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A narrow nose creates more down the line speed. Generally, a narrower nose is better for dropkneeing when your weight is further back. For the beginner the narrower nose lets you get away with more in the way of turns and bumpy waves.

A mid nose creates smooth flow of water down the rails of the board giving more speed and better edge holding.

A Larger nose creates a larger pivot point for spinning and better maneuverability. However, the larger the nose, the greater the chance you have of catching it on the side of the wave sending you skidding forward on the wave without a board under you, or at best, slowing your progress. Also it increases the reliance on the back of your board for turns. If the nose is not clear of the water when making your turn you are gone! Generally a wider nose board is more suited for prone riding, allowing you to get further up on the board for trimming.

TAIL WIDTH: How wide the tail of your board is from the two end corners.
The right tail width is important for ensuring board stability.

A wide tail tends to hold better on waves as well as providing a faster path for the water to follow (hence more speed).

A narrower tail provides more maneuverability and better tube riding. Too narrow a tail will promote skating or side slipping of the board (which may not be a bad thing if you are trying to spin your board).

Most tails will be half way between the width of the wide point and the corner of the nose.

TAIL SHAPE:
Tail shape tends to affect the length of rail on the board, the tendency of the board to catch and the comfort of ride. There are a number of shapes going around, Rounded, Crescent, wing seem to be the most popular. A lot of it is comfort. You will find that a curved in tail area is more comfortable and will allow you to control the board a lot more with your hips, helping control on the back of your board. In bodyboarding it's no good having just your hands on or near the edge if the back edges of your board have no weight on them. Tail shape is often personal preference. Many bodyboarders prefer to have extra length in the tail, making Round tails and Wing/Bat tails the most popular. If you want to pull endless spins and the like having that bit less grab on the trailing edge of the rail will make the board a lot looser. It will also mean you are a bit higher up out of the water (depending on board length of course!) as your hips are now on the board.

BOARD LENGTH:
Tail to nose measurement body boards come in a large range of lengths. A basic rule is - The taller the rider - the larger the board. As a guide the board should come up to your belly button, but keep in mind that the longer your board, the less way-out moves you may be able to pull on it. For example, people who are tall yet relatively light will not get the performance out of a longer board that a heavier person of the same height may get. If you tend to ride smaller waves then the board can be a little longer while if you ride bigger waves the board can afford to be shorter. Longer boards with more buoyancy tend to suit heavier riders though they can not maneuver as tightly.

WIDE POINT :
The widest part of your bodyboard is ideally the widest point of the board (wide point) will be just behind your elbows when riding. This will make water disperse behind your face. A wide point above your elbows may help stop the board to nose dive but produce spray hindering your vision while on a wave. The wide point on your board will be relative to the length, tail and nose width. As a general rule the heavier you are the wider the board needs to be... if you don't want to go for a wide board and you are heavy, you will have to go for a thicker board.

Nose To Wide Point/Wide Point
Getting these measurements right is essential for rail to rail maneuvering. Ideally, the wide point should sit just behind your elbows so that water is dispersed behind your initial maneuvering points; elbows, forearms, hands and head. Having your wide point in front of your elbows will encourage nose diving and spray, hindering your vision.

ROCKER This term refers to nose and tail kick.
Nose kick generally starts about 1/3 the way down the board and goes up to the nose. The lower the kick, the more speed you will get out of the board, the higher the kick - the less likely the board is to dig in when surfing in choppy conditions. The trade off is between the two. An advantage of nose kick is in coming off the top of steep waves... you can get a better landing and turn from the extra curvature of the board, and get back inside for that perfect tube. Some boards have a flexible area in the nose that allows for variable rocker on the board. When you pull hard turns, the board bends to carve an arc in the water. Tail kick tends to create an air pocket under the back surface of the board slowing the board down. However there is a plus side if you are really big in spins. Tail kick will help prevent you catching the tail during a spin, and will allow you to pull off those tube spins you could never seem to do (though I think I'd be looking for divine intervention for me to pull off a tube spin).

Nose Kick
The nose kick of the board is the rise in angle of the bottom of the board starting about a third of the way down from the nose. The nose kick on a board influences the manoeuvrability and speed of a board. A low kick allows the board to move across the water with the least resistance giving greater speed over the water. A high kick creates more resistance but provides more responsive turns and clears a greater area of the board for spinning.

Tail Kick
The greater the tail lift, the slower the board will be. Tail lift stops the flow of water along the rails and over the bottom of the board creating drag on the board. Greater tail lift does however aid in releasing your edge for quicker spins.

RAIL CONFIGURATION
bodyboard rails

The numbers in the rail configuration refer to the percentage of bottom rail/the percentage of top rail. A 60/40 rail therefore has 60% of the rail on the bottom and 40% on the top while a 50/50 rail has equal amounts of rail on the top and bottom. A 60/40 rail gives better edge control for directional changes while 50/50 rails make movement from rail to rail easier for more responsive turns.

BOTTOM DESIGNS bodyboard bottoms

The bottom design of the board can have a crucial effect on the performance of the board. Different designs and materials affect the wave-holding ability of the board, the speed and the maneuverability of the board. Click here to check the MS Science new bottoms.

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AS Bodyboarding Updates

Choosing a new bodyboard