HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SURFBOARD?

SURFBOARD DESIGNS

  

Just as there are different types of waves, and different standards of surfers, 
so too are there different surfboard designs. 
No matter the wave or the ability of the surfer, there are surfboard shapes and designs to cover every situation. 
Read on for a quick rundown on surfboard design. 
What's going to be best for you and your local break?

The Longboard. 



As the name would suggest, this is a surfboard that can be anywhere in length from about 8' to 10' 6", but many lie in the 9' range. 
The longboard is the closest surfboard design available today to the original wooden surfboards ridden by the Hawaiians. 
Longboards are a popular choice as they are ideal surfboards for beginners, 
and favorites with many veteran surfers as well. 
Longboards are a great selection for beginners as they are long and wide, making them easy to paddle, easy to float, and very stable. 
This makes them easy for the less experienced to catch a wave and stay on. Longboards can also be a very forgiving surfboard for the surfer who has gained a few pounds and no longer has the physique of Kelly Slater. 
Longboards can come with several different fin setups including a single fin, thruster, or 2 +1.

The Fish Surfboard.



It is a newer surfboard design. 
Fish surfboard designs feature a board that is wider and shorter, 
with a flatter rocker, than a traditional surfboard. 
Fish surfboards also have a distinctive swallow tail. 
They are an excellent choice for surfers looking for fun on soft mushy waves. Fish surfboards will make a slow wave seem much faster, 
but their design can make them a little too loose for some surfer's liking. 
Fish surfboards have great flotation and are easy to paddle and catch waves, making them a great choice for a surfer with a little experience.

And now the review of 9 fish surfboards:

 The Funboard.



It is a blend in surfboard design between a longboard and a shortboard. 
These surfboards are longer than a shortboard, allowing for easier paddling and catching of waves. 
However they are not so long that they can't be turned easily. 
This surfboard design is great for small to medium waves, but not ideal for big waves. 
Funboards are well suited to the surfer looking to have some fun out in the water, and can be a great selection for beginner and intermediate surfers. 
Funboards usually have a standard rail shape, moderate rocker, and a thruster fin setup. This surfboard design is a great all round surfboard.

There are many surfboard shapes and designs, for all surfing conditions and surfing abilities. 
This surfboard guide to designs is meant to be a helpful generalization for those surfers overwhelmed by the selection of surfboards available today.
Whether you're a new surfer, someone who's been out of it for a while, 
or an old-timer catching up, picking the right board is crucial. 

For a more comprehensive, step-by-step guide that helps you "wade" through all the elements you need to consider when picking a surfboard, the folks over at Degree 33 Surfboards have written an easy to understand surfboard guide (downloadable in PDF)

Specialty Boards:

Specialty boards include the extremely long Rhino Chaser for big wave surfing, some special tow-in boards that have foot straps, etc.

The Rhino Chaser.

The Tow-in Board.

And finally shortboard for advanced surfers...

The Shortboard.

It is pretty much the opposite of a longboard in most ways. 
First up, the length is a lot shorter, hence the name. 
Secondly, due to the fact that they are thinner they are not as forgiving as a longboard and are best appreciated by experienced surfers on quality waves. Most shortboards will have a thruster fin setup. 
To pick up speed, shortboards require constant turning, allowing for great maneuvering. 
A shortboard will be a frustrating experience for the beginner surfer 
as there will not be enough stability or flotation to successfully catch a wave.

Shortboards are surfboards that are typically shorter in length than seven feet although some shortboard surfboards for bigger guys or for big wave riding can be larger than seven feet. 

Types of shortboards include: 

1. the basic thruster - a surfboard with three fins in the back and is what most shortboard surfers ride as it is the standard in shortboard surfboards. The thruster would have a single fin in the center in back and a fin on each side a little farther up the rails.
2. the quad - a four fin surfboard with 2 fins on each rail.
3. the hybrid fish - a three fin surfboard with dimensions halfway between a standard thruster and a retro fish providing more buoyancy and paddle for smaller conditions.
4. the step up - a board ridden in bigger surfing conditions when the waves are a little more powerful.
5. the mini gun - is for even larger, more powerful waves. Both the step up and mini gun typically are thrusters as well but are larger in size and volume for better paddling and often will be a little more stable in big surf.

Shortboard surfing is characterized by performance moves with large turns, cutbacks, and sometimes airs. 
There are distinct differences between shortboarding and lognboarding. 
With shortboard surfboards the surfer is accelerating by working the wave top to bottom to gain speed and keep a float, where the surfer on the longboard is trimming and gliding with the wave. 
The shortboarder seeks more radical and dynamic moves working the wave for speed.

One of the keys to riding a shortboard surfboard correctly is to stay in the curl of the wave and ride from top to bottom by turning over and over to generate speed on the wave as the shortboard does not have much glide. As there is less glide, paddling a shortboard is much more dificult and requires more strength than a longboard. Newer surfers typically learn on longboard surfboards as paddling and balance are more dificult on a shortboard. 
When riding a shortboard surfboard, the surfer keeps their back foot over the tail and can drive the board from the front or back foot depending on their style. Many shortboard surfboards will also have a kickpad which gives the back foot over the tail better hold on the surf board.

Shortboarders typically like faster, more performance oriented waves compared with the longboarder which typically rides a more evenly tapered wave. 
Beach breaks, reefs, and point breaks can all exhibit qualities good for shortboarding. Many shortboarders will be looking to score the perfect barrel. Riding a barrel is where the surfer gets inside of the dry inner section of the wave and makes it back out of this inner section of the wave without falling. Riding barrels or hollower waves is best accomplished on a shorthboard by an accomplished surfer.

There are many different and excellent surfboard shapers out there making different shapes of shortboards tailored to different styles and tastes. 
Some of the most common manufacturers and shapers include Al Merrick with Channel Islands Surfboards, Rusty, Lost, Dick Brewer, JS Industries, Firewire and the list could continue as there are many great shapers and surfboard manufacturers.

Too Short?

A New Era Of Shrinking Shortboards 

Words: Eli Mirandon

What size shortboard do you ride? 

It’s a simple question, but the answer for many people—and especially the top pros—has been slowly shrinking over the last five or so years. 
Many surfers who rode, say, a 6’3” a few years back have slowly transitioned into ordering 6’0”s or even smaller. 
And we’re not talking about fish or retro-type shapes, but high-performance shortboards. 

So why? “Rockers and hull contours have been refined, so you don’t have to rely so much on the length for speed,” says Todd Proctor of Proctor Surfboards. “This also has a side benefit of working better in the pocket. “

If you take a peek at modern WCT-level surfing, it’s clear the top guys are surfing closer than ever to the pocket and arcing their turns tighter as well. “People are surfing in or as close to the pocket as possible,” says Cole Simler of Cole Surfboards, “and the shorter boards work better in the hook.”

“Some of the styles and maneuvers have changed,” agrees Steve Boysen of SB Surfboards. “Guys want to do flicks and tailslides in between their carves, and a shorter board makes that easier.”

Atta rocking his 5’6″.

Of course, it’s not just a matter of changing one dimension. 
Boysen and other designers explained that when the length alone was brought down, surfers found the boards to be too squirrelly. The general response has been to experiment with keeping the volume of foam the same, but dispersing it in different places. For instance, developing new rockers, adding specific concaves, and sometimes thicker rails or wider nose and tail dimensions to keep basically the same amount of foam in the board while trimming down the length. “Last year, Shane Beschen was riding a 6’2” and now I’m shaping him some 6’1/2”s. Guys like Mike Todd have gone down an inch, and so have Andy and Bruce Irons. Guys aren’t afraid to go a little wider and thicker, and that allows the boards to be shortened without feeling too loose.”

Does this mean if you’ve been riding the same sized shortboard for the last five or more years, you should rush to the nearest shop to trade it in for something three inches smaller? Definitely not—that is, unless you dial in the rest of the dimensions, like width and thickness to compensate for the drop in length. But ultimately, it’s more complicated than simply shaving a few inches off the length and adding a quarter inch to the width, to say nothing of an individual surfer’s ability or what you want to do on a wave. Consider trying a smaller board for the sake of creative experimentation, but remember, not everyone can be like Joel Parkinson (who’s 6’0” and 185 pounds) and ride a 6’1”.

Originally published in the December, 2006 issue of Transworld SURF.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 

EPOXY AND FIBERGLASS SURFBOARDS  

What's the difference between epoxy and fiberglass surfboards? This can be confusing to those just starting out and thinking about buying a surfboard. To the new surfer a surfboard is a surfboard. There may be different lengths and shapes, but it may not have crossed your mind that surfboards can be made out of different substances.

Read on to learn the difference between epoxy and fiberglass surfboards.  

Fiberglass surfboards are also sometimes known as PU or polyurethane surfboards. 

Fiberglass surfboards have been around for over 50 years and are considered a more traditional surfboard. Fiberglass surfboards are made from a polyurethane inner, and then wrapped in fiberglass cloth, hence the name. Fiberglass surfboards can have better flex out in the waves than an epoxy surfboard, but are easier to damage.
Epoxy surfboards have a polystyrene foam core and are then coated with an epoxy resin. It is the epoxy resin which gives this type of surfboard its name. Epoxy surfboards kicked off in the 1990's, but really gained in popularity after the closure of the Clark Foam factory in 2005, which was a huge supplier of the polyurethane blanks for the fiberglass board.

Epoxy surfboards pros and cons when compared to a fiberglass surfboard include:

1. Stronger. Epoxy resin can be as much as 35% stronger than the resin used on a fiberglass board. This makes an epoxy board an ideal choice for those who are beginners and prone to dings, kids and teenagers, those who are on and off planes in pursuit of the perfect wave, and those who surf near rocks.
2. Floats better. An epoxy surfboard has better buoyancy than a fiberglass board, making it easier to paddle, float, and ultimately catch waves, making them a great choice for those surfers just starting out.
3. Lighter. The polystyrene foam inner used in a epoxy surfboard weighs less than the polyurethane inner in a traditional surfboard, making for a lighter weight under the arm on the way to your local break.
4. Less prone to waterlogging. Waterlogging is a term used to describe the phenomena where your surfboard takes in water over time. The end result is a yellow surfboard that weighs a ton, and performs like a dog. Due to the manufacturing process, waterlogging is pretty much going to happen to your fiberglass surfboard at some stage, either due to dings and dents that let the water in, and also as part of the aging process of your board. Due to the harder nature of an epoxy surfboard, waterlogging is much less of a problem.
5. Some surfers prefer the feel and performance of a traditional fiberglass surfboard.

Conclusion

The difference between epoxy and fiberglass surfboards comes down to the various substances involved in making them. 

An epoxy surfboard is made using a polystyrene core and is then coated with an epoxy resin. 

Fiberglass surfboards are considered to be traditional surfboards 
and have a polyurethane core and are then covered with the fiberglass cloth. 

Epoxy surfboards are newer in technology, weigh less, float better, and are stronger than a fiberglass board. 

Epoxy surfboards feel different to a fiberglass surfboard out in the water, and eventually it will come down to personal choice as to which suits the individual best.

The source: 

http://degree33.hubpages.com/hub/The-Difference-Between-Epoxy-And-Fiberglass-Surfboards

http://surfergirl1.hubpages.com/hub/Shortboard-Surfboards