What is the difference between the types of surfbaords?

Question

shortboards?

longboards?

funboards?

fishes/grovellers?

softboards?

I want to begin surfing this summer and I want to buy my frist surfboard asap.

thanks..

Answer 1

longboards are for slow more relaxed lay back type of waves.

fishes are good for paddling and helping your pop up and lose turning

softboards are for beginers.

shortboards are for almost any type of waves

Answer 2

its all about prefference. long boards are long?good for beginners. wow this is along question here----http://www.islesurfboards.com/index.asp?...

Answer 3

Shortboard, a fast shape, usually very thin and used for tricks/manueveribility.

Longboard- A classic beginner's board, usually 8' or longer, rounded half circle nose style and has the most stability/almost the least manueveribility.

Funboards- Kind of a combination of a shortboard and alongbaord, usually about 6'8-7'10 and is about as thick as a longboard.

fishes- have the best turning capabilities, usually referred to as a retro fish and has a deep kind of triangular shape in the tail, it goes about 6 inches to 1 foot deep, around 2-3 inches thick and has a fun shape kind of nose.

Softboard- A trainer board, soft topped so you won't hurt yourself and ranges in price from $100-$300 new.  

My suggestion: Softboard, very cheap, cheap to repair and very stable like a longboard.  If you get a soft top get a longboard style soft top.  Size should be around 8'6, 3 inches thick.  Good luck with surfing.

I am a self-taught and I think it's the best way to go, you learn how to do things yourself and are better off in the long-run. Good luck!

Answer 4

Surfing is an ocean sport, to do it right, you have to be at home in the ocean, with its currents, rips, undertows and sometimes big waves. I don't just mean being good at swimming in a pool, the ocean can be very unforgiving. I have seen lots of really good pool swimmers have to get rescued. You have to learn surf etiquette (so the experienced surfers in the line up don't want to drown you), how to paddle and take off on a wave, and how to ride a wave. You can't do that without an ocean.

Take the time time to learn about the ocean. Go swimming, body surfing and body boarding. When you are really comfortable with it, it's time to start surfing.

Lessons are usually the best way to start, unless you are an adolescent or young adult with lots of pals who surf who can teach you. Go to a real surf shop. The folks there can hook you up with lessons, and even rent you a board to learn on. Just work on your basics, and after you feel good, think about buying a board, but don't rush into anything.

There are good things about both long and short boards. I ride both (one at a time , of course). In the mid sixties, like almost everybody else, I started on a longboard. I went shorter and shorter every summer, during the 'short board revolution.' After getting out of the service, I had afew years of sporadic surfing, before I got back to surfing as much as possibly could. (I've driven 650 miles to go surfing!). I found some days that were just too small anything but a longboard. Just riding one size board is very limiting, conditions change daily in most places.

I am old, and fat and slow, so even my shortboard is 7'8". My 6'4" is a collectors' item now. Not every break has ripper, head high waves every day. A longboard is great for plenty of glide in that knee high stuff. One more reason to surf every chance I can.

You need a board that will float you well enough for you to take off (paddle and catch a wave). Most people learn best on long boards, although I have seen lots of surfers start on a short board and master it. Long boards are ideal for learners. There are also good internediate length boards to learn on, funshapes, mini-mals and some hybrids. You can always trade in a board and buy a new one when you are ready for a change (or keep your long board. I bought a new long board about 6/7 years ago, and, like I said, there are some days that it's the perfect board for the conditions).

There are no RULES for learning how to surf. Go to a good local surf shop and talk to the surfers there. They will give you good advice for what works in the local breaks you will be riding.

Typical longboard 8'6" to 10', 22" to 24" wide on a 2 1/2 to 3" blank. Modern longboards have incorporated traditional design concepts and modern shaping ideas, such as concaves and channels and multiple fins. They are ride-able in any size surf. They are like little boats, they paddle easily and are easy to take off with. They are Extremely stable to pop up on, and that makes them great for beginners. The one  I ride is a 9'4" with an FCS, 10" center fin and two side 'thrusters'. I also have an antique Weber Feather 9'6" that i don't ride anymore.

A short board is usually from 5'XX" to about 6'6", they tend to be narrow and are made on skinny blanks, usually 2 1/4 to 2 5/8". They are mote 'pointy' and have more rocker (curve). Most have tree fins, but there are quads, twins and singles also. They are often called performance boards. They build expanded versions, called 'Big Guy' short boards for fat, old dudes like me (mine is 7'8" on a 3 "  blank).

Fun shapes, or mini-mals are just miniature long boards. They generally have the same long board lines. They range from about 7'6" to about 8'6". They have almost the same lines as a lonmg board (mine is 7'8" with the same fin set up as my long board, but a significantly narrower tail). Fairly easy to ride, they make good beginner boards.

Fish are swallow tail , usually stubby boards made on a thicker blank. They have lots of tail rocker, and work pretty well on small to medium surf. They area almost always twin or quad fins.

http://mckevlins.blogspot.com/search?upd...

My board is pictured on October 17, it's a HUGE fish. They suck as beginner boards, because they are very responsive in short radius turns.

Hybrids are shorter combinations of design factors, often half performance boad and half fun board. There are swallow tail hybrids that are sometimes called 'rocketfish'

Softops are good to learn on. They don't hurt as bad when you get smaced on the head by your board, as tends to happen, especially with beginners. Most softops are made in longboard or fun shape designs.

Some folks have said that skateboarding may help. Well, any balance improving activity can be helpful to improve your surfing. That could be skate, snow, wake or skim boarding, working out on a Indo board, or doing the balance beam. HOWEVER, surfing is nothing like skateboarding. You have to paddle and catch a wave. First, and most important, you have to be at home in the ocean. You need to learn the mechanics of surfing, paddling out, catching a wave and standing up on the surfboard. It is after you have gotten all that down, that your balance becomes important, and if you have good balance (because, perhaps, you skateboard), that will only help you ride better.

I have been surfing for 42 years. I hope you do learn to surf some day, it will give you joy for life.