Beginner's Guide to Surfboards

To most people a surfboard just looks like an elongated piece of fiberglass with pointy ends. However, it can get very complicated. But, if you learn a few things about how they are constructed and then match that up with the kind of waves and surfing you might do, it will be easier to select the right "stick!"

Boards come in many shapes and sizes - making choosing a board very daunting to the beginner as well as to experienced surfers. The best beginner board are ones that are light, wide and thick.

Different dimensions and shapes, even if they’re only changed by a small amount, can lead to drastically different results. Surfboards are tailor made to suit many different abilities, conditions, and styles. The better you know how a surfboard works, the better you can choose the perfect design for your next board.

Float - How much foam, or volume, does the board have? Older boards were huge and heavy, but floated and leveled out very well, catching even the smallest waves. Smaller performance shortboards are often thinner and have less surface area. They are more maneuverable but sacrifice wave-catching ability for this maneuverability. So the big question here would be whether you want to sacrifice waves for performance or performance for waves.

Length - The distance from the nose to the tail, tip to tip. Has a dramatic effect on the performance of a board. Affects paddling speed, riding speed, and stability.

Width - The distance from rail to rail (sides). Also affects paddling speed and stability of the board, as well as turning ability and how well you balance on it. Going wider is better for the beginner: Narrow boards turn easier side-to-side than wide ones. Also, the narrower the board is its less stable for the beginner requiring that they stand right in on the center for balance. But you also want to be able to paddle it out, so it can't be too wide, either. Measure your chest armpit to armpit for an approximate good width.

Tail - The rear end of the board. Tails come in a variety of shapes and widths. Read more about this at the end of the article.

Nose - Nose shape can be either pointed or rounded. Affects ease of catching waves.

Rail - Shape of the rail (sides) can affect speed and planning of the board, as well as turning ability.

Fins – Fins allow you to steer your board. In general, small fins allow for loose turns and slides whereas large fins permit drive and greater holding power. You will find that many surfboards have 3 fins, or Tri-fin. The two outer fins by the rails allow a fin to be in the water when the board is making a turn. The third fin is used for drive and direction.

In general, depending on the fin(s) type and position, will affect the way a board paddles, rides, steers and turns for different type of waves.

Rocker - The bending upward of the nose and tail. The less rocker, the less drag and the faster the board.

Hull Shape/Concave - The shape of the bottom of the board. One of the defining elements that can make or break a board. Concave provides lift for the board. The best wave to visualize the effect of concave is to think about putting a spoon under a faucet of water.

Material/Glassing – New materials are being experimented with every day, and can noticeably affect the “feel" of a board. The most common material is fiberglass, but other materials include foam, epoxy, and carbon-lite.

Stringer – the wooden balsa line or seam, down the middle, adds strength to the board, acting like a spine.

Longboards: The granddaddy of the surfboard kingdom, and the ‘original’ surfboard design. A modern longboard is a refined, lighter and more maneuverable shape than it's '60's cousin. These boards are long, stable, and easy to paddle. Great for beginners, these boards allow riders to walk the deck and nose ride or hang-ten, and experienced riders love them for the ability to surf in small waves when all the hot-shots are waiting for bigger waves.

Shortboards: The most popular type of surfboard design. Shortboards are highly maneuverable and versatile, allowing for late drops and quick turns. Shortboards don’t get their maneuver-ability from being short, but rather by uniting very contradictory shaping elements with the thrusting power of the tri-fin setup.

Hybrids: Hybrids are a wider and thicker board originally intended as a cross between a short board and a longboard. However, they are more like short boards than longboards because they have a tail shape and overall rocker that is similar to a high performance short board, an all-purpose board that works equally well in mush and good surf. They are a good choice for beginners and surfers past their teens, i.e. those that need more buoyancy. An Egg is similar to a hybrid, with less a pronounced nose rocker. An Egg is usually finished off with a rounded-pin tail rather that a square tail.

Funboards/Mini Mals: (Mal is short for Malibu where they were invented.) These boards combine the paddling strength of a longboard with a shorter length allowing the rider to gain the ease of paddling into waves while also having a bit of the maneuverability of a shortboard. They get a lot of flak for being suited to below-average “weekend warrior" types, and not suited for more “hard core" surfers. But hey, if you like 'em and they are great for learning, and fun on sloppy summer days, go for it. Usually come in a tri-fin setup.

Fish: Fish came along during the popularity of knee-boarding, and were initially designed to be ridden on the knees or standing up. Short and wide, they weren’t the first boards to use split ‘swallow’ tails or twin fin setups, but they were the first to really harness the full power of those elements. Fish are known for their paddling ease and speed capabilities.

Big Guns: For really big waves and experienced riders only.

Pintail - This surfboard tail design is a more versatile version of the pintail with a bit more width and curve. It is the halfway point between round tails and pintails, ideal for medium sized surf, anywhere from shoulder to almost double overhead. Softer curve coming to either a point or a rounded point. This tail design provides a moderate reduction in surface area to maintain control, however it is not as extreme as the pintail. Round pintails have less release and create smoother, more drawn out turns. This tail can be found on a variety of boards from shortboards and hybrids to longboards.
Round Tail - This is a smoother continuation of the board’s contour, coming to a rounded end. The increased surface area helps give the board a bit more lift in the rear and allows for a looser, more tunable board. These are popular on shortboards where maneuverability is key.
Squash Tail - Very responsive, the squash surfboard tail design provides all the surface and planeing area of a round tail, contributing to speed and lift and helping to maintain speed in slower spots. The rounded corners provide a bit more bite and control than the round tail, and the square end allows the board to release. The squash is the most popular tail for a shortboard.
Swallow (or Fish) Tail - The swallow tail is related to the squash tail in that it provides more surface area from rail to rail, allowing for planeing speed and lift. The tail of the board curves down to two points as in a squash, but the area between those points is decreased by a vee cutout resulting in two soft points. The decreased area between the corners and more pronounced points give the board more “bite" and control in critical maneuvers, as well as when going into and out of turns. The two points on the swallow tail act sort of like dual miniature round point tails, but without the pronounced “tracking" that a pin or rounded pin provides. The swallow tail is generally good for small waves, but it also is good for surfers who want a board that’s going to stick during deep carves. Fish type surfboards tend to have a pronounced swallowtail, compensating for the wider, straighter outline which is more difficult to maneuver.
Pintails - Pintails are used almost exclusively on big wave gun surfboards, where control is the most important element. Not usually for beginners.