"Better Ways to Build Surf Boards," by Hi Sibley, ran in the August 1935 issue of Popular Science. Four boards types were described: a plank, a hollow, a "toboggan type" (think wooden sled), and a child's paddleboard. The text below is taken from the plank section of the article.

At the California beaches, there are schoolboys who easily rival the best Hawaiian experts in the thrilling sport of surf-board riding. That is partly because of the superior surfboards they use—light, buoyant, and beautifully finished.

With the aid of the accompanying drawings, any amateur woodworker can build equally good surfboards. These designs are of the type used at the Newport Harbor Union High School, where construction of surfboards is a specialty.

The balsa [plank] surfboard shown here is so light that it can be carried about easily, and it has exceptional buoyancy in the water. Since balsa has no great strength in itself, the board is reinforced with redwood longerons and a central backbone of spruce sandwiched between two pieces of redwood. There are no nails or screws, the sections being securely held together by dowels and casein glue.

The first step is to make the backbone. It is a half-inch by three-and-one-half inch strip of spruce glued between two three-eighth redwood strips of the same width. On each side of the backbone, glue balsa timbers, three-and-one-half inches by four-inches by ten-feet eleven-inches. Continue to add strips of redwood and timbers of balsa, as indicated in the cross-section drawing. Two dowels, marked B and C, should be inserted before the two outer pieces of balsa are put on. Their centers are located one-and-a-half inches from the top. When the assembly is completed, shape the built-up plank by cutting the outline as illustrated in the plan drawing. Allow about one-quarter inch all around for trimming to exact size. Before doing the trimming, however, plane the bottom to a taper, fore and aft, from the widest beam, which is 30 inches from the nose.

After the board has been planed and sandpapered, glue the curved sections on the nose, and add the stern piece, which should be of redwood. When the glue has set, bore holes for the dowels and insert them. Note that the centers of all except the two previously mentioned are located about three-quarter inches from the top.

The half-inch half-round molding should be neatly fitted, and the finish will be greatly improved if redwood plugs are set in over the ends of the .dowels.

If waterproof casein glue has been used liberally in all joints so that water will not seep into the porous balsa, give the entire board four or five coats of spar varnish, rubbing well with steel wool after each one except the last.

Bear in mind that this type of board is not expected to take punishment on rocky shores or on gravel, because the balsa is easily dented.

DIY 1935: BUILD A PLANK SURFBOARD

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