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There Are Various Types of Surfboard Bottom Contours That Can Provide Surfers with Variety in Different Conditions

Types of bottom contours for surfboards

surfboard-bottom-contours

The bottom contour of the surfboard is an important part of your surfing.

The bottom contour is one of the most important things that you should pay attention to when purchasing a new board.

The speed of your ride directly depends on which contour of the bottom you choose for your equipment.

Some bottom contours slow down the surfboard on the waves but they have other advantages. Other bottom contours, on the contrary, increase speed but, at the same time, harm the other characteristics.

The dilemma constantly accompanies surfers and manufacturers of surfing equipment. But you should understand the types of contours of the board bottom in order to improve the skills you need on the water.

Depending on the type of bottom contours, you can increase the stability indicators. Also, different types of bottom contours give various possibilities for maneuvers.

Some boards make light and smooth turns, and some boards allow you to go long turns at high speed and on the high waves. Also, the bottom contour affects the performance of the item.

The bottom contour is involved in the distribution of water alongside the board which affects its power.

In fact, there are a lot of varieties of surfboard bottom contours, but below, we have collected for you the descriptions of the basic types that are most often found in production.

The flat bottom of the surfboard

surfboard

This type of equipment is a design with a flat bottom. The bottom contour consists of a flat planing surface.

Such a board, due to its design, is effective when planing on the surface of the water. That board will not plunge into the water.

Her movement is more like sliding on the water surface. It glides over the surface without being submerged into the water.

During the ride, it looks like spanking the waves, rather than cutting them. Such a board will be quite loose at its core which means it will not last too long.

But the minus is blocked by the speed. The surfboard with such a bottom contour moves very quickly on the water and also responds well even to soft and light waves.

These are the best conditions for such a piece of equipment. It shows the maximum performance on the small waves and cannot provide very high speeds.

The board will lose its stability if you take it to high waves. At high speeds and depths, it can lose its steadiness, so for hard surfing, such a surfboard will be weak.

Due to the flat bottom contour, such a board will impede maneuvers. She makes difficult turns and she can slip out with tight turns.

The board will be suitable only for certain conditions if you adhere to them and then, the board will serve you truly for a long time and improve your surfing.

Belly bottom contours of the surfboard

contours of the surfboard

Such a belly-shaped plank is also called displacement hull bottom. Its design is based on a convex planar bottom surface that protrudes in front of the surfboard.

This convex front part allows you to cut through the waves and not roll over them from above like the previous board.

The function was developed in order to control the process of moving. Such a surfboard will generally be very good in bad weather conditions.

The fact is that this board feels more confident in the water due to the dissection of the wave which gives a smoother movement of the surfboard.

On large spaces and fast surfs, the surfboard will also be convenient. It provides stability making rolling easier.

That facilitates the task by inclinations to the rails. They are a very important part of this surfboard because they facilitate high-speed gearing.

Most often, the equipment with belly bottom contour is used by professionals in sports. For them, speed is no longer what they need to achieve.

Here, the ease of controlling the surfboard at these speeds, which are often very high, comes to the fore. The flip side of the coin is the inefficient use of working surfaces.

This surfboard cuts through the wave which takes the additional energy being used to increase speed.

Energy is lost when the surfboard moves water to the rails and this slows down the entire riding process.

Since the surfboard does not slip on the water but goes through it, this item, in any case, loses its performance because it needs to spend additional power on movement.

Because the surfboard is designed for major surfing, this is not a significant minus for athletes. Here, the ease of handling the surfboard and its ability to maneuver play a key role.

Concave bottom contour of the surfboard

Concave bottom contour of the surfboard

Such a surfboard is a construction of a concave planing bottom contour.

This board is designed to hold water throughout its volume. So, the construction does not allow water to come out of its base but keeps it inside.

Water itself is displaced through the stern of the surfboard.

The fins that are located aft help her in this. The fins displace water from a wide point in the center or front of the body to the end of the tail.

Thus, the job of such a surfboard bottom contour is to increase the pressure inside it.

Due to the flow of water that passes through the board, a large lifting force appears. This helps the equipment gain speed.

Increased pressure in the surfboard contributes to a decrease in resistance when riding.

The bottom contour design works by squeezing water and then, squeezing it through the tail. This speeds up the surfboard not only on a direct ride but also on the corners.

So, when maneuvering, she maintains her speed which she has previously had. Sometimes, it’s the goal of surfers but very often, it’s a dangerous business because you can slip out.

Such a surfboard bottom contour is poorly adapted to work in bad weather conditions.

There are several types of surfboards with a concave bottom contour and you should understand which of these types suits you best.

If you have given preference to a surfboard with a concave bottom contour, it is best to consult the manufacturer or seller about the type of board with such a bottom contour.

Often, this choice depends on your complexion, professionalism, the level of surfing skills, experience in this sport, as well as preferences in high or light waves and the necessary ability to maneuver.

Channel bottom contour

Channel bottom contour

This type of surfboard bottom contours features several concave grooves. They are located under the tail.

These points can be located anywhere on the tail and include from two to eight channels.

All the channels necessarily work in parallel to each other. They are designed to let the board pass a lot more water.

So, the more water the channels pass, the stronger the thrust becomes which means that the speed also becomes higher.

Vee bottom contour

Vee_bottom_surfboard

This type of surfboard is also a convex bottom contour design but in this case, the convex part is located at the back of the board.

The mechanism of action is almost the same as in the belly type.

Here, the convex contour part is a reference point in surfing from rail to rail. The convex contour at the back helps make the tail more responsive.

At high speeds, the tail of this model is very sensitive. Any gliding convex bottom contour that this type of surfboard features also loses energy through the water that goes into the rails.

Thus, such a board is ineffective in soft and light waves. That surfboard is suitable for large-wave surfing where the speed is already set by the environment and water flows and the surfer needs to control this process.

The contours of the surfboard are also different but they are mainly used by surfers with extensive driving experience. To manage this board, you need to master the control principles of many other surfboard contour types.

This is powerful equipment and is never recommended for beginners.

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