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Sunlight on Surfing – Choosing the right board for you
So you’re finally ready to turn those board shorts into a functional piece of surfing equipment. Now all you need is the board. Back in the first days of surfing, the Hawaiians didn’t have much choice in this matter. Go find a tree, carve you a board and make it long.
 | | Yancy Spencer IV of Innerlight shows a short board |
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Now, before you go throw down your dollars at Innerlight or Waterboyz you have a few decisions to make about what kind of board you want. And don’t worry; none of them requires you to wield an axe or a chisel.
Long Board vs. Short board When choosing your board you will have to decide whether you want to ride a short or long board. Short boards are designed for the more advanced surfer that wants to catch the larger waves and maneuver easily on them.
Long boards are harder maneuver in the surf, but beginners will be simply concerned about catching the wave. The tricks and technical maneuvers come later. Some beginners do start out learning on a short board, but this usually means that it will take longer for the beginning surfer to actually stand up and surf the wave. This is not the board for those of you who are prone to taking an eternal hiatus from a project after getting slightly frustrated. The fact the matter is the longer and wider the board is, the easier will be to balance the board and stand on top of it while catching the wave. And easier to catch the smaller waves that you usually find Pensacola Beach with a long board.
“Epoxy long boards really have an upper hand in the gulf,” says Yancy Spencer IV of Innerlight as he cleans the wax off his 10 foot long board for a competition in Jacksonville this weekend, “because you’re catching the wave sooner and you’re riding it all the way to the beach.” Joe Bradley at Waterboyz echoes Spencer when he suggests that a beginner should purchase a board that is two feet taller than the surfer.
Fiberglass vs. Epoxy Another decision you will have to make is to buy a fiberglass or epoxy board.
When you go into the store you can tell the difference between the fiberglass and epoxy boards by the weight and look. Fiberglass boards have a thin, wooden strip or stringer in the center of the board that runs the boards’ entire length. Fiberglass boards also tend to be a little heavier than the glossy, lighter epoxy boards. The fiberglass board is the board that most of us are used to seeing. It is not the way it has always been, (remember those resourceful Hawaiians?) but this is the type of board that has been popularly used in the surf since the 1960s. About five years ago board shapers started making boards out of the lighter and stronger Epoxy material. While Epoxy has its advantages it also comes at a price. Epoxy is a little more expensive than fiberglass, but an epoxy board will stay in good shape longer.
Whether to ride fiberglass or epoxy is really just a matter of personal preference. The two boards do ride quite differently. The Epoxy board floats on top of the water a little more than a fiberglass board. Really, it seems to be a matter of what you first started learning on to determine what board you like to ride better. That is why it is important to choose the right board first.
Well, hopefully this will help you pick out the right board for you and get you all out in the water and on the break. It may seem surfing has gotten way too technical from its humble beginnings on the beaches of Waikiki, but it is still the same simple sport that it has always been. At the surf shop you may have to make a few decisions, but when you leave and hit the beach it is still the same simple sport that just takes you, the surf and your board to have a good time.
And when it comes down to it, it’s not only the board that makes surfing fun. So go and grab a piece of hurricane debris and hit the waves.
You’ll love it. I promise. Stay Stoked. Hang loose. See you on the break.
josh@gulfbreezenews.com
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