How to Choose Surfing Gear
Surfing doesn’t require a lot of gear, but it’s important to choose the right gear. Ability, location, and climate are just a few factors that determine the best surfing gear for you. A Surfboard, most likely a wetsuit, and a few accessories are really all you need.
There are many types of surfboards. Longboards are 9ft or longer. These are definitely the best kind of surfboards to learn on. They float well and catch slow moving waves the best. Funboards are shaped like longboards with wide tails and noses, but shorter at 7ft to 9ft in length. These are best for longboarders moving on to something smaller or for less than full sized adults that are learning to surf. Fishboards are very short but wide surfboards that make for a good progression from funboards. They work great in smaller, weaker surf while offering more manuevarability than longboards or funboards. Shortboards are for more advanced surfers and offer the most performance. They are also the hardest boards to paddle and not the surfboards to learn on. The two main construction types of surfboards are epoxy and traditional. Epoxy is becoming very popular because of the lighter weight and high strength, but many lack the same drive and performance of traditonal construction. Fin setup is also a major consideration for surfboards. Tri fins are popular with many surfboards. Twin fins and Quad setups are common with fishboards. Single fins come with many longboards. Of course you need some surf wax for that surfboard.