I'm curious as to why each evolution of a board is sprooked as having better this that or the other performance. Does it really take a decade to determine what shape the rails, tail, nose, etc should be. One is left with a feeling of...."if only I had waited to buy this years board, it sound heaps better". While that maybe the case for elite riders, it is lost on someone of my modest ability.

That's just marketing. Boards change because they have to change so that brands sell more. Sometimes for the better, sometimes to follow a trend (e.g. stubby nose, shorter and wider), and then back to whatever was before that.

I personally prefer the more narrow, slightly longer shapes from around 10 years ago as I'm lightweight and can more easily control those boards than the wider shapes that seem more common now.

For intermediate or heavier sailors, these recent shapes might work better.

There is an interesting discussion by Patrik that explains how the development of fins influenced the board shapes

Yes, it is the fins, and the number of them, that are being develop in conjunction with the boards. Patrik is a good example, he has talked about the development of slalom fins and boards. There is also Ola H, who has talked about the development of multifin waveboards in conjunction with the fin-set-up.

Lots of marketing from year to another, but if you upgrade every 10 years or so you will certainly both see and feel the difference.

Boards change because sails change
Fins change because boards change
Sails change because fins change

Lather, rinse, and repeat. (Or switch to foiling)

A few years back Goya boards went really narrow, but they soon realised that it just makes them really unstable and corky as they just made them thicker instead of wider.

A lot of boards these days just evolve bit by bit, Goya and Quatro have a two year cycle when during the time one range of boards is for sale, they then test and make the boards for two years time. Some brands every year and some every four or five years.

According to Patrik, boards changed because of the introduction of carbon fins.
The flex allows a better performance and the box is moved further back.

A lot of people will have 2-3 board sizes. Adding a carbon fin to each board is expensive, so many will compensate with G10 fins.

So will modern boards behave correctly?
Should sailors using G10 fins stick with old style boards?

Just an app and a subscription fee missing yet from the complete board package

Maybe boards dont improve but people get better at finding the right board to suit them and the conditions they sail

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ptsf1111 said..
For intermediate or heavier sailors, these recent shapes might work better.

As a heavy intermediate I can attest that the some of the current shapes are brilliant for sailors like me. Currently I am absolutely loving the 2022/2023 Goya Quad 114 L at 233 by 63.5 and the 2024 Starboard Kode 125 L at 231 by 69.5. Was not impressed by the 2025 Starboard Ultra 229 by 61. I have also tried some of the shorter "stubby" style boards over the last 10 years and I am not a fan. 225 cm - 235 cm seems to be the appropriate length for me.
When I first got into wavesailing nearly 20 years ago the Starboard Evo 92 L was the biggest board available, so I could only wave sail when all the regular weight folks were blown off the water. From memory that board was 235 by 62, so apart from the boards packing in more volume nowadays (235 by 62 could be 110 L now), it seems like the more sensible length boards are coming back towards where they were 20 years ago.

Truly agile high-volume wave sailing boards are likely the most impactful innovation over the last decade. The rest is more feature innovation imo.
A bit of (rail) length is indeed comfortable if you are taller/heavier, although i had some good times with 212cm compacts etc.. just very fickle/tiring to punch out in gusty, current swept shore break conditions (pearling unless bulbous nosed)

It's very much model dependent. The difference is in style, tuning, etc. Masts and settings are critical. Some old boards can be super fun, sometimes (most times) better built, it's the case of the sails I use too.

It's possible that some years produce boards that are not so much enjoyed by everyone. Watch out for those. Otherwise, anything goes!

The gear program is more important, some spots need drive, others more control.