SURFBOARD GLOSSARY A-Z

Asymmetrical zippers
Zippers with staggered teeth, invented to keep a tighter seal and let less water in. Common in newer zippered suits.

Beavertail
Early wetsuit design in the '70s that had a large flap affixed to the suit's lower back wrapped under the crotch and secured in front. Designed to hold the suit in place, the innovation didn't really work and surfers took to letting the slab dangle. (Hence the term, "tail".)

Blindstitched
Seam that's glued together, then sewn halfway through the material so you don't see the stitching on the other side; generally on higher-end suits and considered flexible, fairly watertight and durable.

Double blindstitched
Seam is glued together and blindstitched on the outside, turned inside-out and blindstitched on the inside; considered a very watertight seal.

Fullsuit
As the name implies, a wetsuit that covers the whole body. (Though some companies make short-arm fullsuits) Ranges in thickness from 2mm to 6mm, but the most common fullsuits are 3/2mm and 4/3mm. (Called "steamer" in Australia.)

Gaskets
Three areas on a suit -- wrist, ankle and neck -- where the rubber is rolled inwards to create a fairly inflexible seal, which inhibits water seepage. The neck in particular is a delicate balance between flexibility and tightness, seepage and breathing. Some companies no longer use gaskets, relying instead on form-fitting rubber.

Gusset
The panel that runs down the arm, invented to make paddling easier.

Hood
Generally made of super soft neoprene, as it needs to fit snugly; can cover up to just under the nose in ultra coldwater suits. Hoods can come attached to the suit (some companies feature snap on/off detachable hoods), attached to some kind of nylon or polypropelene rashguard, or on their own.

Jersey
The molded inner material that holds the neoprene together, made from any combo of polypropelene, nylon, titanium, etc.

Kneepads
Often made of slightly harder rubber than the rest of the suit to protect neoprene from constant duckiving pressure. Many suits feature molded kneepads, which are pre-formed rubber that ostensibly helps with flexibility.

Millimeters (mm)
Refers to thickness of neoprene. Wetsuits are rarely all one thickness, usually using a thicker rubber in the torso for warmth and a thinner rubber in the arms and legs for flexibility. While thickness can range from 0.5mm to 5mm, typical suits are 3/2mm for cool to cold water and 4/3 for cold water. (One of the only metric terms in the surf world.)

Mini-back zip
Small zipper, often flanked by a layer of rubber behind it to prevent seepage, which was developed as a compromise between ease of entry of zippered suits and flexibility and warmth of zipperless suits.

Nylon
Smooth material, usually used as a liner/jersey, and to keep the neoprene from expanding and falling apart.

Panels
Neoprene is cut into sheets that are formed to various parts of the body and then joined together at the seams. Panel development is ongoing and fierce as rubber gets more and more flexible, fewer panels (and fewer seams, always a good thing) are needed.

Polypropelene
Wicking material (ie, it doesn't absorb water) replaced many nylon linings in suits in the late '80s and is often used for insulating rash guards today.

Seams
The connecting area between panels on a suit; one of the most important zones and the focus for much of new developments in wetsuit technology. (See: flatstitched, blindstitched, double blindstitched, taped, stress point taping.)

Springsuit
Short armed, short legged wetsuit, often 2mm. Used in cool water. (Some companies make long-armed springsuits.)

Stress point taping
Gluing tape is cut into small pieces and placed on seams in various pressure points throughout the suit, such as at the elbows, knees, and under the arms. The goal is to provide durability where necessary while keeping as much flexibility as possible.

Superstretch
(ultrastretch, highstretch etc) Trade name referring to a particular brand's most flexible rubber. Often only used in high-motion areas (ie, the shoulders) as it's generally considered less warm and durable than other kinds of neoprene. (This changes dramatically from year to year; what was last year's superultrahigh stretch is this year's boring old neoprene.)

Taped seams
Nylon tape is glued along the seams, covering up whatever stitching exists. Long considered a necessary evil to keep water out and add strength to the seams; often now only used at specific pressure points (see stress point taping) or replaced by liquid seam tape, a more flexible and perhaps equally durable option.

Titanium
A soft metal occasionally weaved into neoprene as early as '91, supposedly to reflect heat back to the wearer.

Velcro
Patented hook and loop fastener, used mainly in zipperless suits to connect overlapping panels and in zippered suits to tighten neck gasket.

Warranty
Depends on manufacturer; often one year on materials and lifetime on seams, but as suits get more flexible, many only last one season before they start falling apart. (Most surfers balk at the pricetag, but end up feeling like it's a worthwhile tradeoff because they're so damn warm and flexible.) Make sure to send in the little warranty card to validate the thing.