Your Longboard Surfboard buyers Guide & shopping advice

A surfboard, which is called a longboard, has a length of at least 8'6'' feet, is at least 22 inches wide and 3-4 inches thick and has a wide nose.

Longboarding is considered the original form of surfing and had its peak in the 50s and 60s. With a longboard you can surf almost any wave and it offers a lot of fun. Boardwalks, turns, playing with the wave and noserides are just a few of the manoeuvres of longboarding.

A Minimalibu is between 7 and 8 feet long and has a wider outline and nose. This makes the surfboard very stable in the wave and makes take-offs easier to perform.

A longboard offers you many advantages when surfing. We have listed these for you:

• High wave yield
• A lot of buoyancy
• High stability
• Good planing behaviour
• forgiving surfing behaviour
• suitable for the smallest waves
• suitable for big waves
• easy take off
• Noserides like Hang Tens and Hang Fives possible

The wide outline of the surfboard allows an easy take off, as the board is very stable in the wave. The large volume and the length of the board let you catch and ride the waves with ease. You can easily glide around weaker sections of the wave and thus forgive some mistakes.

With a longboard you can surf the smallest waves and glide along them. A LOG is a real all-round board where even very big waves can be surfed due to the good planing behaviour. 

Longboarding is very different from surfing with a short surfboard. Here, the focus is not on radical manoeuvres, but on surfing in the flow of the wave and oldschool manoeuvres such as noserides (Hang Ten, Hang Five).

The easy way of surfing!

Where there are advantages of a longboard, there are of course also disadvantages. Here we have compiled a list of them for you.

• Difficult to transport, especially when flying
• not suitable for beginners
• not suitable for steep waves
• difficult to manoeuvre
• no tight turns

A longboard is extremely difficult to transport and not every airline will take a longboard. And if they do, it is usually very expensive.

Even though a longboard is forgiving to surf, it is not suitable for beginners. Turns are difficult to surf due to the length of the board and hard to implement for surfers who are just starting to surf. A longboard can be surfed in many conditions, but if the waves are too ropey, it is almost impossible to surf on them.

Longboard and beginner - does that fit?

The answer to whether a longboard is suitable for beginners is clearly NO. Because a longboard is very limited in its turns due to its length, it is very difficult for beginners to make progress. Here, we at Surfganic.com recommend a Minimalibu.

Buying a longboard should be well considered! The workmanship of the surfboard is definitely important. You should not make any compromises here. For stability, you should go for surfboards that are equipped with three stringers or are made with a special construction. Here, the sandwich construction or the construction methods developed by TORQ Surfboards stand out.

You should also be clear about what you want to use your longboard for.

• Which waves do you want to surf? (e.g. size of the wave)
• Which manoeuvres you want to surf with your longboard? (Noserides, tighter turns etc.)

For example, there are special surfboards that are designed especially for noseriding. There are high performance longboards where you can surf tuberides and airs, longboards that are very easy to turn for such a long board, or a classic longboard with which you can surf almost all manoeuvres. (except High Performance)

Your height plays an important role in choosing your board. If you want to longboard properly, your board should not be too small. If you are 190 cm and taller, choose a longboard around 9'6'' feet and longer. If you are light and short, choose an 8'6'' foot longboard.

Here we would like to write down the most important points in keywords:

1. Which manoeuvres do you want to surf?
2. How tall and how heavy are you?
3. How is the longboard made?
4. Which waves do you want to surf?

Steve´s Tip:

If you want to start longboarding, we recommend a classic longboard. This is a good all-rounder with which you can cover all manoeuvres except the very radical ones.

Longboards also have different shapes for different conditions and different manoeuvres.

• There are longboards that have been specially designed for noserides. These surfboards are mostly used for competition surfing. These shapes are not suitable for bigger waves.
• Then we have high performance shapes with a round pin tail and a 2 +1 fin setup and narrow cut rails. With these you can surf airs, radical manoeuvres and tuberides. 
• There are longboards that are super easy to turn. These boards are not suitable for bigger waves.
• Finally, there are the classic longboards. These are real allround boards and you can surf small as well as big waves, noserides and other manoeuvres of longboarding are no problem.

These are the most important longboard shapes:

1. classic longboard
2. Noserider
3. for tight turns
4. High performance longboards

Steve´s Tip:

You have experience in longboarding and want to specialise? Then choose the right board. Otherwise we recommend a classic longboard shape.

The length of a longboard is very important when deciding what to buy.

When buying a longboard, you should definitely pay attention to the length. Small light persons should choose a longboard with a length of 8'6'' feet. 

Tall surfers with a height of 190cm + should choose a longboard from 9'6'' feet. 

• If the longboard is too short, many manoeuvres are not surfable and the longboard character of surfing is not given.
• If the board is too long, you can't turn it very well and you won't have fun with your board.

Steve´s Tip:

To find the right longboard for you, use our professional buying advice.

There are three important fin set ups for longboards.

• Single fin: You will find single fins in most longboards. Thanks to their size, they have a good drive. By positioning the fin in the fin box, you can change the surfing behaviour of your board. The further forward you place it, the more manoeuvrable the board. In big waves, place the fin all the way back, which gives your surfboard more smoothness and control.

• 2 + 1: The 2 + 1 setup is also very popular with longboarders. A single fin is supplemented with two small side fins (sidebites) to make the boards more performance-oriented, because the two small side fins give the board more hold in the wave wall, especially for down-the-line rides.

• Thruster: A longboard with a thruster fin setup lets your board surf more controlled. However, the pure longboard feeling does not really come up here. Turns and surfing behaviour are very controllable and forgiving.

Steve´s Tip:

We recommend a pure single fin setup for retro surfers. For more performance, a 2 + 1 system is the best choice.

Why a longboard with 2 + 1 fin setup?

With a 2 + 1 fin setup on your longboard, you have the possibility to better adapt your surfboard to the corresponding surf conditions. You can surf your longboard as a single fin or if you want to surf more performance oriented or if the waves are bigger and more powerful, you can switch to a 2 + 1 fin setup. Your longboard will then be much more forgiving to surf.

You can surf a longboard in the following surf conditions. You can surf a longboard in the smallest and weakest waves. Due to its length and volume, it glides easily and generates speed in the weakest waves and sections of a wave. 

You can really have fun with a longboard in conditions around 2 - 6 feet. Here you can try noserides and other manoeuvres. 

Due to the length and the resulting smoothness, you can surf your longboard very well in big conditions. If you think of Greg Noll, who conquered Waimea on a longboard, you see what is possible with a longboard.

A longboard is suitable for:

• small waves
• medium waves
• big waves
• soft waves

There is only one difference between a Malibu and Mini-Malibu and that is the length and size of the surfboard.

All boards from a length of 8'0'' feet are called malibu. A Mini-Malibu is in the length range between 7 feet and 8 feet. The outline is the same. Both have a wide outline and nose.

Malibu's are called the little brother of the longboard. A longboard is not suitable for beginners. However, once you have gained experience on the much more comfortable Malibu or Minimalibu, it will be much easier for you to switch to a longboard.

A Minimalibu and Malibu are real fun machines in small waves,
Mini Malibus are cheaper than Longboards and Malibus. The price starts at 300 euros.

A longboard for children? Does that make sense?

The answer to whether a longboard is sensible for children is clearly NO. 

These boards are far too long and are not recommended for a child under any circumstances.

You can find longboards starting at a price of 500€.  These boards are well suited for taking your first steps on a longboard. These boards are usually very robustly built, which is at the expense of performance.

In the middle price segment around 800€, you will find quite decent boards with good workmanship and solid performance.

From 1000€, you get an absolute top model that guarantees you good performance on the wave and a lot of fun. If you love this sport, you should definitely look around in this price range - it's worth it!

• from 500 Euro - well suited for the first steps.
• around 800 Euro - solid workmanship and performance
• from 1000€ Premium longboards for real pleasure