Surfing a Shortboard

Shortboards are surfboards that are typically shorter in length than seven feet although some shortboard surfboards for bigger guys or for big wave riding can be larger than seven feet. Types of shortboards include the basic thruster, the quad, the hybrid fish, the step up, and the mini gun. Shortboard surfing is characterized by performance moves with large turns, cutbacks, and sometimes airs. There are distinct differences between shorboarding and lognboarding. With shortboard surfboards the surfer is accelerating by working the wave top to bottom to gain speed and keep afloat, where the surfer on the longboard is trimming and gliding with the wave. The shortboarder seeks more radical and dynamic moves working the wave for speed.

One of the keys to riding a shortboard surfboard correctly is to stay in the curl of the wave and ride from top to bottom by turning over and over to generate speed on the wave as the shortboard does not have much glide. As there is less glide, paddling a shortboard is much more dificult and requires more strength than a longboard. Newer surfers typically learn on longboard surfboards as paddling and balance are more dificult on a shortboard. When riding a shortboard surfboard, the surfer keeps their back foot over the tail and can drive the board from the front or back foot depending on their style. Many shortboard surfboards will also have a kickpad which gives the back foot over the tail better hold on the surf board.

Shortboarders typically like faster, more performance oriented waves compared with the longboarder which typically rides a more evenly tapered wave. Beach breaks, reefs, and point breaks can all exhibit qualities good for shortboarding. Many shortboarders will be looking to score the perfect barrel. Riding a barrel is where the surfer gets inside of the dry inner section of the wave and makes it back out of this inner section of the wave without falling. Riding barrels or hollower waves is best accomplished on a shorthboard by an accomplished surfer.

There are many varieties of shortboard surfboards as mentioned above. The basic thruster is a surfboard with three fins in the back and is what most shortboard surfers ride as it is the standard in shortboard surfboards. The thruster would have a single fin in the center in back and a fin on each side a little farther up the rails. The hybrid fish would be a three fin surfboard with dimensions halfway between a standard thruster and a retro fish providing more buoyancy and paddle for smaller conditions. The quad would be a four fin surfboard with 2 fins on each rail. The step up is a board ridden in bigger surfing conditions when the waves are a little more powerful and the mini gun is for even larger, more powerful waves. Both the step up and mini gun typically are thrusters as well but are larger in size and volume for better paddling and often will be a little more stable in big surf.

There are many different and excellent surfboard shapers out thir making different shapes of shortboards tailored to different styles and tastes. Some of the most common manufacturers and shapers include Al Merrick with Channel Islands Surfboards, Rusty, Lost, Dick Brewer, JS Industries, Firewire and the list could continue as there are many great shapers and surfboard manufacturers. I personally ride Channel Islands and JS Industries shortboards but have tried or owned the other brands mentioned and do like some shapes from each of these manufacturers.