Your surfboard is the most important purchase you’ll make when you begin your hobby of surfing. The right board will have you progressing quickly, but the wrong board might make you quit. For real. It’s THAT important.

When you’re starting out, the rule of thumb is to go big or go home. Seriously, the bigger the better. You’re going to need a longer board to learn on – and look, we KNOW how cool the short boards look. But you’ve got to be patient. Even more important than the length of the board is the volume. The increased volume means that the board is going to be more ‘floaty’. This means it will be easier to paddle and catch waves. The more waves you catch, the more you get to practice. The more you get to practice, the faster you are going to progress.

Before we go any further, let’s start with the basics of what makes up a surfboard.

The Parts of the Surfboard

The front end of the board is called the nose, the back end is the tail. The top of the board is called the deck, and underneath is… you guessed it, the bottom. If you grab onto the sides of the board, you’re grabbing the rails. The stringer is a thin strip of wood that traditionally runs down the center of the surfboard. The wood is typically balsa, and the thicker it is, the stronger and more rigid the board is. Some of the newer boards made of epoxy or carbon fiber have stringerless designs.

The Fins and Leg Rope

On the bottom of the board are the fins. Fins are important for the surfboard’s stability and maneuverability. Though most boards generally use a generic 3-fin setup, there are a near-infinite amount of ways to experiment with the fins on your surfboard. For a more in-depth guide on fins, we recommend you go here.

Attached to the tail of your board is a leg rope. Leg ropes are important for board safety – which is critical for beginners. At least, not yet. Leg ropes keep your board close by in case of wipeouts – you don’t have to worry about losing your board. The leg rope can also help pull you out of an impact zone when you go down in the middle of a big set. It can help pull you to the surface if you are stuck underwater being pounded by a strong current. Sometimes after big wipeouts you might lose track of which way is up. With a leg rope on, you can find your ankle and “climb the leash” to get up to the surface and grab a breath of air.

It is true, professionals sometimes train without them. But you are not a professional. Wearing your leg rope is a requirement for beginner surfers.

The Rocker

Lastly, the rocker is the curvature of the bottom of the surfboard. Rocker is easy to see from the profile or side angle. The reason for rocker is to help fit the surface area of the board onto the face of the wave – which also has curvature. Rocker also affects the turning or carving ability of the board.

Low rocker means that the surfboard keeps more surface area on the water. This allows the board to build up more speed when paddling and surfing. However, low rocker can make it easier to pearl, or nosedive, when you come down the face of a steep wave. Low rocker is generally good for riding slower, crumbly waves. Longboards are meant to be easy to paddle and catch waves, and have low rocker.

High rocker means that the surfboard has less surface area on the water, and it is more difficult to pick up speed. Surfboards with higher rocker have a smaller turning radius. Higher rocker is generally good for getting into steep and hollow waves. Because short boards are meant to handle steeper waves, and perform tight turns, they have a higher rocker.

Nose rocker is meant to keep the front of the board from digging into the bumps of a wave. Tail rocker allows the board to sit back in the water. This allows the board to change directions much easier and make more pivotal turns. Tail rocker makes the surfboard easier to control, but it comes at the price of reducing speed.

Longboard vs. Shortboard

If you remember from before, you know that the longboard is the way to go. If you’re just starting out surfing, you want to stand up on just about every wave you paddle for. A big longboard, at least 9 feet, is your best bet. If you want an extra bit of safety and ease while you’re beginning, there is no shame in buying one of the big foam-top longboards, which are affectionately nicknamed ‘foamies’. There is a reason they are used by surf schools all around the world – they’re extremely easy to learn to surf on.

Yes, we know shortboards are cool.

You’ll probably want to ride one pretty soon, but don’t jump the gun! Work your way down. Don’t go from your big 9 foot longboard to a small 6 foot surfboard. First you want to get really, really good on your big surfboard. Then you might move down to a floaty 8′. Again you become great at that new board. Then you move down to a 7′ 6″. 7’2″. 6’10. 6’6″. Work your butt off all the way down to that sweet 6’2″ shortboard that you’re dreaming about.

Experienced surfers can spot a rookie on a board that’s too small from a mile away. They’ll assume you don’t know what you’re doing, and might drop-in on you relentlessly. Also, remember that you’re progress will move along at a snail’s pace if you’re on a board that’s too short for you. At the risk of sounding like a broken record – practice on longer boards first!

Surfboards can be quite pricey, and since you’re just beginning, you might be giving them just a little extra wear and tear. It might be in your best interest to get your boards secondhand until you’re pretty experienced.

We wish you the best of luck finding a great surfboard to start with. Now get out there and start practicing!

And if you happen by Raglan and are looking for some extra guidance in the water – give us a ring. We’d love to meet you and help you out!