The Shapes
So we have presented the case for a new board but what to choose? Reading marketing blurb you’d be forgiven for thinking that almost every board can do almost everything. They can’t, there will be, as there is in every choice in life, a compromise somewhere along the line. You need to focus on where you wish to make those compromises. It comes down again to what I said before about being honest about the waves that you intend to ride. A scenario I’m often asked about is, I love board X, it catches waves easily for me and is stable but is slow to turn and bounces. The converse scenario is also often presented, love the board, great to turn but I can’t catch waves easily. These two scenarios aren’t mutually exclusive, there is a middle ground but you still have to be willing to accept a reasonable balance between performance and wave catching ability. The all-round surf shapes with widths from 34 to 30 inches are best sellers. They offer width and volume for stability but with refined rails and a reduced tail volume and shape for manoeuvrability. Those are the key markers to look for when appraising a shape for your needs. Don’t beat yourself up that you’re not hacking buckets of spray or having the odd ‘bum note’ in a turn, you’re still riding a wave and building up knowledge and skill to progress to a state where you will want to make that next leap in your level with a more advanced board design. Surfing’s mainstream explosion in the nineties was lit on a short fuse of consumers who bought needle nosed surfboards emulating the pros design of choice at the time.
Looked great under the arm or on the roof rack but spent most of the time frustrating their owners who would eventually give up on salt water and move on to the next hipster beat. Don’t be that dude, progression comes in steps and your board choice should be inline with that. That’s not to say be closed to innovation in design; the new compact board shapes offer a much reduced waterline length but still retain stability due to their ‘flat’, ‘door like’ footprint and have allowed many riders to step down radically in board size with the advantages of manoeuvrability and not forgetting portability that these shapes naturally bring. So why do we not all ride these, good question. Why do we all not drive the same cars, ride the same skateboards or cycle a communist style one design of bike. We’re all different beasts chasing the same prey with many ways and tastes on how to hunt. For some the compact shapes don’t offer the same classic lines and feel of conventional shapes, others relish the chance to ride a radically different style of board and find the fresh lines open up and fast track progress their surfing. Both approaches have merit, the compact shapes really help fit into the pocket of ‘short waves’ and ‘swing’ easily in transitions; longer boards still retain that unique gliding ability into waves and draw out turns and pick up speed through the art of trim not aggression.
