:: Mid-size. Mid-sized boards are greatly under-rated. No, you can't noseride them and you can't do snappy turns off the lip, but they do have a number of virtues. They fit easily into beach breaks and into cars. They offer more responsiveness than a LB and more float than a shortboard. Let's face it, most of us are over 30, we haven't seen 150lbs since high school and we probably don't surf as often as we'd like. Still, we want to make those fun top-to-bottom turns, and pump through a section or two, maybe getting a little cover-up along the way.

I offer two basic mid-size shapes.

First there's the HYB4/3. It's a hybrid shape meaning that it looks like a big shortboard but with the widepoint at center, fuller nose, wider mid-section and more thickness. This shape has more volume than a shortboard of similar length and has the volume located mostly where the shoulders and chest are while paddling, rather than under the feet while standing. This shape works well with the standard tri-fin or "thruster" set-up, but it also is really fun as a quad. Typical length is 7-0 to 7-10, width 20.5"-21" and 2.75"-3" in thickness. Tail shapes run the gamut from rounded square to swallow to batwing. Rails are similar to a shortboard, but fuller due to increased thickness. The HYB4/3 is a good shape for someone who wants to transition from a LB to shorter shapes. Or, for someone needs more volume but doesn't want to use a longboard.

The second mid-size shape is the Wayfarer. The Wayfarer is an egg shape which is probably one of the most versatile shapes ever designed. They can be shaped to be flat and fast, rockered and responsive, or something in between. Typical lengths are 7-0 to 8-6, although they can be even shorter. Rails and bottom=contour can be like a hi-performance longboard or a hybrid shape, depending upon application. Widths run 21"-22.5" and thickness is 2.75"-3.25". Tail shapes are round, square, swallow, diamond, you name it. Fin config can be tri-, 2+1, quad or single. Those trendy boards called "Big Fish" or "XXL Fish" are really just flat-rockered eggs with a swallow tail. Rockers vary according to desired performance. This is a great shape for a beginner or an experienced surfer since it can be easily customized to fit the needs of either. It also makes for a good travel board.