Surfboard
From Free net encyclopedia
Surfboards were invented by the Hawaiians for riding breaking waves to the beach.Template:Fact Image:Sufer carrying surfboard along the beach.JPG Image:Bike Surfer Dude.jpg
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Materials
Originally made of wood or balsa the first surfboards were often over 15 feet in length and extremely heavy. The major advances over the years were the addition of a fin on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability and a change of materials.
Modern surfboards are made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam covered with layers of fibreglass cloth and polyester or epoxy resin. The end result is a light and strong surfboard that is buoyant and maneuverable. Long-boards as the name suggests are longer (9+ft), and also thicker, wider and with a more rounded nose than a short-board. Short-boards are shorter (5-7ft), thinner, and have a more pointed nose. They are not as wide as long-boards and are typically more maneuverable.
Design
Both have fins which create stick and drive on the wave face. The most common fin arrangement is named the thruster invented by Simon Anderson of Australia, which consists of three fins, one at the tail of the board and two slightly further towards the nose of the board. The purpose of the 3 fin thruster setup is to provide more maneuverability and responsiveness on a wave face.
Construction
Surfboards are usually constructed using polyurethane foam. They are made stronger with a small piece of wood going down the middle of the board called a stringer. The foam is molded into the rough shape of a surfboard called a blank. Note: Recently, the largest producer of these blanks: Clark Foam announced its closure. This move drastically effected surfboard production and has become known to surfers as black Monday. Once the blanks have been made they are given to shapers. Shapers then cut, plane, and sand the board to its specifications. Finally, the board is glassed. Glassing is basically when the fiberglass is put on. It is during the glassing that the fins are put on and the leash plug is drilled on. The other method of making boards is using epoxy instead of fiberglass. Although boards are usually shaped by hand the use of machines to make them has become more and more popular over the years. Some popular board making companies are: Channel Island Surfboards, Stewart Surfboards, and Rusty.
Modern Classifications
- Longboard - Primarily Single Finned with large rounded nose (c. 9 to 12ft) Also called a 'Mal', which is a shortened version of Malibu, the area near Hollywood where film stars and surfers hung out together.
- Mini Mal - Based on the longboard's rounded template, but reduced in size (7 to 9ft) to provide more maneuverability. Either Single Finned or a three fin 'Thruster' set up can be used.
- Shortboard - The most common and verstitle of the smaller boards. Characterised by a slender pointy nose and general smaller dimensions. Surfed with three fins in a thruster style set up, but other set ups can be used.
- Fish - Radically short stubby board (under 6ft) created in the 1970's by Skip Frye and popular in smaller waves. Primarily Twin Fin set up with a swallow tail shape. Re-grew in popularity in early 2000's, a trend which was kicked off by legendary surfer Tom Curren.
- Gun - Big Wave Board (7ft to 12ft). Thin, needle-like template with Single or Thruster Set up. Used at such big waves spots as Waimea Bay and Mavericks.
- Egg - Small modern hybrid board (under 6ft) using a more rounded longboard profile and round tail shape. Surfed in smaller waves with any fin set up. Also known as a 'fun board' as they are more about having fun then high performance or tricks. They can be easier to ride for beginning surfers and generally perform well in surfing conditions where the more traditional long and short boards might not.
- Tow-In - Very small profiled specialist board with foot loops (c. 5ft) Allows the surfer to be towed behind a jet ski at greater speeds and catch waves not accessible to 'paddle-in' surfers. Generally used by the elite in huge surf.
Note the sizes given above are approximate overall lengths and are intended for guideline purposes only. Similar to the approach of surfing waves, there are no hard and fast rules for the board that you use to do so.