Things you're gonna need to know...
Maybe this is your first custom, maybe not.
Either way ordering a board for the first time is always a bit daunting; concave? Rockers? Tail shape? Thruster? Quad? Options, options, options.
Added to that the Sales Rep(tile)s have filled your brain with volume myths.
So here we are breaking it down for you.
These are a few things you’ll need to know before ordering a new whip.
Your ability (honestly)
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Wrong.
This is the most important, which is why we put it first.
Be brutally honest with yourself, how close were you really to making that last turn you claimed to your mates? Are we airborne? Throwing power hacks? Surfing top-to-bottom? Or just bus-driving? We need to know.
Do you surf off your front or back foot?
This is Scotty’s favourite question, and one you might not have thought of before.
What we’re asking here is do you push/flick the tail or drive through the mid-point of your board? Everyone surfs different and that’s cool. The trick here is to check your current board and see where your deck has compressed the most (over the tail-pad if you’re back-footed or mid-deck if you’re front footed). This’ll help determine what tail shape will work best for you as a surfer and really help you level up, trust us.
Where do you wanna surf this thing: Cape Solander or Point Plomer?
Unfortunately it’s pretty hard for one board to rule all conditions. So tell us about the waves you intend to rip on. What size surf you wanna ride; whether the waves are soft or powerful; if it’s a heaving reef or if you’ll just be cruising down an easy point-break.
How often are you in the water?
This will help indicate your fitness and determine whether you might need a more forgiving shape, better suited to paddling power and balance or a board built for agility and speed.
You might have noticed we didn’t ask about the volume you like.
While it’s important to get you a board that doesn’t sink, we wholeheartedly disagree with the volume metric that has been weaponised against the surfer.
Volume is a trade-off between float-factor and performance. What is crucially important is your surfing ability, fitness, wave-preference and style.
Knowing this allows us to build you a board that’ll keep the froth levels high.
Any questions? Hit us on the contact page.
Keen to get into it? Epic. Head through to the surfboards tab.