The height or length of a board is measured from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.
    A longer board obviously has more foam which provides for more flotation. Because of this, a longer board will catch waves easier, carry speed better, and keep momentum through flat sections of a wave. Longer boards also have longer rails and as the length of the rail line is increased, control is also increased giving longer boards a much more stable feel in all kinds of surf.
    Shorter boards have their advantages as well. They turn easier, they are quicker, and they are more maneuverable than longer boards. Short boards are much more sensitive to weight transfer than longer boards. Weight transfer is the key to any maneuver on a short board and will take a while to master.

Comments:
   Longer boards may pearl (nose dive) in small steep surf because it is harder to negotiate the weight transfer necessary to make the drop in such a small amount of space.