surfboat

A surfboat is an oar-driven boat intended to enter into the ocean from the beach in heavy surf or rigorous waves. It is frequently used in lifesaving or rescue missions. The boat construction produced the same basic design when faced with the same problem that of passing through disordered whitewater and breaking waves and returning to shore. A broad stern accessible to steep and breaking waves when approaching shore can result in broaching (turning sideways to the swell) and swamping or capsizing of the boat. Therefore, surf boats comprise a pointed stern and usually a fairly marked sheer.

Surf boat rowing is much admired in Australia and New Zealand and to a smaller degree in South Africa. Motorized vessels like inflatable skiffs and Jet Ski personal watercraft have replaced surf boats as the primary tools for real world rescue efforts, but surfboat training and competition remain popular as leisure activities among both professional rescuers and amateur athletes.