“Surf Evolution – 100 years of Vintage Wooden Surfboards” officially opens June 19, at the Exhibit Space at 1132 Bishop St, Honolulu, second floor lobby and will run through August 25, 2008. The exhibit is being curated by surf historian Mark Fragale, surf promoter and vintage surf auction organizer Randy Rarick, and made possible by the submissions of over a dozen island collectors. This once in a lifetime surfing exhibition brings focus to the history of the wooden surfboard up to the cusp of the introduction of the foam boards in the late 1950′s. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Before plastic, the authentic first surfboards were made of wood. Crafted with crude tools, the designs evolved, as did the construction techniques. For over half a century the evolution of the wood surfboards reflected the changing nature of surfing itself. Boards with a heart of wood reached their zenith in the late 1950′s, prior to the introduction of the modern foam surfboard.

The exhibition will feature approximately 35 surfboards that range from ancient, turn-of-the-century boards to post-WWII balsa wood creations. Among the collection: a 16-foot redwood paddleboard that was worked on by Duke Kahanamoku himself; a Tom Blake designed “cigar box” hollow paddleboard; an early “hot curl” board crafted by George Downing and Wally Froiseth; a Joe Quigg post-modern balsa; and an original “Surfboards Hawaii” model shaped by Dick Brewer that helped to usher in the “big gun” era on the North Shore of Oahu.

Displayed with each board will be an explanation of its historical significance and timeline.

Following the hugely successful display “Nalu – 40 years of Big Wave Guns” in 2006, the Exhibition Space at 1132 Bishop Street, Douglas Emmett and curator David Behlke are proud to present the second exhibition in an ongoing series bringing attention featuring a time “When surfboards were made of wood and the men who road them made of steel”.