Types of Surfboards

5 April, 2016

If you are planning to learn surfing, you must know the different types of surfing board that will suit your activity. More surfboards are available in the market today. They come in different shapes and sizes; you can even have yours customized. Yet, all of these can still be categorized according to how it is ridden and its basic shape.

Here are the most common categories of surfboards:

• Shortboard – These are high performance boards which were reinvented in the 1970s. Its length is usually under 7ft, hence the name. The shortboard allows a rider to surf in more critical waves because of a greater rocker. The body of this board usually measures at around 5’8” to 6’10”, has a sharp nose and three or four fins. Because of added ability to easily maneuver when surfing with this board, the shortboard is considered to be the most popular surfboard design.
• Longboard – The longboard is one of the oldest and most traditional designs of modern surfboards. It usually measures at around 8ft to 12ft in length and 20inches wide with a thickness of at least 2.5 inches. In contrast to shortboards, the nose of the longboard is rounded and only has single fin. This board is usually prescribed to be used by beginners because the extra volume enables the rider to paddle well and catch waves easily. Wave selection, the right paddling technique, and basic turning can be properly learned with the use of the longboard.
• Funboard – The funboard is a large surfboard that measures 6ft to 8ft long and is used by surfers who transitions to a much smaller board. This is a good transition board because it maintains the stability and paddling power given by large boards. The funboard has a lot of volume but is usually smaller than that of the longboard.
• Fish – A flat surfboard that has a bit of rocker. This board allows very well paddling and carries speed on flat sections of the wave. The fish design gained its origin from the knee-board and has been popular since the 1970s. Compared to the shortboard, the fish is shorter and wider. It also has a more rounded shape. This board usually measures between 4’8” to 6’ long.
• Gun – This is the most reliable surfboard when the waves are huge.  The gun is built at 7’2” to over 12’ in length for the main purpose of big wave arena. It is considered to be a bigger version of the shortboard. The board’s extra length enables the rider to gain enough speed when riding through huge and fast moving waves. The gun is likely to have three to four fins.
• Hybrid – The inspiration for the hybrid surfboard is actually a mix of few design elements from different surfboard types. The most common example of this mix will be the shortboard’s characteristics and performance paired with the fish’s stability and tail. The resulting board from this combination is a great board for medium to heavier built surfer who wants to use a much smaller board.

One’s ability to surf through waves is great affected by the boards he or she is using. Getting the right type of surfing board that will get you stoked is far more the greatest concern.

Contact Surfandsun.com.au now for your surfing questions.