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Global Boarders Types of Surfboard

As with any sport / pastime, equipment is of extreme importance. The modern surfboard has come a long way in design and construction since the Hawaiians started surfing on wooden planks.

Modern surfboards are hand shaped by professional shapers out of foam and finished with a fibreglass coat. They are light and strong, and the cutting edge of surfboard design changes as quickly as a cold surfer in a windy carpark.

Surfboard parts and design

This picture shows a shortboard but the naming of the components is the same whether your board is a longboard or a shortboard.

The Longboard

The longboard differs in design to the shortboard in that the nose of the longboard is rounded where the shortboard's is more pointed, and longboards tend to have a single fin where shortboards usually have 3. Mini Mals range from the 7 feet 2 inches to 9 feet and Mals are 9 feet upwards in length.

The design and shape of the longboard generally allows for ease of paddling allowing for more productive surfing for the beginner and intermediate levels. With good stability, these boards give a good base for developing a sound surfing ability.

The Shortboard

This picture shows a shortboard, also known as the Thruster. It is a board used to perform quick manoeuvres on waves and is the most popular type of surfboard design.

The size of these shortboards is generally from around 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet 10 inches.