Welcome in the dictionary of the terms Long Board surfing
Balsa Wood Longboard
WOOD, GIST OF SURFING
Hawaïens generally used four types of boards:
"the olo", thick board towards its center and with the falling rails;
The "kiko'o" had a length from 4 to 6 meters, board fast but difficult to operate
the board "akaia" more courte(3m.), was finer, broad in front of, and tapering backwards.
the "paipos", the children practised on small boards: close relations of the bodyboards of today.
They manufactured their boards in wood like the "koa" and the "wiliwili". THE BALSA WOODLONGBOARD, A HISTORY OF PASSION
To have a balsa wood longboard, it is to have the feeling of a return to the roots of surfing.
The balsa is the best structural timber to make longboards because of its lightness, of its facility of work and its resistance.
The best balsa wood of the world comes from Ecuador, country of South America which has the climate and the optimal conditions for its culture (water raised, abundance content of the rain, weak variation in the temperature).
There are four manufactoring processes which will answer quite specific requests:
Out of full balsa wood (will weigh approximately 10 to 11 kg for one 9 ' three slats.)
Out of balsa wood dug the process known as "chambering" (On then removes approximately 25% lie at the heart of each news poutre)Allège the weight of the longboard without removing to him its qualities of resistance and rigidity.
Partitioned a standard assembly "wing of plane"
Plating of objective balsa on polystyrène.Target is the profit of weight: a 9' will weigh nothing any more but 7 kg. A balsa wood plating of 20 mm on a foam bread; balsa rails of 25 with 30mm will give an additional force and a longevity.