The Dimensions of a Surfboard

There are four main dimensions of a surfboard. The image below shows a shortboard and where the measurements are taken from. Although a picture is worth a thousand words we have included a nice description for you. Nice eh! It is worth noting that measurements of a surfboard are almost always quotes in feet and inches (so much for the metric system).

Surfboard Length

The length of a surfboard is the measurement from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. Surfboards come in lengths of 5 foot to over 12 foot. The length of the board is determined by the type of and the size of the waves that a board will be used on. The ideal length for a surfer will depend on the surfers own height, weight and surfing ability.

Surfboard Width

The width of a surfboard is the measurement from outside rail to rail at the widest point of the board. The wider the board the more stable the board will be in the water. Learning to surf? Get a wide board!

Surfboard Thickness

The thickness of a surfboard is the measurement of a board from deck to bottom at its thickest point. The thickness of the board determines several factors. It will determine how buoyant the board will be - the thicker the board the more buoyant. It will also determine how easy the board is to paddle in the water and how the board will maneuver in the water.

FOIL
Just a quick note about Foil, which you may have heard of when looking around at surfboard dimensions information. Foil is defined as the rate of change of thickness of a surfboard from the nose to the tail. As you look at a side view of a surfboard you will see the foil, varying thickness of the board throughout it's length.

Rocker

The Rocker is the curve of the surfboard from nose to tail when viewed from the side. In other words its banana shape. The Less Rocker a board has the flatter it will be. A board with a flatter rocker will have more surfboard in the water while on the wave and will give more stability and drive. It is less maneuverable that a board with more Rocker.

A board with more Rocker has a greater curve and gives the board more maneuverability. These boards are for the more experienced surfer and tend not to perform too well in poor to average surf.

Nose Rocker
Nose Rocker refers specifically to the curve of the board at the nose section. The greater the curve of the Nose Rocker, the less likely the nose of the board is to dig in to the face of the wave. Big wave boards tend to have more nose rocker than smaller wave boards.

Tail Rocker
Who would have guessed -Tail Rocker is the curve of the board at the tail. A more extreme tail rocker results in a more maneuverable board. You can almost compare it to the kick tail on a skateboard.

Next up: Find out about Surfboard Bottom Shapes.