Surfboards for the Beginner

If you’re going to become a surfer, the first piece of
equipment you are going to need is a surfboard. Without a
surfboard, you wont be doing anything but splashing around
in the waves.

But on your first visit to any surf shop, you will see the
choices available to the untrained eye can be dizzying.

There are so many colors, shapes and sizes to choose from,
but where to begin?

Modern surfboards are hand shaped by professional shapers
out of foam and coated with fiberglass sheets.

They are hand-painted, usually airbrushed with beautiful
colors and designs. They can be custom made to your
specifications as well.

Before buying a surfboard you should know the parts of the
board. This will prevent embarrassing conversations, as
surfers have a language of their own.

Whether you are searching out a shortboard, a longboard, a
fish or a gun, most of the parts are the same.

From the front to the back the parts are in this order;
nose, rails, deck, stringer and tail. The nose is basically
the pointed tip of your board.

On a Longboard the tip is normally round. The nose of the
other boards tends to be pointed. The rails are the edge of
the surfboard.

They run from the tail to the nose and are used basically
to grip the board. But rail shapes can provide different
performances of your board.

The deck is the top of the board, the main body in which
the surfer applies a wax base for footing grip. There are
domed decks and flat decks.

The domed deck helps movement from rail to rail as the
rider moves across the deck. The stringer is a strip of
material that runs the length of the surfboard.

Its main purpose is to strengthen. Finally the tail is the
end of the board. Shapes of the tail vary and each shape
provides different performance for the rider.

Also on the tail is the leash plug. This is where the
riders leash keeps him attached by the ankle to his board.