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Buying Your First Surfboard
Buying a surfboard is a very personal experience. All the knowledge in the world will never replace the feeling of holding that perfect board in your hands, feeling the rails, running your fingers along the bottom, feeling the contours. But.....by knowing the basics of surfboard design you''''ll be much more likely to choose the "right" perfect board!
There are many types of surfboards currently being ridden: shortboards, longboards, hybrids, guns, fishes, etc. Althought they may look very different and are different, they all contain several components common to surfboard design. The following sections will breakdown these components.
Outline
The outline is the surfboards curve viewed from the deck or bottom. Generally a surfboard with a longer straighter has more paddling power and produces longer drawn out turns in larger surf. Shorterboards with a lot of curve in the outline will allow lots of turns and maneuvers in smaller surf. The trick is to find a board with the right amount of curve for the conditions you generally surf.
The main ingredient in the curve of the outline is the placement of the widepoint of the surfboard. The widepoint has wandered up and down the board over the years. From the forward wide point of the 70's Brewer Guns to the well back of the 80's No-Nose shapes, to the nearly centered wide point of today's shortboards. To add additional release or pivot points, shapers have placed wings (single or multiple), or bumps at various points near the tail. Depending upon your they may or may not be for you.
Rocker
Place any surfboard on a nice flat surface or in a swimming pool and observe how it lays. This is the best way to check out a board's rocker.
The simplest way to describe rocker is: rocker is the amount of curve along the bottom of the board. Because it is in constant touch with the surface of the wave it has alot to do with any board's success.
As with the outline, there is a simple speed vs. turning formula applied to the equation: flatter and straighter for down the line speed, more curve for tight turns. To add more confusion...add contours, concaves, vees, and channels. What results is not just one rocker but possibly several.
Rails
Run your hands down both rails of a surfboard at the same time and you should feel an even smooth transition down both sides of the board. Most shapers will agree the rails are the most difficult part of a board to shape. The rails are the meeting point between the outline, the bottom contours, and curves. The modern rail follows a smooth flowing transition from thin and soft in the nose, rounder, egg-shaped with a very subtle edge in the center, to a thin hard edge in the back third of the board. Each section should blend smoother into the next without any abrupt transitions, similar to a clean rocker.
Foil
Foil can be described as the rate of change of volume throughout the board. Good foil is the correct balance of all the other curves. If you look at an old longboard or even a shortboard from 7 or 8 years ago and you compare them with their modern couterparts you''''ll notice how thick, and crude the older models are.
Fins
Over the last few years, fin designs, number, shape and location has become the biggest area of surfboard exploration. Fins are the steering mechanism of the surfboard. With a return of the removable fins systems, never has it been easier to experiment with different shapes, sizes, and even compositions.
Just by reducing the size of your fins a 1/4 inch the board can become the best board you have ever owned. Since most of popular design is led by pro surfers, few shapers have been brave enough to stray from the basic thruster (3 fin) design, yet there are many exciting possibilities with 2, 4, and even 5 fin configurations. POLITICAL ARTICLES |
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