Attemped progression to a shortboard too fast...:(

[Ratfinksurfer]

Hello,

I've been trying to get down the line on a 6'3" Haydenshapes Untitled lately. But let me start this story from the beginning. I've been happily surfing my 9'0" log for the past year now. This winter in Southern CA I decided to try and learn how to catch waves on a shortboard at my home break. My home break is El Porto. El Porto is known for steep waves that close out, El Closeout. But it's the most fun and punchy beach break here in LA. So I stepped down to a 6'8" Hypto Krypto this October and started getting the hang of catching steeper waves. I think it was at this stage that my delusions of accomplishment began to give me a false sense of progress. I thought I had my 6'8" wired. Did I ever go down the line? Not that I can recall. Was I consistently catching waves? Probably not so much. My Hypto has 50 liters of Volume. And then I dropped another 10 Liters with the 6'3" Untitled.

Well my enthusiasm got the best of me again and I signed up for this awesome new Surfboard rental company called AwayCo. The first month was free and so began the past month of crushed dreams. I've been borrowing as I said in the beginning the Hayden Shapes Untitled. I never caught a single green wave. I'm at the point where maybe I should just get back to my 9'0" log and remember what it's like to stand up on a surfboard. It's literally been a month of me trying desperately to throw myself down the face of a wave, only to either miss every time or stumble when I'm in the perfect position. My ego is greatly diminished and I'm just feeling like a total kook loser now. I thought I was progressing so fast, now it's like I've regressed!

I'm tempted to get some private surf lessons. Because I have nobody who can tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm so tired of feeling like a buoy in the lineup. Any tips or advice is welcome.

[jaffa1949]

Just how capably were you surfing your log, down the line skilled or just slightly above very ordinary...... you’ve fallen for the going shorter will make it easier , NOT!
How can you make any progress if you can’t even catch waves, going shorter is fine but three foot jumps, most people would struggle.
Go short by small increments.
Stay longer on longer get your skills up . Another thing people can and do ride shorebreak on long boards.

BTW you have regressed severely........ you’re now a bodyboarders on a shortboard

[waikikikichan]

Goldilocks and the 3 bears. Not too hot. Not too cold. But just right. 9 foot longboard is too easy. 6'3" shortboard groveller too hard. Maybe a 7'10" fun board will be juuuuuuust right.

( don't get a quad )

[Ratfinksurfer]

Thanks Jaffa1949 and Waikikikichan, I'm leaning towards getting a funshape. I'm not gonna lie and say I've got my log wired but the waves here are so steep, a typical swell is 2-3 ft. so the log requires a difficult angled take off. (As I write this I'm realizing learning this would really help!) I'm thinking either the Torq 8'0 Funboard Pinline Surfboard (60cL) or the Torq 7'2 Mod Fish Surfboard with (52cL). I'm a 42 year old Dad who is certainly enjoying the exercise but just want to be an average or at least moderately proficient surfer.

[jaffa1949]

Just so you are aware, guys ride pipeline on longboards. But they are experts.
A couple of unknowns in your profile, like height and weight, your volume if you like.
Volume has become a selling point, likebred cars go faster.
Consider this the shorter the board s the more you have to be to the close out breaking wave point.
As for a closeout? Are other guys riding it successfully for the full, wave? If so it ain't a closeout.
A longer board can put you into,a rideable wave earlier , prior to severe steepening.
If it is a genuine closeout, I would be picking a more suitable wave

You still haven't given a clear review of your riding skills, an honestbwarts and all review, it can only get better from there.
A 42 year old Dad needs a stress management program, outcome an enjoyable surfing time not a gladiator versus the pit!

[Ratfinksurfer]

I'm 5'11" and weigh 175 lbs. I'm in decent shape. As for my surfing ability I'd say that when it's Summer (On my 9' longboard) and the waves are 1-2 ft. occasional 3 ft. I'm able to catch 8 out of 10 waves I paddle for. I can go right and left but I don't feel like I've ever gone "down the line". Long left or right rides are something I've never really gotten. So no bottom turns and no cutbacks. Just trimming at a 45 degree angle for a short beach break ride. Working on angled take-offs but usually I just go straight when catching the wave and then turn to go down the wave for a ways.

[jaffa1949]

My honest evaluation would be to get more turns happening, break the line , start making simple light turns up,and down the wave face , learn that turns come frommbackmfoot pressure so you need to be back with your backfoot driving the fins intomturn. Leaning is not enough! Each turn should add to your speed!

Another question ! In your normal surf at 45 degrees to the beach does the wave catch up and put you into the white water. Trimming means keeping pace with the green section of the wave, does this happen

It seems like I'm running a brutal appraisal of your surfing, not so but progress will come when you can consistently break that line and add turns to your skill set.
Forget the shorebreak, until you can take off steep,,use the drop,speed to lay into a bottom turn and set your rail and drive across the the actual wave face, shorebreak means assured quick wipeout.
Had a browse of small,wave videos from El Porto, nothing I saw in your range of wave convinces me that they don't accommodate turns and the full variety of small wave skills.
Real closeout seem to Bein the bigger swells.

Mastery of basic skills is what you need not short boards!

[oldmansurfer]

It's very common for beginner surfers to want a better board but unable to fathom what might actually be better. Sounds to me like you should learn to surf the 9 foot board better before you go looking for another board. But as Waikikichan said an in between board might be the ticket. You can rent another size? If so go for the in between one as long as you are paying for this board rental anyway.

[steveylang]

First of all, how haven't I heard of Awayco before? $60 a month seems really cheap, I assume you are also paying for shipping both ways?

I live in LA and have never surfed El Porto, but if it's lots of closeout waves or really short rides then you should try out some different spots, that will be more impactful for your surfing than different boards at the same spot. For example, I surf Topanga Stae Beach sometimes, some people say it is not a great wave but it is a point break with lots of nice long rides (all rights.) There are both long boarders and short boarders there. As long as it's 2 ft. or bigger and there's no strong onshore wind there will be rideable waves there.

The 6'8" Hypo Krypto doesn't sound too bad, from your description you could have just stuck with that as well? But a 7-8' fun shape sounds perfect.

I am a 40+ dad with only a year+ under my belt, send me a PM if you want to meet up sometime. I started out on a really wide and thick 7' Stormblade soft board, am on a 7'3" hybrid thruster now. I should have gotten a Minimal but it was a great CL deal and I am now doing okay on it. I look at other boards for fun, but this board has cured me of new board syndrome for now- I know my ability will be the rate-limiting-factor for a long time.

[RinkyDink]

My ego is greatly diminished and I'm just feeling like a total kook loser now. I thought I was progressing so fast, now it's like I've regressed!

The first step toward progress is not to measure progress in terms of the length of a surfboard. Measure your progress by pulling off maneuvers. Measure your progress by how well you keep your board moving across a wave without stalling in the flats. Ride the longest board you can that will allow you to perform the maneuvers you're ready to learn. I want to do a floater that will get me past a closeout section of a wave. I haven't been able to do that and I'm probably a long way away from pulling it off, but I know I don't need a high performance shortboard to do it. Get out of the mindset of judging your surfing based on whether you can popup and ride along a wave on a shortboard.

[Ratfinksurfer]

Measuring my progress in terms of maneuvers sounds like a solid plan RinkyDink. I love the concept of "new board syndrome"! It's so true, I don't blame my equipment for user error, but I do always envision the solution as being another board. Yeah, getting the Hypto wired should be my focus. Trying a new surf spot is something I rarely do. The drive up to Malibu always feels like it's cutting into my surfing time. But I'm down to give it another try. The last few times I went to Malibu Surfrider Beach I just couldn't deal with the crowd. Every time I caught a wave there'd be a Grom to my left already racing towards me.
Never been up to Topanga. I've heard good things about County Line as well.

AwayCo is essentially just HaydenShapes boards here in LA for now. It's actually free for the first month, so I never paid the $60 a month yet! (No Shipping fees, pick up only.) HS has a shop in El Segundo which is just down the street from my work. So I've been able to try the Plunder, the Untitled, and smaller Hypto Krypto's! I really love these boards.

[jaffa1949]

Oh why oh why do you fall for the short board speil, which demonstrably you are not have much success with yet.
It is a viable option , but only when you have better skills.
Are you having fun struggling ? You really love those boards, why? What enhancement do they give your surfing?

[DrDave]

You might want to check out ET Surf in Hermosa. They have a store brand board that is based on the CI Waterhog. I got one as my second board after starting on a longboard, and even at 8' it feels quite a bit different than a longboard. You're a little younger and lighter than I am, so could maybe go a couple of inches shorter. I mostly surf El Porto as well, but sometimes head down to Bolsa Chica. It's a beach break, so it doesn't get as crowded as places like Malibu, but tends to break a bit slower and peakier than El Porto.

[Ratfinksurfer]

To reply to Jaffa1949, what I like about HaydenShapes boards is that I can borrow them before I buy one. I was able to try their 6'8" Hypto Krypto three or four times! Then I found one used on craigslist and bought one. The Hypto Krypto is an amazingly well designed board. It has so much foam up around the chest area, the full nose and the fluid wrap around rails, it truly is a one board quiver. My mistake was forcing my progression too fast and wanting a board I could duck dive to get out the back on the days with 6ft waves. I wasn't able to make it outside on head high days with the 6'8" and it's 50cL volume. I'm going back to my 6'8" Hypto tomorrow with 3-4 ft waves. I'm excited to start making some turns and draw some lines on the wave face. I've only ever gone straight on my Hypto. I'm considering getting a stomp pad since I'm always riding the board from the midsection and need to start getting my back foot on the tail. My "new board syndrome" had me in a deep spell, still does; now I'm dreaming of a 7'6" FireWire Submoon! Haha, I'm sick, I need help! I have a serious surfing addiction!

HaydenShapes boards are also extremely light and durable. Cannot say enough about what great boards he makes.

[jaffa1949]

Just enjoy thoroughly, really put in the time to feed your addiction. Persistence will help a lot.

[IB_Surfer]

I'm going to give you some good bad advice: get a big fish as your transition board. Yes, they are not intended to be transition boards, nor small wave boards, but they are awesome for it. There, said it, no one reply if you don't agree, it worked for me and might work for others

[RinkyDink]

As far as the subject of when to start on a shortboard is concerned, I think sometimes my old mindset from the analog world takes over. Back before the Internet when I was beginning to surf in my youth, you could check out old, out-of-date books from the library on the subject of how to surf. They weren't much help. If you lived in the suburbs and didn't have anybody to teach you to surf or didn't know anybody to surf with, you would probably never learn. You'd probably have a subscription to Surfer magazine, but that would have been the extent of your surfing. If you were really persistent, though, and you ventured into a lineup anyway, you truly were a clueless kook--the kind who inspired the actual word. Beginners today are way ahead of pre-internet beginners from the past. I'm also speaking from a middle-age perspective. If I were 18 again and had access to Surf Simply videos, it might not take me much time at all to get riding on a shortboard. Nevertheless, I still think the most efficient way to gain surfing competency is to start on a longer board. It has also been the tried-and-true method for learning to surf since surfing began. A longer board also helps make surfing more fun because you can take that extra flab around your gut with you to your session and still have a blast.

[Big H]

I'm also speaking from a middle-age perspective.

LOL...middle of what? My granny made it to 106......

[Ratfinksurfer]

Well I'm happy to report that I went ahead and got a 7'6" Firewire Submoon! What a difference, the submoon is the same volume as the Hypto but ten inches longer. And well just a very different board, much more of a super foiled out longboard. It's so much easier for me to catch waves on the Submoon. I got my stoke back and I imagine I'll be giving my Hypto another shot whenever the waves get steeper and winter returns. But since Summer is on the horizon I decided I needed a nice middle range board for all around conditions. I can't rave about this board enough, it has tons of volume in the center and foils out so thin in the nose and tail it just takes a slight shift of your bodyweight to really control the speed.

[RinkyDink]

I'm also speaking from a middle-age perspective.

LOL...middle of what? My granny made it to 106......

I doubt I'll make it to 106. I'm pushing 52 now so I still have a couple surfing decades ahead of me . . . I hope.