Home / Surfboards explained / Matching surfboard to waves / Board types

Board types for specific waves

Some waves ask for a board built specifically for them. Here we look at those board types one by one, what changes in the shape and why that works in those conditions.

BOARD TYPE  A

Step up surfboard (big barrels)

The video is the extended version of what you find below. It runs through a 3D simulation and works through the shape one part at a time. Drawings show the forces at work, so the reasoning is easier to follow step by step.

To find out what works in a big, hollow wave, we simulated a 3 meter barrel and put a 6’6″ flat plate into it, at the angles you would be surfing. From there we looked at what the wave asks from each part of the shape.

Step-up surfboard pulled in tail

A pulled-in tail

The simulation shows the outline at the tail has to curve in. If there were a corner there, like on a squash tail, you would have to push it too deep into the wave. The water would push it back out and the board would roll.

Step-up surfboard foam under chest

Foam under the chest

The wide point can sit ahead of center. It helps you paddle in and doesn’t get in the way once you’re surfing.

Step up surfboard rocker

More rocker than the wave

Total rocker has to exceed the curve of the wave over the same length, or the board will not fit in the wave at all. Nose rocker has to be more than the curve of the wave at the nose, or you pearl. Tail rocker less, or you lose speed.

Step up surfboard width

Narrow

A wider board sits further out of the wave face and that puts you further out with it. Once you pass a balance point, the board rolls (red arrow). A narrow board keeps your weight on the right side of that point.

Step up surfboard rails

Thin rails

The same applies to thickness. A thicker rail cannot be pushed as deep, so the board sits further out again and you end up outside a balance point. Thin rails sit deeper in the wave face, keeping your weight closer to it.

Longer

To catch the wave you have to match its speed, with paddling and with help from gravity. A longer board has a greater maximum paddle speed, so the take-off gets easier. (you can take off before the wave gets steep)