How To Take Inventory Of Your Quiver & Choose Your Next Surfboard

Struggling To Choose a Surfboard?

Are you a one-trick pony? Does your surfboard rack consist of less than three boards? Or are all your boards pretty much the same? No worries, we get it!

 

Surfing is hard enough, why go learn a totally new style of riding, there's not enough good waves as it is to have days when you are not on-point with your favorite board right?

 

WRONG!

 

Surfing is much more than what you see on the WSL or what you experience at your home break. There are endless amounts of shapes, sizes, and styles out there for you to try out.

 

Surfing is less about feeling really comfortable on one board with the perfect conditions than it is having the right tool for the job.

 

Surfboards are an investment, and you want to make sure you are making the perfect choice. Whether your quiver is full or you are looking for your 2nd or 3rd board, deciding what board to buy next is important.

 

Surfboards are like an equation = if you increase/decrease one variable it will affect what waves you can catch, what you will be able to do on those waves, and your experience overall. For more on this check out our previous blog, “History of Hydrodynamics in Surfing”

 

We are going to explain how to take inventory of your quiver and pick your next board. We will also tell you how each board style can improve different parts of your surfing and maximize your progress every day you go out!

Jacob 8 ridding a shortboard

Performance Boards

No matter what type of surfer you are, you should probably have a Performance Board (shortboard) but it should not be the only thing you have.

 

What You Are Getting With Performance Boards:

Performance Boards will allow you to show off your rail to rail turns, bottom turns, snaps, cutbacks…. Performance surfing is all about mastering the critical sections and getting the most out of a wave. Being able to make the drop, bottom turn or floater around crashing sections, and linking turns together is easiest in this type of surfing.

 

What You Are Giving Up With Performance Boards:

There is always a drawback with certain shapes, and performance boards can many. You will not be able to catch slower, less steep waves causing you to stay in the inside and catch reforms or picking from the scraps left to you by surfers on the outside.

You also won't be able to make it past flatter/slower sections, experiment with footwork, and on some days won’t be able to catch anything at all. Longboarders will be catching waves from the outside, ripping all the way into the beach; while you are paddling for closeout beach breaks.

 

If the conditions aren't ideal, you won’t be able to practice performance surfing because you won’t have the speed or stability to really use your skills.

 

Check out our complete line of Performance Boards

Longboards

Tim Bessell (@timbessell) • Longboard

To strike a contrast, longboards are the complete opposite of performance boards. Although you can’t show off your fancy tricks as easily as you can on a shortboard, longboards will allow you to have fun on any wave.

Longboards =” More foam, more fun”

 

What you will be giving up with longboards:

Longboards are heavy, slow, and hard to turn. It takes a lot to do cutbacks or make any sort of “drop” on a wave that is slightly critical. Paddling out can be an entirely different thing and mastering the turtle roll can take some practice. Longboards are also more expensive, meaning that picking the right one is extremely important. They also take up a lot of room, getting these things to the beach can be a problem if you drive a Mazda Miata.

 

What you will get with longboards:

Style, finesse, and board control beyond your biggest dreams. Longboards force you to pick your line early and be more deliberate in your surfing. You can now catch waves that don’t even look like waves until they break, and ride them all the way to the beach. You can use the entire board to control speed and maneuverability. Cross-stepping looks rad and possibly the most fun you ever have on a board. Being able to get into any wave, walk to the front, hang ten down the line, walk back and do a slow/controlled cutback will be one of the best feelings you've ever experienced.

 

Longboards allow you to surf almost every day, even through the seemingly flat summers. You will be able to catch waves way before other surfers and even survive tricky reforms allowing you the longest rides possible. Although getting paddling out might be slightly harder at first because you have to turtle roll, longboards allow you to paddle faster and cover more distance with each stroke. You can also make larger lateral movements to catch waves that were previously out of reach on any other board.

 

To sum it up, longboards will allow you to surf more, and turn any wave into a good wave.

Hybrid Boards

Bessell Surfboards - Hybrid Surfboards

Already have a longboard and a shortboard? Want to get the best of both worlds? Dope! Get a hybrid board. You will a majority of the benefits that exist on both ends of the spectrum!

 

What You Get With Hybrid Surfboards:

Depending on the board you get, you can get virtually anything you want out of a hybrid board. They are the perfect middle ground between longboards and shortboards. They are the perfect stepping stone if you ride shortboards and you want to catch more waves in less than ideal conditions or play with foot placement/fin set up. If you normally ride a longboard or are newer in your surf career, a hybrid can be your stepping stone down to a shortboard.

 

You can make bottom turns, survive slower sections, and even throw out a “cheater five”. If you can rip a hybrid board, you can learn to rip any other type of board.

 

What You Will Give Up With Hybrid Surfboards:

Not much. Sure, longboarders will still catch more waves than you and shortboarders will be able to do airs when you can’t, but you will be to do fill the void that each of those categories have.

 

Possibly the only real drawback of hybrid surfboards is that there are so many damn shapes and sizes to choose from. You can get a short/ fat fish, a performance groveler, a funboard, or anything in between. This means you will have to do a lot of thinking when deciding what you want/need. We have made three models that represent the very best types of hybrid boards.

 

 

Conclusion: Get a Custom board Made

So now that you know the difference between the various types of boards, you can now take inventory of your quiver. What does it look like? Does it lean more towards one side of the spectrum than the other? Do you have something in between? Is there anything that you feel is holding you back?

 

No matter what you are lacking, the very best thing you can do for your surfing is get a board custom made. The benefits are virtually endless.

 

We know that a new board can be a big investment, so why not get exactly what you want/need for the same price?

 

Tim Bessell prides himself on understanding the needs and desires of every customer and on having the ability to translate those into foam.

 

How to get a custom shaped board:

  1. Take inventory of your quiver and decide what type of board should be your next purchase
  2. Check out the boards in our online shop
  3. If you like one of them, order one right from our online shop. Or fill out a contact form  (feel free to customize any part of it)!
  4. If you don’t see any that would be a perfect fit, fill out a form, or even better, drop by the shop to get an expert opinion. Feel the shapes with your own hands and get educated!
  5. Get exactly what you want/need
  6. Go shred!!!!!

 

100% customer satisfaction isn’t just the goal, it's the method.

See All Boards in Shop

Want a custom board made? Hit us up!

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