One modern shortboards ,I was curious what would be the pros and cons of hips or a unbroken outline on the same size board? Would one type have a larger range in surf size? Would one perform better in smaller surf? Is it just preference? Thanks! Glad to see the site up!
Hips allow a slightly wider template aft for more planning and speed generation in smaller waves, along with a pivot point, and reduction in tail width for easier sinking and turning, which helps control in faster or larger waves. So it seems a compromise of a wider board for small waves and a narrower board for larger waves. More versatile by allowing to ride small and larger waves, but perhaps not as optimal in large waves as an unbroken narrower template.