How do they make surfboards faster is it in the design and shape or is it nothing to do with that?

Question

How do they make surfboards faster is it in the design and shape or is it nothing to do with that?

Answer 1

skinnier boards -  guns are used in big surf also the wieght of the guy rocketing down the face of a big wave changes the speed alot

Answer 2

The "general" rule; to increase "hull speed" for any water craft, be it boat, kayak, or surfboard, is to increase length, narrow the beam, decrease rocker, decrease displacement, reduce friction.  But if you do some of these things, you tend to sacrifice other key characteristics, like maneuverability, strength and stability.  A longer board is a faster board, but is less maneuverable.  A narrow board is a faster board, but is less stable.  Less rocker (i.e straighter with less curve) makes a board faster, but reduces maneuverability and makes the board tend to "pearl" (i.e the nose goes under the water) on smaller waves.  A lighter board is faster, but can break easily and has less buoyancy which makes it trickier to support the weight of a large surfer.  And last, but not least, a clean smooth bottom is faster, and is a good thing all around.

The faster surfboards are typically big wave boards (big waves are FAST) like the style called the "Gun".  They are long, narrow, light rockered, and pointy.  But they tend to be thick, for more buoyancy and strength.  I've got one, an old GS, but I seldom use it.  It's pretty old school (it's for sale by the way).

I hope that helps.  Happy surfing.

Answer 3

good answer serafim.

there are a few other characteristics that are more particular to surfboards, moreso than other watercraft.

with fluid dynamics, as volume increases, so does speed.  for this reason, lowered rocker and all of the other aforementioned characteristics will increase speed (usually at the expense of another desired characteristic).  however, with surfboards, the limiting factor of volume tends to usually be the tail.  this is why surfers often associate tail design with "release" of water flowing below the board.

a square tail increases the surface area that the water flows across, thus increasing speed (as opposed to a pintail or rounded tail etc.)  the trade-off in this case is that the board does not have the same smooth rail-to-rail turning.

in terms of overall sense of speed and turning, nothing can affect a board like tail design.  there is so much water moving past it, that it is a very definitive part of the board.

another factor with speed is fins.  speed on a wave is a function of two things:

1) the efficiency with which you transform energy from the wave to kinetic energy of you and your board

2) the friction of your board against the wave (slowing you down)

your ability to generate speed from the wave is dependant on your fins.  they hold the back of your board in place as you slide down the wave, allowing you to change the direction of motion.  basically, the bigger the fin, the more acceleration you get.  however there is an upper limit to this.  fins inherently create more drag in the water.

this is especially true on modern thrusters, or any multi-fin board.  imagine a scenerio where someone is trimming casually on their thruster on a right.  as seen from above, the right fin is doing most of the work to generate speed, along with the center fin.  the left fin is really just dragging through the water.  it's angled in towards the stringer, and just catching water inefficiently.

anyway, bigger fins tend to generate more speed, but don't turn as nicely.

as you can see, design is complicated and plays an important role in a person's surfing.  understanding design will help you make choices in your equipment that will help you surf better.  fins are a great (and affordable) place to start.  go pick out a nice set, and play a swapping game with some friends.  you will eventually find out what size and contours work best for you.  as you continue to surf, you can continue to play this game with all of the possible permeatations of board design!  ah, what a way to spend a buck...

Answer 4

The trick is to have a smooth board with little friction but enough control surface to be able to steer the board and enough mass to support the surfer.