The surfer should build her hut at the center of the equilateral triangle. This is because the sum of the distances from the center of an equilateral triangle to its three sides is the minimum possible. This is because the center of an equilateral triangle is the point that is equidistant from all three of its sides. Therefore, if the surfer builds her hut at the center of the island, she will be the same distance from each of the three beaches, and the sum of the distances to the sides of the island will be minimized