SURFBOARDOLOGY 101 - Acquiring The Shapers Eye

How to Inspect: Grab the nose end of your board and lift it to your eye. Look straight down the middle as you slowly drop the nose down. Notice the acceleration of the curve, and take note of where the apex (highpoint) of the rocker is. Lift the nose back up to your eye, shift it to the side a bit, and look down the bottom edge of the rail to as you drop the nose again, this time checking the rocker along the rail. Look for breaks in the rocker through the fin area, and notice how they differ from the center rocker. Now grab the tail end of your board and repeat the process to get another view of the business end.

Bottom Contour:

What it is: when shapers speak of the bottom contour, they're really talking about the "business end of the board." That's the last 24 inches, from the tail to just in front of the forward fins.

What it does: contributes to the overall flavor of your board by affecting its personality. Concave usually straightens the rocker through the middle, adding speed, but it will also effect transitions from rail to rail and overall holding power. On this, the business end of the board there're usually multiple rockers at work, both rail and center. We utilize center rocker while driving, rail rocker while turning.

How to inspect: contrary to common belief, you can't feel the important aspects of contour, like where it begins and ends. Having a straight edge handy helps, but nothing is easier than holding your board away from you at arms length, and peering across the bottom from rail to rail. Gently lift and drop the forward rail to see where concaves begin and end. From this vantage point you'll be able to tell if the board has a single or double concave, and gage their relative depth. You'll be able to tell if there's "V" coming off the tail, and you should be able to identify the apex of the rocker? (Hint: it's usually just in front of the fins, but will move back a bit on boards made for smaller waves.)

Rail Contour

What it is: The overall shape, balance and flow of the rails, from tip to tail, including edge placement.

What it does: Determines how the board sits on the water, both while paddling and riding. Like the bottom contour, the rail affects the board's responsiveness. A board with low rails (apex of the rail is low) will ride lower in the water, but require more overall curve to keep from digging. Higher rails keep you up on top of the water, but they're harder to bury for extended lengths of time, especially in steep sections of the wave. Edges provide lift. Water breaks off of an angular rail faster, which is why rails in the tail section are squared off.

How to Inspect: first, frame the rail with one hand (thumb on the bottom, fingers on top) to check contour. This will reveal where the apex of the rail is (low or high) and edge location (tucked under or out). Now put both hands on opposite rails (thumbs still on bottom) equal distance from the center point, and slide up and down from tip to tail. Identify the spot on the rail with the most volume. How's the thickness flow through the center? The standard rail is usually more neutral in the front of the board and more angular, almost square, in the back.

In Conclusion: Understand that the more boards you inspect, the clearer things will become. Your primary goal at this stage is to "build a base of reference," says Rusty. "Unless you have the tools to quantify and record, it's tough to keep track of every single detail. But by learning how to identify and compare the important aspects of your equipment you'll come to a better understanding of what works for you."