Mid-Length Surfboards — What Are They and Who Are They For? | Hand Laid Eggs

By Max - Board designer and shaper

Hand Laid Eggs

Mid Length surfboards…mid-length or midlength, however you want to spell it. These boards have had a resurgence in the last few years, fuelled by more people in the water who are choosing to differ from the old norm of being a longboard or shortboard surfer.

As is usual with the free flowing nature of surfing, mid length surfboards have evolved and aren’t as easily categorised as they used to be.

Egg surfboards, funboards and hybrid surfboards could all be referred to as mid lengths - there’s even been the introduction of ‘performance mid lengths’ and a ‘mini mid length’ category.

Let’s break it down and understand if a mid length is right for you…

High volume mid lengths like the Scrambled are perfect for intermediates

What is a mid length surfboard?

First made around the 1970s, mid length surfboards were an alternative to the growing shortboard scene and long established longboard community. The shortboards at the time were narrow and hard to ride in anything other than powerful waves, the longboards heavy and similarly difficult to control over a few feet of wave size.

Re-popularised recently by the likes of Devon Howard, Mikey February and Torren Martyn. Three very stylish surfers whose video clips helped to sell thousands of mid lengths and bring them back into fashion - and for a good reason. More on this later.

Shape

Mid lengths usually feature longer rail lines, wider outlines and rounded shapes. Most mid lengths have a slightly pointed nose, although less overall shape up front compared to mini-mals. When compared to shortboards, the nose is considerably wider and less aggressively pointy.

Often with rounded ‘thumb’ or pin tail, occasionally with a diamond, squash or small swallow tail. The performance/big wave friendly mid lengths will have a more pulled in nose and tail, the more small wave funboard/egg like mids will feature wider tails. 

Length

Mid length sizes start around 6’6” and finish around the 8ft mark. Popular mid lengths for the UK are closer to the 6’8-7’6 range. Our personal opinion here at Hand Laid Eggs -  if featuring the other similar characteristics of a mid length, anything over 6’4” is considered one.

A mini mid length is more of a sub category, lots of twin fin/twin pin mids are very fun around the 6’2” to 6’6” size, particularly for bigger or punchier waves. Smaller mid lengths like this can be an excellent choice as an everyday surfboard for lightweight men and women.

Width

From 20 inches wide, up to around 22” with a large amount of them sitting around the 21 inch mark for the common UK length listed above. Wider mid lengths (like our Scrambled model) will suit smaller waves, improver and intermediate surfers or top heavy people. A mid length with less width would make it faster rail to rail - think improved turns and more control in better waves, but reduced stability. 

Which mid length is best for Cornwall waves - round nose and pin tail or pointy nose and rounded tail?

Thickness/Volume

Whilst the thickness and volume will vary with the shape and purpose of the mid length, most mid lengths have a good amount of volume in comparison to shortboards. Thicker mid lengths will suit improver and intermediate surfers looking for stability and paddle power. Thinner mid lengths (like our Royale model) will be easier to duck dive and control during cut backs and turns.

Rocker and Rails

Mid lengths feature a flatter rocker than shortboards, making paddling onto waves much easier. In contrast, the rocker is more pronounced than on a mini-mal or longboard, suiting most mid lengths for medium and above sized waves. Some performance mids can feature quite a lot of rocker so it’s important to take this into consideration and not assume that a longer board means more paddle power.

The rails on mid length surfboards are usually balanced, medium thickness rails for a mixture of small and medium waves. The thinner the mid length is, the more likely it is geared up for larger waves and so will have a corresponding thinner rail, allowing you to make tighter turns.

Fin set up

Again a big mixture out there but mid lengths normally have a 2 + 1 set up. A larger single fin and smaller side bites (called a 2 + 1) gives you the option to play around with your fins, choosing a larger single fin only for speed and flow, or adding side bites and reducing the single fin size for more control in a majority of conditions. 

Twin fin mid lengths are a popular choice for UK waves, providing this fast, flowing feeling. The extra rail line of a longer board provides more stability than you’d get of a smaller twin fin fish.

Performance mid lengths (the ones that are essentially giant shortboards like Kelly Slater’s model) have thruster 3 fin set ups or sometimes quads. These will have more control but feel slower down the line than the more traditional 2 + 1 set up. 

Due to the reliable control of a thruster 3 fin set up, it also suits higher volume, more improver focussed mid lengths like our Scrambled model.

Shaper and mid length fanatic Max, at Watergate Bay

One of the rare days Cornwall had waves without wind

Why are mid lengths so popular and who uses them?

In a nut shell, mid lengths are popular because they can be ridden and enjoyed by a variety of surfers. They paddle onto waves well and can be used in a larger range of conditions than surfboards like shortboards or longboards. 

Mid Lengths for the people

People saw the ease of which Devon Howard and Mikey February were getting onto waves on their mid lengths and could relate to flowing down the line and performing more drawn out turns, as opposed to the top shredding shortboarders we were more commonly accustomed to seeing smack the lip. Woopah.

Torryn Martyn also helped showcase how mid lengths could be used on larger waves or as a one board quiver on trips. Choosing to use a long twin fin mid length on double overhead pointbreaks in his videos, he would also ride tiny peelers on the same board days later.

Improver and Intermediate Mid Lengths

Improver and intermediate surfers can suit larger mid lengths, or ones with high volume. If you are at the higher end of improver or intermediate, or stepping down from a mini-mal you could also enjoy a more performance orientated mid length (like our Royale model) to focus on improving your surfing without the need to step down to a tiny shortboard.

Mid lengths for longboarders

Bridging the gap between mini-mal and mid length, some more round nose models (like our Poached) are perfect for longboarders who want a smaller board but with a similar feeling. These models are scaled down longboards crossed over with some of the features of a mid length - a great choice for maximising your wave count in small to medium UK waves.

Mid lengths for UK waves - big and windy

Finally, a personal note on how mid lengths helped me get into much bigger waves. Whilst riding a shortboard, I use to struggle to get onto head high and above waves in Cornwall, as often when it’s big, it’s windy. A longer rail line board with plenty of thickness under the chest would allow me to sit further out, avoiding the impact zone, and paddle onto big waves with confidence. Check back soon, there will be a more in depth blog and YouTube video on this subject!

The 6’10 Royale, a great all round UK mid length that doesn’t mind a bit of size

Final note

With a plethora of mid length surfboards out there, it’s impossible to read through the marketing nonsense to decide which one that’s right for you in UK surf conditions. The best mid length for your surfing involves pairing the shape and size that will work with your surfing ability, height, weight, and where and how often you surf.

Browse our mid length surfboards (here) and drop us a message to chat to our friendly shaper, a passionate mid length surfer who has helped hundreds of people get the right surfboard for them.