Your Guide to Ordering Your new Custom Surfboard October 17, 2011 – Tags: , ,

Surfboard Design

Ordering a custom shooter is one of the most exciting things a surfer gets to do, however if you make the wrong decision you can really balls it up. When ordering that all important new surfboard, a lot of different things, other than length, width and thickness, need to be considered. Tails, rails and bottom contours also play a large part in whether your board performs or not and in what conditions. A lot of surfers own a small quiver of surfboards for different types of waves. Here is a board buyers guide to help you make the right call when you fill out your custom order form!

The overall template: There are many types of outlines to a surfboard the most common being the Short board, Fish and gun. A short board has a nice flowing outline from the nose to tail to work in most conditions, a fish is generally wider throughout giving it an even curvier outline to add more volume and stability in smaller waves. The gun is however a lot narrower and straighter through the rail line to give a tracking feel and stability for large waves.
Length and width: The length, width and thickness are all dependant on the surfers ability, height, weight and the waves they want to ride the surfboard in. When ordering a surfboard be completely honest with your weight, height and ability in order to get the right surfboard. A thicker heavier guy who hasn’t done much surfing is going to need a thicker surfboard with more volume in order to catch waves. Whereas a small grom who can surf rings around the older guys, will want the lighter, flashier , thinner models.
Tails:
The Rounded Square: definitely the most common tail shape on modern shortboards today, being a mixture of a round tail and a square tail its the most all round tail available, and works in most conditions allowing drive and enough release to throw the tail and get loose. Generally used on an all round surfboard.
Square tail: Much like the rounded square the square tail also offers drive and release. With the extra hardness and edge on the rail it gives the surfer more release and looseness. Not so common these days but still work well in small to head high waves.

Squash: The Squash is also a very common tail shape and looks a lot like the round square which has been dropped and so called squashed. It also has mainly the same features of the rounded square and is a great tail for surfers of all levels. It offers both maneuverability and drive and is great for small to overhead waves.

Swallow: The swallow tail allows for more area rail to rail which allows for more speed and stability. the tail is much like a square tail with less area as a vee is cut out creating two points. This helps the surfboard handle better during big manoeuvres and gives you more control as your laying down a nice carve. Generally used on fish type boards in small waves allowing for a wider tail to give extra speed and buoyancy.

Pin: Designed to give the surfboard maximum hold in the wave face and to give the surfer extra control in critical conditions. With the rail line continuing the whole way down the board to the tail this gives the surfboard kind of a tracking feel and very little looseness. Perfect for extra confidence as your about to pull into that 12 foot G-land pit. Generally used for larger boards (guns ect.)

Rounded Pin: A more forgiving version of the Pin tail with bit more width and curve. Definitely a favourite amongst the pros for medium to large good waves as it allows you to draw clean lines with extra bite but still allows a lot more forgiveness than the standard pin tail.

Rails:

Low: Low rails are generally more sensitive and tend to bite to the wave alot more. They are mostly used on boards for bigger hollower waves and for doing large drawn out turns
boxy rails:A boxy rail however is pull all the way out to the edge causing the deck of the surfboard to be alot flatter, and giving the surfboard more volume. They are gerally used for smaller waves and quick tighter turns.

Mid:The mid rail is a mixture between the Low and boxy rail, giving you a happy medium and allowing your surfboard to perform in more types of conditions. Generally used on an all round surfboard

Bottom Contour:
Generally a Surfboard shaper will know what type of bottom contour to put into a board depending on what type of conditions the board will be surfed in. Each shaper differs on how much contour they like to cut into the board as they each have there own style. Here is a simple rundown on how each contour is meant to work.

Flat: A flat bottom is normally put in a board to create maximum speed. This means the bottom of the surfboard from rail to rail is completely flat. Most shapers will normally add a slight vee or concave to a flat bottom to give the surfboard extra lift, release, and control depending on the amount.
concave bottom
Concaves: A concaved bottom is any sort of curve that has been cut out of the bottom of the surfboard inside the rails. There are many sorts of concaves the most popular being Single, double and of course the Single into Double. They cause the water to travel under the board in certain directions giving lift to the surfboard also acceleration and stability. They are used in most modern short boards today. Single concave is normally looser than a double concave.
Vee bottom
Vee: A vee bottom is built to give easy rail-to-rail transition, without as much effort on the surfer. They are generally used in guns, as they tend to cut the chop in the wave more and are slower than flat and concaved contours. They help with turning in critical sections of the wave.

Rocker:
A rocker in a surfboard is the overall curve from nose to tail, the more rocker your board will have the easier it will be to turn but the less drive and speed it will have. Where as a flatter rocker will give you a lot more speed over dead wave but less control and a worse turning radius in steeper waves. Therefore, a flatter rocker is generally used in smaller wave boards and a fuller rocker is used in waves with more consequence and steepness.