SURFBOARD ANATOMY BY DAVE PARMENTER

LONGBOARDS: The garden-variety longboard shape is indisputably the most resilient design in surfing history. A lot of people forget that if the Polynesians hadn't finally migrated to an island with big enough trees to make their olo boards, we'd probably all still be riding prone on paipo boards. The ancient Hawaiian longboards literally created the sport we know today. The papa nui went on to bridge the ancient and modern eras, and is the only design archetype to have been built with every conceivable material, from koa to redwood to balsa, foam and even sponge. Today, the longboard is back in a big way and more versatile than ever. Often debunked for its "old guy" stigma or "unfair" paddling superiority, the longboard has endured for a millennia for the same reason we all surf - we love the "glide."

BIG-WAVE GUNS: The big-wave gun is the "warbird" of the surfboard design kingdom. Let the other boards strut down the catwalk with their garish frills and fashions -- the gun is as lethal and purely functional as the rhino-stoppers they're named for. The big-wave gun has changed the least over the years of any type of surfboard because the mission has never changed: build up a head of steam with three strokes, bust through the ledge, skitter down the face, reconnect and worry about the rest later. You really want to learn about surfboard design? Look at a gun. Its design components are the simplest and purest of any board because they're not made for Quasimodos, roundhouses or 540-to-out-of-its. They're shaped strictly for two things: paddle-power and survival.

SHORTBOARDS: We call them "shortboards," but today's state-of-the-art high-performance surfing isn't happening because the boards are "short." The ultra-radical surfing you see on shortboards is more due to an amazingly deft balancing of design features that seem contradictory. Curves and flats, torque and drag are all combined into the most complex, temperamental and volatile surfboard design ever built, then fused to the power plant of the power-hungry Thruster fin array and heaven help you if you're a sloth-foot or over 30.

THE HYBRID: Since all forward motion in surfboard design stems from combining established ideas into new combinations, then technically the "hybrid" surfboard should be granted the status of being the most progressive surfboard type of them all. What?! You mean those bulbous, hideous "funboards" are more progressive than my Merrick, dude? Well, take a fresh peek into the "hybrid" skunkworks: these aren't yuppie-doofus eggs anymore. The hybrid design family is burgeoning into fresh new fields and is robbing the shortboard blind of its edges, flats and rockers.

Now, they're faster, more forgiving and more versatile than anything the "hotties" are riding - why else would all the pros consider riding them in contests as "cheating"?

BOARD ONE Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: longboard Class: classic longboard/neo-traditional longboard

Description: The surfboards of the classic longboard era were a drag -- literally. No, they were (and still are) great to ride, it's just that virtually every component of their design intentionally or unwittingly contributed to the forces of drag. The bottom contours, the templates, the rail shapes, rocker and fins all served, for one reason or another, to slow the board down.

Classic longboards of the '50s and '60s, as well as the modern replicas of such boards, have a clear design link to the wooden olo boards of ancient Hawaii. These boards had basically rounded, convex bottoms that attempted to reduce the drag on their enormous lengths by pushing the water aside from the centerline as the board plowed through the water. This application of a shape known as the "displacement hull" shows that in earlier times, board-builders had only canoes, and later, boats to draw their inspiration from.

The inherent drag and suction of this type of bottom granted the rider enhanced control and easier handling -- there were no fins on boards prior to 1935 -- if not contributing much in the way of planing speed. By the '50s, turning ability was further improved by placing more pronounced hips (the peak or wide-point of the board's one-dimensional outline curve) farther back toward the tail. The resultant contour drag acted as a sort of power steering that let surfers of the day -at a further cost in drag -- to pursue tighter turns and hotdogging.

Rails on the classic longboard were mostly of the 50/50 variety, completely round and bulbous with little or no release or breakaway edges; the water had no choice but to wrap completely around the rail onto the deck. Once again, user-friendly but slow.

Another feature of the classic longboard that relied on drag forces was the rocker profile, which usually had its peak, or apex, well behind the center of the board, and employed a heavier tail kick with a flatter nose lift. When the rider pulled the board into a tight trim along the top of the wave and moved onto the nose, this rocker design -- along with many of the other previously mentioned features -- created a counterbalance of drag and suction that allowed a full-grown man the ability to perch indefinitely on the very tip of the coasting surfboard.

The length, width and comparatively flat bottom rocker of the classic longboard overcame many of its drag-inducing features, giving these boards their distinctive Cadillac glide and stability, but there was a relatively low terminal velocity: these boards would only go so fast before they'd shimmy, hum and basically try to buck the rider.

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 9'8" Nose: 16.5 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 23 inches Tail width: typically 15 to 16 inches (at 12inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.7 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 3 inches Tail: 1.9 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Thickness usually peaks a little behind center, with the main volume pooled around the behind-center hips and rocker apex. Thickness tapers down to a fairly thin nose and holds a medium volume as it meets the fin/tailblock area. This conjunction of foil, rocker and outline creates the characteristically slow feel of the board when turned from the tail and provides for the marked increase in speed when the rider moves forward to the optimum trim position (usually in the front third of the board), changing the whole angle of attack of the planing surfaces.

Rocker:

Nose: 3.5 inches Tail: 3.75 inches

The apex, or peak, of the rocker curve is placed much farther back than modern boards and is centered back at the thick-point/hip area. The amount of nose-lift tends to be a lower measurement than the tail. Once again, a feature that shows the separation of the trim position of the board and the sweet spot for turning.

Bottom shape: Bottom is basically convex, as is the deck. This rounded, displacement hull-style bottom fades to a slightly flatter surface near the nose and behind the fin. This tubby hull design has its roots more in boat design -- and one method of dealing with pushing a large surface with a weak power source through the water -- rather than the modern, flatter planing hull-type of surfboard that skims on top of the water, but requires more power to keep it up on step and planing.

Rails: Rails are the classic 50/50 shape, with the apex at the center of the rail. Some 50/50 rails were completely round-shaped and others were more elliptical or almond-shaped. It's a userfriendly, soft and stable rail shape but, being edge-free (water-flow wraps around rounder rails but doesn't do so as easily around a sharp edge or corner), it's slower and almost impossible to surf with modern body English.

Tail shape: Rounded squaretail, which carries the rail line to its maximum extension, providing the greatest amount of tail area and thus allowing for more flotation and speed in slower, weaker waves.

Stringer: .375 inches redwood/spruce/redwood T-band

Glass specs: Two layers of 10 ounces. Volan cloth top and bottom.

Fin setup: The classic longboard fin is a crude affair, little more than a stabilizer. These squarish, clumsy rudders were designed when the sciences of aerodynamics were still just so much unfathomable mumbo-jumbo. Tips were as wide as the bases, had near-vertical leading edges and

were poorly foiled. So much drag was created that you can see them throwing off rooster tails in the old surf films taken at faster waves like Sunset.

Performance envelope: 1 to 4 feet

Optimum generic example: Any early to mid-'60s Hobie production board, or similar brand of that era

BOARD TWO Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: longboard Class: modern longboard Order: Tri-fin longboard

Description: The modern longboard is a textbook example of how surfboard design evolves in a spiral progression -- cyclical and yet still moving forward. As each new generation of surfers and shapers rediscover timeless designs, they invariably will combine more contemporary or progressive ideas to create a seemingly new archetype.

Today's modern longboard bears little resemblance to its clunky ancestors: the templates, rockers, foils, rails, fins and glassing technology have borrowed heavily from all we've learned since the shortboard revolution in 1968. Anti-tank snobbery aside, the modern tri-fin longboards may well be some of the most versatile boards ever built -- how many surfboards excel in 0- to 4-foot slop and yet can still be ridden convincingly (by some) in the 12-foot Pipeline?

While the modern incarnation of the longboard was the underdog trend and cash cow of the '90s, the re-revolution really has its roots in the early '70s. Only a few years after the 1968 shortboard coup, there were editorials and letters in the surf magazines that pined over the lost glide of the longboard. Over the next two decades, surfers and shapers such as Herbie Fletcher, Steve Walden, Ben Aipa, Rennie Yater and Bill Stewart contributed to the refinement of the modern longboard,

replacing drag with planing, trimming with pumping and ash-canning the sluggish 50/50 rail for the lightning release of the down-rail and tucked-under edge.

What exactly is the modern tri-fin longboard? A progressive throw-ahead? A fun gun with ears? An abomination (as the "traditional" cadre may claim)? A wave-catching crutch? They don't noseride as well as a traditional single-fin longboard and can't be turned as sharply as a tri-fin shortboard. Because of this, you get a sort-of half-assed longboard and a half-assed shortboard that will, for most, grant the ability to be a full-ass.

This order of surfboard is an example of a hybrid that is obedient to too many masters. Surfers want in on the whole longboard groove, so they get a 9'0". But they're spoiled by their memories of shortboard performance, so they rocker it out and make it a tri-fin. And then there's the overarching paddling superiority of the longboard -- it's like being on horseback amidst the foot soldiers. So there's little chance that many surfers will trade away the wave-grabbing advantage and whittle their boards back toward the more sensible middle ground.

And yet, many of the better-built versions of this order of surfboard work pretty well, so this design will be with us for a long time. The real caveat is this: remember that a tri-fin surfboard must be constantly pumped, hopped or turned to earn its keep -- otherwise, the fins are just parasite drag. Many veteran advocates of the single-fin would say, "Hey, go ahead and ride them newfangled things, but don't call it 'longboarding.'"

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 9'0" Nose: 17.25 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 22 inches Tail: 13.75 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.65 inches (12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.4 inches

Tail: 1.5 inches (12 inches up)

Foil: Thickness distribution borrows from the thin-thick-thin foil of the "state of the art" surfboard or semi-gun. Tails are generally thinner than the nose, as too much volume or "corkiness" placed aft will fight the tri-fin setup, which relies on constant turning leverage to provide speed. The more high-performance or pro-model modern longboards lean heavily on a blank shaped by Bill Stewart, the 9'5" S from Clark Foam, which is basically a super-thin, flat-decked plug designed for 2.375inch to 2.5-inch boards. This blank revolutionized the shaping of modern longboards and put an end to the drastic over-shaping epidemic, when shapers tried to mine sub-2.5-inch boards from the older, thicker line of longboard blanks.

Rocker Nose: 5.25 inches Tail: 3.25 inches

Bottom rockers for the modern longboard have perhaps the greatest variation of any current surfboard type. There are four or five really good blanks for the basic 9'0" progressive, and each has dozens of custom rockers available. The typical 9'0" has a slow-arcing and continual bottom curve that is tweaked at the nose or tail (usually .5 inches to 1 inch either way), depending on whether the board is intended to be more of a noserider (flatter nose and kicked up tail) or a rockand-roller (accelerated nose lift and a healthy kick right behind the fins). The even, graceful bottom curve is designed to hold just enough straightness to be fast, and yet still has the nose-totail play that prevents the board from locking up in turns or catching too easily in tighter positions on the wave face.

Bottom shape: Bottoms are relatively flat from rail to rail. The older guard of longboard shapers tend to give their boards a more convex cross section. The rolled bottoms handle well and are non-threatening, but lack the crisp reaction of the more shortboard-oriented flat bottom. Flat, medium vee panels seem to suit the tri-fin best, as they quicken the rail-to-rail transfer. Vee peaks between the front fins and fades to flat again behind the rear fin.

Rails: Rail shapes depend on whether the board has a rolled dome deck (low, pinched, soft rails) or has a flatter deck that holds the volume farther out to the rail edge (fuller, boxier rail). Most modern longboards have a mild dome deck with somewhat tapered, soft rails. This strategy hides

the thickness and gives the rider a more sensitive turning reaction. Except for the added thickness, there's not too much of a difference between the rails on these boards and the modern shortboard rail. Bottom edges are tucked under and softened, much like those on the standardissue 6'2". A thinner board with fuller rails and harder edges has more speed and stored energy coming out of turns, but are more demanding and frighten the typical intermediate surfer.

Tail shape: Rounded squash -- with the curve of the tail outline accelerating in synergy with fin placement, tapering thickness and the final sweep of tail rocker to create a sweet spot for turning.

Stringer: .25-inch basswood stringer

Glass specs: 2x4 ounces on the deck, 1x4 ounces on the bottom

Fin setup: Removable fins standard. Tri-fins set at 13 inches and 4 inches, 4.4-inch base, 4.6-inch depth, medium rake. Side fins set 1.25 inches off the rail; .175-inch toe-in, a little less toe-in than a shortboard (more speed, longer turning radius), 4 degrees of cant. Removable fins allow the rider to change the leverage of the board to suit the mood or surf conditions.

Performance envelope: 1 to 8 feet

Optimum generic example: Stewart stock model

BOARD THREE Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: longboard Class: modern longboard Order: 2x1 longboard

Description: The 2x1 longboard (aka "2-plus-1," "single-fin with side-bites" or "single-tri") is a design based on compromise. Single-fin purists disparage them as "single-fins with training wheels," yet this model, like it or not, delivers the most versatility of any longboard design. It incorporates a reduced-area center single fin (usually set in a box) and two small side finlets that are placed along the rail in a basic tri-fin setting. The idea is to give the surfer all the benefits of a single-fin longboard, such as increased traction in noseriding, 180-degree left-go-right bottom turns without skipping or staginess and, with proper rocker, the option to trim instead of pump.

The side fins don't intrude on the single-fin feel and provide bite at higher speeds, as well as giving the rider a hint of the tri-fin turning axis coming off the top or in a committed parabolic roundhouse.

The 2x1 works best when the rest of the board is a compromise, too. When the rocker, thickness, rails and outline are moderated toward a happy medium, the surfer will have a versatile longboard that can be ridden cleanly and smoothly -- on the nose or off the tail -- but can also jump the tracks and go offroad when the wave demands more than just a stately trim.

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 9'0" Nose: 17.25 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 22 inches Tail: 13.85 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.65 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.65 inches Tail: 1.65 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Thickness distribution on modern longboards borrows from the thin-thick-thin foil of the contemporary shortboard and semi-gun. They are meant to be driven and turned rather than trimmed, so the nose and tail taper to reduce bulk (corkiness) and shorten turning reaction time.

Rocker:

Nose: 5 inches Tail: 3.5 inches

Bottom rockers for the modern longboard have the greatest variation of any current surfboard type. There are four or five really good blanks available for the basic modern 9'0", and each is cataloged with dozens of custom rockers. Each is patterned after the board's intent -- usually based on whether the board is more of a noserider (less nose rocker, more tail kick) or geared toward maneuverability (more overall bottom curve). The typical 9'0" has a slow-arcing and continuous rocker that is tweaked at the nose and tail (usually plus or minus .5 inches to 1 inch) by the shaper or blank manufacturer. This even, graceful bottom curve holds just enough straightness to be fast, and yet has the nose-to-tail play that prevents it from locking up in turns or pearling too easily in tight positions on the wave.

Bottom shape: The 2x1 longboard tends to have more rail-to-rail roll in the bottom than its tri-fin cousin. This gives the board a softer neutral feel that suits this single-fin hybrid. A mild rolled vee is placed in a dome-like configuration right under the main fin, which facilitates the smoother, more drawn-out rail-to-rail transfer of this fin arrangement.

Rails: Rail shapes depend on whether the board has a rolled, domed deck (suits low, pinched rails) or has a flatter deck that holds the volume farther out to the rail edge (suits fuller, boxier rails). Most 2x1s have a mildly domed deck with somewhat tapered and soft rails. This strategy "hides" the thickness and gives the rider a more sensitive turning reaction as there is not as much resistance when pressure is applied to the rail. This single-fin hybrid rarely sees the use of hard edges along the bottom, except aft of the fins.

Tail shape: Rounded pin. Not as much tail area as a squaretail, but the extra curve and reduced tail area of the pin compensate for the greater resistance of the larger center fin, making sweeping turns easier to stay on top of.

Stringer: .25-inch basswood

Glass specs: 1x4 ounces, 1x6-ounce deck, 1x6-ounce bottom, polished gloss

Fin setup: Large center single fin in a box with small side fins, usually removable. Center fin 7 inches deep, cut-away base. Side fins set at 14.5 inches up from tail, base 3.85 inches, depth 3.65 inches, set 1.25 inches off rail and toed-in at .125 inches to .175 inches, 4 degrees of cant. This fin array has the sure-footed stability of a classic single-fin combined with the jet-age bite of the trifin. Delivers the best of both designs -- a rarity in compromise design.

Performance envelope: 1 to 6 feet

Optimum generic example: 9'0" Takayama 2x1

BOARD FOUR Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: longboard Class: modern longboard Order: modern longboard gun

Description: An obscure and underrated entry, the modern longboard gun could well be the ultimate deserted island board. If you could have only one surfboard, this design would probably cover all the bases. Enough of a spud to enjoyably tinker with knee-high surf, the better-designed 9'0" will start to hit its stride in 8-foot surf and keep on going up to 15 feet. That covers, in one board, what a six-board Sunset quiver used to.

This design is a volatile hybrid, using components garnered from some of the best surfboard modalities of the past 30 years. All the hot-rod features of the state-of-the-art shortboard, gun and modern longboards are coupled to the chassis of a template that resembles a Dick Brewer Pipeliner model, arguably one of the cleanest outlines of any surfboard -- ever.

The result is a progressive synergy of efficient rocker, teardrop planshape, modern foil and a fast bottom that neatly lifts this design up and away from the longboard gene pool. Variations of this design stretch up to 12'0" and are adapted for use in giant, open-ocean bomboras due to their superior paddling penetration.

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 9'0" Nose: 14.5 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 21 inches. Widepoint 8 inches up from center. Placing the widepoint farther up carries the straighter outline farther up toward the nose, maximizing useable rail as well as streamlining the board and giving it the spear-like attributes of a gun. Tail: 12.5 inches (at 12 inches up from tail)

Thickness: Nose: 1.75 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.75 inches Tail: 1.6 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Thickness is centered nose-ward of center, complimenting the outline, and thins out quickly toward the tail. This is a classic gun-style, forward-thickness profile that helps the board project forward with the inertia of a well-swung baseball bat. The tail is thin and pinched low to penetrate and bite at high speeds.

Rocker: Nose: 5.25 inches Tail: 2.75 inches

Bottom rocker mimics the standard gun bottom. This board works best when the nose rocker accelerates in the last 12 to 18 inches, making for a flatter, faster entry rocker than one that begins lifting from the center of the board. Tail rockers are straighter and flatter than typical longboard shapes for more drive and speed (and reducing high speed max-outs), the narrower, thinner tail compensates for lost tail kick.

Bottom shape: The flatter entry rocker calls for a convex, paddleboard-like hull at front third of the board. This helps push the water to the side as the board cleaves through the chop and bump of bigger surf. This contour blends into a flatter belly and then remains flat until the fin area, when a medium, flat panel vee provides a turning fulcrum at the fin array. Vee fades to flat behind fin for maximum punch in turns.

Rails: Medium rails flow from nose to tail with as little transition as possible. The middle part of the rail is somewhat like a boxy rail, but the top is blended into the deck by way of a sloping "panel" that helps taper the thickness into a slightly convex deck. The bottom edge is tucked under and undefined, like a modern semi-gun. This rail is designed to be pushed as hard as possible; the medium volume is a compromise between the maximum stored energy of a boxy rail and the easily-sunk low, tapered rail.

Tail shape: Basic round pin. Drawn in at a comparable rate to the tail rocker curve and thickness taper. Pulled in enough to provide traction in big surf, but not so spiky that the board will lose friskiness in average conditions.

Stringer: 2x.125-inch spruce stringers, glued up side-by-side and crossgrain to provide a little more stiffness during the unavoidable flex and stress this longer, thinner board will endure.

Glass specs: 2x6-ounce deck, 1x6-ounce bottom, polished gloss

Fin setup: Glassed on tri-fins. Set at 12.75 inches and 4 inches, fin base 4.65 inches, depth 4.65 inches, set 1.25 inches off rail, .125-inch toe-in and 4-degree cant. Though basically a type of gun, a tri-fin setup allows this board a larger performance envelope. This board can be turned pivotally off the fins or driven on the rail (after 9'6", it's time for a single-fin or 2x1 array).

Performance envelope: 4 to 12 feet

Optimum generic board: Stewart LB gun, Rusty model

BOARD FIVE Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: big-wave gun Class: traditional single-fin gun

Description: The big-wave gun is the surfboard most shrouded in myth. Because they are sleek and racy-looking, many surfers believe them to be inherently fast boards -- they're not. Many of the features of the gun are put there to control speed -- the wave provides the voltage, not the board. But, on the other hand, the collection of design components must be efficient and shed the waterflow from its surface a split second after it hits or the resultant drag and loading up of waterflow will cause the board to max-out -- much like a clunky jet plane trying to go supersonic.

Also, few of the gun features are put there for performance. Built for serious 20-foot-plus Waimea surf, this class of surfboard is designed to deal with the problematic jacking-and-then-plunging Bay wave (and has yet to be adapted successfully to new arenas such as Maverick's, where the wave sustains its momentum after the initial plunge).

Virtually all of this board's design is devoted to getting in and getting down -- it must have enormous three-stroke paddle power to penetrate and bust over the ledge -- and yet must still be drag-free enough so the surfer can get down the face against the considerable upward suck of water, while still beating the lip to the bottom. Thus, we have a streamlined, spear-like surfboard that has changed little since the '70s, one that is built for a demanding arena where the only performance is survival.

Dimensions: (in decimal inches) Length: 10 feet Nose: 10 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 20.75 inches, at 8 inches up from center. The widepoint is pulled way up toward the nose, allowing for a longer stretch of straight rail running back to the tail, which gives the gun more rail contact with the water for holding power, as well as having less drag than a curvier outline. This type of template also lets the surfer have more control in late, windy elevator drops because it allows him a more forward stance. And, the balance of this shape tends to set the rail at

the optimum angle when turned hard off the bottom, an overlooked function that is lacking in more modern tail-heavy outlines. Tail: 9.35 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.75 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 3.5 inches Tail: 1.5 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Thickness is pooled more forward to complement the forward-centered outline. Thus, the meat is where the width is, as well as being under the chest when paddling. This foil also creates a sort of javelin inertia coming out of drawn-out turns at top speed.

Rocker: Nose: 8 inches Tail: 1.75 inches

Whatever the nose and tail dimensions, all gun rockers should have a clean-flowing, continuous bottom curve with no flat spots or stages that could cause the board to catch or lurch at speed or in precarious situations. The rocker shown here depicts that of a classic Brewer-esque single-fin. It has a nice even nose-lift and gradual entry rocker, but the tail rocker is much more subdued than current boards, some of which have tail numbers in excess of 3.5 inches. Extra tail rocker helps fit the length of this gun into the curves of a steep, plunging wave, but lacks the punch coming out of the pit. Remember: curve equals drag.

Bottom shape: Bottoms are best kept simple. Too much in the way of vee, bottom roll or exotic configurations can make the board spin out or behave erratically. You want the water to exit the planing surface as fast as possible and not bend or suck over undue contour. The nose has, in some instances, more vee than the tail. This helps the board cleave through the chop when paddling hard at take-off. The belly area is flat back through to the last 3 feet of the board, where

it blends into a mild panel vee that peaks just in front of the fin. The vee gives way to flat again behind the fin, giving more thrust and less suction during rail changes.

Rails: These are the classic Brewer-style "angular boxy" rails that let you hide the volume of a thick, narrow board and still keep a comfortable and stable flat deck. This rail acts like a boxier rail, but is still fairly thin out at the rail edge so it can be sunk at high speeds. There will be a tuckedunder edge with a soft, eggy radius for lighter, less powerful surfers and a more hard-edged, tighter-radius tuck for the power mongers who love speed and can sink the rail. Nose rails blend to soft 50/50 neutrality, and the tail wafers into a penetrating, thin blade-like flange that can act as a stabilizer "fin" in long, drawn-out turns.

Tail shape: Hard, spiky pintail must penetrate and claw into the face of 20-foot-plus waves when your fin is humming and your knees are starting to buckle.

Stringer: A .375-inch spruce. Too much wood and the board loses its flex and will actually snap more easily. Like all surfboards, some play or flex is needed to help displace the load (engineering term for "a bloody good pounding").

Glass specs: 2x-6-ounce deck, 2x6-ounce bottom (blank left rougher-finished to enhance glass to foam bond), polished gloss

Fin setup: Glass-on single fin, 6-inch base, 9 inches deep, medium rake. Should be as thick as possible to achieve a true foil and lessen cavitation and resultant drag.

Performance envelope: 18- to 25-foot Waimea

Optimum generic example: classic Brewer single-fin gun, 10-foot plus

BOARD SIX Kingdom: surfboard

Phylum: big-wave gun Class: tri-fin gun

Description: The modern tri-fin gun has been around for almost 20 years now, since Simon Anderson single-handedly proved their validity at Pipeline and huge Bell's Beach. This fin setup will probably always be with us; it perfectly suits the rotary turning axis of a board ridden from the tail. Its application on guns has brought mixed results, but remains the dominant surfboard design in the world today.

A tri-fin is a speed-gathering design. When surfed aggressively from rail to rail, the leverage and drive of the side fins get a boost from the rear stabilizing fin, and a forward projection is built and sustained as long as the board is surfed properly.

Since the tri-fin gun must be surfed aggressively, the board's design components will emphasize maneuverability over planing speed. The banana rocker, soft low rails, curvy outlines and thin foil all serve to give the board an easily dominated, neutral feel. The speed comes from the wave, and the modern surfer wants to turn a gun tightly, vertically and instantly -- like his 6'1". Thus, the modern tri-fin gun is stripped of most of its leverage and down-the-line range and aims toward radical, short-arc performance surfing.

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 7'6" Nose: 10.75 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: The 18.75-inch widepoint is at center, but the hips are placed back between the stance as a concession to the built-in tail-turning M.O. of the tri-fin. Tail: 11.5 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.375 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.65 inches

Tail: 1.4 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: This is basically a tri-fin foil, with the bulk of the foam pooled in the tail half of the board. The nose area thins out rapidly, as this design -- like the tri-fin shortboard -- is meant to be surfed from pretty much one position: back foot over the fin and front foot up at the apex of the hips.

Rocker: Nose: 6.75 inches Tail: 2.75 inches

A healthy bottom curve dumps all the responsibility on the rider or wave to generate speed. The excess curve in the board helps immensely at hollow breaks like Pipeline, where the rocker sheds excess speed and allows the longer board to notch into tighter drops and tubes. But this type of rocker fails at a broader-based, thicker Sunset-type of wave, which demands longer projection and solidly planted bottom turns -- not often possible on a rockered-out tri-fin gun that needs to be constantly pumped and nursed along.

Bottom shape: Bottom shape is standard tri-fin issue: flat with slight vee panels that peak near the front fins. The typical modern tri-fin gun has half the volume that a similar-size gun did 15 or 20 years ago; with the decrease in volume and increase in outline curve and rocker, there's not much board fighting you, so control features like roll or vee aren't really necessary.

Rail: Rail shape is tapered, low and soft. More suction from the waterflow wrapping around the rail means that there will be more holding power in turns. You'd be hard-pressed to find the classic tucked-under hard edge anywhere on these rails -- they resemble more the 50/50 egg rails of the longboard era. The inclusion of this type of rail underscores the main design aim of the modern trifin surfboard: neutrality equals maneuverability.

Tail shape: Round pintail. Since the tri-fin is surfed from the tail only, and the side fins create more thrust when they are farther apart from each other, more tail area is needed for it to work properly, so spiky hard pintails are a thing of the past.

Stringer: 2x.125-inch spruce stringers, glued up cross-grain to each other

Glass specs: 2x4-ounce deck, 1x4-ounce bottom, sanded hot coat. (This is a North Shore pro board and is built for light, not might.)

Fin setup: Removable fins standard, set at 11.75 inches by 3.75 inches, side fins 1 inch off rail with .175-inch toe-in and 4 degrees of cant. 4.4-inch base, 4.6-inch depth, medium-heavy rake.

Performance envelope: 8- to 12-foot North Shore, Oahu surf

Optimum generic example: Pat Rawson, John Carper, Eric Arakawa or Rusty

BOARD SEVEN Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: big-wave guns Class: fun gun

Description: The fun gun is best described as an oversize gun leavened with some highperformance shortboard components. This type of board represents a quickly expanding area of "geromarket" surfboard design. There are more older or heavier surfers now than ever before, but the typical stock gun in the racks at the local surf shop is narrow, paper-thin and built for the 25 and younger set. There are now a couple of blanks available from Clark Foam, designed by Rusty Preisendorfer, that are made just for this burgeoning class of board.

Although a cousin of the funboard, this is a much more versatile board. The fun gun can be used as a big-guy shortboard, a funboard and a big-wave gun. The ample thickness, extra width, modern rocker and curvy outline all conspire to give this shape a wide performance envelope.

The three main components that really make this board come alive are the proper rocker, the application of the tri-fin (with the right fins and placement) and the use of a lighter weight blank. With that foundation in place, the well-shaped fun gun can feel 6 inches shorter than its actual length and help notch up the average surfer's performance much higher than what the typical bulbous funboard or modern longboard would allow.

Dimensions: Length: 8'6" Nose: 12.25 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 21.5 inches, at center. A clean outline with an even rate of curve at critical areas at the nose and tail gives this board versatility, allowing it to be surfed from both the tail and midsection. Tail: 13 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.7 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 3.125 inches Tail: 1.75 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Holds thickness throughout its length -- it's a big-guy board, after all -- but thins out at the tail around the fin array. The bulk of the volume is pooled, for better paddling, under the torso. The thickness distribution should fit hand-in-glove with the similarly balanced bottom rocker and outline curve -- the type of synergy that best creates functional boards.

Rocker: Nose: 6.25 inches Tail: 2.9 inches

Even rate of curve with no flats or stages. Rocker peak (apex) is at dead center and has fairly modern nose and tail lifts -- not exaggerated enough to push water or create a lot of drag. This makes the board fairly loose for its size and much more maneuverable than a typical funboard or mini-tank of comparable size.

Bottom shape: Unlike other big-guy boards like mini-tanks or funboards, this model mimics the ultra-modern gun and shortboard bottom: dead flat from nose to the fin area, where a moderate, rolled vee tempers the extra width and thickness. This rolled vee, as opposed to a flatter panel vee, gives a more neutral and less positive or angular feel to the handling, which probably suits the greater volume of this board anyway.

Rails: Classic medium rail, with a fuller, boxier middle and blended into a semi-convex deck by way of tapering panels along each rail that help feather the bulk into the deck without creating too much of a dome or a crown. Bottom edge is tucked under with the radius of a 50-cent piece and is firm without actually having an edge.

Tail shape: A soft round pin pulls the clean outline together, giving this shape more holding power in large surf than funboards, but still retains enough area to be frisky in smaller surf.

Stringer: .25-inch basswood

Glass specs: 1x6 ounces, 1x4-ounce deck, 1x6-ounce bottom, polished gloss

Fin setup: Removable fins are standard. Set at 12.5 inches by 3.75 inches, side fins 1.25 inches of rail, .175-inch toe-in and 4 degree cant. Fin base 4.6 inches, depth 4.75 inches, medium rake.

Optimum generic example: Rusty's personal board

BOARD EIGHT Kingdom: surfboard

Phylum: big-wave guns Class: tow-in surfboard

Description: This is an emerging surfboard design that is so dynamic -- and destined to evolve so quickly -- that quantifying it now is like trying to sketch an F111 jet during the Medieval age.

The tow-in board dramatically underscores just how much the conventional big-wave gun is hobbled by its overriding need to paddle fast enough to attain takeoff velocity on a massive groundswell. Strip away that necessity (via the Jet Ski) and you see, immediately, what we had wanted all along was a surfboard-cum-snowboard.

Like the paddle-in gun, the tow-in board has to have features that serve to maintain control at high speeds -- but unlike those of the classic 10'6" rhino chaser, they're a completely different set of components, rooted mainly in the submissiveness of this ultra-thin, narrow miniature gun. Also in contrast to the rhino chaser, there is a healthy dose of speed-enhancing features. These boards have to be designed so that they never "hit the wall" speedwise; they should be able to handle any velocity without maxing out. The rider is able to stay in control mostly due to the diminutive size of this board.

The field of tow-in surfboard construction represents a sort of design race that will produce quantum leaps fairly regularly once those involved break loose from using standard surfboard modalities as the foundation for ideas.

All areas of board design will likely benefit. Of the numerous dragons that designers will have to slay, the hydra-headed problems of drag will be the toughest to overcome. In aerodynamics, we see that the drag on projecting surfaces (parasite drag) -- fins, for our purposes -- increase exponentially with greater speed. If you double the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft, the forces of parasite drag are quadrupled. This is almost certainly part of the reason behind the failure of traditional gun designs to have ever consistently allowed riders to make critical drops and bottom turns on waves over 20 feet.

Dimensions (in decimal inches): Length: 7'2"

Nose: 9.5 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 16 inches. Widepoint is at center and holds a straight, almost parallel rail line from there through to the tail. The feet are strapped in one spot, so the best angle of attack or trim position must be set accordingly. The template -- and the rest of the board -- must be designed around the stance. Tail: 11.15 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.25 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.1 inches Tail: 1.35 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Tow-in boards are so thin that the traditional surfboard foils aren't usually applied. There's a fairly uniform thickness, with a tendency to hold the volume through to the tail. This gives the surfer a bit more resistance (more leverage) in turns and helps carry the board across any flat spots or transitions on waves that aren't full-on smokers.

Rocker: Nose: 5.35 inches Tail: 1.5 inches

Tow board rockers mimic the standard sailboard bottom curve: super-flat in the middle and tail, then lifting fairly late at the nose (around the 18-inch mark). The flatter the rocker, the faster the board, and these overgrown water skis are so narrow, short and thin that they are submissive enough to get away with the stiffness that such a straight rocker would normally bring.

Bottom shape: Bottoms are dead flat from nose to tail and rail to rail. At the speeds that this type of board attains, the attributes of even simple contours like vee or concaves will be greatly exaggerated. A dead-flat bottom has the fastest, cleanest, most reliable exhaust -- getting the water across and off the planing surface as efficiently as possible.

Rails: The tow-in board is evolving toward a thinner skimboard/wakeboard-style of planing surface, so the decks are flatter and the rails are medium-boxy with a firm (but not knifey) edge tucked under with a dime-sized radius. The stored energy of the boxy rail on this super-thin, flatdecked hull, along with the high speeds that this board operates, demands that these features are calibrated to the weight and leg strength of the individual to achieve the proper compression in and out of turns.

Tail shape: Hard squaretail that carries the straightness of the outline to its furthest possible extension -- even a square inch or so of area is amplified at faster and faster speeds. The compromise deal with this board is the need for leverage balanced against the need for control at knee-buckling speeds.

Stringer: Stringer setups vary, but .5 inches is standard, usually composed of a T-band, crossgrain glue-up of two strips of .25-inch spruce.

Glass specs: Extra weight is desirable. It gives the board a wood-like drive and carries through all the bumps and the chop. The blanks used are molded with the old 60s heavier density formula and are glassed with two or three deck layers of 6 ounces and 2 layers of 6-ounce cloth on the bottom. Wet-sanded gloss finish.

Fin setup: Fin arrays vary greatly, but a twin-fin setup seems most efficient at this time. The fins are placed on the rail 4 inches or so (box-fin system) up from the tail and are pointed straight ahead for speed -- with no cant. Fins are foiled on both sides and should be thick enough to achieve a true foil, meaning there should be no flat area on the side faces of the fins, as this causes drag-inducing cavitation.

Performance envelope: 18 to 30 feet

Optimum generic example: Maui boards from Brewer, Timpone or Lopez

BOARD NINE

Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: hybrids Class: funboard

Description: The funboard pandemic represents a design revolution that will never have its tickertape parade. This board experienced explosive growth in the '80s by zeroing in on an emerging demographic clump: a surfing version of a "middle class" composed of older, maybe heavier, surfers of decidedly average ability.

Known also as the "mini-tank," "beer belly board" and a host of other brand-model names, the funboard is out there in greater numbers than you might think -- they're the Volkswagen Beetles of the surfboard high-concept coterie.

The funboard is a textbook hybrid design. But instead of cobbling together the more potent elements from other surfboard types, this board picks whiffle ball components suited to novice or intermediate-level surfers.

It's a compromise design, combining the superior paddling attributes of a longboard, but stripped of some of the unwieldy length and bulk so the rider may have a taste of shortboard maneuverability. The rails, outline and rocker are soft or neutral; and there's plenty of thickness for comfortable flotation. There are no flats or edges to provide leverage or breakaway release. The funboard doesn't set out to challenge the rider, but rather cossets him with reassuring mediocrity.

Dimensions (in decimal inches) Length: 7'8" Nose: 15.5 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 21.5 inches. Widepoint at 4 inches up from center. The nose is wider than the tail, unlike the modern shortboard or high-performance hybrid, which have wider tails than noses. This outline is a bit dated and links up with the other components of this design that favor paddling ease over performance.

Tail: 14.5 inches (12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.75 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.75 inches Tail: 1.75 inches

Foil: The primary concern is flotation, so this board is fairly thick from nose to tail, with a slight taper after the fins. Use of one of the newer, more foiled-out funboard blanks can counter this tendency and help redress the corky feeling of this design.

Rocker: Nose: 5 inches Tail: 2.65 inches

There is a lower, flatter longboard-style nose-kick and entry rocker, which continue on to the tail with a smooth, constant rate of curve to help keep this thick, bulbous board from locking up in turns. The newer series of funboard blanks have more modern rockers (accelerated at the tips) that can shorten the turning axis of the funboard and give it a wider range of use -- more demanding surf.

Bottom shape: Bottoms tend toward a slightly rolled belly similar to a classic longboard. When used with the typically soft egg rail, it will serve to give the rider an easy-going, user-friendly turning capability. Not as temperamental or volatile as a flat-bottomed board with harder rail edges, but not nearly as fast, either.

Rails: Rails are soft and low, of the egg rail school, and are blended well into the middle of the deck to create the typical dome deck foil. The bulk of the thickness is hidden in the center of the board for paddling flotation, but the rail extremities are tapered thinner and softer to be as forgiving as possible.

Tail shape: Rounded squashtail -- has the benefits of both an area round pin and a squashtail. The ultimate compromise tail shape for the ultimate compromise surfboard.

Stringer: .25-inch basswood stringer

Glass Specs: 2x6-ounce deck, 1x6-ounce bottom, polished gloss

Fin setup: Basic tri-fin setup, glassed on, set at 11.75 inches and 3.5 inches, 4.65-inch base, 4.65inch depth, medium-low rake, side fins set at 1.25 inches off the rail, with .25-inch toe-in and 4 degrees of cant. The application of the tri-fin has added spark to these egg-shaped boards. They were far more mulish as single-fins.

Optimum generic example: Becker funboard

BOARD TEN Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: hybrids Class: funboards Order: high-performance funboard

Description: High-performance hybrids come in all shapes and sizes, but they share a common mission. Whether they're called "Turbo Spuds," "Evolutions" or "Ole Blues," they are hybrid offshoots of funboards geared toward the experienced surfer with better-than-average skills, unlike the more high concept funboard, which is put together for novice to intermediate use.

This design scavenges from the better templates of the '70s and early '80s for a chassis and bolts on state-of-the-art shortboard power plant components to create fast and responsive gliders that

would be considered revolutionary if they weren't all tarred with the same brush: the "they're for old guys" stigma.

Almost every manufacturer has some version of this board available. They range from generic to advanced; it all depends on the intent of the design. The more that flats, edges, thinner and fuller rails are applied, the more it will leap out of turns, skate over flat spots and generally out-perform the others with muddier lines and softer corners. Note: the wider the tail, the more potent the side fins of the tri-fin cluster become. The original Thruster boards shaped and ridden by Simon Anderson had tails well over 16 inches wide. The standard 6'1" to 6'3" boards used by Occy and Curren in the early to mid-'80s had tails that were all over 15 inches wide.

Dimensions: (in decimal inches) Length: 7'2" Nose: 12 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 20.5 inches. Widepoint is placed at center. Basically a widened shortboard template, but without the pronounced tail-ward hips of the modern shortboard. The outline resembles a standard mid-'80s tri-fin. Tail: 14.25 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.5 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.65 inches Tail: 1.7 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Has a balanced foil that tapers evenly to both the nose and the tail from the thickest point at center. This works in concert with the rolled deck, centered template and relaxed modern rocker to give the board an even-tempered handling. It also allows it to be pushed to the limits of the rider's ability.

Rocker:

Nose: 5.75 inches Tail: 2.5 inches

Not a three-stage shortboard rocker (lift-flat-lift) or a semi-gun rocker (continuous curve), but a hybrid combo of both. A good bottom rocker is the foundation of a magic board, and this one is geared toward versatility. Stable enough for intermediates, but contemporary enough for experts.

Bottom shape: Standard shortboard or semi-gun flat bottom with a typical mild panel vee placed under the fins. For the contrasting poles of speed versus control, this is the most efficient, reliable bottom for most surfboards.

Rails: The slightly rolled deck that hides some of the thickness blends into a medium rail -- a bit boxy and full in the bottom third. The tucked-under edge is contemporary: sharp and steep in front of the fins, melding into firm and tucked-under through the middle, then soft and 50/50 in the nose. It's a design compromise that gives the best of both the hard and soft rail, with the drawbacks of neither.

Tail shape: A rounded squashtail best fits the outline and tail width of this shape.

Stringer: .175-inch basswood stringer

Glass specs: 2x4-ounce deck, 1x4-ounce bottom, wet-sanded gloss

Fin setup: Removable fins systems enhance the versatility of this board. Fins set at 11.5 inches by 3.5 inches, 4.7-inch base, 4.7-inch depth, medium-heavy rake, side fins set 1.25 inches off the rail, toed in at .175 inches and with 4 degrees of cant.

Performance envelope: 2 to 8 feet

Optimum generic example: Rusty/Wayne Lynch "Evolution"

BOARD ELEVEN Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: hybrids Class: Fish

Description: The Fish was originally designed in the early '70s as a board that could be used as a kneeboard and stand-up surfboard, hence its designation as a hybrid. At the time, many surfers were infatuated with the new concept of "total involvement" surfing. Just how deep and tight a rider could surf in the curl was still being mapped out, and there were those -- influenced by George Greenough's example -- who thought that perhaps kneeriding was the best path to "total involvement in the curl."

The Fish wasn't the first split-tailed board, nor was it the first twin-fin. Both of these designs had been done in balsa as far back as Bob Simmon's and even Tom Blake's time. In fact, ultra-short twin-fins were already making the rounds in the very early '70s, before Steve Lis is credited with combining both the split tail (swallow) and the twin-fin into what came to be known as the "Fish."

The Fish was the epitome of the backyard board. The backyard revolution was sweeping through the surfing world in the late '60s and early '70s, as new ideas came faster -- and old dogma tossed away more readily -- than the big-time, cookie-cutter surf industry could react to in time. The Fish was designed in obscurity and popularized by word of mouth -- in direct contrast to the overhyped and superstar-endorsed log models put out by the major manufacturers at that time.

A Fish board, as ridden by Reno Abellira, was the seminal board that begat the Mark Richards twin-fin era in the late '70s, and the original Fish design is still popular today. It's a potent design; even period boards that are shackled with some of the cruder features that were standard in the '70s can be much faster than a modern pro-model shortboard.

Perhaps that is why so many young hotties scrounge garage sales and used board racks to find a vintage Fish that will give them a taste of blinding horizontal speed that the modern shortboard lacks.

Dimensions: (in decimal inches) Length: 5'6" Nose: 16.7 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 21.5 inches. Widepoint is 4 inches up from center. Along with the wide nose and tail, this serves to give this ultra-short design as much straight rail line as possible, which equals more speed down the line and the authority of a much longer board.

Thickness: Nose: 2.15 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.75 inches Tail: 1.85 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: The board is thick throughout for flotation and to pump up the compression out of turns. The thickness peaks up forward in conjunction with the widepoint and rocker apex -- this board is meant to be driven off of the front foot.

Rocker: Nose: 3.4 inches Tail: 1.35 inches

This flat, fast rocker lets the board skate and plane like a paipo. The straight rails and this rocker are the energizers of this design. On a bigger board they bring an unwieldy stiffness, but on the short Fish, they create a calibrated leverage.

Bottom shape: The Fish has far less "wetted surface" than a conventional board, so drag is reduced considerably (as we see with today's tow-in boards). There's a dead-flat bottom with medium vee panels extending off each swallow. The fins were pointed pretty much straight ahead with almost no cant, and with the straight outline and wide tail, the Fish had a tendency to track if there wasn't a little vee to help the board feed over from rail to rail.

Rails: Fuller rails and a fairly flat deck conserve every bit of volume and give this sawed-off board more drive than would a rolled, convex deck and low rails. Bottom edge is firm from fins to nose and tucked under with a nickel-size radius.

Tail shape: A deep swallow, well before there was such a name. They were known as "split tails," "twin pins" and, after the establishment of this design, "Fish tails." "Twin pins" is an apt name, as this board is effectively a deep-biting pintail when put on a rail while providing the planing speed of a wider squaretail when driving horizontally.

Stringer: .125-inch redwood

Glass specs: 2x6-ounce deck, 1x6-ounce bottom, polished gloss

Fin setup: Keel-shape twin fins, double-side foils, with 6.75-inch bases and 5-inch depths and low rake. Set 8 inches up from the tail, 1.8 inches off the rail, lined up straight ahead with no outward cant (tilt), fast down the line -- but not easily cranked into tight arcs.

Performance envelope: 1 to 4 feet

Optimum generic example: Steve Lis, Skip Frye or other comparable period Fish shape

BOARD TWELVE Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: contemporary shortboard

Class: tri-fin

Description: Most surfboard design is based on compromise -- balancing components that create speed (but are stiff) with those that promote maneuverability (but are slow). The contemporary tri-fin shortboard is not a design "compromise" but a wholesale surrender. Virtually all of the components of this board instill a "neutral" feeling: the curvy outline, full rocker, edge-free soft rails and ultra-thin volumes.

The forward gears of this board lie in the tri-fin array itself. When properly set, the side fins create enormous rail-to-rail leverage that is stabilized and given farther forward direction by the rear fin. How volatile is this fin setup? Well, imagine trying to push this basically sluggish hull across a wave face with only a single fin on it.

While the tri-fin is the power plant for this surfboard design, what really makes it work is the rider. This board will only perform to the level of the surfer using it. The planing speed is not built-in: watch beginners struggling to keep simple trim on the same board that a pro would be fluttering around on like a hummingbird.

This design must be pumped to obtain speed. The greatest trim master in the world would be bogging no matter how high and tight he may set up one of Kelly Slater's boards. Only when aggressively pumped do these surfboards come alive -- like a well-dribbled basketball: the harder and snappier it is pushed, the more spring, bounce and control you have. This is a fickle and sensitive board design. Only the very best surfers are really ripping on them. For the rest of us -- a strength or pitfall of this board -- it only feels as if we are.

Dimensions: (in decimal inches) Length: 6'2" Nose: 10.8 inches (at 12 inches down)

Widepoint: 18.25 inches. Widepoint is 2.5 inches behind center. This board has the most outline curve of all the surfboard families. This curvy template is accentuated further by moving the widepoint back. This creates a pronounced hip that lies between the surfer's stance, making it easy to turn on a dime, even in the pocket.

Thickness: Nose: 1.25 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.2 inches Tail: 1.55 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: Every shaper uses pretty much the same couple of blanks for this design -- all thin, closetolerance plugs -- so there is not much room for variation in thickness distribution. The noses are super thin, as is the last foot of the tail, and the bulk of what passes for volume is pooled in the center of the deck between the front and back foot. Why? The lack of volume in this design makes for a passive surfboard -- it doesn't push back.

Rocker: Nose: 5.25 inches Tail: 2.375 inches

These dimensions reflect a .5-inch drop in nose and tail kick from the banana rockers of the past decade, but still have .5 inches over that of the more efficient bottom curves we're seeing in the newer postmodern Fish models. The rocker profile is referred to as a "three-stage rocker," which is an exaggerated way to describe a bottom that is fairly flat through the midsection of the bottom and accelerates in the last 14 inches of both the nose and tail. This works in synergy with a foil that complements this rocker and gives back some of the drive lost with the curvy outline and thin, soft rails.

Bottom shape: A completely flat bottom (from rail to rail) maximizes the planing area. A slight vee with the panels dished out to just this side of concave helps give a bit more back foot projection and also enables the lightning-fast rail-to-rail changes that this board is known for.

Rails: At 2.2 inches thick (and that rolled into the deck) there isn't much foam left out on the rail for a classic 70/30 down rail -- if anyone wanted such a rail anymore. In order to allow quick pivot turns and a breezy neutrality, these rails are so soft and forgiving (they also abandon the tucked

under edge) that they almost resemble the old round 50/50 rails on the '60s longboards. Not a lot of stored energy in and out of turns, or much release, but user-friendly.

Tail shape: Rounded squashtail, coming off a pronounced hip-curve at the 18-inch mark (just in front of the forward fins, where the wings or bumps used to be). The hip is placed there to complement the tail rocker, fin setting and taper to create an efficient turning axis and, hopefully, a sweet spot.

Stringer: .125-inch basswood

Glass Specs: 2x4-ounce deck, 1x-4-ounce bottom, sanded hot coat

Fin setup: Removable fins are standard. Set at 10.85 inches by 3.2 inches, bases 4.35 inches, depths 4.5 inches with medium rake. Side fins set at 1 inch off rail, with .175, toe-in and 4 degrees of cant.

Optimum generic example: Merrick Slater/Machado models, or Rusty pro boards

BOARD THIRTEEN Kingdom: surfboard Phylum: contemporary shortboard Class: postmodern Fish

Description: What is a postmodern Fish? There are so many of these designs cropping up lately -each with its own model name, dimensions and fin arrays -- that it is difficult to quantify this emerging class of surfboard. Only one thing is certain: these aren't really Fish boards. A true Fish is extremely wide, flat and short kneeboard/stand-up hybrid with a deep swallowtail and two keelshaped side fins.

Today's postmodern Fish boards are just slightly wider shortboards with swallowtails -- the younger generation of surfers using them have been riding 17.5 inches to 18.5 inches wide Pixie Sticks all through the '90s, and any board over 19 inches would be the equivalent of the '70s or early '80s surfer riding a 21-inch wide board.

This design is really a splinter off of the funboard branch, but the swallowtails, exotic fin combos, ultra-short lengths and often garish or prurient airbrushes reassure the younger set that these boards are kitschy, fool-around, small-wave dragsters -- and not just a slightly hipper version of a funboard.

The typical postmodern Fish borrows more from the mid-'80s tri-fin than it does from the more extreme Lis Fish. The fuller, more balanced outlines and flatter rockers offer so much more speed and easy lift in junk surf that many of the Hot Young Breed sniff at serious day-to-day use of these boards, claiming that it is cheating, or that they are too easy to ride.

The postmodern Fish design is where hotdog surfboard design is going; it's a rebound from the super-narrow, rockered-out designs of the past decade and, like any truly sensible or functional trend in surfboard design, must be camouflaged with gimmickry, buzzwords or wacky paint jobs to appeal to a certain market. To the rest of us, they're just a thinner notch-tailed version of what we were riding in 1984.

Dimensions: (in decimal inches) Length: 6'0" Nose: 12 inches (at 12 inches down) Widepoint: 19.75 inches. Widepoint at center. The template uses curves and dimensions not unlike the typical mid-'80s shortboard -- just add a swallowtail and call it a "Fish." Tail: 15 inches (at 12 inches up)

Thickness: Nose: 1.3 inches (at 12 inches down) Thickest point: 2.25 inches

Tail: 1.5 inches (at 12 inches up)

Foil: This board has become popular enough to have its own blank, designed by Rusty Preisendorfer and Rick Hamon. It has a lot of the same characteristics of a typical mid-'80s Rusty board such as the thickness distribution on this postmodern Fish. It's less foiled out at the nose and tail extremities (about .25 inches thicker), giving the board more resistance when pushed against. This creates greater stored energy when the board is compressed and then released into a speed-gathering turn and ameliorates that mushy or drive-less feeling of a typical 18.5-inch wide 6'1".

Rocker: Nose: 4.2 inches Tail: 2 inches

As with the other features of this design, the rocker is typical mid-'80s issue, although the overall thinness compensates for the added stiffness that such a flat rocker brings. Getting away from the banana rocker of the modern shortboard lets this model paddle better, catch waves easier and allows far greater projection out of turns than a comparably sized board with the standard 5.25inch by 2.5-inch rocker profile.

Bottom shape: Flat bottom with mild vee panels that are slightly dished out -- but they can't really be called concaves. This places a few oblong flat areas through the curve of the tail rocker area that can act as an accelerator pedal under the back foot. Along with the wider tail and flatter rocker, this bottom serves to deliver a high-performance surfboard that gets up and planing with little effort from either the surfer or the wave.

Rails: Low, soft rails tapered into the deck. Bottom edge is nonexistent. Not the fastest rail application, but a forgiving, neutral rail borrowed from the modern shortboard blueprint.

Tail shape: Is basically a hard squaretail with a notch in the center. Though not a true Fish tail swallow, this design gives the wider tail a slightly shortened turning radius and more bite in hard, on-edge turns, while keeping a maximum tail area for horizontal driving.

Stringer: .125-inch basswood stringer

Glass Specs: 2x4 ounce deck, 1x4 oz. bottom, sanded hot coat

Fin setup: Removable fins are standard. Tri fins with 4.35-inch base, 4.5-inch depth, medium rake. Side fins set 1.125 inches off rail, with .175-inch toe-in and 4 degrees of cant. Interchangeable fin system gives this board tremendous versatility. Can be a tri-fin, twin-fin or twin with a small trailer -- it's up to your imagination.

Performance envelope: 1 to 5 feet

Optimum generic example: Lost or Rusty

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