How much does the size of the wave matter in regard to the size of your surfboard?

Question

I understand there are a lot of factors, like, hgt, wgt, experience, etc. but are there any general rules, such as, waves over, or under, a certain hgt require a certain size board?

Answer 1

Quite a bit... use this surfboard calculator to punch in different wave sizes and see how the length of the board increases the bigger the wave does:

http://aboutthebreak.com/surfboard_calcu...

Answer 2

bigger the board the bigger the wave, but i use my 6' 2" on almost everything 3'-25'

Answer 3

There are no RULES. Only the laws of physics dictate the ability of a given surfboard with a given rider on board being able to be ridden on any given wave.

If anyone doesn't believe that, just check out any ESA surf contest that takes place on a day with knee high mush waves. The talent of the surfer is often more important than the size of the wave. In general, however, there are not as many moves or maneuvers that a surfer can do on a small wave, and that sort f defeats the purpose of riding a highly maneuverable short board. I ride a long board on some unbelievably small surf, and still have fun.

On the other hand, a big wave makes for lots of room to play around on a short, performance board. Although don't think that long boarders can't do some amazing stuff in big waves.

Like just about everybody else in the mid '60s, I started on a long board, and eventually got down to a 6'4". I still ride a long board 42 years later, because it is great in that tiny stuff, but i still ride short boards (that is short by the standards of an old fat guy) in the bigger stuff. And, I ride my 7'8" custom made twin fin fish in almost anything.

So, size of the wave means less than the skill of the surfer on the wave, but it does make a difference.

Answer 4

well with a bigger board, its easier to catch a wave. If you catch a huge wave on a shortboard, that means more carving that u can do, but it would be harder to catch in the first place. But bigger boards for bigger waves is easier, and vice versa.

Answer 5

This is a pretty general question because different people like to surf different size and different kinds of boards, and when i say size and kind i mean width, length, thickness, single fin, dual fin, thruster, quad, pintail, squashtail, swallow tail, fish, longboard, shortboard, gun, funshape, etc... There's different standards for every person. Personally, I live in santa barbara and i have a few different boards which work well for the kinds of swells we get here at different times of the year. Here's my quiver:

- Robert's 6-2 Punter

This is my all around board. I can surf it on waist high waves and on 13 foot waves.

-Owl 6-6 thruster

this is my board that i use for slightly bigger local swells or more powerful waves for when i travel north

-Channel Islands 5-6 Biscuit

this board is pretty short but a lot thicker than my other boards because this is my small wave board. I can ride this thing in knee high waves or up to six foot waves.

-Channel Islands 6-2 M4

this is my back up all round board. Works great for chest- overhead local swells.

-Parole Boards 8-6 longboard

yep, this is my longboard. The guy who shapes these boards is a friend of mine who makes boards to order. I can ride this board when it's almost flat, but I've ridden it in eight foot waves, which is kinda sketchy because there's a limit to how big of a board you want.

so, i hope i put that into perspective for you. everyone likes to ride just a little bit differently and therefore this question can only be answered vaguely, hope it helped though.

-J

Answer 6

You are on to it, there are a lot of factors to consider.

but yes generally the bigger the wave the longer the board.

Most people have an all rounder board say a 6'1" (but bigger for bigger blokes) which is good for every day conditions (2 to 6 foot.)  When the surf gets bigger the people opt for longer pointer boards.

when the surf is tiny 0 to 2 foot a fish type board is a popular choice.. something short, wide or thick. Just more volume to stop you from sinking when there is not much power in the waves.. Longboards are great for those days too.