The choice of the right board depends on various factors, such as experience, conditions at the surf spot and your own goals in windsurfing.
The following two factors are crucial for the riding experience of the windsurfing board: the volume and the shape.
The volume determines the buoyancy and thus the stability of the board. The shape is roughly differentiated according to disciplines such as freeride, slalom or wave. In addition, the shapes differ depending on the manufacturer and some brands also offer boards with different properties within a discipline.
Depending on the level, you reach for different boards - for beginners there is special beginner gear - these boards are often wide and have a lot of volume, and also a daggerboard. For advanced riders who just want to surf and do some standard maneuvers like tack and jibe, freeride boards are best - these offer maximum fun and good handling. With more experience, and depending on the conditions, you then often reach for special material for specific disciplines or conditions.
When buying a fin, make sure it fits the fin box on the board, there are several systems - in the past a US box was often used, now most surfboards have a power box, US box, tuttle (or deep tuttle) box or a slot box.
The right volume of a windsurfboard
Volume is an important factor in choosing the right board. It is responsible for the buoyancy of the surfboard in the water and is directly related to the weight of the surfer - a windsurfing board with a higher volume will generate more buoyancy and thus carry a heavier surfer better than a board with less volume.
A higher volume can also help the board glide faster, which is especially beneficial in light winds. However, higher volume can also result in a more sluggish and less maneuverable ride, which can be detrimental in challenging conditions with lots of wave.
A lower volume makes the windsurf board more agile and maneuverable, which can be an advantage in disciplines like wave riding or freestyle. However, it requires more speed and skill to get the board to glide.
Each surfer should assess for themselves how much volume they can handle well. Of course, you can also challenge yourself or think about the future and take a little less volume than you are used to - but if you take a number too small, it can quickly be frustrating. Many riders have several surfboards to choose from, larger ones for light wind days and smaller boards for more wind and wave.
In summary, the choice of volume depends on several factors such as the weight of the windsurfer, the conditions on the water and the discipline. Too high or too low a volume can lead to poorer performance and a frustrating surfing experience, so it is important to choose the volume carefully.
Disciplines in windsurfing
Beginners
Two characteristics distinguish beginner boards - they have a lot of volume (between 150 and 250 liters) and a centerboard that can be folded in and out (or a center fin). The centerboard is designed to prevent heavy sideways drifting and also provide more tipping stability. Beginner boards have the disadvantage that they are often quite heavy and therefore not so easy to transport. A modern solution for this are inflatable windsurf boards.
Freeride
Freeride boards are ideal for beginners and advanced surfers who just want to have fun surfing. These boards are usually wider and more stable than other types of boards, which makes riding easier and more relaxed. They glide on easily and provide a lot of stability while surfing and maneuvering. Modern freeride boards are fast, maneuverable, yet easy to control.
Freerace
Freerace boards are freeride boards with race character. They are faster than freeride boards, but easier to control than slalom boards - the best choice for speed lovers. Modern freerace boards are almost as fast as slalom boards, but can be jibed much more controlled and ride more stable and smooth.
Slalom / Race
Slalom boards are made for the absolute race experience. This type of boards is used by professionals in races and offers maximum speed. However, when it comes to handling, sacrifices have to be made here. They are made for advanced riders who want to participate in races or simply be the fastest on the water.
Wave
Waveboards are, as the name suggests, made for the wave. They resemble classic wave boards in shape, often have a pointed nose, little volume, a narrow tail and are usually ridden with two (twin), three (thruster), or four (quad) fins. Multiple fins provide more grip in the wave. Most manufacturers have different varieties of waveboards in their range, there are very radical waveboards made for big, perfect waves and those designed to give you more control in "messy" conditions and smaller waves. Waveboards allow you to do tight turns and they allow you to do high jumps and tricks in the wave. Pure wave boards require a lot of experience and skill.
Freestyle
The freestyle discipline in windsurfing is one of the most radical and demanding and requires a lot of practice. Freestyle boards are designed for advanced windsurfers who want to jump tricks with wild rotations. These boards are usually short and wide and have rounded edges and a flat bottom to increase buoyancy and make tricks easier. The thick tail of freestyle boards provides maximum pop, even allowing jumps out of flat water. These boards rotate extremely fast, glide well and develop a lot of speed. They are made for ambitious windsurfers who want to jump modern moves like airjibe, flakas, shakas, konos, culos etc. and are mainly surfed at the lake and in flat water.
Freestylewave
Freestylewaveboards are a mix of freestyle and wave boards and made for all conditions between flat water and perfect wave. They combine the stability and rotation characteristics of a freestyle board with the agility and maneuverability of wave boards. For trick and maneuver oriented riding in onshore conditions and at the lake these boards are especially well suited. Often these boards allow different fin setups for different conditions.
Freewave
Freewave boards are wave boards with freeride characteristics - meaning they offer more control and stability and easier handling than pure wave boards. Maneuvers like tight gybes and also jumps are no problem for freewave boards. In contrast to classic freeride boards, these boards give you much more control in wavy conditions - at the sea or even at the lake.
Freemove
Freemove boards are all-rounders made for all conditions and combine good maneuverability with a lot of stability. They are designed as freeride boards, but can also be ridden well in wavy conditions. The line between freewave and freestyle wave boards is blurred here, the idea is basically the same - stable riding in wavy conditions and a board that does jumps and rotations well without demanding too much technique. Some manufacturers also call these windsurf boards bump & jump boards.
