What is the Difference Between Types of Surfboards?
If you’re anything like me, you like to try out everything you can. Pertaining to surfing, I love trying new boards, fin setups, beaches, wetsuits, etc. There are endless possibilities to try. For someone who prefers simplicity or someone just starting out, however, this can be overwhelming and hard to understand. So, this is a summary of the most common board categories to help finding the appropriate board cleaner.
Foamboard
Commonly used by beginners, these are soft surfboards made of foam. The abundant flotation and stability allow one to paddle into waves easily. They are also quite safe to learn to surf with as there is less risk of injury if struck by it. They usually come with plastic, pull-through fins.
Longboard
A longboard is typically categorized as any surfboard longer than 8 ft. Often, a larger single fin is featured, sometimes accompanied by small trailers. They are your best option for being able to surf through the 1-2 ft flat spells. They are enjoyed by all kinds of surfers because they are easy for beginners and allow for advanced surfers to hang off the nose.
Mid-length
Mid-length surfboards range from roughly 6.5-8 ft, as they are in between long and short boards. They feature a more round, wide shape than a shortboard and fins start to become more of surfer’s preference. While these are enjoyed by all, they are a great transition to shortboards and fish boards.
Fish
The main characteristic of a fish board is the exaggerated swallow tail. Additionally, they will have wide nose and shape and a lot of volume. Typically, their fins are either twins or, sometimes, a quad. One advantage is that they allow easier step up on weaker waves, but are ridden in all conditions.
Shortboard
Shortboards are defined by performance in great surf conditions. Usually below 6.5 ft, they are designed with lots of rocker and drive to be ridden in powerful waves and powerful waves only. Most commonly, there will be a set of thruster fins in and are really meant for experienced surfers.
This is a simplistic list. There are even more ways to classify surfboards, but hopefully this will help you get into the ballpark of what you are looking for
Support me and other writers by signing up for Medium!
