Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Knowing Surfboards

By Heidi Branch


Surfing is a kind of sport or hobby that is enjoyed by a lot of people. Surfing lets you enjoy large waves and have it carry you to the shore while you are standing or lying with correct balance on a surfboard. A person practicing surfing is called a surfer and the board utilized to enjoy and practice surfing is a surfboard. Typically, before trying to learn this kind of hobby or sport, it is important to know important and basic information about surfing. If you want to try to learn surfing, you just might want to buy a surfboard first.

For surfers or those who are planning to do surfing, a task that needs proper consideration and thinking is choosing the right surfboard to be bought and to use, Flotation and stability are the two most important factor to be considered. To be able to float and ride the waves is known as flotation and this is important when choosing the right kind of surfboard because you need to choose a surfboard that will float and not sink into the water. The thicker a surfboard is, the better flotation it gives to the surfer. Being able to stay on the the surfboard is known as stability and is also another important factor in choosing your surfboard. What makes this factor important is that, with better stability, you will be able to not only ride the waves but stay on the surfboard longer and has lesser chance of falling of from the surfboard. For better stability, wider surfboards are recommended.

Aside from these 2 important factors, getting your own surfboard also depends largely on your height and weight. The heavier the surfer, the thicker the surfboard should be for better flotation and taller surfers require longer surfboards for better stability.

To be able to decide what kind of surfboard to buy, you must not only know the factors to consider when buying surfboards but you must know the different surfboard designs as well. Here is a list of different surfboard designs:

-Longboard is a type of surfboard recommended to be used by beginners because it offers better stability and flotation allowing you to float easily and stay on the surfboard longer. With a length that ranges from 8'-10'6", this type of surfboard is longer than usual surfboards and are also wider.

-Shortboard-unlike the longboard, this type of surfboard is most appropriate to be used by experienced and veteran surfers on good quality waves. This is not recommended for use for beginner surfers because it requires a lot of turning and great maneuvering because it does not offer enough flotation and stability.

-Funboard-known to be longer than a shortboard and shorter than a longboard, this type of surfboard comes in between the two surfboards in terms of length. This type of surfboard is recommended to be used by beginner as well as intermediate surfers on small to medium waves. The length of a funboard, which is longer than a shortboard, allows a surfer to paddle and catch the waves easily.

-The funboard is a kind of surfboard that comes in between the longboard and shortboard in terms of length. Typically shorter than a longboard and longer than a shortboard, this type of surfboard provides opportunity for surfers to paddle and catch waves easily making it a good surfboard to be used on small to medium waves by either beginner or expert surfer.

As mentioned earlier, the most important factor when choosing a surfboard is flotation and stability as well as knowing what size of surfboard fits your height and weight. Knowing this information will allow you to choose the right surfboard design that will best work for you.




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