Who is credited as the pioneer in paddleboard construction?

Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled forward by a paddling motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean. Traditional paddleboarding is done in the prone or kneeling position. A derivative of paddleboarding is stand-up paddleboarding also called stand-up paddle surfing. This water sport is usually performed in the open ocean, with the participant paddling and surfing unbroken swells to cross between islands or journey from one coastal area to another.

Thomas Edward Blake (March 8, 1902 – May 5, 1994) is credited as the pioneer in paddleboard construction in the early 1930s. While restoring historic Hawaiian boards in 1926 for the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Blake built a replica of the previously ignored 'olo' surfboard ridden by ancient Hawaiian kings. He lightened his redwood replica ('olo' were traditionally made from the 'wiliwili' wood) by drilling it full of holes, which he then covered, thus creating the first hollow board, which led to the creation of the modern paddleboard.