Equinox Surfboards - Buyers Guide

Buyer’s Guide

Ok, we’ll keep this short cuz we want you to get out there surfing as soon as possible, but if you have any questions or clarifications do not hesitate to call or e-mail us. We’ll be happy to help with ANYTHING you are curious about. The following are short descriptions that are aimed to help you choose the best Equinox surfboard for you.

BOARDS

LONGBOARDS are thought of as the traditional, quintessential surfboard; they conjure up images of the forefathers of the sport. When considering a longboard it is important to understand that although longboards have the most stability and wave catching ability of any board, they are also more difficult to handle in the surf. In other words, it will be the hardest board to get out past the waves, but it will be the easiest to catch a wave with.

MINI-LONGBOARDS are exactly what they sound like, a smaller, more maneuverable version of the traditional longboard. While they still maintain excellent wave catching ability, mini-longboards offer more precision and a little more forgiveness when dropping in on a wave. Plus, once you are up on a wave these boards offer more performance than a true longboard

FUNBOARDS are arguably the best boards to learn on, while also being an excellent performance board for more advanced surfers in smaller surf. These boards offer an excellent balance of wave catching ability and performance. Because funboards have more contour and shape, they are far more forgiving when dropping in on a wave than a longboard setup—and this contour also provides the performance attribute to these boards. In other words, funboards are the most versatile all-around boards; from beginners to seasoned veterans and from ankle high surf all the way up to overhead surf, Equinox will provide the experience you are looking for.

RETRO FISHES have sprung up everywhere in the industry in the last 5 years, these boards offer excellent performance and great throwback styling. Both an expert surfer looking to rip every wave in sight, and a novice surfer looking to shift down to a smaller board will find everything they are looking for. Equinox offers both classic twin fin and the quad fin setups, either way these will get you out there and change your surfing forever

SAFETY

Understanding safety is at the forefront of learning to surf, not only for your sake but also for every other surfer’s well-being. There are many rules of etiquette that go along with surfing in any line-up and most of these are in place to make sure that nobody gets hurt and/or their gear gets damaged. Trust me, the quickest way to make enemies in the water is by not knowing the basic rules of surfing.

#1: Know your ability level

-Don’t try to surf breaks or conditions above your ability

#2: Know characteristics of the break you are going to surf

-Learn about breaks in your area that are suitable for learning and breaks that are for experts (particularly for Localism, more on this later)

-Learn the structure of the break (i.e. Sand Bottom, Rock Bottom, Reef)

#3: Use the appropriate equipment for the type of break discussed above

-ALWAYS use a leash to prevent a runaway board; this is the best way to protect your investment, as well as other surfers.

ETTIQUETTE

Learning proper etiquette is essential to surfing and making sure you and everyone else is safe in the water. Without etiquette surfers and surfboards would be flying all over the place, making an extremely dangerous free-for-all. If you don’t obey the simple rules of surfing you are sure to get some stink eyes in the water, if not something worse.

#1: Ideally, waves come in an A-Frame shape, where the wave breaks in the center and ‘peels’ both left and right.

LOCALISM

This is something we have to get out of the way, it may sound surprising, but it is imperative that you are aware of Localism. Surfers can be extremely territorial about their surf break (particularly at Point Breaks). This can be related to a whole host of issues, but typically it has to do with particularly good waves and previously outsiders may have crowded the break, thus limiting the waves for the locals that are out there everyday. In other words, locals will surf their spot on good days, bad days, great days, and they don’t like it when ‘fair-weather’ surfers show up for just the good days. They pay their dues by surfing the sub-average days and then they are rewarded with the good to great days—so they get upset when people crowd their break on the good days. It seems a little odd, but this is an extremely important aspect to surfing. Now, there are varying degrees of localism, from you absolutely cannot surf in a location unless you live in front of it, and all the way to everyone is welcome. It’s just a matter of figuring out what breaks are of what type and how to make yourself welcome.

Whenever planning on going to a break for the first time, research it on the internet (Surfline.com is a great source) and lear

n about the vibe and set-up of that break. The following holds true for all breaks:

-When you get there, watch the hierarchy (from the beach) of the surfers in the water for at least 10 minutes.

-If you paddle out, make sure not to paddle out in front of the take-off zone

-When you reach the outside, make sure to stay off to the side of the main line-up and take off zone.

-Watch/Learn who the experts and the locals are and give them the right of way.

-When you are ready to go after a wave, make sure no one else is on the wave or directly around you, and for your first few waves always give the right of way to other surfers even if you have priority.