The Best Surfboard To Improve Your Surfing

How do you buy the best surfboard to improve your surfing?

Buying a custom Surfboard can be tough simply because of all the options and avenues you can go down that seem to offer you ‘the perfect board’ . It’s easy to get lost in the bull. This blog will help you find  The Best Surfboard To Improve Your Surfing. The keys to improvements come from the balance between wave catching and the ability to control the board at low and high speeds.

You can safely split surfing into two parts. 1. Catching waves. 2. Riding waves.

 

In order to improve you must catch lots of waves in a session. this is paramount to gaining knowledge of your board in order to manipulate it into the turns and tricks you are looking to perform. Always buy a board you can catch lots on waves on with out any questions at all. The minute you buy a board that wont catch you waves easily you start the process of compensations in your surfing. This can lead to slower curves of progression and  potential style issues as you get into bad habits.  Trying to stay balanced, rather than just surfing and having fun!

So, in order to catch waves easily you need to establish the areas of the board that will help with that.

Here are some key design elements that help paddling:

1. Rail length – the longer you rail line the better it will paddle
2. Parallel outline – the more parallel your outline the easy it will be to paddle.
3. Flat deck – the flatter the deck of your board the more forgiveness it will have with rocking and losing speed, so the easier it becomes to paddle.

Things to watch out for

Be very wary of buying a board just because it has tonnes of volume. DON’T!! Get hung about about volume.  It is a misconception that volume is the answer when looking for a surfboard that effortlessly catch waves whilst being easy to control. Volume is great, but it isn’t the be all and end all, especially when you are looking to improve your surfing. Too much volume means you sit higher in the water and will find it harder to penetrate the water with your rails. This is paramount to control. Too much volume in a short rail line board can often feel unpredictable and quick. NOT a good combination for intermediate surfers looking to improve.

WHAT SIZE SURFBOARD SHOULD I GO FOR?

The ideal scenario would be to have a surfboard that is between  6  and 18 inches higher than your head height. The scale for choosing length is quite simple. The longer you go, the easier the board will be to catch waves, and the hard it will be to turn tightly especially at lower speeds. Your ability to paddle and stay balanced should combine to give you a good idea as to what length board you should be looking for.

As and example, I am 5’10 84kg’s and of average paddle fitness and surfing ability. I am looking to improve my foot positioning and upper body rotation. the board I choose is a  6’8 Fourth Surfboards Bpmini

 

What fin set up should you start with?

The last parts to think about is the fin set ups. The more fins you have the more aggressive you can be with your movements. This means that the board is easier to control more radically. If you are less concerned with being progressive and simply want to learn to control the board fluidly and confidently, then less fin would be a better option.  Single fins require far less force and far more poise to control. Twin fins can be great options if you want to learn the key fundamentals of using your fins and rail to control a surfboard. Thruster set ups tend to make everything a bit easier, a bit of a cheat code to control. This can be a good thing and a bad thing depending on how good you really want to get at surfing.

In theory, to create the best style and fluidity in your surfing starting with a single fin would be best. Then learning to master all other options before committing to thrusters. The long way round can be fun and will give you a greater understanding of how to control a surfboard when riding a wave.

See below a list of great surfboards that work really well to improve your surfing.

Form Flowstik

• A great first hardboard to build confidence in the water and learn to start engaging the rails to start doing proper turns.  A great wave catching surfboard. Surf 12-18 inches taller than head height.

Fourth Chilli Bean

An awesome first shortboard, lots of wave catching ability packed into a user friendly template. Awesome for surfers looking to really work on their manoeuvres. Ride upto 6-10 inches taller than head height.

Fourth Bp pro

The goto good wave board for Shaper Luke Hart particularly good for more experienced surfers looking to make life easier than their current shorter surfboards. Ride 6 inches taller than head height.

Fourth Reload 2.0

A great board for younger surfers looking to progress to a proper short board or for any surfer who has aspirations of being a better, more progressive surfer. Ride head height upto 6 inches taller.

 

I hope this helps you decide on your next surfboard to take your surfing to the next level!

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