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The bottom of a surfboard doesn't have to be flat (as viewed from the end). There are several alternatives to a flat surfboard that effect performance.

Flat – Flat bottoms are the simplest answer that gives speed in all situations. It gives a smooth ride in choppy waves. It is a good beginner surfboard and good for floaters and climbing white water.

Reverse Vee – Reverse vee is a great combination with few hang-ups. It means a vee that is forward on the surfboard that leads the surfboard into smooth turns and supplies great rail to rail surfing. It suits people who surf on their front foot and gives them easier direction changes. It is a good bottom configuration for the front of the surfboard.

Vee – The Vee refers to the back half of the surfboard and is quite an understated dimension. It is best suited for big waves in combination with a pin tail. It is a dimension that modern shapers are playing around with a lot. It is very loose and creates a pivot point in the centre of the surfboard.

Single concave – Single concave is a very popular bottom profile because of its speed. They have been increasingly used in combination with a double concave because on its own, a single concave can suck to the face of the wave and track on a wave leading to a loss of maneuverability. The most prominent bottom configuration for shortboards is currently concaves...either a full length single concave, which works great in good walled up surf, or a single concave that feeds into soft double concaves. This bottom design adds a bit lift to the tail, increasing looseness and speed. When you put it all together and hold up the surfboard...it just feels right!

Double concave – A double concave accentuates the vee (raised portion on the stringer) and gives more lift, speed and rail to rail transition in all sorts of waves.

Single/Double Concave – This is the most commonly experimented bottom profile for shortboards. It combines the advantages of both of the concave bottom designs and seems to eliminate their pitfalls. It is a great combination because it alleviates the tracking of the single and enhances the double concave giving more speed through turns and loosens up the feel of the surfboard.