Surfboards
You've watched the DVD's of those bronzed gods surfing perfect waves in far off shores, marvelled at surfer Laird Hamilton surfing massive waves at North Shore & you think, "I can do that "..Truth is, yes, you can but it will take years honing the skill necessary to achieve this. From fitness to choosing the right surfboard, to be a true 'waterman' you have to work hard... the rewards are great & life changing....
So, you've completed your first surf lesson, learnt how to paddle, stand up, basic safety & respect for your fellow surfers & now you want a surfboard..."What am I, a longboarder, a shortboarder.Do I ride a fish,egg, mini mal, carpet, what on earth do these mean?"
Lets be honest, 99% of us mortals are never going to be Kelly Slater or the like. We simply want to get out there & have FUN... So, when choosing a surfboard, my first bit of advise is to be honest about your ability & what you want from a surfboard. When you start, you want & NEED float....Float or 'volume' keeps you up. Paddling is easier in smaller surf, paddling onto a wave is easier, life becomes easy...This is why most 'school' type boards are wide & floaty...So, if you never intend to progress to larger,steeper waves or just surf on the annual holiday, stay with 'float'...
Obviously, body mass plays a big part..It's the old Archimedes principal...the bigger you are the more water you're going to displace on the same amount of foam..
An 8ft mini mal of say 3" thickness will behave so much differently if 14 yr old 'stick insect' Sally surfs it compared to her 6'4" 'pie eating dad' has a go !!
For board design, what different shapes / sizes do etc, please refer to a great website, 'surfing-waves.com'
You can be sure that the majority of our boards are shaped perfectly for British conditions .
Boards for Beginners
Softboard
Arguably,the best surfboard for a beginner is a Mini Mal. The bigger, thicker the board the easier it is to catch waves with and is more stable to stand up on. One of the best boards to learn on would be around 8ft long and be made of foam. Foamies as they are called are the perfect board to start on because the soft foam construction means the boards are incredibly buoyant, enabling the beginner to catch waves easily. Their dimensions ensure that they are very stable in the water - making it easier for the novice to stand up.
Moulded board
This is a surfboard that is made on a production line and is a cheap alternative to a custom made fibreglass surfboard. The Moulded is made from thick epoxy fibreglass skin covered top sheet making them practically indestructible! As a result of their construction the Moulded is heavier than a softboard or a custom board of equal size, which is good from a learner's point of view, because the board is much steadier in the water. It's is a good beginner's choice because of their cost and the fact that they float really well. Also the Moulded boards are in demand and always have a good resale value. When you have learned to surf on them and are looking to buy a board more suitable to your surfing ability look to part exchange in a surf shop or sell your Moulded board and with the cash you should be able to put it towards a new shorter or custom board.
Custom Board
These are also known as glassed surfboards, boards that have been hand crafted as opposed to factory produced moulded or soft boards (but not necessarily produced to an individual's specification). The custom surfboard is the board used by the average and professional surfer alike, and make great beginners boards as long as you choose the correct surfboard board e.g. an 8ft Minimal not a 6ft shortboard!!
Boards for Beginners Guide
Surfboard Size
The wider the board, the more stable on the waves .
The thicker the board the more buoyant it will be, making it easier to paddle and catch waves
An ultra thin, light shortboard will make learning to surf harder
Type - the best type of beginners surfboard depends on different factors:
How often you will be surfing, your fitness levels, is the board just for me or will the rest of my family be 'borrowing' it ?
Soft boards, longboards, minimals and moulded are all great beginners boards.
Shortboards are not such a great beginner board for the average surfer.
New or Old - this depends on a number of factors including budget and availability of boards:
Buying a new soft surfboard ( see our softboard section)is a good idea if you have children or you do not intend to go surfing regularly.
If you progress quickly in your surfing you will soon need another board more suited to your ability.
Soft surfboards are generally for novices & great 'holiday' boards.
Good second hand surfboards can be hard to find but are a good way to enter the sport.Remember, all 2nd hand boards are boards that owners feel are not suitable for them...Short boards are cheap to buy but if you're floundering like a kook in the shore break, what's the point..Save a few quid more & buy the RIGHT board for you.
Shops like ours usually keep part-ex boards, look in the local press on bill boards or ask your surfing buddies, there's always a rarely used board gathering dust in sheds !!
Beginners boards in general have good re-sale value as there's always a novice out there wanting to get started for little.
How Often You Surf
If you surf intermittently go for either a Moulded, Mini-mal or Custom.
If you surf 3-4 times a week you can pretty much start on any board you like.
Surfing this regularly should see you quickly out of the 'novice surfer' stage.
Surfboard DesignSurfboard design can look very simple to the uninitiated. To most people a board just looks like an elongated piece of fiberglass with pointy ends. Surfboards can get very complicated, however, if you really get into the nitty gritty elements. Shaping a surfboard is an art, and each surfboard (provided it's hand shaped) is unique and individual.
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.
There is also a profound sense of pleasure in having a board custom shaped to your riding style rather than blindly buying one off the rack. The better you know how a surfboard works, the better you can choose the perfect design for your next board.
You can order your custom board through us, please contact us for more details...
Basic components of surfboard design:
Float - How much foam, or volume, does the board have? Older boards were huge and heavy, but floated and planed very well catching even the smallest waves. Smaller performance shortboards are often thinner (hence the nickname "potato chip" boards) and have less 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. Also affects paddling speed and stability of the board, as well as turning ability.
Outline - The outline, or template of a board is how curvy it is, and where those curves are placed in relation to the length of the board. The curvier a board, the more maneuverable, however if it is too curvy and round the board will have no direction. If a board is too square it will be very hard to turn.
Tail - The rear end of the board. Tails come in a variety of shapes and widths.
Nose - Nose shape can be either pointed or rounded. Affects wave entry.
Rail - Shape of the rail can affect speed and planning of the board, as well as turning ability.
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.
Fins - Fins primarily give the board direction, making sure the nose is always going forward. Fins also help hold the board on the wave, and provide the necessary leverage for turning the board.
Deck Shape - The shape of the deck, or top of the board where the rider stands. The deck can be domed or crowned, or flat. A crowned deck will make rail to rail transitions easier, and therefore make the board a bit easier to turn and control. A flat deck will make the board a bit more stable and require more effort when making rail to rail transitions and turns.
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 stringer adds strength to the board, acting like a spine.
These elements can be combined in different ways to create all types of boards. Surfboard designs have undergone a lot of evolution since the early days of surfing.
Types of Surfboard DesignsLongboards: The granddaddy of the surfboard kingdom, and the ‘original’ surfboard design. These boards are long, stable, and easy to paddle. Great for classic surf enthusiasts to beginners, these boards allow riders to walk the deck and noseride or hang-ten.
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 maneuverability from being short, but rather by uniting very contradictory shaping elements with the thrusting power of the tri-fin setup.
Guns: Big-wave guns/Rhino Chasers. Serve a very simple purpose: get up to speed fast and get down the face.
Funboards/Mini Mals: 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 flack for being suited to below-average “weekend warrior” types, and not suited for more “hard core” surfers. Great for learning, and fun on sloppy summer days. Usually come in a tri-fin setup.
Fish: Fish came along during the popularity of kneeboarding, 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.
What is the difference between Surfboard Tail Designs?
Surfboard tail design has gotten a bit more complex as surfboard designs have multiplied. The surfboard tail influences hold and release on the surface of the wave.
A good rule of thumb is to think of a more angluar tail as creating more angular, square turns. A rounder tail will create more elliptical, smoother turns. As Rusty Preisendorfer said in a Transworld Surf article: "You start splitting hairs when you're talking about a rounded squash versus a squash, but I like to tell people that basically an angular tail creates a more angluar turn."
There are two basic tail designs: the pintail and the square tail. All other designs are variations on these two themes. Generally a narrower tail will hold the wave better but sacrifice turning ability and speed. Gun type surfboards designed for big waves have a long pointy tail designed to hold on the face of the wave, effectively digging into the water to maintain stability and direction. A rounder, pulled in (shorter) tail will not dig into the wave so much and will allow for greater maneuverability and speed, but less hold.
Surfboard tail designs need to work together with the shape of the board and the individual aspects of each surfer for the best result. When thinking about what tail would be best for a certain board you have to think about the general outline, type of waves you'll be surfing, what you want out of the board, etc. For instance, if you're a smaller person who is just starting out, you won't want a pintail, but a round tail may be just the thing.
Tail DesignsPintails - Pintails are designed to provide maximum control and surface hold on the wave. They have minimal surface area and come to a point at the end with little curvature. This decreased surface area decreases the lift on the tail and allows the point to dig into the face of the wave, causing the board to "track" or maintain direction. Pintails are used almost exclusively on big wave gun surfboards, where control is the most important element. Pintails are not so maneuverable, but when you're speeding down the face of a 20' Waimea bomb it is more important that the board go straight and not suddenly start snaking all over the place.
Roundpin Tail - 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. Roundpin tails 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 turnable board. These are popular on shortboards where maneuverability is key. A round tail will provide more release off the top of a wave than a squash or swallow tail, however it makes square turns off the bottom or mid face a bit more difficult without a corner to work with, such as exists on a squash or swallow tail. Round tails help direct the water around the end of the board and provide more stability in hollow, fast surf.
Squash Tail - Very responsive, the squash surfboard tail design provides all the surface and planing 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 corners allow for more pivotal, abrupt turns off the bottom or on the face, but will provide less release off the top. This tail design relies on the tri-fin setup to maintain control. The squash is the most popular tail for a shortboard.
Square Tail - The square tail is like the squash, but the pointed corners create more square turns with less release and more bite.
Swallow Tail - The swallow tail is related to the squash tail in that it provides more surface area from rail to rail, allowing for planing 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.
Bat Tail - (sometimes called a star tail) This is rare surfboard tail design. It's a version of the swallow tail and essentially performs the same way. Helps keep the tail wider so the rails can run straigher down the length of the board. The bat tail is essentially just a cosmetic difference, as it is extremely difficult to percieve any difference between the Bat, Diamond and Swallow. Some say that the center point of the bat tail adds a bit more stability.
Diamond Tail - The diamond tail is a lesser used tail design now that the squash tail has become more popular. The original intent of the diamond tail was to soften up the square tail but keep some of its speed.
So there you have it, have your eyes closed or have they opened to the wonderful world of surfboards ? Basically, there's NO perfect board for all conditions, NO board is unbreakable, ding proof & perfect, all are unique & thankfully so..I'll hold my head in my hands & cry if we ever ride the same looking board in the lineup..!!! What matters is you go try it, brush off the bad days,remember the epic ones..Live life, make friends & SURF, simple..