"I am coming off a 8 foot soft top. I am ready for my first hard board."

When someone comes to us that is ready to progress to a hard board we ask two main questions. This is important because surfing means different things to different people and where they want to end up with their surfing is relevant when making this next purchase.

The first question is "Where do you want to end up eventually in your surfing? Do you want to...."

• I want to eventually shortboard
• I am good staying on a mid-length, I just want a better ride
• I want to longboard

Once we know this answer we move on to the next important question, "How well did you do on the soft top you were riding?"

We need to know this because depending on where you want to eventually end up in your surfing, and how well you did on the soft top, will determine the ideal parameters for you to stay within dimension wise on your next board. An example would be let's say you want to eventually shortboard (question 1) but you just did "ok" getting to your feet every time on your 8 foot soft top (question 2). Then we know that we should recommend a board that is as close to the volume of the 8 foot soft top, because you still need plenty of foam to catch waves and have stability for standing up easily in order to continue your progress.

On the other hand, if you decided that you want to longboard (question 1) and you did just "ok" getting to your feet every time (question 2) then it is an easier transition because longboards inherently have similar volume, or even more volume then the 8 foot soft top.

What are surfboard dimensions and how do I use them?

There are 4 dimensions everyone uses to determine the overall scope of a board. That is length, width, thickness, and volume(when available). As an example, the 8 foot Wavestorm and 8 foot Catch Surf Log have dimensions roughly 8'0" x 22.50" x 3.25" and 86 liters of volume. The length, width, thickness, and shape of the outline creates a 3 dimensional object of foam(the surfboard). That foam has buoyancy and that buoyancy acts as floatation against your body's weight. More foam, more buoyancy. So the bigger the dimensions, the more foam, the more buoyancy... and vice versa. With the advent of the CNC shaping machines that a lot of shapers use, the software can render an overall volume of the 3 dimensional object and that is where we get our "volume" from. And this acts as the "4th" dimension you can use in choosing a board.

We use all of these dimensions together in unison to help us zero in on what we can expect from the surfboard and the characteristics of the surfboard. Below are some general characteristics of a board in relation to its length, width, and thickness.

Shorter is harder and not as easy to catch waves but is quicker to maneuver. Longer is easier and catches waves easier but is slower to maneuver.

Wider is more stable, forgiving and has more lift but is slower to react. Narrow is more sensitive and less forgiving but reacts quicker.

Thicker is more forgiving and catches waves easier but is less sensitive. Thinner is less forgiving and doesn't catch waves as easily but is more sensitive.

In Conclusion

So, there are a couple questions that need answering. As well, there are some things dimension wise, to take into consideration in order to determine the best case scenario in selecting your hard board. Don't worry because we mapped out a variety of possibilities for you and feel confident we can guide you to your ideal hard board.

First thing first, let's answer question Number one.

• I want to eventually shortboard
• I am good on a mid-length, I just want a better ride
• I want to longboard

I want to eventually shortboard:

How well did you do on the soft top?

• It's so easy, I want to start doing better turns.
• I could catch and stand up on the open face and stood up every time but just would go down the line with a little bit of turning.
• I could catch and stand up on the open face most of the time and would go down the line when I would make it to my feet.
• I Can stand up in the whitewash easily but I am having trouble catching and standing up on the open face.
• I am riding the whitewash still but I want a new board.

It's so easy, I want to start doing better turns.

The thing to keep in mind here is foam is still your friend. If you get a new board that is too short, narrow, or thin it will be too dramatic of a contrast from the floatation you were used to on the Wavestorm. This will make it harder to catch waves and stand up easily. On the other hand, if you get too much foam you will catch waves easily at first, but as you get better you will be hindered by trying to maneuver a bigger board.

• So here we would recommend going anywhere from 7’0” to 7’8” in length. If you are light, athletic, and strong go toward the 7’0”. If you are average to heavier in weight, in so-so to decent physical shape go toward the 7’8'' range.
• Stick to the funboard (full nose) shape or a wider hybrid outline (which has a pointed, but wide nose shape). Wide noses help catch waves and are more stable.
• Width wise you want 21.25” minimum and 22.0” would be preferable.
• For thickness a minimum of 2.75”, but 2.88” and 3.0” would be preferable.
• Volume wise we would say no lower than 45 liters and no higher than 55 liters.

Remember the liters on a Wavestorm is 86 liters so the range given above decreases your liters by roughly 40% (almost half). So it won't be as easy but it is part of evolving into eventually shortboarding.

About the Fish design - A fish design with a wide swallow tail would not be recommended. The reason for this is wider tails typically are not as easy to make tight turns and therefore do not lend itself toward the steps of evolving into shortboarding. There are some fish designs that have a tighter, more pulled in swallow tail. One of those would work but we recommend staying away from the big wide swallowtails.

Fins -Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Coming off a soft top - I catch the wave and stand up on the open face. I stand up every time but just go down the line with a little bit of turning.

The thing to keep in mind here is foam is still your friend. If you get a new board and it is too small it will be too dramatic of a contrast from the floatation you were used to on the Wavestorm.

• So here we would recommend going anywhere from 7’4” to 7’10” in length. If you are light, athletic, and strong go toward the 7’4”. If you are average to heavier in weight, in so-so to decent physical shape go toward the 7’10'' range.
• Stick to the funboard (full nose) shape or a wider hybrid outline (which has a pointed, but wide nose shape). Wide noses help catch waves and are more stable.
• Width wise 21.50” would be the minimum and 22.0” to 22.50” would be preferable.
• For thickness a minimum of 2.75”, but 2.88” and 3.0” would be preferable.
• Volume wise we would say no lower than 50 liters and no higher than 62 liters on the high end.

Remember the liters on a Wavestorm is 86 liters. You will be decreasing volume substantially so mind your dimensions.

About the Fish design - A fish design with a wide swallow tail would not be recommended. The reason for this is wider tails typically are not as easy to turn tightly. There are some fish designs that have a tighter, more pulled in swallow tail. One of those would work but recommend staying away from the big wide swallowtails that come on your typical wide tail fish design.

Fins - Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Coming off a soft top - I can catch the wave on the open face and can go down the line half the time.

The thing to keep in mind here is foam is still your friend. If you get a new board and it is too small it will be too dramatic of a contrast from the floatation you were used to on the Wavestorm. We still want you to catch waves and get to where you are going down the line every time.

• So here we would recommend going anywhere from 7’6” to 8’0” in length. If you are light, athletic, and strong go toward the 7’6”. If you are average to heavier in weight, in so-so to decent physical shape go toward the 8’0” range.
• Stick to the funboard (full nose) shape or a wider hybrid outline (which has a pointed, but wide nose shape). Wide noses help catch waves and are more stable.
• Width wise 21.50” would be the minimum and 22.0” to 22.50” would be preferable.
• For thickness a minimum of 2.75”, but 2.88” and 3.0” would be preferable.
• Volume wise we would say no lower than 53 liters and 68 liters on the high end.

Remember the liters on a Wavestorm is 86 liters so you will be shaving off 30 liters and that will be a big difference and you will have to get used to that..but you are ready!

About the Fish design - A fish design with a wide swallow tail would not be recommended. The reason for this is wider tails typically are not as easy to turn tightly. There are some fish designs that have a tighter, more pulled in swallow tail. One of those would work but recommend staying away from the big wide swallowtails that come on your typical wide tail fish design.

Fins - Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Coming off the soft top - I Can stand up in the whitewash easily but I am having trouble catching and standing up on the open face.

So for this situation we recommend foam and lots of it. You're at that spot that is most tricky, which is standing up on the wave face before it breaks. This just takes time and perseverance. The Wavestorm 8 foot soft top is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3” and 86 liters. So getting something as close to that would be best. A couple examples would be board companies like Stewart Surfboards, Shift Surfboards, or Torq. Stewart has 8ft funboard that are around 67liters. Shift Surfboards (available here at usedsurf) has a model Called the Spindrift with dimensions 8’0” x 22.0” x 3.0” and 59 liters. Torq has a MOD FUN V+ (extra volume) with dimensions like 8’2” x 22.88” x 3.25” and 70.5 liters.

Ultimately, we wouldn't recommend straying too far from the length of the Wavestorm. Almost all non soft top boards, even at 8 feet in length, will not have the amount of volume the Wavestorm has at that same length.

• So, 7’8” would be the minimum. A 7’10” to 8’2” for the length would be ideal.
• Width wise 21.75” minimum and preferably between 22.0” to 22.50”.
• Thickness wise 2.88” minimum and preferably 3.0” to 3.25”.
• We would recommend 57 liters to 75 liters. You're not out of the woods yet. Until you can catch the wave on the open face and angle down the line, foam will be your friend!

Remember the shorter you go the more crucial it is you make up the volume in the width and thickness. An example would be getting a board that is 7’8”. If that 7’8'' is 21.75” wide and 2.88” thick, it will be a lot less foam than a 7’8” x 22.0” x 3.0”. So, both are 7’8'' but one is going to be easier to catch waves and stand up on than the other….the one with more foam! So mind your dimensions.

About the Fish design - A fish design with a wide swallow tail would not be recommended. The reason for this is wider tails typically are not as easy to turn tightly. There are some fish designs that have a tighter, more pulled in swallow tail. One of those would work but recommend staying away from the big wide swallowtails that come on your typical wide tail fish design.

Fins - Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Riding the whitewash still but I want a new board.

So for this situation we recommend foam and lots of it. The Wavestorm 8 foot soft top is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and 86 liters. So getting something as close to that would be best. But that can be tricky. Infinity Surfboards has a model called the “secret weapon” with dimensions like 8' x 23" x 3 7/8". That would match the volume of the soft top and actually probably exceed it. But those boards new are expensive. Sometimes you can find them used though. The Torq MOD FUN V+ (extra volume) with dimensions like 8’2” x 22.88” x 3.25” and is 70 liters could be a good board. As well, you have the Stewart funboard that is 8’0” x 23” x 3.18” which does not have the liters but has got to be close to 70 liters.

The other alternative is going to a longboard. More foam there for sure. If you are wanting to go to a shortboard eventually though the longboard might not be a good idea.

There is another soft top like the Catch Surf Log. This board has similar dimensions to the Wavestorm but has a more refined foil and rocker than the Wavestorm. It is the same Liters.

About the Fish design - A fish design with a wide swallow tail would not be recommended. The reason for this is wider tails typically are not as easy to turn tightly. There are some fish designs that have a tighter, more pulled in swallow tail. One of those would work but recommend staying away from the big wide swallowtails that come on your typical wide tail fish design.

Fins - Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Coming off the soft top - I am good sticking with the midlength… I just want a better ride.

So if you are thinking you are good sticking with the Mid-length we need to determine how well you did on the 8’ Wavestorm. Coming off the Wavestorm you will be hard pressed to find anything with the same volume of 86 liters. The only exception is a board like the Infinity secret weapon. Those boards are thick and wide. But most boards, even 8 feet in length, will not have the same liters as the Wavestorm - they will all be thinner and possibly narrower on average. So if you did good on the Wavestorm, then that will point you to the low side of the volume spectrum. And if you did so-so on the Wavestorm, weigh more than average, or are not that athletic then we can go to the higher volume side of the spectrum.

So on the high side of the volume spectrum we have new boards like the Torq MOD FUN V+ (extra volume) with dimensions like 8’2” x 22.88” x 3.25” and is 70 liters. As well, you have the Stewart funboard that is 8’0” x 23” x 3.18” which does not have the liters but has got to be close to 70.

Then on the medium side of the spectrum you have the CI mid-length which is 7’10” x 22” x 3” and 57 liters. As well you have Usedsurf’s Shift Spindrift model that is 8’0” x 22” x 3” and 59 Liters

On the lower side of the spectrum you can go down to 7’6” in length . Maybe you can go shorter in length but that would be if you are lightweight and very athletic. If not, we would recommend sticking around 7’6” in length and 47 to 59 liters. Widths around 21.50” to 22.50” and thickness 2.75” to 3.0”.

A Final Tip When going Shorter - Just remember all the dimensions work in unison to give you an overall volume. So if you go shorter you need to make sure you maintain volume by having a good healthy width and the thickness. Otherwise your volume will be too low and it will be much harder to catch waves and stand up.

Fins - Thruster (3 fins) , 2+1 (2 small side bites with large center fin), or quad fin(4 fins) set up would be fine. Any of those will be stable enough and not work against you.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0 in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

Coming off a Soft top - I want to longboard

I want to longboard and…

• eventually become a noserider, learn to cross step, and noseride all the time.
• want to ride the nose occasionally and also do plenty of turns from the tail.
• wont surf that often or it's strictly seasonal or recreational. I just want to go out and have fun and make sure that I catch plenty of waves.

I want to eventually become a noserider, learn to cross step, and noseride all the time?

These type of Boards:

• Have Lengths hovering between 9’2” to 9’6”.
• Widths are usually either side of 22.75” wide.
• Average 3” thick
• Have a lower nose rocker, a wider nose, and a deep concave for nose riding.
• Rails are typically more of an elliptical 50/50 type rail.
• Tails are usually a pin or wider square tail.
• Mostly are single fins and are glassed a little heavier for glide and inertia.

We would recommend not going narrower than 22.0” for width and no thinner than 2.75” for thickness.

There are some exceptions to the single fin part of this board. Companies like Walden, Stewart, Infinity, and Takayama, to name a few, make 2+1 longboards that are still good nose riders. The 2+1 fin set up is made up of 2 smaller “side bite” fins and one center box for a center fin. These boards are typically a little bit more “performance” oriented than the “classic” style single fins. They are usually glassed a little lighter so they are more maneuverable. So if you're looking for a fair amount of performance but still want to nose ride as well, these types of boards would be the go.

Fins for longboards - For single fins, the general rule of thumb is you get the fin in inches to what the board is in length.

• Example, if a board is 9’0” to 9’2” you get a 9 inch fin.
• If the board is 9’4” to 9’6 you would get a 9.5 inch fin.

For 2+1 you have the sidebites up front and the general rule of thumb is the fin is usually 7.0”, 7.5”, or 8.0”.

• For boards 9’0” to 9’2” we commend 7.5”.
• Boards 9’4” to 9’6” we recommend 8.0”.

Leash for a longboard - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” in width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.

I want to ride the nose occasionally and also do plenty of turns from the tail?

Typically these boards will be the 2+1 setups. The 2+1 fin set up is made up of 2 smaller “side bite” fins and one center box for a center fin. 2+1 boards can still be good nose riders but these boards are typically more “performance” oriented than the “classic” style single fins. They will have more of a conventional rocker that is geared toward turning better from the tail. Examples of these types of board are models by companies like Walden, Stewart, Infinity, and Takayama, to name a few.

• Lengths typically range from 9’0” to 9’6”.
• Width wise they will be 22.50” to 23” and may occasionally go a little wider on the longer lengths.
• Thickness will hover around 2.88” to 3.13” but usually average 3” thick.

So if you're looking for a fair amount of performance but still want to nose ride as well, these types of boards would be the go. We would recommend not going narrower than 22.0” for width and no thinner than 2.75” for thickness.

Fins for longboards - For 2+1 you have the sidebites up front and the general rule of thumb is the fin is usually 7.0”, 7.5”, or 8.0”.

• For boards 9’0” to 9’2” we commend 7.5”.
• Boards 9’4” to 9’6” we recommend 8.0”.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area..

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters

I wont surf that often or it is strictly seasonal and you just want to go out and have fun and make sure that you catch plenty of waves.

Ease and fun is the goal here. If you're surfing a mushy spot on the regular you could get away with a Single Fin longboard. If your regular spot is a beach break that is steeper we would recommend a 2+1 as they have a more conventional rocker. The 2+1 fin set up is made up of 2 smaller “side bite” fins and one center box for a center fin.

The next important part is the dimensions. A board 9’0” to 9’6” with a width of 23” wide and a thickness of 3” would be ideal. If you are a lighter surfer or are athletic you could go a little narrower or/and thinner. An example of a board for this type of person would be 9’0” x 22.50” x 2.88”. On the opposite side of the spectrum, for a heavier non athletic person, a board 9’4” x 23” x 3.13” would be good. We would recommend not going narrower than 22.0” for width and no thinner than 2.75” for thickness.

Fins for longboards - For single fins, the general rule of thumb is you get the fin in inches to what the board is in length.

• Example, if a board is 9’0” to 9’2” you get a 9 inch fin.
• If the board is 9’4” to 9’6 you would get a 9.5 inch fin.

For 2+1 you have the sidebites up front and the general rule of thumb is the fin is usually 7.0”, 7.5”, or 8.0”.

• For boards 9’0” to 9’2” we commend 7.5”.
• Boards 9’4” to 9’6” we recommend 8.0”.

Leash - we recommend getting a leash that is roughly the length of the board. Too short of a leash and you run the risk of pulling the board toward your body when you fall off the nose area.

NOTE - Remember, the narrower the width the more sensitive and less forgiving the board. The thinner the board the more sensitive and less forgiving it will ride. As well, thinner boards have less foam and therefore typically make it harder to catch waves. Coming off a Wavestorm we do not recommend going narrower than 22.0” width and ideally would recommend a thickness of 3”. If you did very well on the soft top and are athletic you could go down to no more than 2.75” thick. For reference the typical Wavestorm is 8’0” x 22.50” x 3.25” and is 86 liters.