Use and characteristics of a softboard.

Softboard surfboards, or also called by many as “foamie”, are the perfect ones to learn and take your first steps in surfing.

They are boards that offer stability, very great buoyancy and a great help in paddling. Absolutely everything focused so that your initiation in surfing is as easy and less frustrating as possible.

But for years softboards have ceased to be exclusive boards for beginners, since depending on the model of softboard, you can be a real animal surfing with these boards.

There are also models that simulate an authentic surfboard in its shape, fins, and volumes closer to a real board, in order to catch waves of smaller size and power but still be able to generate good surfing. All without changing the material of what a softboard is.

 

But let’s go by parts:

First explain that a cork is a board that usually consists of an EPS foam (polystyrene) covered with a layer of soft material for greater safety and buoyancy. They also usually have one, two or three wood or fiberglass stringers running longitudinally across the board to give it greater rigidity and durability.

There are also models like Bic and Zeus, which include a fiberglass and epoxy resin sheet to their construction to give it a lot of robustness and durability, which is true but it also adds a bit of weight.

Finally we find the new SOFT TOP boards that are coming to the market and that cost around € 600, like a regular board. But why this?

The answer is because this is really a regular epoxy board like any other, usually just covered with an EVA foam to have that soft part of the softboards.

We show you characteristics and advantages of the different types of softobards:

1.Initiation softboards:

As we are saying, the best boards to start surfing are the initiation softboards for several reasons that we explain here:

• They are boards with a lot of stability due to their large measurements, wide boards that help a lot to be correctly positioned even when you do not have any experience in the water.
• They carry extra buoyancy, since they are boards with an immense volume so that they float a lot, and this means that when you are on the board rowing, there is less friction in the water and this makes you row more and with less effort as you are not used to it.
• Volume, which is also linked to buoyancy, and being so large counting in liters, we have boards as we say, with a lot of stability and buoyancy. A model with a lot of volume can be the Bic paint Super Magnum.
• The material is ideal for beginners since these boards have very soft materials, to protect us and other surfers from around in any fall. In addition, the fins are also usually with the edges of flex material, soft so as not to cut us.
• Like the usual evolutions, the shape of the ´foamies´ has the maximum width of the board quite forward, on the chest area, to facilitate stability while rowing and to stand up that does not sway too much. This model can be like the Softlite pop up or the Ryder Mal.
• It is ideal especially for children’s beginnings in the water, since with these models all they have to do is have fun without having any concern of blows and high difficulties to learn. It is often the first and almost only option for parents to give to their children in their first stages of their offspring.

• Thanks to having a material similar to bodyboards, they are boards that have a lot of durability, you can take advantage of the same board IF YOU TAKE CARE OF IT WELL for a long time!
• Softboards are also characterized by their prices, which are always considerably cheaper than conventional boards. We are talking about prices of between € 150 the cheapest such as Softjoy and about € 450 such as catch surfing. But the normal thing is to find them for about € 200-300 depending on the size and quality.
• Finally, we are going to recommend them to beginners because if they have a bump, and the soft needs a repair, they are much easier to repair and it will always be cheaper than a normal board.

2. Softboards for Advanced and Experts:

It’s been a long time since almost any experienced surfer that you can see, has or would want to have a `foamie´ in their quiver because they are perfect for those summer days of soft, small and weak waves. It seems that this type of board has evolved so much that it is no longer kook to enter the water with them. If not, on the contrary, it is very “cool” to go rowing to the peak with a `foamie´ colored and your hat for the sun.

But do you know when and why they arose? Several years ago, every summer in Australia, there were quite a few accidents between swimmers and surfers, which, as you know there, surfing is the national sport. So it happened too often. So the Australian government opted for the tourist side as usual and a law was passed in which in the months of July and August it was forbidden to surf on crowded beaches with hard boards. So the Australian surfers were only left with the option of finding soft boards as close as possible in characteristics to their boards. And so all this began to evolve!

They are boards that have evolved to also adapt to real surfing, with their turns, their carving, pumping even for running tubes. They copy the shape of the usual surfboards, they lower the volume a bit, they even install real fins with their FCS and Futures systems. And so that you can see a soft in action, here you have our pro Guille Gutierres from the North of Spain destroying his sotf.

 

• They are very popular with this type of surfer who has been in the water for many years because they are extremely fun boards, with an extra volume, which entails greater buoyancy that is crucial for surfing these days when the summer of softer waves is approaching and less force.
• You have the option of placing the fins you like best on most softboards, the fins that you carry in your daily table, since normally the highest quality fins come with the FCS, FCSII or Futures fin system. This will provide a better grip and reactivity to be able to surf the best possible with a “real” fin.
• You don’t need to be concerned if you hit the board, knowing that a polyester or epoxy board is much more sensitive to this kind of thing. With a softboard you will be able to go harder in this sense without thinking if I will break the board against the bottom or against someone or another board (which can also happen on any similar occasion).
• By having a greater volume than daily surfboards, any wave that can be perceived, you will be able to catch it and thus make sure that no matter how bad or small the waves are, you will come out of the water with a smile. They are tables that convey affection, tenderness and happiness!
• As for those who start, `foamies´ are cheaper boards than polyester or epoxy boards. Although it is true that since they are already high-performance softboards, they can increase the price between € 250 like some Ryder softboard models up to € 450 such as the high-end Softech or Mullet.

As a conclusion to all this we find that a softboard, a `foamie´ is joy! We do not mean that we have to replace it with our daily boards forever because a serious winter bath is not taken away from us!

But who can deny that from time to time you do not feel like one of those baths with your soft, your colleagues, summer and sun to bring out that fun side, and laughter of surfing? Thanks to these boards, this side of surfing comes out more and helps us all!

To save your board, your grumpy side of competition and to the water with the soft to jump waves to your colleague! And you, what colleague do you owe infinite skips?

Or on the other hand, if you already have the perfect tools to learn the best sport in the world, what are you waiting for to go to the water?

Find your softboard here and enjoy!

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