Surfboard Rails
The rails are the 'edge' of the surfboard and run from the tail to the nose of the board. Rails are where the deck and the bottom meet. Like the other parts of the surfboard, rails have their part to play in shaping the overall performance of the surfboard. The shape of the rails determines how water flows over them then the board is planing and turning. Different shapes have different uses. Rails are thickest towards the center of the board and thinnest at the tail and nose.
Hard and Soft Rails
Hard Rails and Soft rails are the two main types of different rails. Soft Rails are nice and rounded with no defined edges and a smooth transition. Hard Rails are have a distinct edge and may meet the bottom of the board in a corner. Soft Rails are common on traditional longboards and provide good stability and plenty of drive. A board with Soft Rails will not turn as easily as a Hard Railed board. The harder the rail the quicker the board will turn and the tighter it will turn.
 
Rail Descriptions
Rails can be described general terms like Hard and Soft but also due to shape characteristics and proportionately as a ratio of distance of the widest point between the deck and the bottom of the board.
- Round Rail - a round rail (ta daa) that is almost a complete semi-circle
- Down Rails - (Down Turned Rails) a rail coming to an edge at the bottom of the board
- Rolled Rails - Down Rails that are rolled under the board
- Egg Rails - similar to Round Rails but more drawn out (like an egg)
- 50/50 - A proportional description of a rail shape 50/50 as in he widest point of the rail is at the mid point of the rail i.e. a of rail
- 60/40 - A proportional description of a rail where the widest point is towards the bottom
The Curved Rail Narrowing Towards The Nose
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