What Board Should I Surf?

So, maybe by now you’ve had time to build your quiver up to an impressive assortment of boards. All you have to do is know when you can pull each one out and maximize it’s potential and expand your surfing horizon. First of all, let’s take a quick look at that quiver you’ve built. (fairy tale quiver):

Variety is the spice of life, try as many boards as you can.

Keep in mind, many of these can be surfed in a large variety of conditions. It is really up to you, your style or what “feel” you like when surfing on any given day to decide. However, we can break down each board to what conditions they thrive in and show you how your well-rounded quiver gives you more options than you think. So what board should you surf?

The Quantum Quad Fish , is a board you want to take out if you feel fishy, but want a little more performance and maneuverability. With a quad style fish like this, your rails are usually a little thinner and the bottom contours are more high performance orientated. The quad fin set-up gives you that speed and drive you love, but with more control and maneuverability than the twin keel set up. Anything from knee high to over head is fair game with a board like this. This is a board that can dangerously become your go-to.

The Doinker , and similar boards fit somewhere between a fish and a mini smmons style of board. You can find these boards coming as either a twin keel or quad fin setup. The wide, blunt nose and extra wide tail gives this board plenty of surface area under foot, adding to it’s ability to paddle in early and carry speed through slower sections. But due to the low rocker and a blunt nose, they are not the best in hollow waves as they can tend to pearl (nose dive) when coming out of turns if you are not careful. On a nice wall though, with a good slope to it these boards are insane. Anything from two foot to overhead on a wave like that and this board is unstoppable, allowing you to clear sections you would normally get outrun by, and carve hard and fast across the face. The quad setup gives you a little extra control when you want to push your turns a little harder.

The Disc, another board great for those medium sized days. A board like this has that nice full nose and round tail, giving you the ability to paddle into waves like a longboard, but with a little more maneuverability. Usually set up as a single fin, or commonly found as a 2+1, these boards demand more glide and flow to your surfing. You surf more with the wave instead of on the wave. Again, you can’t count this board out for smaller or larger days. Depending on the size of the board, they can fit into the mid-length category, or shorter stubby style category. Use either in waves anywhere from one foot or up to overhead for the right surfer. Super fun, more traditional feel to surfing where you become more one with the wave.

MF Sweet Spot 2.0, although similar to your standard shortboard, make for a great option if you are going to travel or surf new spots a lot. Most of the same attribute as your standard shortboard, but usually in a rounded or rounded-pin tail. This alone widens the versatility of the waves you can surf, while only slightly hindering the high performance snappy turns that a squash gives you. Beyond that small feature, you’ll love this style of shortboard as it’ll work in just about everything. They handles bigger size better while still floating you through smaller or flatter sections. They give you more of a carving feel in your turns instead of snappy, and they love the barrel.

The Step Up, suitably named for the style of board it is, which is a step-up. A must have in the quiver of surfers getting into advanced levels and higher, they are used for those days where your standard shortboard is not enough to handle the size. A little longer, a touch thicker, wide point kept in the center and usually more volume equally displaced all around for paddling. They generally have medium to full rails for stability, and will feature a single to double concave for speed and control. Whether your local turns on or you are going on a trip to Indo, make sure to leave room for your step up.

The Lil Buddy, and similar hybrid boards are designed for those smaller days when you still want to rip around on a shortboard. Usually incorporating elements of a fish and a shortboard, giving you that wider nose and tail area, with more volume through the center, but with higher performance rails and bottom contours. This allows you to get into smaller waves earlier, yet still be able to shred like you would on your normal shortboard. Built for knee high to head high waves, these boards are versatile in the size and conditions you may encounter, but once again, don’t be afraid to take one out when it is a little bigger. They handle size surprising well once you get use to the low rocker and wider nose when coming out of turns.

The SUPER Head Shifter, and similar boards are starting to move into the realm of your standard shortboard. A more refined outline, pulled in versatile tail, high performance bottom contours and usually a medium low rail. These boards are the standard for a reason, they really do work in just about everything with the exception of really small or really big. You can surf these boards anywhere in the world and in waves ranging form knee high to a couple of feet over head, clean or junky conditions. A board that is a must in everyones quiver as they are so reliable and can be taken anywhere with you.

The Bliss Fish, a fun little twin keel fish is perfect for summer days when warm water and wind swell waves are a plenty. This style of board paddles extremely well for their size and are super fast and surprising nimble. Perfect for those small to medium size days and in either mushy or steep faced waves. Don’t count them out though when it is head high and barreling, they are fast and the fish tail (twin pin tails) and short size will hold you in a tight pocket in the waves face nicely. A fish surfboard is a board that everyone should have in the quiver. It’ll open up new lines in your surfing which translate well to when you hop back on your shorty.

The Tube Shooter, is a step-up style of board for those who love that old school single fin feel. In a board like this you will generally find the wide point forward a bit to help with paddling, and it’ll keep a nice pulled in pin tail to hold you tight in the face when in the barrel. More of a board designed to get you into a wave and get you barrel, they are not the most maneuverable craft. They allow you to hold a nice line in steep waves and are an absolute blast on waves that don’t give you a chance for many turns anyways. Take this board out in hollow waves anywhere from head high.

The Hot Doggin Loggin, or other Logs similar to this board, are going to love a softer, rolling wave. “Logs” as they are often referred to, have a low rocker and a long rail line that allow you to get softer, rolling waves earlier. The momentum generated from the length and weight of a board like this carries you through flat sections with ease. However, It doesn’t always have to be small and glassy for you to pull this board out of the racks though…under experienced feet, these boards can handle waves up-to head high or slightly bigger. Even waves with a little more vertical face to them can be a blast on a board like this.

The Run-Down

So there you have it, one of the many dream quivers any of us can own. Please note though, this is not a “set in stone” description of these boards or the waves they are suited for. Your surfing style, creativity, and ability all come into play when surfing any type of board with any type of construction and in any type of condition. We’ve seen longboards in the barrel and standard shortboards in small sloppy waves. It’s surfing after-all, there are no rules. Try it all but remember to stay within your limits.

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Protect your investment by storing your boards in top-notch surfboard covers, keeping them pristine and ready for your next adventure. When it comes to hitting the road, our surfboard racks and surfboard straps provide a hassle-free and secure transport solution, allowing you to focus on the thrill of the waves. And if you're seeking to elevate your surf experience, our Boardcave marketplace offers a plethora of surf accessories designed to cater to all your needs.

Crafting your perfect surfboard

A look at Hand Shaping vs using a CNC machine

The Purity of the Craft

I am sure the debate over the purity of surfboard shaping has been going on continuously probably since the electric hand planer was introduced. There must have been guys sitting in their garage bickering about how the “soul” of a surfboard gets lost when people started using electric tools to do the work where elbow grease, sweat and a few block planes were your shaping tool quiver.

Tools of the trade of legendary Dale Velzy.

The electric hand planer (like the coveted Skill 100, Clark modified Hitachi, the Accurate Planer) was not invented for surfboard shaping. Originally, they were designed as a tool to take the place of block planes, mostly used for truing up and hanging doors, or other flat areas like floors, table tops and decks.

As production demands began to grow for shapers, they had to look for more efficient tools to help get the job done faster and more accurate. In any industry, people have to adapt and explore new tools and ideas that can make their job easier and more efficient.

In today’s world, the CNC shaping machine is that fast and efficient tool, made use by the majority of shapers worldwide. An old phrase that comes to mind – “work smarter, not harder” – holds weight no matter what your job entails.

Here’s the thing with the CNC and CAD programs though, you still have to be a skilled shaper by hand to know how to design a good board on a computer and finish one that was cut on a machine.

Fresh off the machine, but still a long way from finished. Surf Prescriptions Jeff “Doc” Lausch starting to work his magic.

Go Ahead, Make Your Own

One of the biggest fears about the machine, is that anyone can go and “pop-out” boards on a whim. And that this in turn could hurt the industry as we know it, taking jobs away from the craftsmen that have dedicated years into their practice.

Sure, anyone CAN do it, just like anyone CAN get a blank and some tools and hack their own board out. But in reality, you still have to have an understanding of how and why boards and design principles work. You have to know these principles and theories, and you have to be able to hand shape at a high level to get even a decent design out of a CAD file and a machine cut not including understanding different surfboard constructions available.

Plenty of “hands on” skill required by the boys at Chemistry Surfboards.

If you have never played around with a CAD file, go download a free program like Shape3D, design a board and see how it really turns out when it comes out of the machine. It is a lot harder than you think. But you’re not done there, you still have to finish shape it to perfection where the majority of skill comes into play and glass it (which is a whole other level in itself).

Machine Assisted, Hand Shaped

Now, most of the detailed shaping comes after a board has been ‘roughed out’. This is the stage that a machine cut will get you too, as opposed to taking an electric planer and doing it by hand.

It saves shapers a little bit of time, and helps to ensure that they can get better results when duplicating certain models.

You will be surprised by the number of shapers you think are “hand only” shapers. Most of them (not all, but most of them) who are coveted as master hand shapers, may still use the machine for their production schedule.

Matt Parker of Album Surfboards knows how to get creative with his hands and CAD designs.

They may spend their time hand shaping and creating a new model until it is dialled in to where they want it. So the creative aspect of shaping the new model is still done by hand for many shapers. After this they can have the board scanned, or the can manually enter all the dimensions needed into a CAD file.

Other shapers (still with a deep knowledge and experience with shaping by hand) learn how to design boards using the CAD program, have it cut and finish it by hand. Either way, the creative process and “soul” of the board is still there, and they can now duplicate models for the team riders and customers.

This comes as a benefit for both the shapers and the customers riding their boards.

Never Lose that Magic Stick

If you happen to break that magic whip you’ve had for years, you may want the exact same board again. With your shaper utilizing the CNC machine, you CAN have that magic board again, and for the rest of your surfing life.

If your shaper only shapes by hand, chances are they are good enough to get it really close but it may not be exactly like that magic board. With the CNC, they can be sure they are duplicating that board for you as well as saving them time.

But please note, most shapers that have been doing it for a while are good enough to duplicate a board only by hand… and on the flip side, a machine cut board can also end up slightly different time to time due to the majority of the work being in the hand finishing the fine detail like rails, bottom contours, etc.

Added Reference Points

Another benefit of CNC machines is the increased use of volumes as surfboard parameter.

Mick Fanning and Darren Handley of DHD Surfboards constantly refining Mick’s favorite boards.

If you pay attention to what volumes seem to work for you for certain boards, you can refine each new board a little more to suit your needs. You may want two boards of the same model, but tweak the volume and foam distribution to handle different waves if needed.

Like we mentioned in our “Are you surfing the wrong board” article, pro surfers can feel the difference within up to a half liter change in volume. This comes in especially handy for them when they surf around the world in a variety of waves. Knowing a surfer’s ideal volume helps to make those small adjustments in a board to maximize the potential for each individual wave they are going to surf.

Your shaper can live a long fruitful life

The machine has to been seen as just another tool for a shaper, it is not replacing the shaper or shaping skills by any means. It actually can help make a shaper become more well-rounded in their approach as well. They have to learn how to design or tweak a good board in a CAD program, only adding to their skill set.

Custom concave’s and artwork going down at Canvas Surfboards.

To add to that, using a CNC machine actually helps with the longevity of a shapers career. As they get older, lugging the electric planer over blank after blank can take a serious toll on a shaper’s shoulders, elbows and backs.

Always appreciate however, that the majority of shapers who use the machine have put in years and thousands of boards shaped by hand before they adapted to using a machine.

Machines with Morals

Another controversy over the machine has been the possibility and ease of one shaper copying another’s design. It was feared that someone could easily get a hold of your master file and start pumping out the exact same board that you have spent so much time developing.

In reality, there is nothing stopping a hand shaper from doing the same thing, and the CNC machine doesn’t have a mind of its own, so it still comes down to the integrity of the shapers themselves.

Timmy Patterson knows that the machine can’t do channels.

Hand Crafted

Using a CAD program and CNC machine does not mean your boards are in the category of the cheap “pop-out” boards you find at some big box chain retailers. The term “Hand Crafted” still applies with boards still requiring the majority of work to be extremely hands-on. So, there is still plenty of fine craftsmanship that goes into each and every board.

Yes, it does allow a shaper to ramp up their production levels, but the skills required to finish shape, refine and glass the board is still where the majority of the work lies. The machine is not the enemy to the surf industry, it is just another tool shapers can use that is a little too big to fit in their tool box.

Ryan Engle of Nation Surfboards owns his own machine ensuring he is “hands on” in every board he produces.

What do you think about hand shaping and the use of new technologies? Join the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Make sure you check out the Board Engine to find a range of boards all manufactured in the USA by professional shapers at the top of their crafts.