The Ever Evolving World Of Surfboard Design
Games Guy | January 30, 2012
Surf board construction is one of those things that is ever developing, surfers and shaper’s all around the globe are constantly looking to find the absolute best surfboard feasible to tackle all kinds of surfing conditions and it is something that caused high views in recent times.
A surfboard that could be perfect for one person will be the most horrible thing ever for another, its sort of similar with the mens wetsuits scene and the way in which the fit needs to be just right for that person in particular. With surfbaords it comes down to a considerable number of extremely important factors including the size and weight of the individual, what type of waves they surf, what their ability level is and also their type of surfing and how they attack the wave. Are the gentil and cruisy or fast and arratic? Because of this no one can ever make the single perfect board for every single person as surfing is such a personal sport. One good surfboard will not please everyone.
There are countless thousands of surfboard shaper’s out there this day in age, some shape boards by hand and from the start, the slow traditional way, many shaper’s nowadays use shaping machines to help them and speed up the method letting them be more profitable and knock more boards out than ever. The other route is what a few of corporations have gone for and that is invest colossally in moulded high-performance shapes meaning they knock a matching board out time after time again in factory produced way.
Shaping labels that follow this way are the likes of Surftech, Firewire and Resin 8. These corporations have a good range of boards to suit most individuals needs and they duplicate the method again and again again. This has massive positives in the way that if you find a board you like and you surf it till its in a mess and wishes replacing you can get the same matching model again so there’ll be no learning curve to ride the new shape.
In this post we’re going to look at some of the differences between standard surfboards and these mass produced epoxy boards and see if they could be right for you. Lets get into it and find out what makes this new sort of surfboard so different to the common Polyurethane foam and fiberglass surfboard and what the benefits are for you and your surfing.
Weight – As any surfer who’s worth his salt will tell you, one of the key attributes to a high performance surfboard, particularly a short board is its weight. If you’re riding a board that is heavy your not going to be in a position to launch an air or turn in a tight arch let alone produce masses amounts of speed which is thought to be one of the most important things in surfing.
Durability – This a serious benefit in the factory produced boards because as they are made from epoxy resin they are incredibly tough and light in weight. One of the most important criticisms with standard PU surfboards is their core strength. To keep a boards weight low the glass jobs on top quality PU surfboards are done using extraordinarily low weight fiberglass fabric, usually 4oz. This has a serious effect on the surfboards overall strength and how long it is going to last you. When riding a traditional surfboard on a regular basis some of the people will typically get about 3-6 months constant use out of it before they’re short of replacement. This can be a nightmare of an expense for the common-or-garden un-sponsored average Joe. The best thing about epoxy surfboards is that they are very powerful without losing weight or performance, this implies it is easy to get years of continuous use before you even have to think about a new one.
Performance – One of the biggest things to look for in a surfboard is one that’s going to perform well in waves you’re going to be surfing the most. The mass producing firms have teamed up with some the worlds finest and most celebrated surfboard shaper’s. The models that these fellows have selected to be made are demonstrated to be high performing and their best selling designs.
No matter which board you choose ensure you make the best of it and have a good time everytime you paddle out.
Ray Johnson is a semi pro surfer who also works in the surf clothing industry. When he isn’t doing that he makes his part-time living traveling around the world doing picture shoots for mags trying hard to get exposure for his main sponsor Volcom UK and DVS Shoes. He started surfing when he was fourteen years old and within a trifling four years he picked up his first big sponsors which prepared the ground for where he is today.