What Size Surfboard Is Right For Me

The Ultimate Guide on How to Choose a Surfboard

So you're finally ready to invest in your own surfboard, but there'south about as many sizes and shapes of surfboards as there are salsas at your favorite taco bar. Then how do yous go well-nigh choosing the best surfboard for you? Well, here's the stop-all-exist-all guide to choosing a surfboard. The kickoff step to surfing success is to practise some introspection and be honest with yourself well-nigh what and how you'll exist riding to go the most out of your new long term human relationship. Drop in with us and we'll help you pick your dream surfboard.

Things to Consider
Surfboard Characteristics
Size & Volume
Nose & Tail Shapes
Surfboard Shapes
Materials & Construction
How to Cull a Beginner Lath

Things to Consider When Choosing a Surfboard

Before y'all shave your head and go buy Kelly Slater's pro model, you lot'll accept to remember about if you're surfing the way the GOAT does. The surfer makes the lath, not the other mode around and picking out the wrong lath for yourself can make your day in the water a lot less fun than it could exist. Here's a few things to consider.

Wave Size & Type

The type of wave you ride regularly has a lot to exercise with what board yous should be riding. Brand sure y'all empathize what kind of conditions y'all're going to be heading out on. If you lot're just looking to cruise effectually on some ankle-biters, yous'll make different decisions for board choice than if you're trying to become the pipeline champion.

Ability Level

Board blueprint is generally the art of compromises. For example, shapes often trade stability for maneuverability so finding the right balance for yourself is of import. Yous don't want the lath to be so twitchy that you're never continuing on it, but if you're looking to perfect your cutbacks, your lath tin certainly exist also stable and not allow you to print all the babes oiling up on the embankment.

Fettle

Surfing is probably one of the near physical outdoor sports you tin participate in and board blueprint can aid or hinder depending on whether or not your physique resembles Popeye or Olive Oyl. Generally speaking longer, more voluminous boards are easier to paddle, but can be tough to go by whitewater.

Surfboard Characteristics & Pattern Terms

Surfboard Buoyancy

A surfboard's buoyancy is how well your board floats and it's mostly referred to by the volume of space your boards take up. Apparently, this term came from outside of the US as it's referred to in Liters. Buoyancy is important considering it provides the elevator a lath needs when getting up to speed and is central in catching unbroken waves. Office of the reason loftier volume boards paddle better is because the buoyancy lifts the lath and gets it planing (out of the water) faster and reduces elevate quickly.

Better paddling surfboards result in existence able to have off on a wave at an earlier, shallower portion of the wave which is why longboards and midsize boards made for smaller weaker waves volition generally take a lot more volume.

Surfboard Thrust

In that location's some funky and cool fluid dynamics and physics that go into propelling a surfboard and "thrust" is a term you're probable to hear when reading near a surfboard's characteristics. This is something that comes into play when you begin surfing down the line of an unbroken wave. Information technology's essentially the characteristic of the board to redirect water coming beyond its base, towards the tail of the board. Fin configuration and base of operations channeling are some of the main board features that provide this characteristic. By redirecting water, Newton's 3rd law comes into play and by pushing h2o towards the tail of the board, it propels the board and surfer forward.

Surfboard Drive

Drive, in a surfboard, refers to the ability of the board to turn wave and passenger input into forward motion. Drive shows up in a number of different characteristics. The flex of the lath, the grip of the fins and the rail engagement all contribute to how much drive a board can provide. Information technology's difficult to quantify as information technology'south a synergy of and so many unlike factors, but you lot'll know when a board has information technology.

Surfboard Rail

Surfboard rail profiles are somewhat a function of the overall thickness of the board. "Hard" or sharper profiled rail provide like shooting fish in a barrel engagement and disengagement for maneuverability whereas softer rails provide added buoyancy and drive. In that location's likely to exist a good deal of variation even within a unmarried lath - tails tin can have harder profiled rails so turning is easier while up on the board where under the chest and the nose of the lath tin can be softer to provide buoyancy and lift.

Surfboard Rocker

Surfboard rocker, in simple terms, is how closely your board resembles a banana from the side profile. Boards with less rocker plane on water more than efficiently and get upward to paddling speed much quicker than heavily rockered boards.

Rockered surfboards are going to have less of the board and rails engaged with the confront of the wave, so while riding they provide easier turning and maneuverability. Additionally, when dropping into steep moving ridge faces, a lot of rocker can help keep the nose from pearl-diving into the water and wrecking your pretty face.

How to Choose the Right Size Surfboard

There's ii main things to consider when determining the correct size surfboard - manner and volume. First the type of surfing you're looking to do. Are you looking to cruise around Waikiki with the dog? Or are you lot working on your behind cutbacks? Stylistically, they're pretty unlike, so decide whether or non you lot're going over or under 7' (roughly) for a board. This puts you in the shortboard or longboard realm depending on your preference. Not certain which shape or style fits y'all? Check out our breakdown of shapes below.

Once you've decided if longboarding or shortboarding is more your style, then reference the nautical chart below for choosing the correct volume in liters. Most board shapes come up in varying lengths to accommodate riders of differing skill and bodyweight while maintaining the ride characteristics of that shape.

Surfboard Volume

We've already talked about buoyancy quite a bit, but here'south how to appropriately determine how much book a surfboard should accept, based on your skill level and trunk weight.

Power Level	Waves/Fashion	Surfboard Volume
Kickoff Time/Beginner	Whitewater, Learning to Stand	two lbs/Fifty
Beginner/Intermediate	Paddling Out, Riding Waves Directly	3 lbs/L
Intermediate	Trimming Down the Line, Shallow Turns	4 lbs/50
Advanced	Aggressive Top to Bottom Surfing	5+ lbs/L

Surfboard Nose Shapes

The nose and front half of the surfboard is a good indicator of how the board will perform when paddling. The nose of the board is the commencement matter that comes into contact with oncoming water. Pointed nose shapes assist reduce elevate by cutting through the water when paddling also as reduces swing weight when performing turns. Additionally, information technology's less probable to catch a runway in the water when turning as there'south only less material in that location to catch.

Wider and rounded noses are mostly about increasing overall volume and buoyancy, lifting more than of the surfer and lath out of the h2o and making for more efficient paddling.

Surfboard Tail Shapes

Since the nose of the lath is by and large out of the water when nosotros're actually up and surfing, the tail and back half of the board is a good indicator of how the lath volition surf while we're up on our feet and riding. The tail shape primarily dictates how much of the board'due south runway is in the water while standing. Lots of rail engagement means lots of elevator and stability, simply also ways that it'southward hard to pull the rail out of the water to initiate a turn.

Additionally, wider tails are generally more voluminous which provides lift in the wave. This can exist great for small waves, where lift provided past volume in weak neat welcome, yet in larger, more than powerful surf, information technology becomes nigh managing the speed that'southward already generated by the moving ridge and a narrower tail is preferable. Lastly, the overall width of the back half of the board can contribute to the rail-to-rail maneuverability of a board.

Then this gives united states of america the outline of how to retrieve of tail shapes. Pin tails are likely to take less volume and less rails engagement which ways more than command in powerful waves, but poor operation in weak waves. Conversely a wide squash tail is likely to help generate lift and speed in weak surf, but will non provide great maneuverability when waves are big and powerful.

Swallow tails are a bit of a hybrid - they have the rail profile of a wider tail, but the cutout provides the volume closer to that of a pintail allowing you to dig it into a wave and pivot your turns.

Types & Shapes of Surfboards

Longboard Surfboards

Characteristics:Uber stability, runway for walking around with style and cruisy smoothen turns.
Length: vii'half dozen and higher up
Fins: Single Fin, 2+1 and occasionally thruster

Previously reserved for hawaiian royalty, longboards are the kings of stability and style. Here, we're looking at boards generally 9+ feet long and sporting pontoon level (50L+) buoyancy. Single fins and egg-like shapes are most common, though the occasional squash tail and fish tail and occasional thruster/quad fin setups will show upwardly on more exotic models.

Longboards are swell for beginners, only a must for anyone who's looking to improve their surfing ability. The increased volume lets you lot get out when the smashing is small and the rock solid stability helps become more wave-fourth dimension. These benefits come with tradeoffs, of course. Longboards are more likely to be trimming down the line and making smooth arcing turns rather than pumping and generating speed. Aeriform maneuvers on a longboard? I'd pay $20 to meet that.

As a result, longboards are a riding style of their own. Smooth and sweeping turns likewise as cross-stepping and the famous "hang x" will get yous every bit much attending in the lineup as a big cutback turn or air.

Midsize Surfboards or Funboards

Characteristics: Stability and loftier volume for high wave counts.
Length: seven' to 8'6"
Fins: All of them and then some - quad or thruster,

Lose a pes or two off your longboard, or add together a few to your shortboard and you'll start to enter the realm of the funboard or midsize board. By and large between 7' and 8'6" we become to more variety in shapes with pointier noses, a tad more rocker and pintails get-go to come in. You'll all the same run into unmarried-fin setups here, but quads and thrusters are more and more common.

These boards are for pocket-sized, weak swells and for novice surfers looking to graduate from their wavestorm get a bit more maneuverability compared to their longboard.

Hybrid, Groveler & Fish Surfboards

Characteristics: Brusque, maneuverable boards for smaller, weaker waves
Length: 5' to 6'11"
Fins: Thruster, Quad, Twin

For the surfer who absolutely must ride a shortboard, regardless of how weak the waves are, in that location's at present quite the variety of short, wide and thicc options available. While the original fish surfboards gained popularity in the 70's, the intent and pattern has carried onto modern grovelers.

Fish, hybrid and groveler surfboards are, in many cases, thickened and widened versions of classic shortboard shapes. You'll see wider, rounder noses are more than common as well every bit plenty of squash and swallow tails with lengths mostly nether 6. All of these are traits added to short boards which better their performance in small, mushy waves. You won't come across whatever more longboard style single fins but the twin fin makes an appearance in this category, keeping it retro like your VW bus.

These boards are great daily drivers for the surfer looking to fit in sessions before or after work and if the swell happens to be firing when you lot're in a PTA coming together.

Shortboards

Characteristics: Sparse, short and pointy boards for maximizing maneuverability on high quality waves.
Length: 4'8"' to 6'6"
Fins: Thruster or Quad

If Ricky Bobby wanted a surfboard, he'd exist getting all of his nasty bad-ass speed from a shortboard. Here we're looking at boards mostly 6' and less, narrower profiles and noses sporting knife-thin rails. These boards are all about performance in high quality, powerful waves that you'll treat like a teenager in a horror slasher flick. Different Ricky Bobby, shortboards tin can turn right and can be a scalpel in the hands of a skilled passenger. On the flip side, they are difficult to manage in less than ideal conditions or for a offset-time rider. Aeriform maneuvers, tube riding, competitions, and anywhere you'd want maximum maneuverability or command is the domain of the shortboard.

Footstep Up Boards & Gun Surfboards

Characteristics: Longer versions of performance shapes for stability in massive surf
Length: 6'6" to 11'
Fins: Thruster or Quad

As waves go bigger and bigger, the traditional shortboard starts to come up short-handed. Step up boards & guns are larger, high-performance boards with outlines that resemble shortboards, merely starting time to approach midsize & longboard lengths. At loftier speeds and air current common with monster swells, an improvement in stability goes a long mode to keeping your head to a higher place water.

What Are Surfboards Made Of?

While in that location are several dissimilar pop materials that surfboards are made upwards of, the most traditional is a foam core covered in fiberglass. Surfboards can have several different cadre materials that give the lath dissimilar characteristics. Surfboard construction can also feature foam, epoxy, cork, and other materials.

Fiberglass Surfboards

Fiberglass is the archetype, loftier-performance construction method for shaping surfboards. Typically this takes a foam base with a wooden stringer(for rigidity & flex), wrapped in fiberglass weaved cloth, and and so smothered in resin. These boards can be somewhat delicate as a result. Exterior of the h2o, they should be treated with care and by and large kept in a protective handbag or cover. Some amount of denting on the deck is somewhat normal as your trunk weight and foot pressure tin can compress the foam, but cracks demand to be cared for to prevent waterlogging which kills the lath's buoyancy.

What you get in commutation for the fragility is the most beautiful surfboard construction coin can buy with neat flex patterning and unparalleled performance.

Epoxy Surfboards

If y'all're non quite ready for a glass cannon similar a fiberglass board, or are stocking a rental fleet, epoxy boards are common substitutes for traditional fiberglass boards. Here instead of a sparse resin coating, the boards get a hard epoxy handling. This dampens the lath's ability to flex a practiced amount, but handles bouncing around in your vanagon quite a chip better.

Foam or Cork Surfboards

Throw these things in the dorsum of your truck and rush over to that post-ride burrito articulation without fifty-fifty taking off the bottoms of your wetsuit. Foam surfboards use durable soft, closed-jail cell foam to wrap the deck and rails of these boards, keeping your chest from chaffing and providing heaps of buoyancy. Recently some boards have been using cork instead of foam, for most identical purposes. Forgot to wax? You're non likely to skid off these squishy decks anyhow.

Lib Tech Surfboard Construction

Our snowboarding friends over at LibTech besides happen to be some cold water fanatics as well. They've taken what they know from the snowboard earth and fabricated some interesting applications to surf. The Mervin manufacturing boys are using whacky eco-friendly structure to create ultra-durable versions of Lost Surfboard shapes. Would you run over your surfboard with a truck? You could if you lot wanted to with a Lib Tech board.

How to Choose the Best Beginner Surfboard

The all-time beginner surfboard you can buy is the board that you have the nigh fun on. That being said, it's of import to stow your ego and make sure you're choosing the right lath so yous're non just getting slapped around with common salt h2o and actually doing some surfing. For beginner surfers, board choice is especially important.

Riding a moving ridge is actually a very small component of learning to surf, so many characteristics that we've been talking nigh, such maneuverability and speed can become pretty irrelevant. What'due south relevant in a skilful lath for a beginner surfer is the ability to paddle out, manage your position in the water, and catch a lot of waves. This ways choosing a surfboard with the right amount of volume. For someone who's a very beginner, this typically ways longboards & midsize boards with a LOT of volume. Refer to the above section on surfboard volume and choose accordingly.

Additionally to book, err on the side of stability when it comes to whatever other feature of the board such as fins. Beginner surfers are mostly working on catching waves and riding directly to the beach while staying upright. Wider bodied boards and a more locked in feel of a big longboard fin, 2+1 fin set up and thrusters simplify things so you can focus on mechanics.

Foam boards are too actually popular for beginners as they're affordable, stable, stone volume that goes to 11 and aren't most as delicate as traditional fiberglass boards can be. Information technology also helps that getting speared in the back with a foam lath isn't nearly as painful as a difficult board either. Foamies come in all shapes and sizes and are at present even coming in some college-functioning shapes and construction. Overall cream surfboards are a great choice for beginners.