The Tiki Story

We have a fun little story to share about our voyage through time.

Our Tiki symbol comes from the ancient Inca god king Tiki Vichara who is said to have traveled from Peru to Polynesia to save his people. Upon arrival he was named the God of wind and water.

The exciting part is that the art of Surfing possibly came from Peru and was brought to Tahiti and the Hawaiian islands by the South Americans that came to inhabit them.
Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl successfully drifted 4600 miles on a balsa raft from Peru to Tahiti in 1947 to prove this theory, yet still most anthropologists are skeptic to his findings. But have a look at art from Peru compared with Tahitian art, lastly try one of the ancient Peruvian balsa surfboards.

We at Starboard live the Tiki Life, sharing fun and courage on the water. For us the Tiki symbol represents our connection to nature that provides our playground and allowed the roots of watersports to grow.

The Starboard name is the innovative quality assuring part of our brand’s culture.

The word Starboard comes from the Old Norse word stýri, meaning “rudder” and borð meaning “board”, then the “side of a ship”. In sailing terms crafts give way to other crafts on Starboard tack. There are some Norwegian international roots in this story knowing that Arendal, where Svein Rasmussen was born, once was one of the largest ship builders in the world. That Svein’s Norwegian street address is Kittelsbukt 32 and that the Worlds largest marine Protection & Indemnity insurer Gard is Kittelsbukt 31 is another assuring coincidence.

Starboard is also the imagination of the abundant energy that surrounds us like the stars up in the sky and that flows into every single board we shape.