Who Needs a Custom Surfboard?

There are many benefits to having your very own custom surfboard. A board that is right for you can influence not only performance but your state of mind and motivation for surfing. Having a surfboard that you feel 100% comfortable and sure-footed on can make a world of difference in your progression as a surfer. There is nothing worse than being out in the lineup on a board that you have little or no confidence in, or that does not respond well to your style of surfing and the waves you are riding. Surfing is all about feel, feeling the way your board responds to your carves or snaps; feeling the wave, finding those pockets of power that will help you generate the speed you need to make the next section or link your turns.

Surfing is a highly mental sport, which means that if you are stoked to go surf you will have fun; if you are comfortable and confident in the equipment you are riding then you will surf with full commitment and your surfing will progress. This is why it is important to know in your mind that you are riding the best possible surfboard for YOU.

However, a custom surfboard is not for everyone. If you are asking yourself, “Do I need a custom surfboard?”, hopefully the following will shed some light on why (and when) you should take that next step and get a custom-made board.

Surfboards for Beginners

Many would-be surfers are lured into learning how to surf because of the perception of the surfing lifestyle: hanging out at the beach all day with girls in bikinis, ditching school or work when the surf is up. However, if you’re a beginner and just starting to familiarize yourself with the sport of surfing there are probably some things you want to take into account.

First of all, surfing is not as easy as it looks (especially the older you get). The process of paddling out towards the open ocean against oncoming waves, positioning yourself, getting into a wave, and riding it actually takes a lot of conditioning, knowledge of the ocean, agility, and balance. Oh yes, and lets not forget, if the waves have any size you also need courage.

Note: While there may be resistance from individual surfers towards promoting the growth of surfing and inviting more people to learn how to surf, this post is in no way intended to discourage any beginners from trying, these are just some of the facts about surfing.

From a strictly financial perspective, it is not recommended that beginners purchase a custom surfboard, this includes new surfboards in general, for the following reasons:

• the board will get dinged within the first week (which means more cash out of pocket)
• you will want to try a number of boards in order to gain knowledge about feel and response of a surfboard
• there is a high probability that surfing will not be for you (don’t let this discourage you, it’s just the way it is)

The best bet for beginners is to find a used surfboard that is appropriate for learning, that can take a beating, and that will not take too much cash out of your pocket.

Custom Surfboards for Intermediate and Advanced Surfers:

Intermediate

Surfers that have the ability to catch waves consistently, stand-up and carve are probably the ones that can benefit the most from having a custom board. A surfer of this ability would benefit greatly from a board that takes into account the types of waves the surfer is riding, his or her riding style and body type. At this point a surfer would have the knowledge to be able to describe what he or she is looking for in a board, in what areas they need improvement, what deficiencies their current board has, and how they would like their board to respond in given situations.

With this knowledge that the surfer is able to transmit, the shaper is able to make suggestions or modifications to a surfer’s standard board to help give the surfer the desired response. This communication between surfer and surfboard shaper is the biggest benefit of having a custom surfboard made. Instead of using a template that was made for someone else’s surfing style, body type, and wave conditions, you get a board that is appropriate for what you want and need.

Advanced

Nearly all surfers of advanced ability level ride custom surfboards. They typically have a very good idea of what works for them and can be finicky about the boards they ride, so they tend to stick with what they know works for them. Once a surfer starts riding custom boards he or she is highly unlikely to ever go back to riding boards straight out of the surf shop.

Tags: Buy Surfboard, Custom Surfboards, Purchasing Surfboard, Surfboard Advice

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 9:19 pm and is filed under Custom Surfboards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.