Leilani Akamai, is thirteen years old and has been surfing since she was about eight. She loves surfing and it pretty good at it. But what kind of board does she use? Regardless of brand, colors, and fins, there are several types of boards to choose from.
The best board for a beginner is a longboard (or Malibu) to give the surfer control. Although I don’t know for sure since I was using someone else’s board, I imagine I surfed with a longboard when I lived in Hawaii. If you’ve read my last post, you know that adventure turned out much better than my video game surfing has.
Leilani’s board is 7’ to 8’ minilongboard. She does well with that board, but may someday want to shift to a shortboard (or thruster.) This will allow her to perform more quick maneuvers, but she’ll be giving up some of the control her longboard offers.
Another more mid-sized board is the funboard (or egg—because of the shape.) This is a board Leilani could consider before shifting to a shortboard.
Check back on Thursday for information on the cool board Leilani wants to buy.
For more information on the four main types of boards, check out this site:
And this site for a size/surfer weight chart:
Aloha, and Mahalo for visiting!
--Cheryl
The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Book One—Pineapples in Peril
Book Two—Menehunes Missing
Book Three—Ukuleles Undercover
cheryllinnmartin@yahoo.com
