Surfing is a beloved pastime in many parts of the world. From the shores of Norway to the islands of the South Pacific, there are surfers and surf enthusiasts worldwide. Though the sport of surfing is fairly simplistic in its basic form, there are many different forms of surfboards. The construction of these largely depends on the preferences of the surfers, and the designs of the boards come about as a result of that. This article will, in no particular order explain some of the different types of surfboards.
1) Longboard
This is the classic surfboard, and was the favourite during the early days of surfing popularity in the 1950s and 60s. It consists of a length of balsa wood that is anywhere between 9 and 12 foot boards. They are preferred because of their stability and the ease with which it catches waves. The design is an ancient one, having been used by the native Hawaiian people for centuries.
2) Shortboard
It is the most common kind of board in use today. This board was first designed by Gordon Clark in the mid-1960s, and has been extremely popular ever since. It has a common length of 6 or 7 feet, and is composed of a sort of urethane foam. People favour the board because of its manoeuvrability and its light weight. Thanks to its design, however, it is less buoyant than the longboard.
3) Fish Board
A type of variation on the knee board, this board can be constructed out of balsa wood or synthetic materials. It has a sort of v-shaped tail, and is usually used to ride on smaller waves. Many other kinds of boards can have the same tail shape, but they lack certain of the characteristics that describe a conventional fish board.