.
Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1902.
Charles Tuttle Co, Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan. reprinted1971.
Paul Flesch & Company, Melbourne.1971 pages ???

20

xxx
1892
Brigham, William Tufts 1841-1926
A 16- Preliminary Catalogue of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (Honolulu:
Bishop Museum Press, 1892) part II, p. 55 "surfboards were usually made of ko-a, flat with slightly convex surface, rounded at one end, slightly narrowing towards the stern, where it was cut square. Sometimes the 'pa-pa' (surfboard) was made of very light wi-Ii wi-Ii as were narrow, 0-10. In size they varied from three to eighteen feet in length and from eight to ten inches in breadth, but some of the ancient boards are said to have been 4 fathoms long." (A fathom is 6 ff) "the largest in the museum are so heavy that they require two men to move them."
xxx
 
 

Thrum, Thomas G (editor): Thrum's Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for 1896.
"TREES AND MODE OF CUTTING
There were only three kinds of trees known to be used for making boards for surf riding, viz.: the
wiliwili (Erythrina monosperma), ulu or breadfruit (Artocarpus incisa), and koa (Acacia koa).

The uninitiated were naturally careless, or indifferent as to the method of cutting the chosen tree; but
among those who desired success upon their labors the following rites were carefully observed.

Upon the selection of a suitable tree, a red fish called kumu was first procured, which was placed at its
trunk.
The tree was then cut down, after which a hole was dug at its root and the fish placed therein, with a
prayer, as an offering in payment therefor.
After this ceremony was performed, then the tree trunk was chipped away from each side until
reduced to a board approximately of the dimensions desired, when it was pulled down to the beach
and placed in the halau (canoe house) or other suitable place convenient for its finishing work.

FINISHING PROCESS
Coral of the corrugated variety termed pohaku puna, which could be gathered in abundance along the
sea beach, and a rough kind of stone called oahi were commonly used articles for reducing and
smoothing the rough surfaces of the board until all marks of the stone adze were obliterated.
As a finishing stain the root of the ti plant (Cordyline terminalis), called mole ki, or the pounded bark of
the kukui (Aleurites moluccana), called hili, was the mordant used for a paint made with the soot of
burned kukui nuts.
This furnished a durable, glossy black finish, far preferable to that made with the ashes of burned
crane leaves, or amau fern, which had neither body nor gloss.

Before using the board there were other rites or ceremonies to be performed, for its dedication.
As before, these were disregarded by the common people, but among those who followed the making
of surf boards as a trade, they were religiously observed.

There are two kinds of boards for surf riding, one called the 'olo' and the other the 'a-la-ia', known also
as 'omo'.
The olo was made of wiliwili - a very light buoyant wood - some three fathoms long, two to three feet
wide, and from six to eight inches thick along the middle of the board, lengthwise, but rounding toward
the edges on both upper and lower sides.
It is well known that the olo was only for the use of the chiefs; none of the common people: used it.
They used the a-la-ia, which was made of koa, or ulu. Its length and width were similar to the olo,
except in thickness, it being but of one and a half or two inches thick along the center." (1)

Blake wrote (5) in The Hawaiian Surfboard (1935) ...

Here is an interesting comment on surf riding to be found in Hawaiian Folk Lore by Fornander(1):
"Here are the names of that board and the surfs.
The board is alaia, three yards long. (2)
The surf is kakala, a curling wave, terrible, death dealing.(3)
The board is Olo, six yards long. (4)
The surf is opuu, a non-breaking wave, something like calmness". (5)
This passage shows the different boards best suited to different kinds of waves.(6)

The alaia as the thin board was called, ranged from a few feet, a child's size, to about twelve feet long for adults.(7)
The larger one being about one and one half inches thick through the center, levelling off on both top and bottom to about one-quarter inch at the edges.(8)

The kakala, indicates a wave that steepens up and crashes over the shallow coral.(8)
The comparatively small size of the alaia board made it easy to handle in such waves.
It was made of the hardwood of the koa (9)and breadfruit tree.(10)

The Olo, indicating the longer boards, was of wili wilIi wood (11), a porus light wood like balsa, in fact, wili willi is Hawaiian balsa, just as koa is Hawaiian mahogany, of which there are sixty-seven different kinds in the world. An alaia designed board of wili wilIi would not be strong enough, therefore, the Olo type was about six inches thick maximum, down the center of the board, and made of convex top and bottom so the edges beveled off to about one-half inch all around.(12)

The Hawaiian chief, Pakai, was a famous surf rider around the 1830 period.(13)
His two great surfboards are now in the Bishop Museum. (14)
Although these two boards are of Olo design, long and thick, and of heavy koa wood, I feel that koa was second choice for the making of this long board.
Wili wilIi being generally used.(15)
I also believe that while the wili wili board of Olo design was re-
Page 17.

(I also believe that while the wili wili board of Olo design was re-) served for the use of the chiefs, the koa board of Olo design was not restricted to the alii (chiefs), but was for general use because of the scarcity of wili wili wood and plentiful occurrence of koa. (1)
How the Olo long board was especially adaptable to the swells or unbreaking wave, will be clearly brought out in a later discussion on modern surfing. (2)

Duke Kahanamoku's answer to the reason for the old wili wilIi boards being reserved for the chiefs is that it was a very scarce and valuable wood.
Therefore, the chiefs had wili wili boards for the same reason that a man has a Rolls-Royce automobile today, that he is wealthy and can afford it.(3)
Page18.

Reprinted in 1983 by Bank Wright as
Blake, Tom: Hawaiian Surfriders 1935
Mountain and Sea Publishing, Box 126 Redondo Beach California 90277 1983
Embossed hard cover with adhesive image.
DeLa Vega (2004) notes "Joel Smith's edition was used to create these plates.", page 38.

2. Blake, Tom: Hawaiian Surfriding
 Nothland Press, Flagstaff,Arizona, 1961
Soft cover, 41 pages (without page numbers), 58 black and white plates, 3 black and white ???

3. Blake's work has been extensively quoted by many subsequent surfing historians.
To detail a complete inventory would be pointless - almost every book or magazine article that discusses ancient Hawaiian surfing either quotes Blake directly or his sources.
The following works (excluding those of Ben Finney) are readily available.
Nat, Warshaw, Lueras, Carroll,

4. Ben Finney originally prepared his research for a masters thesis in anthropology.
The quality of his work has set the benhmark for all following historians of surfriding.
Finney, Ben: Surfing in Ancient Hawaii
The Journal of Polynesian Society
December 1959 Volume 68 Number 4  pages 327 - .347

Finney, Ben: The Development and Diffusion of Modern Surfing
The Journal of Polynesian Society
 December 1960 Volume 69 Number 4   pages 314 - .331

Finney, Ben and Houston, James D. : Surfing – The Sport of Hawaiian Kings
 Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc.
 Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan. 1966.
Second printing 196?, Third printing 1971.

Finney, Ben and Houston, James D. : Surfing – A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport
 Pomegranate Books
 P.O. Box 6099 Rohnert Park, CA 94927
 Soft cover, 117 pages, 20 b/w photographs, 24 b/w illustrations,  Appendices, Notes, Bibliography.

5. All reproduced text is in Bell 14 point and not in quotation marks or italics.
My text is in Arial 12 point.
For screen clarity, the reproduced text and my own work has been adjusted to my standard online format.
Paragraphs are indicated by a spaced line (replacing indentation) and each sentence takes a new line.

Page 17
1. Fornander, Abraham: Forlander Collection of Antiquities and Hawaiian Folk Lore : Translations by Thomas G. Thrum.
Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 1919-1920.
Memoirs of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Volumes 4, 5 and 6.
DeLa Vega (2004) notes "Tom Blake considered this collection one of the most comprehensive looks at the legends and chants of ancient Hawaii.", page 19.

2. "alaia, three yards long"
One yard equals three feet, 36 inches or 92 cm.
The reported alaia is approximately 9 feet or 275 cm long.
This conforms with existing examples of the board.

3. "kakala, a curling wave, terrible, death dealing."
The wave is characterised by its steep face and hard breaking curl.
It is typically found in the common beach break.

4. "Olo, six yards long."
One yard equals three feet, 36 inches or 92 cm.
The reported Olo is approximately 18 feet or 550 cm  long.
This reasonably conforms with two know existing examples of the board, hower both are in koa wood..

5. "opuu, a non-breaking wave, something like calmness."
The wave is characterised by its gentle sloping face.
A noted feature of surfing conditions at Waikiki, Ohau, it is favoured by canoe surfers.

6. "This passage shows the different boards best suited to different kinds of waves."
Although this is generally correct, the performance of any surfboard is a function of the rider's statue and skill.

7. "The alaia as the thin board was called, ranged from a few feet, a child's size, to about twelve feet long for adults."
Buck (1959)  notes "The Bishop Museum collection consists of 25 boards ranging from a child's board of breadfruit wood (Bishop Museum catalogue number C. 5966), 34.25 inches long, weighing 2 pounds 10 ounces to a modern redwood board, 17 feet 2 inches long, weighing 174 pounds." Page 384.
While Blake chiefly characterises the alaia as "the thin board" with a wide range of lengths and widths, Buck (1957) and Finney (1959) make a distinction based on riding position -  prone ("body-board') or standing models ("true surfboards"), based largely on length.
Buck (1957) page 384
Finney (1959) pages 331 and 333.
This distinction presents several difficulties.
1. Firstly, it requires the observer to determine the riding position of any particular board based on their surf riding experience.
As noted above, the performance of any surfboard is a function of the rider's statue and skill.
2. While early reports indicate that solid board riders did ride in the standing position, it is unclear if this was practised as an exclusive preference.
The ancients may have ridden a particular wave in a variety of positions - prone, kneeling, drop-knee, sitting and standing - adjusting to changes in the wave's shape and velocity.
3. There is no such distinction in the early literature.
Commentators, such as Malcom Gault-Williams (2005) have used the term paipo (page 95) to indicate prone boards, but this word does not appear in any list of ancient Hawaiian words.
See Finney and Houston (1996) Appendix A, pages 94 to 96.
4. The principal feature for a board to be ridden in a standing position is possibly the width.
5. All these commentators fail to note the major advantage of a board with larger volume - a significant improvement in padding speed and distance.
It is probably reasonable to assume that, regardless of the statue and skill of the rider, that smaller boards were mostly used at surfing breaks close to shore, while larger boards had the potential to ride waves breaking  a considerable distance from shore.

8. "The larger one being about one and one half inches thick through the center, levelling off on both top and bottom to about one-quarter inch at the edges."
This indicates that the maximum thickness for the alaia was one and one half inches, considerably thinner than all subsequent surfboard designs.

9. "The kakala, indicates a wave that steepens up and crashes over the shallow coral."
As noted, this type of wave is typically found in the common beach break.
Surfing breaks occuring on coral reefs are generally limted to equatorial regions.

10. "koa" (Acacia koa)
Tommy Holmes' authorative work, The Hawaiian Canoe (1981, 1993), writes extensively about koa and its use of  by ancient Hawaiian canoe builders.
Significant sections are of interest in a discussion of ancient Hawaiian surfboards.
Holme's work is fully referenced, however his notes are not included in this paper.
Holmes, Tommy : The Hawaiian Canoe - Second Edition
Editions Limited, PO Box 10558 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.
First Edition 1981. Second Edition 1993. Second Printing 1996.

Koa
A magnificent and totally unexpected gift awaited discovery by the settlers reaching Hawai'i.
The islands were blessed with extensive forests of what would come to be called koa, trees of extraordinary size that were found nowhere else in the world.
These trees would provide wood of remarkable durability out of which the Hawaiian would shape his canoes.
For some 1500 years the Hawaiian people lived in delicate balance with their environment, the trees they used being replaced by natural regeneration.
Contact with the west shattered this fragile balance; in the span of a few decades koa began a radical decline that has continued even to the present day.

"Their huge trunks and limbs cover the ground so thickly that it is difficult to ride through the forest, if such it can be called," writes E.F. Rock in 1913 of a once beautiful koa forest in Kealakekua, South Kona.
Rock, a botanist, goes on to note of this macabre forest scene that "90 per cent of the trees are now dead, and the remaining 10 per cent in a dying condition."
In 1779, a little over one hundred and thirty years before Rock's observations, Lt. Charles Clerke who was with Captain Cook tells of wandering through the koa forest above Kealakekua: "Some of our Ex- plorers in the woods measured a tree 19 feet in the girth and rising very proportionably [sic] in its bulk to a great height, nor did this far, if at all, exceed in stateliness many of its neighbours; we never before met with this kind of wood."
Similarly, Archibald Menzies in 1792 describes the same area: "The largest trees which compose this vast forest I now found to be a new species of mimosa [koa]. ..I measured two of them near our path one of which was seventeen feet and the other about eighteen feet in circumference, with straight trunks forty or fifty feet high. ..as we advanced, the wood was more crowded with these trees than lower down where both sides of the path had been thinned of them by the inhabitants."
Page

Acacia koa, once undisputed monarch of the forests of Hawai'i, probably evolved from seeds hitchhiking to Hawai'i in the bowels of some storm-blown bird or through some other capricious act of the winds and seas.
In an environment that was comparatively free of competitors and predators, koa proliferated to where it was once-after 'ohi'a- the second most common forest tree in Hawai'i.
It has been estimated that today there is standing probably not much more than ten percent of the amount of koa that existed at the time of Cook's arrival; presently non-native species make up the majority of the forests of Hawai'i.
Page

Koa sometimes reaches massive proportions.
Tall, straight koa trees up to 20 feet in circumference were seen by a number of Europeans visiting Hawai'i in the late 1700's and early 1800's.
One legend reputes a koa tree with a straight trunk as high as 120 feet, and Emerson notes ten men were required to encompass another mammoth koa tree from which a canoe was to be hewed. Though these dimensions are probably exaggerated, there undoubtedly were some quite large koa trees.
Straight trunks in excess of 70 feet were not unheard of; and while never plentiful, one can still find today an occasional 50- t060-foot straight-trunked koa tree.
In 1977 a 62-foot log was felled in the Honomalino forest above Kona, from which a ten-man, 58-foot canoe has been made.
Of old, certain areas such as the mountains above Hilo and Kona and the slopes of Haleakala produced such an abundance of high quality canoe logs that a very disproportionate amount of the total number of canoes throughout the islands came from these sites.
At Keauhou Ranch on the island of Hawai'i there stands what is considered to be the largest koa tree in the world. Its trunk measures some 12 feet in diameter and 371/2 feet in circumference.
Though the trunk only rises about 30 feet before branching, its topmost branches tower 140 feet above the ground.
The tree is probably four hundred to five hundred years old.
Page

Koa For Canoes
Early Hawaiians, and canoe builders in particular, possessed an especially detailed knowledge of differing physical characteristics of woods, primarily of Acacia koa.
In the absence of modern-day botanical classification techniques, the canoe builder devised his own very sophisticated system for classifying koa.
Through analysis of a tree's trunk shape and dimensions, bark, grain, and branching patterns, a canoe builder was able to identify each koa tree as being of a certain type.

Beyond the obvious gross physical characteristics of a koa tree, the ancient canoe builder was most concerned with the grain, for well he knew that each tree possessed distinct grain characteristics. While today's botanist will tell you that Acacia koa is Acacia koa, he will observe that there is, besides the more obvious differences in physical characteristics, a remarkable range in the density from one tree to the next, and from one stand to the next.
The density of koa ranges from a low of about 30 pounds per cubic foot to a high of 80 pounds per cubic foot.
In some cases there will even be a significant range of grain density within the same tree.
It was apparently this maverick and obscure feature of koa wood that most plagued the canoe builder.
Page 29

While the Hawaiian did not think in terms of pounds per cubic foot, he did develop a system of grain classification that was for all practical purposes comparable to a botanist's grain density scale.
Low density koa (roughly 30 to 45 pounds per cubic foot) was to the canoe builder generally soft, lightweight, and yellowish.
He called it koa la' au mai' a (banana- colored koa) and valued it for its lightness as wood for paddles, but rarely used it for canoes.
Another name for this type of koa wood was koa' awapuhi, literally, "ginger koa," which was regarded as female by the Hawaiians.
Mid-range density koa (40 to 60 pounds per cubic foot), reddish to brown, was overwhelmingly favored for making canoes, primarily because of its durability, and strength-to-weight relationship. Koa at the high end of the density range (60 to 80 pounds per cubic foot) was almost black in color and extremely heavy.
The wood of this type of tree was called koa 'i'o 'ohi'a (hard 'ohi'a-like grain) and was usually avoided for canoes because the wood was heavy and hard to work.
On the occasion when a canoe was made of this kind of koa it was said that it "will never lose its heaviness until. it is smashed."
This contrasts to the typical koa canoe that over the years loses weight due to water loss from the wood.
Noting the tendency of koa to crack and check, canoe builder Z.P.K. Kalokuokamaile said that the canoe maker of old had "to be very careful for the grain of some trees lie [sic] all in the same direction."
(Note that one would expect "the tendency for koa to crack and check" to be an important concern to the builder using this timber for surfboards, it is not mentioneed in any of the traditional sources.)

Further identification of a tree was made through its bark.
Unfortunately, only two types are recorded.
Kaekae was a whitish bark that generally covered a tall, handsome tree, indicating a straight grain of the la' au mai' a variety.
This type of tree, according to Kalokuokamaile, made "a very light canoe and floats well after it is built and put into the sea."
Maua on the other hand, was a dark red bark that typically sheathed the tough, heavy, black-grained ~i'o 'ohi'a, of which "the grain of the wood twists forward and back.
This is hard to make into a canoe."
Trunk shape and dimensions, and branching patterns provided the canoe builder with his most common means of identifying different types of koa.
Holmes then records a list of twenty-one terms still known that were used in identifying koa wa'a (koa for canoes).
Page 30

10. "breadfruit tree." (ulu) (Artocarpus incisus)

11. "wili wilIi wood" (Erythrina sandwicensis)

In a section titled Other Woods, Holmes discusses the use of breadfruit and willi willi in canoe building.

Fornander notes that besides koa, "three other kinds of wood were used in the olden time for building canoes, the wiliwili, kukui (candle-nut tree), and ulu (breadfruit tree).
The wiliwili is yet being used.
The kukui is not much seen at this time.
The ulu is used for repairing a broken canoe
" Handy comments that the early Hawaiian settlers found kukui "to be one of their most valuable assets, perhaps the chief of which lay in the fact that the trunks of large trees could be hollowed into superb canoe hulls."
Soft, light and easily worked, breadfruit, kukui and wiliwili were especially favored as play or training canoes particularly for young aspiring canoeists or women.
The "baby" or training canoes rarely exceeded 20 feet in length and usually were in the 10 to 15 foot range.
Of the light woods, breadfruit was apparently least used; not only was the breadfruit tree fairly rare and needed as a food source, the one variety available to the Hawaiians was usually unsuitable in girth and height for making canoes.
Holmes' comments probably account for the restricted use of breadfruit for surfboard building, certainly for larger boards.
Of wiliwili, Fornander notes that "it was also made into canoes, provided a tree large enough to be made into a canoe can be found; but it is not suitable for two or three people, for it might sink in the sea.
But it must not be finished into a canoe while it is green; leave it for finishing till it has seasoned, then use it."
The essential requirement that the timber be seasoned before finishing is not reported in any of the accounts of early surfboard construction.
Emerson says of softwood wiliwili canoes that: "If not sufficiently durable and resistant to the powerful jaws of the shark, they were at least easily manipulated and very buoyant, and made a cheap and on the whole a very serviceable canoe for ordinary purposes."
Degener, in his book Flora Hawaiiensis, noted that in the early part of this century canoes of wiliwili were not in "favor because of the belief that sharks preferred to follow this particular wood." The limited literature on canoes made from softwoods tends to support the ancient Hawaiian's concern for the greater vulnerability of light wood canoes to occasional shark attacks.
These beliefs might seem to conflict with the many reports of the use of willi willi for ama (outrigger floats).
Note that such beliefs would certainly appear a disincentive to use willi willi for surfboard building and there is no consideration of this in the available literature..
Wiliwili canoes are almost always referred to in the literature as near-shore, play or training canoes. I'i notes that as a young boy he "had learned a little about paddling a canoe made of wiliwili wood that his parents had provided for him."
The restriction of willi willi to "near-shore, play or training canoes" is possibly a reflection on the low strength of the timber, the ancient Hawaiians distrustful of its performance in the open sea conditions.

Wiliwili, by some accounts, was never very plentiful.
Kalokuoka- maile notes that "in the olden days. ..there were very few places in which this tree grew." This is somewhat at odds with botanist W. E. Hillebrand, who wrote that wiliwili was "much more common formerly than now."
It was said by some that Ka'u was the best place for wiliwili.
Today wiliwili can be found flourishing in certain areas.
The author has visited a grove of wiliwili above the Makena area on Maui that comprises several hundred acres.
Many of the trees are 3 to 4 feet in diameter with trunks often rising 15 to 20 feet high before branching.
Other sizeable stands of wiliwili dating from precontact times can still be found in the Pu'uanahulu, Pu'uwa'awa'a and KaIapana areas of Hawai'i.
Smaller populations are also found on Kaua'i behind Kekaha, in west O'ahu, south and west Moloka'i, Kaupo on Maui, Ka'u on Hawai'i and on Kaho'olawe.

Emerson makes an intriguing reference to a certain kaukauali'i (mi- nor chief) who, in the time of Kamehameha I, constructed a vessel (moku) out of a single huge wiliwili tree.
He named this craft after himself, 'Waipa'.
It was partly covered or decked over, but had no outrigger, being kept upright by ballast.
It had a single mast and sailed with Kamehameha's fleet to Oahu." It is not unlikely that such a craft was built.
After contact there were a number of Hawaiians experimenting with new types of craft.
By way of reference, the largest wiliwili tree known, located on Pu'uwa'awa'a Ranch is, at breast height, almost thirteen feet in circumference, and fifty-five feet high.
Kenneth Emory, dean of Pacific anthropologists, records an informant who told him in 1937 of the Hawaiians training wiliwili trees to grow tall and straight before crowning by constantly trimming off side branches.
Page 23.

Holmes also includes a discussion of the use of non-native timbers, washed ashore on the Hawaian islands.
The use of such timber by ancient surfboard builders can not be discounted.
Drift Logs
The gods must surely have smiled on the Hawaiian people, giving them yet another special source of canoe logs: giant redwood, fir, pine and other kinds of tree trunks that drifted from the northwest coast of America to the shores of Hawai'i.
W. T. Brigham, one-time curator of the Bishop Museum, notes that "many of the largest and most famous double canoes of the Hawaiians were hewn from logs of Oregon pine brought to the shores ofNiihau and Kauai by the waves.
I myself saw dozens of such logs in 1864, some of great size, some bored by Teredo, others covered with barnacles, along the shores ofNiihau."
Similarly James Hornell notes that, "in Hawaii giant logs of Oregon pine occasionally drifted ashore; these were greatly prized, for they were often so large as to serve as entire hulls without the need of raising the sides by means of planks sewn on; the difficulty was to obtain a pair of approximately equal size; sometimes a log was kept for years before this aim was achieved."
It was as if nature had compensated for the chronic canoe log shortage on Kaua'i and Ni'ihau, for that was where most of these drift logs landed.
Captain George Vancouver notes that "the circumstance of fir timber being drifted on the northern sides of these islands is by no means uncommon, especially in Attowai [Kaua'i], where there then was a double canoe, of a middling size, made from two small-pine trees, that were driven on shore nearly at the same spot."
The log belonged to whatever chief ruled over that stretch of coastline where it happened to be beached.
Menzies, -Vancouver's surgeon and naturalist, while crossing the Kaua'i Channel later reported "the largest single canoe we had seen amongst these islands, being about sixty feet long and made of one piece of the trunk of a pine tree which had drifted on shore on the east end of the island of Kauai a few years back..
She had sixteen men on her and was loaded on the outriggers with a large quantity of cloth, spears, two muskets, and other articles, which they were carrying up to Mau

Page 24.

12. "the Olo type was about six inches thick maximum, down the center of the board, and made of convex top and bottom so the edges beveled off to about one-half inch all around."
This report is apparently based on the dimensions of the three known examples - two of koa wood and one of non-native pine. .
As yet, no reference records the thickness for an alaia or Olo board built from willi willi.
Given the reported low strength of willi willi, it is possible that the extreme thickness (compared to the alaia) was required to improve the structural integrity of the board.

13. "The Hawaiian chief, Pakai, was a famous surf rider around the 1830 period."

14. "His two great surfboards are now in the Bishop Museum."

15. "Wili wilIi being generally used."

Page 18

The store of legends pertaining to ancient surfriding being exhausted, I am fortunate in having at hand the earliest writing of white men in these Islands that refer to the sport. The oldest, of 1783 vintage, by Ellis, Captain
Cook's historian, leaves an account of how the Hawaiians of that time practiced surfriding. It says:
"Native men, and women alike, enjoyed it. In Kealakakua Bay (Hawaii) the waves broke out about one hundred and fifty yards. Twenty or thirty natives, each with a narrow board with rounded ends, would start out together from the shore and battle the breaking waves to a point out beyond. The surfers would then lay themselves full length upon the boards and prepare for the swift return to shore, They would throw themselves in the crest of the largest wave, and be driven towards shore with amazing rapidity. The riders must ride through jagged opening in the rocks, and, in case of failure, be dashed against them."
The boards used by these natives were undoubtedly of the aleia or thin type.
The Olo, or long thick board, would not be practical on so short a surf, and rocky a shore. The long surf and unbroken swells are better suited to the Olo board.
Archibald Campbell, in his work, Voyage Around the World, 1806-1812, refers to seeing surfboards in the Sandwich Isles, ( now, the Hawaiian Islands). Of the natives, he says:
"They often swam several miles offshore, to ships, sometimes resting upon a plank shaped like an anchor stock -and paddling with their hands, but more frequently without any assistance what- ever. Although sharks are numerous in those waters, I never heard of any accident from them, which, I attribute to the dexter- ity with which they avoided their attacks."
Pages 33-34.

Ellis, in a work of 1823, says: "After using, the surfboard is placed in the sun till perfectly dry, then it is rubbed over with cocoanut oil, frequently wrapped with cloth and suspended in some part of their dwelling house.
"There are few children who are not taken into the sea by their mothers the second or third day after their birth, and many can swim as soon as they can walk."
I can say that many children, boys of about eight years old, can ride the waves on a surfboard. True, they stay near shore, but master the same technique as their older brothers.
The great regard of the ancient Hawaiian for his surfboard, displayed by his care in drying and oiling it and even wrapping it in 'tapa and hanging it in his house, gives some idea of the value and high place the surfboard had in his life.
Next comes the work of Malo, the Hawaiian historian, with translations by Emerson. Malo was born in 1793, was known to be writing in 1832, and died in 1853. An honest, conscientious writer, he devotes but a short chapter to surf riding as practiced by the old Hawaiians. However, his work is invaluable in building the chain of surfboard customs.
Malo says: "Surfriding was a national sport of the Hawaiians, at which they were very fond of betting, each man staking his property on the one he thought ;to be the most skillful.
"With the bets all put up, the surf riders, taking their boards with them, swam out through the surf ;till they had reached the waters .outside the surf.
"The surfboards were broad and flat, generally hewn out of koa. A narrower board was made from the wood of the wili wili. One board would be one fathom in length; one, two fathoms; and another, four fathoms or even longer.
Page 36.
"The surf riders having reached the belt of water outside the surf, the region where the rollers begin to make head,' awaited the incoming wave in preparation for which they got their boards under way by paddling with their hands until such time as the swelling wave began to lift and urge them forward.
"Then they speeded for the shore until they came opposite to where was moored a buoy, which was called a pau. If the combatants crossed the line of this buoy together, it was a dead heat, but if one went by in advance of the others, he was the victor ."
Malo wrote another paragraph in his chapter on surfriding which Emerson could not translate, but thought it meant that the victor was declared only after more than one heat, or that the race consisted of several or many trips from outside to the buoy or finish. I feel that ;this interpretation is correct. Anything from three to ten rides would be an average race.
Emerson found him over estimating dist,ances or sizes on two occasions. I believe Malo meant yards when he used fath- oms. How many of you know how long a fathom is? Six feet.
Malo's statement that a "narrower board was made from the wili wili," bears out my theory that the 010, or long type board, was not usually made of the hardwoods from koa and breadfruit trees, but of the sof,t, light wood of the wi Ii wili tree. Those koa boards of chief Paki's in the the Bishop Museum, are really a bit too heavy, although handling well in the water, and riding the big swells in a good manner. I choose, for the big waves, a hollow board weighted with lead to make it steady. I find seventy pounds a good weight for a hollow board for big surf.
I recently had the privilege, and hard work, of restoring Paki's museum boards to their original condition. For twenty years or more they had been hanging or tied wi,th wire against the stone wall on the outside of the museum, covered with some old reddish paint and rather neglected.
My inquiries into the art of surfriding disclosed to me the the true value of these two old koa boards. They are the only two ancient surfboards of authentic 010 design known to be in exist- ence today.
I made an appeal to Mr. Bryan, curator of the museum, to restore the boards to their former unpainted finish and begged a
Page 37.

more worthy location for their display in the museum. Permission was refused by the directors on the grounds that I might injure the e,rident antiquity of Paki's boards. After two years, I made a second appeal, and was granted permission to restore them and given promise of a more suitable location inside the building to keep them.
In the restoration of Paki's old boards, I discovered that they are undoubtedly much older than anyone suspected. In fact, they were probably already: antiques when Paki acquired them. I shall give my reasons for this inference.
Underneath the old red paint was several coats of blue paint. and underneath ,that were hard layers of a sand colored paint, and underneath that in many spots was marine deck seam compound filling in worm eaten parts of the board. On the largest board, the tail, in part, was rebuilt of California redwood to give the board its original shape.
Paki, according ,to Stokes, was born on Molokai in 1808, and lived until 1855. It was probably around 1830 when Paki was man enough to handle these big boards. The old whaling ships were sometimes seen in Honolulu harbor then and the several kinds of paint beneath the old red surface, also the ship's deck seam compound and redwood tail patch were available even before
1830.
Therefore, I assume that Paki dug up these two fine old dis- carded worm-eaten boards, had the redwood patch put on one, the deck caulking compound and paint on both, and painted them, so he could use them himself.
In their restored condition, the worn holes and patches show clearly under the varnish finish. Two fine examples of a now extinct design are these two old board on which Chief Paki once rode the Kalahuewehe surf at Waikiki.
1t is said that Pili would not go surfriding unless it was too stormy for anyone else to go out. His reputation of going out only in big surf is the natural thing when a man gets beyond his youth. Today, it takes big waves to get the old timers out on their boards.
A bit of information as to surfriding in other South Sea Islands is disclosed by Wilkes. He says: "The King's Mile Is- landers use a small board in swimming in the surf like that used in the Sandwich Islands." (Hawaiian.)
Page 38.
And Cordington says: "In the Banks Islands and Torris Islands, and no doubt in other islands, they use the surfboard."
It is apparent to me that it remained for the old Hawaiians to put the art of the surfboard on the highest level of develop- ment and popularity' it had ever reached in the world, a much higher level than the sport occupies today. But it is coming back and the future will see contests and surfriding that will rival any that ,took place for the old Hawaiian kings.
Of surf riding in 1853, an observer says: "Lahaina is the only place where surf riding is practiced with any degree of enthusiasm, and even there it is rapidly passing out of existence."
This writer referred only to the Island of Maui, I believe. Here's a reference to the isolation and quietness of Waikiki
in the early days; the work of G. W. Bates, published in 1854: "Within a mile of the crater's base (Diamond Head) is the
old village of Waikiki. It stands in the center of a handsome coconut grove. There is a fine bay before the village, in whose water the vessels of Vancouver and other distinguished navigators have anchored.
"There were no busy artizans wielding their implements of labor; no civilized vehicles bearing their loads of commerce, or any living occupant.
"Benea'th the cool shade of some evergreens, or in a thatched house reposed several canoes. Everything was so quiet as though it were the only village on earth; and the tennants, its only denizens.
"A few natives were enjoying a promiscuous bath in a crystal clear stream that came directly from the mountains.
"Some were steering their frail canoes seaward; others clad simply in Nature's robes, were wading out on the reefs in search of fish."
Page 39.
Aside from the charm of Bates' description of old Waikiki it establishes the fact that under those conditions, surfriding was, indeed a lost art. I feel, however, that there was always surfrid- ing at Waikiki beach, on some kind of a board. Waikiki's condi- tion in 1854 indicates that the great popularity of the national pastime, surf riding, was but a memory.
John Dean Caton, L.L.D., gives his observations on surf- riding at Hilo, Hawaii, in a volume published in 1880, and throws light on the much argued points as to whether the old surfriders rode the waves at an angle, or slid them, and whether they stood upright upon the speeding surfboard.
Caton says: "One instantly dashed in, in front of, and at the lowest declevity of the advancing wave, and with a few strokes of hands and feet, es'tablished his position (on the wave). Then, without further effort, shot along the base of the wave to the ea!t- ward with incredible velocity. Naturally, he came towards shore with ,the body of the wave as he advanced, but his course was along the foot of the wave, and parallel with it, so that we only saw that he was running past with the speed of a swift winged bird. He kept up with ,the progress of the breaking crest, which moved from west to east, as successive portions 01 the wave took the ground (broke in shallow water) ."
There we have an old time surf rider sliding the wave from
Page 41.

west to east in grand style, jU&t as we do at Waikiki beach today, and they slid the wave for the same reason we do today; that is, to get away from the breaking or foaming crest of the wave.
Caton continues: "As the big seas chased each other in from the open ocean, the west end first reached the rocky bed, and the instant the bottom of the wave met this obstruction, its rotary motion was checked, and immediately, the comb on the top was formed, so that the foamy crest seemed to run along the top of the wave from west to east, as successive portions of it reached the rock bottom."
This explains why the wave breaks at a certain place first, if you follow Caton. The riders he saw had to slide the wave to get away from the break and keep off the rocks.
Relative to standing, Caton says: "As soon as the bather had secured his position, he gave a spring, and stood upon his knees upon the board, and just as he was passing us, when about four hundred feet from the little peninsula point where we stood, he gave another spring and stood upon his feet, now folding his arms upon his breast, and now swinging them about in wild ecstasy, in his exhilarating flight."
So they stood upon the surfboard in olden times just as we do today. Caton describes these boards as being about one and one-half inches thick, seven feet long, coffin shaped, rounded at the ends, chamfered (beveled) at the edges; about fifteen inches wide at the widest point near the forward end, and eleven inches wide at the back end.
Clearly, boards of the aliea, or thin design, were usually made of koa or wood of the breadfruit tree. At Waikiki, today, a board of tHe above dimensions is used only by children up to twelve years old.
The surf bathers Caton speaks of were certainly of the old school, as he says they stripped to their breach cloths or malos, before going in the water.
Caton found the natives could not explain why they were propelled sh.oreward with such astonishing speed, nor could Mr. Ca~n explain it himself, nor could his friends. He hoped that someday, someone would study the question and find an answer to it.
The answer is relatively simple. Gravity does the trick. The
Page 42.
front slope of the wave on which one slides presents a down-hill path, while the friction of the slippery board against the water is very small. It's the same as skiing on a snow-covered hill, and there is no doubt as to what make& one slide down a hill on skis. However, in skiing, one can start down hill from a stationary posi- tion, while in surfriding some momentum must first be attained ,to catch up with the incoming swell. This is accomplished by pad- dling the board with the hands and arms.
In 1822, a publication, the Hawaiian Annauls, has an inter- esting comment to make on surf riding:
"The principal sport is surf riding ...The people of Kauai generally held the credit of exceeding all others in the sports of the Islands. At one time, they sent their champion surf rider to compete with the chiefs in the sport on Hawaii, who showed them man's ability to shoot, or ride with the surf without a surfboard."
So the popular and much seen United States sport of "body surfing" is an old Hawaiian custom.
Some feel that the cooler climate of Kauai is why the greatest athletes come from those shores.
Duke Kahanomoku calls attention to the fact that to catch a wave for "body surfing," in the true Hawaiian manner, it is necessary to swim before the breaker using the modern crawl stroke, with a flutter kick. As a boy, Duke "body-surfed" and swam the crawl stroke before the world had a name for it. Also the ancient Hawaiians, adapt at "body surfing," swam the crawl stroke as part of the sport; therefore, the origin of the so-called new craw swimming stroke dates back to antiquity.
The crawl kick was also used in conjunction with the short three-foot surfboards used at Waikiki beach around the 1903 period.
I can say Duke is the world's outstanding body-surfer. I have watched him ride the surf in perfect style here in Hawaii and in the mainland United States, without a board. On one occasion at Balboa, California, I saw him body-surf a big comber for over two hundred yards.
When body surfing, Duke can slide the wave left or right at will. This greatly surprised the Australians as they had never seen it done before, although they were familiar with shooting the waves without a board.
Page 43.
 
 

The Australians are very clever at this sport; it is the leading water pastime at their beaches.
In 1891, Bolton wrote: "The sport of surf riding, once so universally popular, and now but little seen."
As seen on the Island of Niihau, Bolton describes surf riding: "Six stalwart men assembled on the beach, bearing with them their precious surfboards. These surfboards, in Hawaiian, 'papahee- nalu,' or 'wave sliding boards,' are made from the wood of the veri veri, or breadfruit 'tree. They are eight or nine feet long, fifteen to twenty inches wide, rather thin, rounded at each end, and carefully smoothed. The boards are stained black, are fre- quently rubbed with coconut oil, and are preserved with great solicitude, sometimes wrapped in cloths. Children use smaller boards. ..Just as a high billow was about to break over them, pushed landward in front of the combers. They drove him for- ward ont9 the. beach, or into shallow water."
.Here we find the same kind of surfboard, the aliea type used in Niihau, as seen 1?Y Caton in Hawaii, at the other end of the group of Hawaiian Islands.
In the Ha~ian Annuals, published in 1896, is an account of ancient surfriding, prepated by a native of the Kona district of Hawaii, familiar with the subject. The valuable work was trans- lated by Nakoina, a former surfrider.
I feel this to be the finest contribution on old surfriding in existence and am sure the "native from Kona" knew the art of surfriding well. Her:e is the account:
"Surfriding was one of the favorite sports, in which chiefs, men, women and youths took a lively interest. Much valuable time was spent by them in this practice ,throughout the day. Necessary work for the maintenance of the family, such as farming, fishing, mat and tapa making, and such other household duties required of them and needing attention, by either head of the family, was often neglected for the prosecution of the sport. Betting was made an accompaniment thereof, both by .the chiefs and the common people, as was done in all other games, such as wrestling, foot- racing, holua, and several other games known only to the old Hawaiians. Canoes, nets, fishing lines, kapas, swine, poultry and all other property was staked, and in some instances, life itself was put as a wager. The property changing hands and personal
Page 44.
liberty or even life itself sacrificed according to the outcome of
the match, the winners carrying off their riches, and the losers
and their families passing to a life of poverty or servitude. There
are only three kinds of trees known to be used for making boards
for surfriding. the wili wili, the ulu or breafruit, and the koa.
"Tree and mode of cutting: The uninitiated were naturally careless or indifferent as to the method of cutting the chosen tree;
but among those who desired success upon their labors, the follow-
ing rites were carefully observed.
"Upon the selection of a suitable tree, a red fish called kumu, was first procured, which was placed at its trunk. The tree was then cut down, after which a hole was dug at its root and the fish placed therein with a prayer as an offering in payment thereof. After this ceremony was performed the tree trunk was chipped away from each side until reduced to a board approximately of
the dimensions required, when it was pulled down to the beach and placed in the halau (canoe-house), or other suitable place con- venient for its finishing work.
"Finishing process. Coral of the corrugated variety which could be gathered in abundance along the sea beach and a rough kind of stone called 'oahi' were commonly used articles for reduc- ing and smoothing the rough surface of the board until all marks
of the stone adze were obliterated. As a finishing stain, the root
of the ti plant called 'mole-ki' or the pounded bark of the kukui, called 'hili,' was the mordant used for a paint made with the root
of burned kukui nuts. This furnished a durable, glossy, black finish, far preferable to that made of the ashes of burned cane leaves or amau fern which had neither body nor gloss."
Emerson says of the protective finish of the canoe and surf- board: "This Hawaiian paint had almost the quality of lacquer. Its ingredients were .the juice of a certain euphorbia, the juice of the inner bark of the root of the kukui tree, the juice of the bud of the banana tree, together with a charcoal made from the leaf of the pandanus. A dressing of oil from the nut of the kukui was
finally added to give a finish."
I am told by Cottrell, who saw the performance, that a surf- board made of wili wili wood was buried in mud, near a spring, for a certain length of time to give it a high polish.
I should say that the mud entered the porous surface of the
Page 45.
wi Ii wili board acting as a good "filler" for sealing up the surface. When the board was then dried out the mud surface became hard and was polished and oiled to a fine waterproof finish.
"Before using the board, there were other rites or ceremonies to be performed for its dedication. As before these were disre- garded by the common people, but among those who followed the making of surfboards as a trade, they were religiously observed.
"There were .two kinds of boards for surf riding. One was called Olo, and the other the alaia, known also as omo. The Olo was made of wili wili, a very light bouyant wood, some three fathoms long, two to three feet wide, and from six to eight inches thick along the middle of the board lengthwise, but rounding to- ward the edges on both upper and lower sides. It is well known that the 010 was only for the use of the chiefs; none of the com- mon people used it. They used the alaia, which was made of koa or ulu. Its length and width was similar to the 010 except in thickness, it being about one and a half inches along its center.
"Breakers. The line of breakers is the place where the outer surf rises and breaks at deep sea. This is called kulana nalu. Any place nearer or closer in where the surf rises and breaks again as they sometimes do, is ca1led the ahua.
"Methods of Surfriding. The swimmer taking position at the line of breakers waits for the line .of surf. As before men- tioned, the first one is a1lowed to pass by. It is never ridden be- cause its front is rough. If the second comber is seen to be a good one, it is sometimes taken, but usua1ly the third or fourth is the best, both from the regularity of its breaking and the foam calmed surface of the sea through the travel of its predecessors. In riding with the 010 or thick board on a big surf, the board is pointed landward and the rider mounting it paddles with his hands and impe1ls with his feet to give the board a forward movement and when it receives the momentum of the surf and begins to rush downward, the ski1led rider will guide his course straight or obliquely, apparently at wi1l, according to spending character of the surf ridden, to land himself high and dry on the beach or dis- moTt on nearing it as he may elect. This style of riding was called kipapa. In using ,the 010 great care had to be exercised in its management lest from the height of the wave if coming in direct the board would be forced into the face of the breaker
Page 46.
instead of floating lightly and riding on ,the surface of the water in which case the wave force being spent reaction throws both rider and board into the air.
"In the use of the Olo, the rider had to swim out around the
line of surf to obtain position or be conveyed thither by canoe. To swim out through the surf with such a buoyant bulk was not possible, though it was sometimes done with the thin boards, the alaia. The latter are good for riding all kinds of surf and are much easier ,to handle than the 010.
"Expert Positions. \T arious positions used to be indulged in by experts in this aquatic sport, such as standing, kneeling and sitting. These performances could only be indulged in after the board had taken on ,the surf momentum and in the following man- ner. Placing the hands on each side of the board close to the edge, the weight of the body was thrown upon the hands, and the feet brought up quickly to the kneeling position. The sitting posi- tion is obtained in the same way, though the hands must not be removed from the board till the legs are thrown forward and the desired position is secured. From kneeling the standing position was obtained by placing both hands again on the board, and with agility, leaping up to the erect altitude, balancing the body on the swift, coursing board with outstretched arms."
I can detect only one error in the work. That writer says the 010 board of wili wili was "two or three feet wide." This makes the board too wide to paddle comfortably and also too wide to give a good performance. The width of the 010 board was from one to two feet wide, instead of from two to three. I also infer, from that error, the writer to be unfamiliar with the wi Ii wili, or chief's board. It is also evident from his writing that the 010, or long thick board, was not made of koa and ulu, but of only wili wili. Therefore, PaKi's boards of 010 design and made of koa are an exception and not the rule. They really are too heavy to please the average surfrider. On the other hand, we have today an enthusiastic and skillful surf rider, Northrop Castle, who has a board weighing more than either of Paki's. Castle's board weighs about two hundred pounds, and he likes it.
The popularity of betting on the old contests is discussed before all else. This emphasizes its importance in ancient times
Page 47.
and that in turn gives a better insight into the place surfboard racing had in their lives.
In the American Anthropologist, 1889, we find reference to surfriding: "The riders sometimes also raced to the kulano, or starting place. Standing on the boards as they shot in was by no means uncommon. Men and women both took part in this de- lightful pastime, which is now almost a lost art."
This establishes the fact that some of the races were started from shore, the men paddling, or racing out to ,the starting of the breakers.
The above work also says: "Racing in the surf is called hie- eie-nalu, 'hie-eie' meaning to race and 'nalu' meaning surf. Two champions will swim out to sea on boards, and the first on arriv- ing on shore wins."
Andrews gives the names 010 and wili wili, for a "very thick surfboard made of wili wili," and o-ni-ni as a "kind of surfboard," also "pa-ha" as a name for a surfboard.
In Andrew's mind there evidently was established the belief that the wili wili wood was the accepted wood for making the 010 or long thick surfboard.
Brigpam, in Preliminary Catalogue, says: "Surfboards were usually made of koa, flat with a slightly convex surface, rounded at one end, slightly narrowing towards the stern, where it was cut square. Sometimes ,the 'pa-pa' (surfboard) was made of a very light wi Ii wili and then made;ooQ1Q. (narrow). In size, they varied from three to eighteen feet in length and from eight to ten inches in breadth, but some of the ancient boards were said to have been four fathoms long."
There again, we have an entirely different writer, who actually says that the Olo, or narrow board, was made of the light wili wilIi wood and up to eighteen feet in length.
Page 49.

A selection of photographs, Third set between pages 48 and 49, includes  Jacques Arago's (or Alphonse Pellion's) :
"The Houses of Kraimokou, circa 1819." and the caption by Blake ...

This third set also includes a photograph of a selection of four surfboards and the caption

In another magazine, The Pan Pacific, an article called "Surf- riding-The Royal and Ancient Sport," by this writer, discloses the motif for trying to change the then popular and satisfactory type of surfboards. Written in 1930, the article reads in part:
"Strange as it may seem, three old-style Hawaiian surfboards of huge dimensions and weight have hung on the walls of the Bishop Museum -in Honolulu for twenty years or more without anyone doing more than wonder how in the world these great boards were used, and were they not too long and heavy to be practicable;
"I too, wondered about these boards in the museum, wondered so much that in 1926 I built a duplicate of them as an experiment, my object being to find not a better board, but to find a faster board to use in the annual and popular surfboard paddling races held in Southern California each summer. This surfboard was sixteen feet long and weight 120 pounds. When I appeared with it for the first time before 10,000 people gathered for a holiday and to watch the races, it was regarded as silly. Handling this heavy board alone, I got off to a poor start, the rest of the field gaining a thirty-yard lead in the meantime. It really looked bad for the board and my reputation and hundreds openly laughed. But a few minutes later it turned to applause because the big board led the way to ,the finish of the 88O-yard course by fully 100 yards.
"My dream was to introduce, or revive, this type of board in Hawaii where surfboard racing and riding is at its best. This seems to have materialized, for, quoting Dr. D'Eliscu of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 'The old Hawaiian surfboard has again made its appearance at Waikiki beach modeled after the boards used in the old days. A practice trial was held yesterday at the War Memorial Pool, and to the surprise of the officials, the board took several seconds off the Hawaiian record for one hundred yards.' This was the racing model. The riding model, 'Okohola,' came a month later, December, 1929.
"What pleases me most is the way the board can catch the ground swells on the reef so much farther out to sea than the
Page 59.

ordinary surfboard. So my faith in the ideas of the old Hawaiians has been rewarded by the performance of a board designed by them thousands of years ago.
"Dad Center, kamaina and famous surf rider, says that when he was a boy on the Island of Maui, a native took a long board out in storm surf and rode the swells till they broke near shore. So there we have a complete substantiation of what the museum type board suggests. Dad continues, 'That was in the '90's and was about the finish of the long board on that island. They were occasionally used, however, more as a novelty at Waikiki, until around 1900.
I "Around 1900 the art of surfriding was almost obsolete. Even at Waikiki beach there was very little as most people lived in Honolulu and it was difficult to get to Waikiki. Interest revived and in 1907 a group of prominent men, led by Alexander Hume Ford, organized and formed the Outrif{ger Canoe Club. The
charter reads: 'We wish to have a place where surfboard riding' may be revived and those who live away from the water front
may keep their surfboards. The main. object of this club being. to give an added and permanent attraction to Hawaii and make
the Wajkiki beach the home of the surfrider'."
I have some notes relative to the 1900 period written by Wm. A. Cottrell, one of the early surfriders at Waikiki. He says: "Princess Kaiulaini was an expert surf rider around 1895 to 1900. She rode a long 010 board made of wi Ii wili. She apparently was the last of the old school at Waikiki.
"About 1903 we used a short board a few feet long, rather thin and wide, like a washboard. From 1903 to 1908 marks the true revival of the sport. encouraged by the following old timers: Wm. Dole, Dudie ¥iller. Duke Kahanamoku, Harold Castle, Geo. Freeth. Dad Center, Kauha, Ho1stein, Jordan, Lishman, Atkin-. son, "Steamboat" Bill, Winter, Brown. Kaupipko, Mahelona, Kea- wamaki, May, Curtiss, Hustace, Roth, Aurnolu and McKenzie. Some of these men are riding today. Many of the above men were members of ,the first club, called the 'Waikiki Swimming Club'; the charter members were Duke Kahanamoku, Knute Cot- rell, and Ken Winters. This club was an incentive which influenced the foundation of the Outrigger Canoe Club in 1907 and the Hui Nalu along about the same time."
Page 60.
In 1961, Tom Blake reprised some of his original work in a second book
A short note is included in the Foreward
The designing and building of surfboards was a highly respected profession. The making of a board was a prolonged job; first, the tree must be felled in the mountain valley, then laboriously carried home, shaped with stone adzes, allowed to season, then finished, and finally, launched. A good board was kept in the family for generations. Such a board was considered
to possess much Manu, or accumulated powers. , :::
When the storm waves were up, the young men took off for the beach; duties of tending the taro patch, carving the calabash and of hewing the canoes were neglected, until the waves subsided.
Foreward :  Page 1

Two images accompany the following text
HISTORIC COLLECTION (Figure 1)
At the Bishop Musewn, secure in a vault-like room of heavy concrete along with countless other artifacts of early Hawaiian culture, is this collection of surf- boards. The prehistoric models show a clear-cut dis- tinction between the Alaia and those of 010 design. However, no examples of the 010 board made of Wili Wili wood are here, or seem to be in existence. Sev- eral of these boards are links in the evolution of de- sign from 1900 to the 1930 period. The museum has not room to display this full collection.
SURFBOARDS OF ANCIENT TIMES (Figure 2)
Of interest to every surfrider and on display in the Bishop Museum of Honolulu are these two authentic models of the Ancient Royal Hawaiians. The one at the left is an Alaia, made of wood of the Breadfruit tree. It is an inch and one half thick maximum, and weighs about 70 pounds and was used by the commoners of Hawaii. The Board on the right of a similar shape, called Olo, is about six inches thick at the center. Both boards have a convex top and bottom and fairly sharp edges. 1'he long one is made of Hawaiian Koa wood, but the chieftains favored a light, balsa-like wood called Wili Wili, native to Hawaii, but now scarce. This Olo model weighs 168 pounds. One made of Wili Wili wood might weigh 60 pounds. It is believed they were generally ridden in a prone position on big waves while the thin one has good steering qualities for small surf and was easily ridable in a standing position.
Page

Page 43.Page 43.Page 43.

Dimensions vary between 6 feet and 12 feet in length, average 18 inches in width, and  between half an inch and an inch and a half thick. The nose is round and turned up, the tail square. The deck and the bottom are convex,  tapering to thin rounded rails. This cross-section would maintain maximum strength along the centre of the board and the rounded bottom gave directional stability, a crucial factor as the boards did not have fins.

Any discussion of the performance capabilities is largely speculation. Contemporary accounts definitely confirm that Alaia were ridden prone, kneeling and standing; and that the riders cut diagonally across the wave. Details of wave size, wave shape, stance and/or manouvres are, as would be expected, overlooked by most non-surfing observers. Most early illustrations of surfing simply fail to represent any understanding of the mechanics of wave riding. Modern surfing experience would suggest that high performance surfing is limited more by skill than equipment. It is a distinct probablity that ancient surfers rode large hollow waves deep in the curl - certainly prone, and on occassions standing.

By 1000 A.D these principles were confirmed...
13. Large waves are faster than small waves.-  a larger board is easier to achieve take off.
14. Steep waves are faster than flat waves.- a smaller board is easier to control at take off.
15. Control is more important than speed
16. Surfboards are precious.

There are no contemporary accounts of how the boards were ridden, but it is most likely that the design was specifically for riding large swells on outside reefs, rather than on breaking or curling waves. In 1961, Tom Blake suggested that the Olo may have been ridden prone.

In the 1920's, Tom Blake and Duke Kahanamoku reproduced the design  in a hollowed version to radically reduce the weight. See #5xx, below

This third set also includes a photograph of a selection of four surfboards and the caption ...surfboards, ancient and modern. .. The long board at the left is one of Chief Paki's and of olo design. It is made of koa wood over 16 feet long, 6 inches thick, with convex top and bottom, 18 inches wide and weighs 168 pounds. The next board is of ancient alaia design, made of wood of the breadfruit tree; it is 12 feet long, 20 inches wide, 1 Yz inches thick down the center and weighs about 50 pounds. The third board is Duke's, built around 1910 and representing the style of board in vogue until 1929. It is made of California redwood, 10 feet long, 3 inches thick, and 23 inches wide and its weight is 70 pounds. The last board to the right is the new stream-lined hollow design which is now gaining favor at Waikiki beach. I t is 12 feet 10 inches long, 22 inches wide maximum, 5Yz inches thick maximum, and weighs 44 pounds. It is slightly covex on the bottom. -Photo by Hosoka Illustrations, Third set, Plate , between pages 48 and 49. The image, right, is as reproduced in the 1983/1985/1996 reprint of Hawaiian Surfboard, retitled as Hawaiian Surfriders 1935. The image crops the tails of all the boards and the nose of Paki's board. The white scar appears to be a tear in the page from which the later edition was copied.

Image left Bishop Museum Surfboard Collection, circa 1959. Photograph: Star Bulletin. HISTORIC COLLECTION (Figure 1) At the Bishop Museum, secure in a vault-like room of heavy concrete along with countless other artifacts of early Hawaiian culture, is this collection of surf- boards. The prehistoric models show a clear-cut distinction between the Alaia and those of Olo design.  However, no examples of the Olo board made of Wili Wili wood are here, or seem to be in existence.  Several of these boards are links in the evolution of design from 1900 to the 1930 period. The museum has not room to display this full collection.

Image right Alia board and Paki's Olo, Bishop Museum Collection, circa 1959. Photograph: Star Bulletin SURFBOARDS OF ANCIENT TIMES (Figure 2) Of interest to every surfrider and on display in the Bishop Museum of Honolulu are these two authentic models of the Ancient Royal Hawaiians.  The one at the left is an Alaia, made of wood of the Breadfruit tree.  It is an inch and one half thick maximum, and weighs about 70 pounds and was used by the commoners of Hawaii.  The Board on the right of a similar shape, called Olo, is about six inches thick at the center.  Both boards have a convex top and bottom and fairly sharp edges.  The long one is made of Hawaiian Koa wood, but the chieftains favored a light, balsa-like wood called Wili Wili, native to Hawaii, but now scarce.  This Olo model weighs 168 pounds.  One made of Wili Wili wood might weigh 60 pounds.  It is believed they were generally ridden in a prone position on big waves while the thin one has good steering qualities for small surf and was easily ridable in a standing position.