Surfboard
Buyer's Guide

The fish has a characteristic shape. These boards have a wide shape and a swallow tail, little to no rocker and are short built. Because of their shape, they have a lot of volume on a short length so remain agile and playful.

Fish boards are great for advanced surfers and small to head-high waves. They are also the ideal transition board from a mini malibu to a shorter board.

Hybrid surfboards combine the positive characteristics of different shapes. They close the gap from shortboard to fish or mini malibu. Compared to a shortboard, a hybrid has more volume, a wider nose and less rocker. This shape can be paddled easily and still surfs playfully. A real all-rounder.

Hybrid shapes are ideal for experienced surfers. They perform very well in hip-high to head-high waves

Shortboards have a pointed nose, the strong rocker and the sharp rails. They have little volume, so are more agile and let you surf powerfully. The step up from a mini Malibu, fish or hybrid surfboard.

Longboards usually have a length of 9 feet and more. A longboard is characterized by a rounded nose, a narrowing square tail and a large middle fin. Due to the length and the high volume the handling and the dynamics of these boards are very limited. Paddling on a longboard is easy but the surf style is more a comfortable cruising and smooth than aggressive and fast. If you are looking for a board for small waves and relaxed riding then a longboard is the right one for you. Although these boards have a lot of volume they are rather unsuitable for beginners due to the handling.

Pin tails are for big wave surfing. The pointed shape stabilizes your board and gives you more control - great for surfing down the line and maintaining speed.

The rounded pin is a mixture of the round and pin tail. So, your board gives you the stability of a pin at high speeds and good hold during long turns.

Square tail surfboards have a squared end that abruptly interrupts the water flow at the rail. The sharp edges make your board more playful, allowing for tight and aggressive turns. Additionally, square tails help you with planing and are a lot of fun even in small, slow waves.

A squash tail has rounded edges. This shape has the perfect balance between stability and agility. It is well suited for the most different waves, surfboards with a squash tail are versatile.

The swallow tail gives you power for fast and sharp turns. It's also great for weak, smaller waves as it provides the surfboard with more lift in the back.

A mixture of squash and pin tails. The bevelled edges make your board turn faster and faster.

It is a mixture of round and pointed noses - a balance of buoyancy and agility. Surfboards with a round pointed nose are better for intermediate surfers.

High-performance surfboards often have a pointed nose. As well as the pointed nose there is usually a lot of rocker. It has less buoyancy because of its narrow shape, so paddling is a little more challenging. However, the nose makes the surfboard very manoeuvrable. This nose is on boards for advanced and expert riders.

Changes to the rail in the rear area are called wings. These small dents interrupt the water flow along the edge, which makes the surfboard even more playful. At high speeds, this can be a disadvantage.

Hybrid and shortboards can have wings.

Slow or fast waves

The rocker describes how much your surfboard is bent up from the tail to the nose. The best way to recognize it is to look at your surfboard from the side.

In principle one says:

- Get caught with a flat rocker

- With a strong rocker you surf high, powerful waves.

The underside of the surfboard is called the bottom. Its shape influences the water flow at the bottom of the board and affects stability, manoeuvrability and speed. There are different types of bottom shapes, each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.

This classic surfboard construction uses a PU foam core with polyester resin. These surfboards are a little heavier and more susceptible to dings. Since the core draws water when exposed, any damage must be repaired immediately. They do, however, have a little more flex and glide more smoothly in rough conditions. They are also a little cheaper.

Eco Impacto is an exclusive Lib Tech design. These boards are more "ding-resistant". Lib Tech constructs a core from recycled nitrogen cell foam coated with a magnesium/basalt fabric. The core doesn't draw water, so you can surf the board with a ding without any problems. To make the board even more resistant and environmentally friendly, the layers are bonded with a special bio-matrix resin.

This construction is one of the most durable and sustainable and is great for every surfer.

Epoxy surfboards are lighter, more environmentally friendly and robust than polyester surfboards. The EPS core has more buoyancy and an epoxy resin is much more resistant than polyester resin. For beginners, epoxy boards are a bit heavier. They have a thicker lamination and a core of non-water repellent, compressed EPS elements. Performance boards have a water-repellent core and a thin lamination - this makes the boards exceptionally light. Epoxy boards are a little more expensive to buy and don’t compensate unevenness in the wave as well.

The Future Flex construction was designed and patented by Haydenshapes. The surfboard consists of a high-density EPS core without stringers (reinforcement in the middle of the board from nose to tail), biaxial fibreglass fabric, epoxy resin and carbon fibres along the rails. This construction gives the board a long life.

The Future Flex construction creates a fast, dynamic and responsive surfboard suitable for intermediate to expert surfers.

TET, the Torq Epoxy Technology, can be found on Torq surfboards. The surfboards are shaped using a shape template. EPS balls are pressed into shape with steam, then the plugs are added and the core is laminated with fibreglass and epoxy resin. Finally, the core pressed into shape once more. This method does not produce any EPS waste.

The advanced materials and high-tech construction promise a lightweight board with responsive flex that is both stable and durable.

FCS 2 is the evolution of the FCS. You insert the fins into the fin box via a lever mechanism. They are held and fixed by a clamping device. Since this system is compatible with both FCS 2 fins and FCS fins, you have a wide selection worldwide. However, you will need an adapter for fins with FCS system.

The fins of the Futures System are inserted into the fin box via a lever mechanism and fixed from the front with a screw. This system is straightforward to use. You should keep in mind that this system comes from the USA and isn’t so common in Europe. It can be a little tricky to get a replacement if yours break.

This system is used to attach one large fin. A pin attached to the fin is inserted into the fin box and fastened with a screw. The US Box System is often combined with other fin systems. This system is mainly for single fin surfboards and longboards.

With this system, the fin can be inserted or fixed with small screws.

The Universal fin system is compatible with FCS, FCS 2 and Futures fins, giving you the most flexibility.

The two fins mounted on the outer edge of the tail offer the water a large area to flow through. The board generates lots of speed even in slow waves. A twin fin surfs quickly and playfully with tight turns but isn’t great for big waves.

The twin fin setup is usually on fish boards.

Most surfboards have a thruster setup.

You can vary the size of the fins, but often three fins of the same size are used.

The thruster combines the best of the single and twin fins with a balance between agility, speed and stability. The thruster gives you enough grip in hollow waves and allows you to pull tight turns. This setup is suitable for almost all waves.

As a development of the twin fin, the quad setup has an advantage in bigger waves.

In principle quad and twin fin work the same - due to the "missing" fin in the middle, your board generates drive. The four fins give you enough grip and allow you to powerfully turn. However, you will have to make sacrifices in quicker turns with this setup.

If the fins are further forward and out, your board will perform well in smaller waves. If they are further back and closer to the centre, they will help you in larger hollow waves.

Just because you can mount five fins doesn't mean you have to. Even pros rarely surf the full five fin setup.

With a five fin, you can adjust the setup to the conditions and your style. You can surf your surfboard as twin, thruster or quad - and vary the size of the fins.

When choosing the wax, the water temperature should be your guide. Surf wax is made for different temperatures to give you the best possible grip. Before you go surfing, check the water temperature at your spot and choose your wax.

A traction pad has the same function as surf wax. It provides grip and control on the board. The difference is that a foam traction pad is glued to the board. With the pad, you can create targeted pressure on the tail and fins. This is especially useful for radical turns and aerials.

A board bag is indispensable for travel and transport. It protects your surfboard from scratches and dents from travelling. You also have space in the bag for fins, wetsuit and towel. So, everything is protected in one bag.

Choose a slightly longer bag than your board. You'll have plenty of room to cushion it for air travel.

If you're lucky enough to live near a lake and have access to a motorboat, you could try wakesurfing. Wakesurfing is surfing the wave (or wake) behind a motorboat.

Here we have a selection of wakesurfing surfboards and products.