A surfboard designed for high performance maneuvers and optimal performance off the top of a wave. Shortboards come in a vast array of shapes and sizes but in the end are the highest performing boards in the water.
Hybrids appeal to surfers who desire to maintain some of the performance characteristics of shortboards but need or desire more volume to aid in paddling ability and getting into a wave earlier. Most often its a shortboard type design with added volume (length, thickness, width).
Eggs refers to a style of board which bridges the gap between longboards and shortboards. Although they have more curve in their outline than fishes, Eggs are similar to Fishes in that they have flatter rocker and plane quickly, allowing them to catch waves easily. Traditional style eggs have a single fin while newer designs utilize modern fin setups. The newer fin setups such as quads, 2+1, or Tri fin helps the rider perform harder rail turns. Retro refers to classic shapes from the 1960's and 70's and before. Some may have modern adjustments but draw mostly from classic designs and most often feature a single fin.
This category is reserved for boards that are just as likely to be wall hangings as ridden. Art boards have highly customized or visually stunning designs that make one think twice before putting the board in water. Vintage boards are classic designs from the early days of surfing whose asthetic beauty causes one to think twice before placing it in water. Vintage boards serve as reminders of the history of surfing and the reverance that should be given to those that blazed the trail for us.
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A shorter board with added width and thickness, designed to improve wave catching ability while maintaining some elements of a performance shortboard. These boards are primarily used in smaller, mushier conditions because of their ability to maintain speed through mushier sections. Fishes are most often short and wide with flat rocker in the entry and tail. However, fishes catch waves surprisingly well despite their lack of surface area primarily due to flatter rocker, allowing the board to plane at a lower speed. The shortness of this design creates a tight turning radius, making the board ideally suited for smaller waves. Because of the added width, fish tend to ride flat on the wave and don’t transition from rail to rail very well making them more difficult to surf vertically.
A surfboard for big waves. They are long, narrow, and most often narrower than other boards both at the nose and the tail for maximum rail to wave contact in the critical part of big waves. The strength and performance characteristics needed for a big wave environment usually result in a thicker and heavier board. They are also called Elephant Guns and Rhino Chasers.
Usually 9’ and over in length; used for a more classic style of surfing with emphasis on grace and style. Board size usually results in wider arc turning and different moves such as noseriding. Their size makes them easier to paddle on flat water and into waves sooner. Recent design improvements have resulted in a segment of longboards called High Performance Longboards which allows a rider to perform many of the same maneuvers accomplished on shortboards
This category is the "catch all" for other types of boards including Tow in, Stand up Paddle Boards, Wake Surfing, Corporate Logo Surfboards, and any other type board not covered in the other categories. |