A Surfboard for Everybody
![Hawaiian surfers with alaia boards](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f1hjpcr4/production/29c1b542aecf76f6906f189bd7a5836111a75267-900x506.jpg?w=640&h=360&q=65&auto=format)
Hawaiian surfers with alaia boards
![19th century engraving](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f1hjpcr4/production/75c2ba65f0a03fa4a7f48aef6ab77d7714cc0666-900x506.jpg?w=640&h=360&q=65&auto=format)
19th century engraving
![Engraving, 1866](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f1hjpcr4/production/0c4d536b0acddbdae0641a891892502ea281abda-900x506.jpg?w=640&h=360&q=65&auto=format)
Engraving, 1866
![Paipo rider, 1964. Photo: Val Valentine](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f1hjpcr4/production/94bfb0eab677afd0ba033a606f7fe1a21bcd0278-900x506.jpg?w=640&h=360&q=65&auto=format)
Paipo rider, 1964. Photo: Val Valentine
![Tom Stone on olo board, 2008. Photo: David Pu'u](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f1hjpcr4/production/d697a935cf53c6a92406e051e86f02d2eca649e5-900x506.jpg?w=640&h=360&q=65&auto=format)
Tom Stone on olo board, 2008. Photo: David Pu'u
When one ancient Hawaiian chief came to power, he captured an old surf rival and then—depending on what version of the story is being told—had him either slow-baked in an oven or splayed and gutted on a stone alter.
The average Polynesian peasant-surfer likely banged together his new surfboard with no more godly thought than a woodcrafter making a door. At the royal level, however, boardmaking was a serious matter, filled with rites and rituals. A craftsman would search the highland forest for a suitable tree. Small and midlength boards were usually made of koa, a fine-grained hardwood, or the softer breadfru...
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