History
Longboards are the original, and very first variety of board used in standup surfing. Surfing was brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Polynesians and has since become popular worldwide. The ancient boards were carved and fashioned out of solid wood, reaching lengths of ten to fourteen feet long and weighing as much as 150 pounds.
During the 19th century, some extreme western missionaries actively discouraged surfing, viewing it as sinful. By the early 20th century, only a handful of people surfed, mostly at Waikiki. But there, it started to grow again. The sport became popular in the late 1950's and as the sport evolved the surfboards became shorter and more maneuverable. By the mid 70's surfing had reached its maturity as an international sport and along with it came the branding of surf gear and sponsorship of major events such as the Smirnoff Pro Am and many more.
The Sport of surfing as we know it today is an extremely commercial industry and touches nearly all segments of the population today who relate to the sport through the strong fashion influence.
The resurgence of the Longboard, in 1987, brought about more refined traditional 9ft Longboard equipment which enabled extreme maneuvers traditional to the Shortboard to be integrated into the traditional laid back Longboard style. With this exciting new combination of the old and the new came the Modern Era of Longboarding as we know it today.
Today Longboarding is recognized as a fully fledged international sport with its own World Championships, Sponsorships and commercial appeal.