Surfboard Design Guide v1.7 KS

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Say Hi!
About Benny
Hi, I’m Benny! Welcome to Compare Surfboards and welcome
to the family!
Like many of you, I'm a regular, everyday surfer but I LOVE IT!
When it comes to surfboard design, there is a lot to know &
lots of jargon. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned
veteran, understanding your equipment can help take your
surfing to the next level.
This guide will help you understand the basic surfboard design
features and how they work together in unison to achieve the
purpose of a given board.
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Hi, I’m Benny
Table of Contents
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Introduction
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Before Design, Think Physics
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Surfboard Plan Shape or Outline
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Surfboard Tail Shapes
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Surfboard Foil
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Surfboard Rocker
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Surfboard Rail Volume and Shape
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Surfboard Bottom Contours
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Surfboard Fins
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Surfboard Fin Placement
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Introduction
Good surfboard design is part science, part art + a lot of trial and error.
Like a good symphony, all aspects of a board’s design serve a specific purpose and
these elements must come together to produce the desired outcome.
Understanding each component and how they contribute to an overarching design is
the primary goal of this guide.
Things to Remember
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One of the most important steps to becoming a more informed surfer is
understanding your equipment
Surfboard design is complex and multi-faceted, however, a few basics principles
apply
Understanding the ‘big picture’ will help you make more informed decisions about
your equipment
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Before
What forces are applied to
surfboards during use?
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“Surfing is all physics.”
THREE BASIC FORCES APPLIED TO
SURFBOARDS DURING USE:
• BUOYANCY - Buoyancy counterbalances the
weight of both board and surfer and stops
them from sinking.
• GRAVITY - The force of gravity, on the other
hand, effects the opposite. It pulls the surfer
toward the water, essentially helping him hold
his position on the moving face of the wave.
• HYDRODYNAMIC FORCES - These forces
coming from the moving water dictate the form
of the waves and their interaction with the
surfer.
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hC apter 1
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Surfboard Plan
Shape or Outline
Image Credit: Haydenshapes Surfboards
HERE ARE A FEW BASIC
Surfboard Plan Shapes/Outlines
SUITED FOR DIFFERENT WAVE TYPES
A Tale of Two Outlines
On the left: is a short, wide, fat design
intended for maximum wave catching &
speed generation in tiny, weak surf
On the right: a sleek, longer, narrower
design purpose built to handle the
speed & power of large, powerful surf
To learn more about the perfect shape/
outline for you
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Surfboard Tail Shapes
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Surfboard Tail Shapes Explained
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Surfboard tail shapes are integral to a surfboard’s
design and are generally suited to a specific wave
type.
Speed, maneuverability and hold are controlled by
tail design.
Here are six popular tail designs & their purpose:
Round
Swallow
Pintail
Rounded Pintail
Square
Squash
Round Tail: wider, more circular edge enables
easier turning & overall versatility because of the
introduction of more lift to the tail while still
sitting comfortably in steeper, better quality
waves.
Pintail: crafted for control & hold in big, critical
surf. Decreased surface area minimises lift, thus
maintaining direction and momentum.
To learn more about the six basic tail shapes
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Swallow Tail: allows for more bite and control in instances where the surfer
needs to work around and maneuver in and out of the waves. Small wave boards
may have a wide swallow tail for increased surface area on the rail line for drive
but the cutout releases through turns. A big wave ‘gun’ surfboard may have a
tight swallow tail for hold and control with slightly more maneuverability vs. the
standard pintail or rounded pintail.
Rounded Pintail: slightly more versatile vs. the rigid pointed tip on the pintail,
rounded pintails are still geared for controlling speed.
Square Tail: less prevalent and generally used for designs intended for airs or
punting. The sharp corners create a precise pivot point, which breaks the water
flow hard and fast in short, tight turns.
Squash / Rounded Square Tail: Geared for modern performance surfing, this
designs translates to better management of turns while maintaining speed in
slower spots. By far the most popular tail shape of WCT and WQS surfers.
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SURFBOARD FOIL
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What is surfboard foil?
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Surfboard foil refers to the board’s overall
flow of thickness/volume through the
outline
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Visible while looking at the board from a
side view
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Significant because it determines how the
surfboard will plane across the water when
it’s slow or flat, or how it will cut into a
steeper face through turns
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The distribution of thickness contributes
much to the surfboard’s performance and a
surfer’s riding style
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Determining the right foil for a given design
is an unsung art form that world’s best
shapers have mastered
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Surfboard Rocker
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What is surfboard rocker?
Surfboard rocker is the structural curve of a surfboard’s
bottom, top & rail. However, rocker usually refers to bottom
rocker.
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Image Credit: Chilli Surfboards
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A well planned bottom rocker is fundamentally important
to a surfboard’s overall design
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More bottom rocker = more friction as a board moves
through the water, which is better for controlling speed in
bigger, better waves
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More rocker also allows a board to sit more naturally in
curvy or hollow waves and have a tighter turning radius
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Less rocker creates less friction, allowing a board to
plane across flatter wave faces with less effort
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Tail rocker is the curve at the back of the board, which
contributes to the how your surfboard will turn
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Surfboard Rail
Volume & Shape
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Rail design influences the surfers ability to make turns, speed
up, hold in steep waves or plane in slow, mushy waves.
In simple terms, there are two basic rail
types, hard and soft:
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Harder rails are more precise but are less
forgiving
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Hard rails are commonly used in
performance oriented boards, allowing
these to penetrate the water more easily
while allowing quicker turns
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The softer and rounder a rail, the more
neutral and forgiving it will feel
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Soft rails are common on longboards and
small wave boards. They decrease the
likelihood of catching an edge or
‘bogging’ the rails
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Bottom Contours
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What are surfboard bottom contours?
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Starting from the basic bottom
shapes – flat, channel, vee, and
concave – most surfboard designs
will incorporate a combination to fine
tune performance.
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Image Credit: JS Industries
Surfboard bottom contours refer to the subtle
and often intricate shape of the surfboard bottom.
These contours affects how water is channeled along
the length of the board, contributing to speed, stability
and overall manoeuvrability.
How bottom contours work is perhaps the most
complex and poorly understand aspect of surfboard
design theory.
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Surfboard Fins
A tire is to your car as a fin is to your surfboard. Your surfboard fins connect your
board to the wave, dictate how your board will handle and are an incredibly
important part of surfing.
Basic Fin Design Elements
Surfboard Fin Template
More area = more hold
Larger base = more drive
More rake = more drawn out turns, less
pivot
TIP: match your tee shirt size to fin size
Surfboard Fin Foil
More foil = more speed generation Less foil = break free sooner, more control
To learn more about the basics of fins
Surfboard Fin Flex & Construction
Stiffer fins = more responsive but harder to
turn
Fiberglass = very stiff
Honeycomb = medium flex
Carbon/Kevlar = light and responsive
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Surfboard
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Fin Placement
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Image Credit: Chilli Surfboards
Fin setups are quite personal &
choosing the best surfboard fin setup
for your board and your surfing style
is an important part of surfing.
Four Common Fin Setups
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To learn more about the basics of
surfboard fin placement
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Single Fin: great for holding a line but it
doesn’t generate speed as easily as
other setups
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Twin Fin: fast and loose but can spin
out
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3-Fin Thruster: by far the most common
setup and considered the most well
rounded and balanced fin setup
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Quad Fin: generally very fast and can
still do tight pivoting turns
Thanks for reading
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