Ordering a custom surfboard for the first time can feel like walking into a shop where everyone's speaking a language you half-understand. Foam density, glass schedule, stringer width, resin tint opacity, fin box system — every term is loaded with trade-offs and most shops don't explain them because they assume you already know.
We wrote this guide for the opposite kind of customer. If you've never ordered a board before, or if you've ordered before but the shaper made every call for you, this is where to start.
What This Guide Is
A one-page orientation that covers the order decisions get made in, what actually matters, and where to go deeper. Read it once and the rest of the build guide will make a lot more sense.
No jargon without explanation, no decisions swept under "the shaper picks." Every choice in a custom build is yours to make — our job is to help you make it with real information.
The Four Categories of Decisions
A custom surfboard breaks down into four groups of decisions, and they're roughly in order of how much they matter:
1. Shape (the biggest decision)
Length, width, thickness, volume, rocker, tail shape, fin cluster. These define how your board surfs. We make them feel like one decision — which model to pick — because every Lundquist shape is already dialed in. Pick the [model](/models) that matches your wave preferences and skill level, and the shape-level specs come with it.
If you're a new customer, start on the [models page](/models) and find the shape that speaks to you before you come back here.
2. Structure (materials that determine how it lasts)
Two decisions, and they work together. They're the most-overlooked pair of choices in a custom build, and the ones most likely to determine whether your board still rides like a new board five years in:
- Foam density — the core of the board. Lighter = more responsive but dents faster. Heavier = better glide but you feel the weight. [Read the foam densities guide](/build-guide/foam-densities).
- Glassing schedule — the fiberglass cloth layers on top of the foam. Heavier glass = longer lifespan and stiffer feel. Lighter glass = more responsive and faster. [Read the glassing schedules guide](/build-guide/glassing-schedules).
These two together are what separate a board you retire in three years from one you still ride in ten. Read both guides.
3. Aesthetics (how it looks)
The fun part. These decisions don't affect how the board rides; they affect how much you smile when you grab it off the rack:
- Stringer — the wood running down the center of your board. [Stringer options](/build-guide/stringer-options).
- Resin tint — the color and opacity of the resin on the deck and bottom. [Resin tint opacities](/build-guide/resin-tint-opacities).
- Airspray — optional hand-painted artwork by Barry Snyder. [Airsprays](/build-guide/airsprays).
- Finish — gloss + polish (shiny, premium, heavier) or sanded (matte, lighter). [Finish options](/build-guide/finish-options).
4. Hardware (the bits at the ends)
Small decisions but they matter for both function and look:
- Fin boxes — Futures, FCS II, or glass-ons. [Fin box options](/build-guide/fin-box-options).
- Leash attachment — on longboards only, you choose between a [glassed leash loop](/build-guide/glassed-leash-loop) (small visible loop on the deck) or a [through-box leash](/build-guide/through-box-leash) (completely invisible, routed through the fin box).
- Fin templates — which specific fins you'll ride in the boxes. [Fin setups & recommendations](/build-guide/fin-guide).
A Suggested Reading Order
If you want to read all the guides, we'd suggest this order:
- Board Details Checklist — the 14 things we'll need to know to build your board. Quick scan so you know what's coming.
- Foam & Resin Types — PU vs EPS foam, polyester vs epoxy resin. Foundational material choices.
- Foam Densities — which color-coded density to pick for your shape.
- Glassing Schedules — which cloth schedule for your category of board.
- Stringer Options — the wood down the center.
- Resin Tint Opacities — transparent, 50/50, or fully opaque color.
- Airsprays — optional artwork on top.
- Gloss + Polish vs Sanded Finish — final coat.
- Fin Box Options — which fin system.
- Through-Box Leash and Glassed Leash Loop — longboard-only leash choices.
- Fin Setups & Recommendations — which fins to ride in the boxes.
You don't have to read every guide. Skim the ones that don't apply to your build (if you're not getting a longboard, skip the leash guides; if you're not doing custom artwork, skip the airspray guide). Read the ones that do.
What We Default To (When You Don't Want to Decide)
If you want the shortest possible custom order, pick a model you love and say "build me your default." Here's what you'll get:
- Foam density: Brown (Classic) for longboards, Yellow for shortboards/twins/smaller mids, Blue (Stock) for everything else.
- Glass: our standard schedule for the board category — always heavier than industry-default because our boards are built to last.
- Stringer: 1/2" dark-wood on longboards, 1/8" ply black on shortboards/twins/mids.
- Resin tint: clear (no color) — but we'll probably encourage you to pick a color. Clear boards are beautiful; tinted boards are unforgettable.
- Airspray: none.
- Finish: gloss + polish on longboards, sanded on everything else.
- Fin box: Futures.
- Leash (longboards): glassed leash loop.
You don't have to touch any of those defaults. They're what we'd build for ourselves. But if any of them feel off for your use case, every guide below tells you why and what else we offer.
Blake's Take
A custom board is a decade-long relationship if it's built right. The hour you spend reading these guides before ordering is the difference between a board you ride and a board you love. When in doubt, [message us](/contact) — we'd rather walk you through a decision in advance than glass something you'd have wanted different if you'd known.