Surfboard design, is a topic that is always hotly debated amongst the surf community. These designs have a profound effect on the boards use, or the rider’s style. Through ethnographic research it can be seen that surfboard design, when analyzed through psychoanalysis, has a major effect on the surfers style. Not just through ability but through the psychological nature of repression. This miniature ethnography interviewed four long island based surfers; Bob, Ken, Shane, and myself. These surfers all vary in age, from age 20 to age 50. I chose these four surfers because they would be easy to gain access too. I was forced to use emails to conduct my interviews, although not the best method it was the only one available to me at this time. These individuals each represent different areas of surf culture. They all ride different styles and I wanted to gain knowledge of the entire culture not just my own niche. I wanted to determine if surf style was changed due to board design and if riding style changed due to a person’s mood. Each individual was asked how many surfboards they own as well as the lengths of each board. After these questions they were asked to explain their style when using each board and also if their style changes depending on their board. These questions helped me to further my psychoanalysis of surfboard design and rider style.
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