Which Surfboard Is Right For You? Every Shape Explained

Mowing chunks of foam into neatly hand-crafted surfboards is an art-form. The somewhat modern introduction of lighter-cored surfboards has been a shaping revolution, offering more ways to whip up experimental craft than ever before.

Let's take 'somewhat modern' as what it really is though; foam in surfboards has been used since the late 50s and before that, generations of boards were made from heavy wood. This push into more modern materials allowed for deeper understanding of buoyancy, of rails, rocker and how they all connect together – and so came the great surfboard evolution.

Nowadays, there's so much choice on the market of which board may be right for you. The reality is, you're probably not going to split hairs over a quarter inch of thickness, or an extra half inch in the nose, but you may wonder about other types of boards, what else is out there, and what conditions you should use them in.

So here, we broke down the more popular fleet of surf-craft you're likely to see on the market, who they're for and when is the time to invest. If we've missed any, feel free to ping us in the comments and we'll add it to the list.

Alaia

You're likely not going to walk into your bricks-and-mortar surf shop and pick an alaia off the rack. These traditional hand-made wooden Hawaiian boards form part of surfing's genesis and are the guiding pathway to what is now considered modern wave riding. Alaia's were construced out of Koa wood and ranged between five-to-12 feet long.

They were mostly ridden prone, but could be ridden standing up – no-one really cared what you did back then. These days, alaias are scarce in line-ups across the world. Perhaps a more prominent alaia rider would be South African's Remi Peterson, who tends to go frictionless at J-Bay (there are no fins in an alaia). They're good for pointbreaks, going super fast and just generally having a great time.

Asym

Asymmetrical boards have been around almost as long as foam's been an essential part of surfboard construction. The first asym was first made by Carl Eskstrom in 1965, a San Diego-based innovator and master surfboard maker. His design philosophy was simple: take the husk of a board and mould it around the differences of surfing back-side vs front-side, based on his own experience. The result? A shape with one long rail and one shorter, and a bit more tucked in.

In more recent years, Ryan Burch has probably been the biggest purveyor of modern asym shapes, reviving this funky little board for mass consumption. The fun thing about asyms is, you can take them out in a whole range of conditions. Back-side will suck you to the wave, where as your front-side kind of feels a little fish-esque, with a lot more speed. Borrow one at a pointbreak, or waves where you need a load of speed to make a section. Maybe consider grabbing the rail on a back-side barrel and taking it for a spin. You might be surprised.

Bonzer

This is less a type of surfboard, per se, and more a tweak on a shortboard, but the characteristics of a bonzer are unique. The whippy little craft was created by the Campbell brothers in 1970 and featured three fins (modern bonzers have five or two longer keel-like fins and a central fin), but has an aggressive double concave running down the board. The theory being this will help channel water flow under the board.

It's really created for hold and easier rail transitions than a standard shortboard. Flip a bonzer over, and you'll notice the deep channels through the middle and around the fins. Modern bonzers may have four smaller fins and one larger, central fin but the result is the same; fast, drivey and can hold surprisingly well in steeper waves. Again, a brilliant option for pointbreaks, and maybe one to avoid a mushy beachbreak with.

Egg

The egg has never been a shape you see packing-out line-ups but this wider board can be pretty fun when it's scaled-down to a 6'0”. A classic egg shape has a rounded nose, wide point that holds through the board before ending with a round tail. The rocker is fairly relaxed compared to other surfboard types and have a thicker outline than shortboards.

It's why many beginners choose an egg as their first board, due to its forgiving nature. Eggs sit in the spot between shortboards and longboards, a sort of hybrid of both that take the good of either board types and fuse them together. Don't expect longer eggs to surf like a longboard though, or shorter ones to act like a shortboard. Eggs are best suited in weaker, smaller surf and for those on the beginning of their surf journey.

Fish

This whole article could be about the nuances of the fish. One of the most versatile surfboard shapes around, there's a reason why this shape has transcended generations, each variation taking what worked in the past and refining and tweaking to bring a modern feel to a retro outline. Let's start with the basics, fish surfboards are wider than shortboards, and you can generally surf them shorter than your standard board too. The rocker is flat, meaning lots of down the line speed. Turns are generally more drawn out, for example, if you take an S, turn it on its side and stretch it out over the face of a wave, that's more how you'd surf a fish on the open face, for the most part anyway.

How your fish surfs is down to a number of different elements like fin placement and number of fins (fishes are usually quad or twin fins), how far the wide point is – with the retro fish having a wide point further forward, while more progressive shapes have the wide point towards the middle of the board. You can also get longer fish surfboards, for a more comfortable feeling while going fast on a wave. The working theory is; you surf a fish in weaker surf, or more relaxed pointbreaks – but recent modern innovation has seen these little weapons under the hood of some pretty heavy surf. Best to experiment with the fish and dial in what works for you.

Groveler

The unsung hero of weak surf, and one that'll keep the fire alive when it's been one foot and gutless through the summer months. The groveler is a wider, squished down, higher-volume shortboard built for speed and performance when the surf is in the knee-to-chest high range. They are flatter than shortboards and are a way to keep the wave count up when the surf is looking grim. So how's this different from a fish?

A groveler is designed to specifically allow for quicker and sharper turns in small waves. The fish is made for glide, and longer more drawn-out turns, suited to cleaner conditions and offers a more on-top-of-the-water feel, while remaining loose. There is a use-case for both, though not necessarily an either/or option. Surf a groveler if the surf is tiny and weak and you want to maintain an element of performance to your surfing.

Gun

The big wave surfer's best friend. The gun is used for big, paddle waves when they reach the double overhead range and beyond. Typically, guns range from the 7'4”(ish) mark to around 10-feet plus, depending on the wave you're surfing. The board profile is sleek, like an arrow, with a pulled in thinner template, yet thicker than your standard shortboard. These boards are built for paddle power in big waves and speed when you're up and riding.

Guns also have more rocker to handle steeper drops for some of the heaviest waves on the planet. These boards are best suited to the likes of Maverick's, Jaws, Nazare, Mullaghmore and any other big wave venue across the planet. Quick tip though, if you're looking to get started in bigger waves, you can take a gun out on a head high clean day at your local, away from the crowd and get to grips with it. A completely different beast than anything else on this last and your first time surfing one should not be when it's in a critical situation.

Log

Surfing owes much to the humble log. This is one of the original surfboard shapes, created with a longer template than can stretch out over the 10-foot-long mark. Logs have wider noses, wider tails with rails created to wick water over them – which helps maintain glide and a smoother ride. Logs are flat-rockered and can be surfed as single fins, thruster or a two plus one set-up.

The downside of a log is they're usually glassed heavily, meaning they're a pain to carry around for long distances. The trade-off is, you can catch any wave, up to chest high – however there are more progressive longboard shapes that can handle steeper, more powerful waves. For the most part, take a log out as a classic summery shape in weaker waves.

Mid-length

The mid has seen a strong resurgence in surfing recently, perhaps largely down to Torren Martyn pushing the medium at some of the most dazzling pointbreaks on the planet. The mid-length is more refined than an egg, longer than a shortboard and shorter than a longboard. These are versatile boards, which can completely change how they surf depending on if you ride one as a twin pin, single fin or a thruster.

Contrary to popular belief, these boards are not built for smaller, weaker, mushier waves. You can get one going in those conditions but there are far better boards suited for that job than a mid-length. These are good wave boards, made for pointbreaks or anywhere with a long drawn out face. Lots of shortboarders make the mistake of trying to surf a mid-length like a shortboard. With a mid, you're going to need to move your feet; towards the center of the board while on the open face, then back foot over the fins for turns. A great addition to any quiver.

Mini-Mal

Take your classic log shape and squish it down, viola! You've got a mini-mal. They're different to eggs, which take elements of both a shortboard and a longboard and act as a hybrid – a mini-mal is quite literally a small longboard. These are well-suited to beginner surfers and weaker surf, with lots of volume through the chest making for a much easier take-off and paddle power.

Mini-Simmons

Back in the 1950s, Bob Simmons combined innovation with naval engineering and created a planning hull that became known as the Spoon, a 10' by 24” balsa board that was covered in fiberglass and let loose on the beaches of California. The board paved the way for innovation in how people ride surfboards, and board design overall. Fast-forward to the early noughties and shaper Joe Bauguess took this classic design – and chopped it in half.

Hence the birth of the Mini-Simmons, a board usually ranging from 5'2” to 6'0” with a stop tail and twin fin set-up. Aesthetically, you're going to love it or hate it – and the same goes for surfing one of these pocket rockets too. Some surfers swear by the speed and drive a mini-simmons has, with the ability to zip over weaker sections, no problem. Others say it's too loose, and almost punishing. If you're back foot isn't locked in to the tail, you're going to have a hard time. Stick with it and the pay-off could be a shape you never knew you needed in your quiver. Best for smaller, weaker waves or crumbly beachbreaks.

Nose Rider

A specialized version of a log, the nose riders are designed to get you to the nose of the board and stay there. More concave in the nose helps create lift to glue you to the face of the wave. They usually hold their width right through from the mid-point to the nose, making for a stable ride. If you think of a log built for stability and a retro feel, a nose rider is more made for being up the business end, locking you in and gliding. Which means you sacrifice manoeuvrability here. The trade-off is yours to make. Surf a nose-rider on pointbreaks, or waves with lots of open face to maximise your team up the north end of the board.

Shortboard

The go-to for high performance surfing. A shortboard is usually no longer than 6'6”, 6'8” at a push, with lots of rocker in the nose and out the back into the tail. In 1981, Australian shaper Simon Anderson helped drive forward this radical shape by introducing the three fin set-up as it's known now. The drive and speed of a twin coupled with the pivot and hold of a single-fin. The standard shortboard has seen rounds of evolution ever since, from the preferred banana-esque boards under the feet of Kelly Slater in the 90s, to the lighter, wider shortboards of today with all sorts of goodies baked into the construction – such as carbon fiber rails.

Shortboard innovation is continuing to push forward, with the world's best surfers committed to performance surfing and offering their feedback to shapers as it goes. You can surf a shortboard in any conditions; beach break, point break, wedges, bigger waves, slabs – the works. The go-to for some of the more technically difficult waves to surf, ones that require multiple tweaks when navigating a barrel or escaping a falling section. Great to have in your quiver and a versatile travel board.

Soft top/Foamie

A grom's best pal – soft top boards are the ideal learner-craft, if you fall, you're falling onto foam, not fibreglass and you're less likely to injure yourself. Modern soft-top philosophy has shifted over the past 10-years, meaning some of the best surfers in the world keep some sort of shortboard/soft-top hybrid in their quiver to beat around the reefbreaks. Or just to have a bit of fun on. Take Jamie O'Brien logging Pipeline on a foamie a few years back, as a case in point. Good for small waves, little ankle-ticklers. The longer you go, the easier they are to catch waves.

Step-Up

When waves get into the overhead and steep range, you may need something a bit more serious than your standard shortboard. But it may not be big enough to warrant a gun. Enter the step-up; not a shortboard, not a gun, the middle bowl of porridge of the surfboard world. Surfers know big wave guns cannot turn all that well, and shortboards were not cutting it for getting into larger waves – the step-up is usually from the size 6'8” up and fits nearly into the board black hole.

Step-ups are paddle machines, they can hold on the face of the wave and really help you deal with when things are getting a little spicy out there. Most step-ups have a rounded pin tail, with a bit of extra volume than your shortboard, whereas guns are longer and narrower than a step-up. For a whole variety of waves, as soon as the surf gets into the head-and-a-half range.

Tow Board

In the early 90s, Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama and Buzzy Kerbox were experimenting with strapping on to boards and getting towed, by a boat and then eventually a ski, into some of the biggest waves around. These radical new boards were created by legendary shaper Dick Brewer, who knew boards needed to go shorter and faster. The culmination of this is arguably Laird's Millenium wave at Teahupo'o.

A jaw-dropping spectacle that not only put tow surfing on the map, but blew the doors open to surf exploration around Tahiti and popularized the End of the Road. You need a tow board when the wave is moving so fast, you cannot physically paddle fast enough to get into the wave. Over time, the tow board has evolved, going shorter, heavier, faster in order to be able to get into the world's biggest and heaviest waves. Not one for the regular surfer's quiver.