How To Ride A Funboard Surfboard
Wes Severson August 10th, 2020 Posted In: How-To Tags: Surfing
How To Ride A Funboard Surfboard
They’re fun to ride but finding the right one might take some work
Funboards are hot sellers. Just try to find one on the web. When you look you’ll notice many places are sold out of their lower-priced options or are only selling very expensive funboards. That’s because even though they are shorter than a longboard you don’t have to be all that good of a surfer to learn how to ride a funboard surfboard with intensity and style. That makes them incredibly sellable to the average surfer.
What Is a Funboard?
The best way to define it is across between a longboard and a fish surfboard. A funboard surfboard is not as easy to ride as a longboard but it is easier to ride than a fish surfboard and worlds easier than a shortboard. A funboard surfboard should most likely be the next step if you are looking to take your surfing beyond the realm of the longboard.
What Do They Look Like?
Typically they stand 6 to 8.5 feet tall and have a thick, round, wide design that is super floatable. This makes them easy to paddle like a longboard but the shortness gives it more potential for maneuverability. But it’s not just the height. They are dozens of different shapes, sizes, fin patterns, nose and tail designs, and so on. All of that contributes to what it will take to learn how to ride a funboard surfboard.
They are also made with different substances. For instance, a soft foam option instead of a hard fiberglass design may give a beginner more confidence when learning how to ride a funboard surfboard. Boardcave offers a great resource when it comes to checking out each of the different styles perform and which one might be the best option for you.
Another Reason Behind the Popularity
Once you get the hang of how to ride a funboard surfboard you’ll learn right away that it can make the smallest, mushiest waves fun to ride. They are a huge draw because they actually perform great in anything from clean, head-high conditions to poor knee-high waves that don’t have much power. The wide design allows the board to stay higher on top of the water which allows it to generate speed right away. That is what is needed to make the small, unexciting surf fun.
Try One Out
Since the funboard surfboard is so popular most surf rental shops have tons of them in stock and ready for you to try out. This is a great option to see if you are really ready to even start learning how to ride a funboard surfboard or which one might be right for you. The truth is if you have never surfed or are still having a hard time standing up and catching waves you probably need to stay on a longboard. Most surf coaches recommend only advancing to a funboard surfboard once you can catch a wave and ride the shoulder of it on a longboard, and also makes some turns. One other skill you must know how to do well before you progress is how to take off on a wave diagonally. You need to be able to set yourself up to ride the wave and not just the whitewash.
Paddling Feels Different
Learning how to ride a funboard surfboard isn’t all that different than a longboard when it comes to technique. The biggest thing you’ll notice is that you don’t have enough room to be sloppy when you paddle or try to stand up. You’ll notice paddling takes more work from your arms and that when you go to catch a wave, you really have to put a lot more energy into it to catch it. If you are catching wave after wave on a longboard you should be fine but there will be a noticeable difference.
Tighten up Your Pop-Up
Standing up is where you’ll feel the next difference. A funboard surfboard offers plenty of floatation but because it is short and there is less volume overall than a longboard it will feel a little more wobbly once you stand up. You also have less time to stand up because the wave must be closer to its peak in order for you to catch it on a shorter board. That means right when you pop up you have to be in a position to start riding because you are going to immediately start building speed.
If you are making the transition from a longboard to a funboard you should practice popping up at home or on the beach. Make sure you can lift your upper body and slide your legs into riding position in one quick, fluid motion. Getting this motion down when you are not on the water will make it much easier once you are out there. This blog has some great photos of what it looks like on a surfboard.
Enjoy the Maneuverability and Get Creative
Once you get the hang of getting up and riding some smaller, knee to waist high waves try testing out the maneuverability of the board. If you are already a decent surfer who just wants to have more fun in mushy waves then try to take the board to its limits. See how hard and fast you can cut and how hard the rail digs into the water. Chances are the board will slide out several times until you feel the exact point to where you need to let up.
Also, see how long it takes until you are at a speed where you can do an aerial. All these factors will contribute to the overall enjoyability of your experience of learning how to ride a funboard surfboard. Every surfboard is different and that is especially true with funboard surfboards so it is best to experiment with them in a pressure-free surfing environment where you’re not going to catch slack for wiping out all time and trying different things.
Get Your Own
Many dedicated, long-time surfers will have several funboard surfboards in their arsenal simply because they all perform differently in different types of waves. And most of us as surfers know that wave conditions can be far from ideal a lot of the time. But with a funboard, you can have fun pretty much ALL of the time! I have no doubt once you try one out you’ll be looking to add one to your own lineup.
