Gallardo Surf Inc.

Building a Hollow Wooden Surfboard

Overview
The general design principles for building hollow wooden surfboards were established by Tom Blake in the late 1920s (see U.S. patent number 1,872,230 for details). An excellent restored example of one of Mr. Blake’s mahogany boards can be seen at Cleanline Surf Shop in Seaside, Oregon. Stop by some time and take a look at a remarkable piece of surfing history.

In the spirit of openness and good will, we are happy to show you how to make your own hollow surfboard. You too can make a masterpiece that would make Tom proud. By using modern fiberglass cloths and epoxy resins, your board will be lighter and completely water-tight (Tom’s boards leaked water and had to be periodically drained).

Please note that this part of our web site is under construction and we’ll be adding content as time permits.

Building a hollow wooden surfboard has three distinct phases:

•	Visit Design: In this phase, you specify and design your surfboard. This may involve copying a board you already have, or designing a new one from scratch.
•	Preparation: Your shop needs to be set up for dealing with long lengths of wood. You may also need to purchase some new hand and power tools.
•	Construction: Once your board is designed and your shop is set up, we recommend you make slow, steady progress. Don’t burn yourself out by trying to finish the board in a week.