Surfboard

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It has been suggested that Longboard (surfing) be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that Shortboard be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that Hollow wooden surfboards be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

A stack of boards in Waikiki during a surf competition

Surfboards are elongated, platforms used in the sport of surfing. They are relatively light, but strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave. Like the sport itself, they were invented in Hawaii, where they were known as Papa he‘e nalu in the Hawaiian language, and usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa, and were often over 15 feet in length and extremely heavy[1] [2]. The major advances over the years were the addition of one or more fins on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability and a change of materials and shapes.

Modern surfboards are made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam covered with layers of fiberglass cloth and polyester or epoxy resin.The end result is a light and strong surfboard that is buoyant and maneuverable. Since 1995 a new breed of shapers including Paul Jensen, Tom Wegener, Roy Stewart (surfer) (Power Surfboards), and Peter McMahon (Empress Surfboards) have re-invented hollow wooden surfboards. A few specialty surfboards are made out of hollow carbon fiber or aluminum for added lightness. Most modern surfboards can be divided into two main categories: longboards and shortboards. Longboards as the name suggests are longer (often eight or more feet), and are also thicker and wider with a more rounded nose than a shortboard. Shortboards are shorter (5–7ft), thinner, and have a more pointed nose. They are not as wide as longboards and are typically more maneuverable. Other variants include guns, longboard guns, olos, fun-boards, fish, eggs, bonzers, quads, tow-boards, and hydrofoils. In order to discuss board design, it is helpful to have basic knowledge of the vocabulary used to reference each part of the board.

[edit] Construction

Surfboards are usually constructed using polyurethane foam. They are made stronger with one or more small pieces of wood going down the middle of the board called a stringer. The foam is molded into the rough shape of a surfboard called a blank. (Note: Recently, the largest producer of these blanks, Clark Foam announced its closure [3]. This move drastically affected surfboard production and has become known to surfers as Blank Monday or Black Monday.) Once the blanks have been made they are given to shapers. Shapers then cut, plane, and sand the board to its specifications. Finally, the board is covered in one or more layers of fiberglass cloth and resin. It is during this stage that the fins, or boxes for removable fins are put on and the leash plug is installed. Another method of making boards is using epoxy resin and polystyrene foam, instead of polyester resin and polyurethane foam. In recent years, surfboards made out of balsa and a polystyrene core are becoming more popular. Even solid balsa surfboards are available.

Although boards are usually shaped by hand, the use of machines to shape them has become more and more popular over the years. Modern technology has made its way into surfboard production as well. Vacuum forming and modern sandwich construction techniques borrowed from other industries have become more common in the industry, many surfers have switched to riding sandwich construction epoxy boards due to their lightness and durability. Hollow wooden surfboards are constructed using any type of wood and epoxy resin and are glassed with cloth such as glass, silk, cotton, polyester, dynol or kevlar. Most surfboards weigh between 5–15 lb (2–7 kg).

Fun Board In between a short and long board

Egg: Modern hybrid boards are usually 6–8 ft 6 in (1.8–2.3 m) in length with a more rounded profile and tail shape. Surfed in smaller waves with any fin set up. They are more about having fun than high performance or tricks. They can be easier to ride for beginning surfers and generally perform well in surfing conditions where the more traditional long and short boards might not.
Fish: Radically short stubby board under 6 ft (1.8 m) in length developed from kneeboards in the 1970s by Kevin O' Leary. Other prominent Fish shapers include Skip Frye, Steve Brom, Larry Mabil, and Rich Pavel. Primarily a twin fin set up with a swallow tail shape and popular in smaller waves. Resurgence in popularity in early 2000s created by legendary surfer Tom Curren. Note, any type of board (such as shortboard or mini-longboard) can have a fish tail, and these are commonly referred to as a "fish", but they lack the other properties of a fish as listed here.
Gun: Big wave boards of length 7–12 ft (2.1–3.7 m). Thin, needle-like template with single or thruster fin set up. It usually looks like a shortboard but at a longboard size. Used at such big waves spots as Waimea Bay and Mavericks.
Longboard: Main article: Longboard (surfing); Primarily single finned with large rounded nose and length of 9–12 ft (2.7–3.7 m). Noseriders are a class of longboard which enable the rider to walk to the tip and nose ride. Also called a "Mal", which is a shortened version of Malibu, one of, if not the most popular longboard wave.
Olo: Originally reserved for royalty due to its size and weight, these wooden boards can exceed lengths of 14 ft (4.3 m) and reach weights up to 70 lb (32 kg).
Quad: Quads are quick down the line but lose drive through turns. The quad is making quite a comeback over the last year, showing up everywhere from Mavs guns to small wave fishes. CJ Hobgood won the 2007 Surfbout on a Quad at lowers.

[edit] Parts

A surfer carries a surfboard along the beach

Nose: The front tip of the board. This can be pointed or rounded.
Tail: The back end; The shape of the tail affects how a board responds. Tail shapes vary from square, pin, squash, swallow, diamond, and so on—each one in turn having its own family of smaller variants.
Deck: The surface of the board that the surfer stands on. Surfwax is applied to this surface.
Bottom: The surface of the board that rests on the water.
Rail: The edges of the board. A rounded rail is called "soft", while a more squared off rail is called "hard", and rails that are in between are considered 50/50.
Fins: The surfboard fin is a stabilizing strut fixed to the rear of the surfboard to prevent it from sliding sideways. In the early days, surfers would stabilize the board by hanging the toes of their back foot over the edge of the board and would steer by putting their foot in the water. The innovation of a skeg in 1936 —by either or both of Woody "Spider" Brown or Tom Blake— revolutionised surfing, allowing surfers to direct the board's momentum and providing more balance whilst turning.; The template of the modern surfboard fin was developed by George Greenough in the 1960s^[1]. The single fin changed little until the late 70's, when a second was added and popularised by Australian Mark Richards^[2]. The new twin fin set up allowed much more flowing carves to be performed. Mark Richards dominated the world competitive scene from 1979 to 1983. In 1981 another Australian was developing another set up which would again change the face of surfing. His name was Simon Anderson and by attaching a third fin, positioned centrally behind the twin fins, he created the thruster set up. Today, most surfboards still use the same arrangement with its popularity arising from the combined ability for carving turns and providing control and drive.; In the early 90's removable fin systems became the norm^{[citation needed]}. These provided surfers with the ability to alter the riding characteristics of a surfboard, by changing the size and shape of fins used. This innovation opened the market to a range of fin designs, including single foiled fins, concave inside surfaces, and curved fins. Another variation of fin was later designed in the time frame known as the soul fin, a sleak bendable attachment.; Tunnel fins were invented in the 60's by Richard Deese^[3], and were found on longboards by multiple manufacturers of that era, including Dewey Weber. Bob Bolen aka 'the Greek' patented the Turbo Tunnel in the late 1990s. Since the mid 90's half tunnel fins have been used, mainly on very long hollow wooden surfboards such as those made in New Zealand by Roy Stewart.; Bullet Fins were invented in the 2005 by Ron Pettibone to increase surfboard hull planing and rail-to-rail transition speed. The patent-pending fins are based on 50 years of hydrodynamic research on the bulbous bow hull design. Just as with the bow of a ship, the traditional surfboard fin creates a wave as it displaces the water in its path. The resulting turbulence places drag on the surfboard.^[4]

The bulb of the Bullet Fin reduces this drag by creating a new (primary) fin wave in front of the original (secondary) wave. This new bulb wave is designed to be nearly 180 degrees out of phase with the original fin wave to subtract its turbulence thus reducing fin drag.

Stringer: A thin piece of wood running from nose to tail that increases the strength of the board. Boards have different amount of stringers and some have no stringers.
Leash Cup: An indentation in the deck of the board close to the tail that contains a small bar that a leash can be tied around.
Leash: A surfboard leash is the cord that attaches a surfboard to the surfer. It prevents the surfboard from being swept away by waves and stops runaway surfboards from hitting other surfers and swimmers. Modern leashes are comprised of a urethane cord where one end has a band with a velcro strap attached to the surfer's trailing foot, and the opposite has a velcro strap attached to the tail end of the surfboard.; Prior to leashes introduction in 1971, surfers who fell off their boards had to swim to retrieve them with runaway boards being an inconvenience to the surfer and a danger to other surfers. Santa Cruz resident Pat O'Neill (son of surfer Jack O'Neill, inventor of the O'Neill Wetsuit) is credited with inventing the surf leash. His initial designs consisted of surgical cord attached to a board with a suction cup. At the 1971 Malibu international surfing competition, Pat offered leashes to his competitors in the event. Consequently he was disqualified from the event for wearing his leash, dubbed a kook cord by those at the event however over the next year, the leash became a ubiquitous tool in the surfing world. ^[5]; Pat's father, Jack O'Neill, lost his left eye in a surf leash accident as the surgical tubing used in the early designs allowed the leash to overstretch, causing the surfboard to fly back towards the surfer. Subsequent cords were made with less elastic materials such as bungee cords. ^[5]; Leashes are still the source of some contention in surfing today as, although they are now accepted as mandatory equipment for shortboarders, many longboarders refuse to wear them, claiming it infereres with their ability to walk up and down the board.^{[citation needed]} At crowded surf spots with large waves, it is argued that the freedom not wearing a leash gives is secondary to the safety of others.
Rocker: This refers to how much curve the bottom of the board has from nose to tail. Increasing the rocker improves maneuverability, but this is at the cost of speed—a steeper curve creates drag.
Concave: Modern surfboards often contain multiple contours on the bottom of the board called Concave. These concaves have different uses and vary among different types of surfboards. Most concaves on the modern shortboard begin about twelve inches back from the nose of the board on the bottom and then carry out through the middle to the tail of the surfboard. The purpose of concave is to direct water through the fins of the surfboard. Surfboard shapers can experiment with concaves to create different drive and response characteristics on each individual surfboard.