Men's Board Shorts (Swim Trunks)

Board shorts are cut long and flat: an inseam of 9 to 11 inches finishing at or just above the kneecap, and a flat front closed with a laced tie and a hook or hook-and-loop fly rather than a gathered elastic band. Both features exist because you spend the session lying face down on a board, where a bunched waistband presses into your stomach and a short hem lets wax and rail scrape bare thigh.

Seams are the detail worth paying for, and welded or bonded joins beat stitched ones by a wide margin. A stitched seam at the inner thigh leaves a ridge that rubs a raw patch over a two hour session. A bonded seam is glued flat and gives the skin nothing to catch on. Shells run in four-way stretch polyester so the leg travels through a pop-up without the fabric pulling, and better pairs carry a water repellent finish that sheds surface water and keeps the shorts feeling light out of the sea. Liners are absent from most true board shorts, since hours in salt water plus a mesh brief is the classic recipe for chafing.

Swim trunks stop 4 to 6 inches higher, gather at the waist on elastic and come lined. That makes them quicker to put on and much worse to paddle in. Hybrid shorts borrow this flat front and add belt loops so they pass on land, at the cost of a stiffer waistband that digs in on a turn. Jammers and briefs exist for swimming laps rather than riding waves. The board short is the only swim style engineered around lying on a hard surface, and every feature on it traces back to that one position.

Surfing and paddleboarding are the real use, along with any full day moving in and out of the water. Fair skin gains from the extra thigh coverage, which is genuine sun protection across a six hour session. A knee-length leg shortens a short frame visually, so anyone under average height who mostly lounges will get more from trunks. Being unlined is the practical catch, since you have to decide what goes underneath before you leave the house.

Feel along the inner thigh seam with a fingertip and reject anything that reads as a ridge, because that is exactly where a long session goes wrong. Tie the lace and lie down if the shop allows it, since the flat front was designed for that position and no mirror reveals a bad waistband standing up. Ask whether the pair is lined rather than assuming either way. Salt and sand both need flushing out the same day. Shade drying protects the repellent finish along with the color, since ultraviolet light is what breaks down both.