Kitesurfing with the use of a surfboard has become increasingly mainstream, with the majority of riders having a surfboard with or with out straps in their quiver. For those wanting to progress on the waves who have not come from a surfing background, this simple guide on surfboard designs will enable you to know what does what. Surfboards differ in terms of length, width, thickness, rocker, rail shape and tail shape, but once you have this lot worked out you can tweak your ride with a change of fins.
Length is always a compromise. Larger boards pick up waves earlier and glide well, whilst also getting around sections easily; on the other hand shorter boards are more maneuverable and respond quicker feeling alive under your feet. However don’t make the mistake of buying a board that is too short for you, as it will make it harder to catch those much-needed waves.
Wider surfboards have more buoyancy, consequently they get going earlier and pick up tiny waves as the width makes up for a large part of the boards surface area. More surface area means less drag, thus better glide and better distribution of weight. However, narrow boards allow you more control and less bounce, letting cut backs and punching through any wind driven chop easier.
Thickness of the board determines how buoyant the board is. Surfers rely on a buoyant board to allow them to pick up waves when paddling, on the other hand, kites have the power of the kite to tow them in, and so whilst it remains important is it not such a vital aspect as it is for a surfer. Surfers find a buoyant board to their advantage as it helps them pick waves up early, however for kiters it poses the problem that it can also become bouncy quick and it lacks in maneuverability.
A board with flat rocker will be nice and flat leaving more board in the water when riding, this creates a more stable board giving it improved drive and overall a larger planing area. A board with more rocker will be highly maneuverable enabling you to throw the board around quicker and ride bigger waves. Also, a board with heaps of nose rocker is less likely to dig in to the face of the wave. Tail rocker makes the board more and more maneuverable but what you must note is that as a result it creates more drag.
The rail on the surfboard is the edge joining the top and bottom of the board. Different rail shapes determine how the board flows through the water when riding. Soft rails are generally rounded and smooth generating good stability and lots of drive. Whilst this allows the board to be easy to ride, it can sometimes lack performance. Hard rails are often finished off into a corner or commonly on a good distinctive edge, however more positively to soft rails, these boards snap into turns making it quicker and tighter when hitting top and bottom turns.
There are many different tail shapes out there, but I am going to quickly cover the most common:
Squashtail = Most common tail shape on surfboard. Squashtail gives a stable ride but leaves the board relatively loose. Ideal for small and overhead waves.
Squaretail = Less common, The squaretail makes for a maneuverable board. Not recommended in overhead waves.
Rounded Pintail = Makes a board that bites extremely well, holding in the extremes as there is nothing stopping the flow of water release. The rounded pintail is great for a large powerful hollow surf.
Pintail = Pintail bites better and even longer then the rounded pintail. It’s dedicated to larger, powerful tube riding waves.
Swallowtail = The swallowtail is a hybrid of the squaretail and pintail so you get lots of drive and sensitivity at the same time. Great for creating drive on smaller surf but also fine in larger surf assuming the swallow isn’t to big.
Bat-tail = A Bat-tail is simply a swallowtail with a little added stability.
i only finished reading the part on length an then got bored, but surely it only really matters if ur actually surfing. if u gotta kite what does it really matter bout the size of a board. u can ride a 150 twin tip wit no issues coz u got tha kte pullin ya, jus like bein ona cable. it’s only anal kiters that r tryin to be surfers that care about this shit, no? an i feel, if there’s this much kafaffle bout the “surfboards”, get rid of the kite an be a surfer
Bells….would have to agree to some extent, but it does all make a difference in the way the board handles on the wave. I think there are a lot of kiters out there now discovering waves, but also some who are surfers that have moved to kiting to take advantage of the blown out days where surfing just isn’t worth it (and kiting is epic).