How to choose a surfboard

The order that matters

Most buying guides list features as if they carry equal weight. They do not. In rough order of how much each will affect your surfing:

1. Volume — decides whether you catch waves at all
2. Outline — shortboard, fish, mid-length or longboard
3. Tail shape — how the board releases and holds through a turn
4. Rocker — how it handles steep waves versus flat ones
5. Construction — PU or EPS, and how long it survives
6. Fins — the cheapest thing to change, so decide it last

If you only do one of these properly, do the first. A board with the right volume and the wrong tail is still surfable. A board with the wrong volume is a wall decoration.

1. Start with volume

Volume in litres is the amount of foam under you, and it is what determines paddle speed and wave count. It comes from your body weight and your honest current ability, not from your height and not from what your friends ride.

Work out your figure with the surfboard volume calculator, or read it off the size chart. As a sanity check: most intermediate surfers land near 0.39 litres per kilogram of body weight, beginners near 0.50, and complete first-timers near 0.60.

2. Pick the outline

Outline is the board's silhouette, and it decides what kind of surfing the board wants to do.

The honest advice for most people buying their second board: a mid-length. It is the shape that keeps the wave count high while you learn to turn, and it is the one surfers most often say they wish they had bought sooner.

3. Choose a tail shape

The tail decides how water leaves the board, which is what you feel at the end of every turn.

• Squash tail — the default, and the right answer for most surfers. Balanced release, forgiving, works in nearly everything.
• Round tail — smoother, more drawn-out turns. Good in better waves, slightly less snappy.
• Swallow tail — holds well in the pocket and keeps float in the tail. Found on fish for good reason.
• Pin tail — maximum hold, minimum release. For big, steep waves only.
• Squaretail — abrupt release, extra lift in the tail. Loose and lively in small surf.

If you are unsure, buy a squash. Tail shape is a preference you develop after you have surfed a few boards, not something to agonise over first.

4. Understand rocker

Rocker is the curve along the bottom of the board from nose to tail. It is the most underrated spec on a board and the one that most often explains why a board with the right dimensions still feels wrong.

More rocker — the board fits steep, hollow waves, turns tighter, and is far less likely to catch a rail on a late drop. It also paddles slower, because more curve means more of the board is lifted out of the water.

Less rocker (flatter) — faster in a straight line, paddles better, generates speed in weak surf. On a steep wave a flat board wants to keep going straight, which is how people pearl.

Match rocker to your local waves, not to the board you saw someone riding in a video shot in Indonesia. Most beach breaks want a moderate rocker; a flat groveller is a summer board, not an everyday one.

5. PU or EPS?

Two common constructions, and they genuinely feel different.

PU (polyurethane foam, polyester resin) is the traditional build. Heavier, with a smoother, more planted feel that many surfers prefer in powerful waves. It flexes in a way people describe as lively. It also dings more easily and yellows over time.

EPS (expanded polystyrene, epoxy resin) is lighter and stronger, floats higher for the same litres, and lasts longer. The trade is a stiffer, sometimes skittish feel in choppy water.

Because EPS floats higher, take two to three litres off your target when switching to it. A surfer on a 32 litre PU board is usually well matched to about 29 or 30 litres in epoxy — the calculator applies this automatically when you select EPS.

For a first hard board after a soft-top, epoxy is usually the better buy. It survives the learning curve.

6. Fins last

Fins change how a board feels more than most people expect, and they are the only part you can swap for the price of a meal. Decide them last, and experiment.

• Thruster (three fins) — the standard. Balanced drive and release, works everywhere.
• Twin (two fins) — fast and loose, brilliant on a fish in small surf, less hold when it gets steep.
• Quad (four fins) — fast down the line with more hold than a twin. Good in both small waves and hollow ones.
• Single fin — smooth, drawn out, traditional. Longboards and retro shapes.

Larger fins give more hold and drive, which suits heavier surfers and bigger waves. Smaller fins release more easily and feel looser. If your board feels stiff, try smaller fins before you sell it.

Buying second hand

Used boards are where the value is, particularly for a second board when you are not yet sure what you like. Check these before handing over money:

• Press along the deck with your thumb. Soft, spongy patches mean the foam has been compressed and water may have got in.
• Look down the stringer from the tail. A buckle shows as a crease across the deck — walk away.
• Check repairs, not dings. Well-repaired dings are fine. Yellow-brown staining around a repair means water sat inside.
• Weigh it in your hands. A board that feels heavy for its size is usually waterlogged.
• Ask for the dimensions. If the volume is not written on it, estimate from length × width × thickness — the size chart page has the method.

The mistakes worth avoiding

Buying the board you want to be riding. Every surf shop has this conversation daily. The board that matches your ability now is the one that gets you to the board you want.

Sizing by height. Height affects comfort; weight affects float. Two riders of identical height and different weights need different boards.

Copying a pro's dimensions. Professional shortboards run 24 to 28 litres because those surfers are in the water daily and surfing waves with real power. The same board under a weekend surfer catches nothing.

Skipping the soft-top. It is not a lesser board. It is the fastest route through the stage where wave count matters more than anything else.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

• Surfboard volume calculator — the first decision, and the one everything else depends on.
• What size surfboard do I need? — worked examples for real riders.
• Surfboard size chart — length, width, thickness and volume tables.