Surfboard

A surfboard is a strong, narrow flat plank used by the surfers while riding an ocean wave. The surfboards are light in weight but robust enough to carry and balance a surfer. The modern surfboards are composed of polyurethane or polystyrene foam which is wrapped with layers of fibreglass cloth, polyester or epoxy resin and all these materials aid in the light yet strong framework that is buoyant and easily manoeuvrable. The surfboard holds its roots in ancient Hawaii where it was first invented. Traditionally regarded as papa he’e nalu (in the Hawaiian language), surfboards have travelled a long way in terms of stability, shape and manufacturing. 

The dimensions of Surfboards

• Length - The length plays a vital role in the performance of the surfboard. The longer the surfboard, the easier it is to paddle and balance by the surfer. The beginner surfers generally prefer the longer board to learn surfing. However, longer boards are hard to manoeuvre. Competitive surfers who require their boards to be faster, fiercer and to perform aerial manoeuvres generally prefer shorter surfboards. Surfboards generally have a length ranging between 5 feet to 12 feet.
• Width - The width of the surfboard is the measurement from one rail to another at its widest point. The broadness of any board is proportional to its stability and it affects its buoyancy rate in the water.
• Depth - The thickness of the surfboard is directly proportional to its ability to float and paddle. The thicker the boards, the more buoyant they are. Depth is the measurement between the deck of the board to its thickest point at the bottom.
• Rocker - The rocker is the curved region of a surfboard from nose to tail when viewed from the sides. The flatter the rocker, more stable a surfboard can be on the water. However, flatter boards are less manoeuvrable than the ones with more rocker.

Essential parts of Surfboards

• Bottom - The bottom region of a board stays in contact with the water. The designing of the basal region is usually concave (sometimes convex as well) with some channels and other planing features to maximize the direct flow of water across the bottom surface. Generally, the traditional boards had a convex designing and were able to displace more water.
• Deck - The surface of the board where the surfers stand upon is regarded as the deck. The surf wax is also applied to this region to maintain the friction. The concaves and rail channels are also sometimes shaped as contours to the surfboard’s deck.
• Fins - The fins are specialized rudder fixed to the rear side of surfboard which stabilizes the board and prevents it from sliding sideways.
• Leash - A surfboard leash or leg ropes are required to attach the surfboard to the surfer. A leash prevents the surfers from swiping away by water currents and hitting other surfers and swimmers.
• Nose - The front tip of the surfboard is regarded as the nose. The nose is either manufactured as rounded, pointed or with the rocker.
• Tail - The rear end of the board is known as the tail. It is constructed either as a square, pin, squash, swallow, diamond or any suitable structure. The pintail offers faster movement, whereas the hip tail provides a better balance to the surfers.
• Traction pad - It’s a piece of foam applied on top of the surfboard to increase the traction and grip of the surfers. It offers more control to the surfers and also betters the performance.
• Rails - The edges of the board are regarded as rails. The rounded rails are called soft whereas squared rails are regarded as hard and the hybrid rails are regarded as “fifty-fifty” (50/50). The larger and fuller rails have a high volume of foam that increases the buoyancy of the board along the edge.

Types of Surfboards

• Shortboard - It is the most common type of surfboard that has a length ranging between 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 4 inches and is 16 inches to 19 inches wide. The boards have a rounded square tail. Shortboards mostly have a tri-fin set up and are preferred by experienced and pro surfers.
• Fish boards - The fish boards are a type of shortboards with wider and rounder nose, swallow tail and a wider mid-section width. The boards are usually 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 4 inches long and 18 to 22 inches wide. Fish boards offer a better wave catching capability along with maintaining the speed and manoeuvring performance. The boards are ideal to surf on small to medium-sized waves.
• Gun - Guns are long yet narrow boards with a sharp-pointed nose and tail. The designing of the boards offers better control with faster and easier paddling. The sizes range from 6 inches to 10 inches and above. The boards are ideal to surf against massive, powerful and steeper waves.
• Longboards - The longboard is also regarded as a log. These boards are usually 8 to 9 inches long and have a rounded nose. Longboards offer easy paddling and are ideal for catching smaller waves. Longboards are more stable in water and usually have one large fin only.
• Foamboard - It is also regarded as a soft board or foamie and is ideal for beginners and younger surfers. The boards are composed of foam which makes it more buoyant in water.
• Bodyboard - It is also regarded as a boogie board and is ideal for surfing on smaller waves or a crowded beach. The boards are smaller and manufactured from polystyrene, foam, wood or fibreglass and are economically cheaper.

Evolution of Surfboards through the years

The traditional boards were made from wood, such as koa and didn’t have fins. Those boards used to have a length of 460 cm (15 ft) or more and were massively heavy. Later in the 1930s, Tom Blake modified the longboard by adding a fin to it that provided directional stability to the surfing boards. Since then, the idea was widely accepted, and various combinations of fins such as two-fins, three fins (tri fins), four fins (quad fins) were introduced for the boards.

In the 1960s, Reginald Sainsbury invented polystyrene surfboards while working for the Poron Insulation Company. By the early 1990s "Glass slipper" shortboards that were extremely thin with extreme rocker became popular. In the later years, the fish designed boards became popular. The modern surfboards are manufactured from polyurethane, fibreglass cloth, polyester or epoxy resin. The modern material aids in making the board lighter and more robust. The most recent modifications in surfboards include the utilization of carbon fibre and Kevlar composite in the manufacturing of the boards.