Surfing's New Wave

By Coco Masters

They may come across as defiers of convention, pushing the edge as they slice through walls of water, but surfers are traditionalists by nature. For more than 40 years, as many as 9 out of 10 American wave riders have relied on one supplier of blank or unfinished boards: Gordon (Grubby) Clark. Last December when the old man slammed shut the doors of Clark Foam, in Laguna Niguel, Calif., he unleashed a tsunami. Some small businesses that had been shaping and finishing Clark's polyurethane (PU) boards simply wiped out; panic over supply swept the industry. But Clark's departure may turn out to be the best thing to happen to the sport. Surfers have been forced to find a new ride.

Companies like California's Firewire Surfboards and France's Salomon have caught the attention of high-ranking pros by bringing innovative materials and construction methods to surfboards, some that had already worked wonders for skis, snowboards and the wings of Boeing Dreamliners. New designs using expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), epoxy resins and stiff sheets of carbon fiber add responsiveness and maneuverability to the boards. The buzzword: "flex memory"--or "flex"--the way a board snaps back into its original shape in a turn or maneuver. "The materials have a memory of the original curve, and they return to that curve very quickly," says Firewire's Mark Price. "It gives you that twang-like effect when you're coming out of the turn. It's almost like a bow releasing an arrow."

The newer boards are often called "composites," because unlike old PU boards, they are crafted from foams of varying densities as well as fiberglass, resins, carbon fibers and wood in various configurations, some devised with sophisticated computer modeling. "Once surfers try 'em, it's an easy sell," says Jason Weatherley of Salomon. The trick is getting those old-school riders on board. [This article contains a diagram. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

RETHINKING THE BASICS OF THE BOARD ...

OUTLINE

More or less curve? Increasingly, computerized machines help shape the outline (template) to balance the elements for optimum performance.

ROCKER

Some boards selectively accentuate rocker, the bottom curve from nose to tail. More rocker means more mobility, less speed; less rocker lets you rocket down a wave's face.

FINS

A critical design element for responsiveness and control, fins (a board can have up to five) are made using three major technologies that tailor the flex patterns by changing the fiber orientation.

STRINGERS AND RAILS

Introduced to make polyurethane foam boards more rigid, the stringer (usually made of wood) has migrated to other parts of the board and to other materials. Full or tapered, sharp or rounded, rails (where the deck meets the bottom) are also taking a turn--for a better one on waves.

HOLLOW BOARDS MADE WITH CARBON FIBERS

No core. No stringer. Aviso sandwiches 1/4 in. of honeycombed material or foam between sheets of unidirectional carbon fiber--for a strong matrix--then seals it with heat. The deck and bottom flex independently: the cavity gives the rocker room to straighten out, pulling the rails and allowing for more speed on turns. Caution: your wax job might melt on these black boards.

WHY RIDE THEM? Lightweight, highly durable and ding-resistant--but the pros aren't biting.

FOAM STRINGERS

Salomon, a brand famous for its skis and snowboards, is getting wet. Its S-Core design creates a shock-absorber-like effect in the deck using three polypropylene foam stringers in a hollow carbon core enclosed by a foam shell--an airplane wing on the water. The composites in the deck and rigid carbon bottom optimize flex memory, which improves control, says Salomon.

WHY RIDE THEM? High-rank surfers rave about the flex; they can be custom shaped.

PARABOLIC RAILS

Just as parabolic, or hourglass-shaped, skis changed that sport, Firewire's Future Shapes Technology boards feature balsa-wood rails glued to the EPS foam to increase motion in the foam core. The design accentuates the rocker for a tighter turn, as in parabolic skis. The first surfboards hit racks just weeks ago.

WHY RIDE THEM? As with S-Core, pros ride the custom-shaped boards for flex; 20% lighter than PU boards, they last 5 to 10 times as long.

... FROM NOVICE TO GNARLY

BODYBOARD

Novices can get the feel of surfing without standing up using a bodyboard (a sport all its own), which lets the rider plane on the curl, the breaking face of the wave.

LONGBOARD

At least 9 ft. from nose to tail, the stable "hang 10" boards have seen a resurgence. They make paddling and catching waves easy. Big- wave-riding pros use them too.

SHORTBOARD

Averaging 6 ft. 2 in., shortboards increasingly feature new core materials, fabrics and resins borrowed from other industries to allow riders more flex, speed and maneuverability. Fiberglass and polyester

Wooden stringer

PU foam PVC foam or honeycomb Layered carbon fiber Fiberglass, carbon and epoxy Polypropylene stringers EPS-based foam Fiberglass and epoxy Parabolic balsa-wood rails

A straight ride back to shore on a stable longboard makes pop-ups easy to practice Fins go on the feet, not on the board Advanced surfers look for responsive, lightweight boards to ride everyday surf TIME Graphic by Ed Gabel; text by Coco Masters Sources: Eric Arakawa; Chris Mauro; Salomon S-Core; Firewire Surfboards; Aviso; Fins Unlimited (Curtis Hesselgrave)