Every pair of board shorts sold in Australia claims to be quick-drying. Most of them are, more or less, because the fabric does most of the work. What actually varies is how much water the shorts hold in the first place, and that comes down to three things: the fibre, the weave, and what is lining them.
What makes a board short quick-drying?
It is the fibre. Polyester is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water rather than absorbing it. A polyester fibre holds roughly 0.4% of its own weight in water. Cotton is hydrophilic and holds somewhere around 25 times that. So a cotton short comes out of the surf heavy and stays heavy; a polyester short comes out carrying water on the surface of the fabric rather than inside it, and that water evaporates or drips off.
Everything else is a refinement on top of that. A tighter, lighter weave holds less water between the threads. A smaller inner mesh brief means less fabric to dry. A drain eyelet in the back pocket stops it holding a cupful of seawater all afternoon.
How long do board shorts actually take to dry?
In Australian summer conditions, with a bit of sun and a bit of breeze, a polyester board short goes from soaked to merely damp in about 10 to 15 minutes, and to dry enough to sit on a car seat in 20 to 30. Out of the sun, or on a humid day with no wind, double it.
That is the practical test most people are really asking about: can you swim, then walk to the pub or drive home without sitting in a wet patch. With polyester, usually yes. With cotton shorts worn for a swim, no.
The variables that slow it down are the ones you can see: thicker fabric, a full mesh lining rather than a brief, heavy embroidery, and pockets that hold water.
How to tell before you buy
Check the composition, not the marketing. If the product page says polyester, or recycled polyester, it will dry fast. If it says cotton, cotton drill, seersucker or a cotton-poly blend, it is an everyday short that happens to look like a board short, and it will stay wet.
Our mens board shorts are quick-dry polyester with an inner mesh brief, side pockets and a velcro back pocket with a drain eyelet. The Cactus Jack and So Jelly are both cut that way. Our kids board shorts use the same construction in sizes 2 to 14.
Our Rad Shorts are the deliberate exception. We took the mesh out of those so they work as everyday shorts, which makes them a cotton-poly blend rather than a swim short. They are a hybrid: fine for a quick dip, not what you want for a day in the surf.
Quick-dry and recycled are not opposites
A common assumption is that recycled fabric performs worse. It does not. Recycled polyester is made from used PET bottles that are cleaned, shredded, melted and drawn into new yarn, and the finished fibre behaves the same as virgin polyester: same water repellence, same drying speed, same print quality.
Our eco board shorts are 100% recycled polyester, about eight bottles a pair. There is more on the process in how eight plastic bottles become a pair of board shorts.
How to keep them drying fast
Salt and sunscreen are what ruin a quick-dry short. Salt crystals sit in the weave and hold moisture; sunscreen oils coat the fibre and stop it shedding water. Both are easy to deal with.
- Rinse in fresh water after every swim, before the salt dries in.
- Machine wash cold, no fabric softener. Softener coats the fibre and is the single fastest way to kill the drying speed.
- Hang in the shade. Direct sun fades a bold print and degrades elastane in the waistband.
- Never tumble dry. There is no need, and the heat shortens the life of the elastic.
Common questions
Are quick-dry shorts the same as board shorts? Usually. Board shorts are made from polyester because they are designed to be swum in, and polyester is what makes them quick-dry. An everyday or hybrid short in cotton is not quick-dry even if it looks similar.
Can you wear quick-dry board shorts as normal shorts? Yes, and most people do. A mid-thigh regular fit with pockets wears fine away from the water. The inner mesh brief means you can skip underwear.
Do board shorts dry faster than swim trunks? They are the same thing in Australia. What changes drying time is fabric and lining, not the name.
Why are my board shorts still wet after an hour? Either they are not polyester, or they have been washed with fabric softener, or there is water trapped in a pocket without a drain eyelet.
Still weighing up styles? Read board shorts vs swim shorts, or check the size guide for measurements in centimetres.