crap another shortboard question :)

[steph k?]

hey ladies and germs kindaa new here.


names steph.

and im sort of stepping into the shortboard relm and im hoping y'all could help me out.

5'2'' 120lb ish



have a 7'6''x22x3 mini mal right now


ive ridden a tried shortboarding before but had some difficulty due to the fact that the board was nearly paper thin.





im becoming a craigs list junkie and im really hopin to get one soon before i go insane looking at the abundance of boards for sale..


thankkks panx.

[isaluteyou]

have a 7'6''x22x3 mini mal right now

Wow thats got some float.

try going for a shortboard around a 6'6" x19x 2 3/8 or something along those lines. Its actually not all that critical because if you buy it second hand you can always resell it if it does not work however those dimentions above should be adequete but i imagine it will be quite a step down.

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

I'm an inch taller and about 125 lbs, currently riding a 6'0 x 18 1/4 x 2 1/4. 6'6 is a good stepdown board but will eventually still be too big. I definitely think you can go smaller tha 19" in width. The narrower the width, the more arm you an get in the water, which makes for more effective paddling. We chicks usually have shorter arms than the guys because we're smaller and our shoulders aren't as broad (altho they'll get broader the more you surf). Might want to stick with 2 1/2 if you can find something that thick or a fuller volume flat rocker board. Lost Mayhem makes a shortboard called the ProFormance that's a real easy to ride shortboard. If you happen to see one, I'd definitely recommend grabbing it.

[steph k?]

fantasticc.
:]


would a 6'4''x20x2.5 fish be going to short?

oOoOo
hold on...another question going your way...does it matter whether i get a fish or just a regular shortboard when transitioning into a smaller board?

thanks.

[drowningbitbybit]

...does it matter whether i get a fish or just a regular shortboard when transitioning into a smaller board?

Yes. It matters lots and lots and lots.
For several reasons....

A fish will usually have quite a large volume, but they are very skatey and will feel unstable to someone not used to a shortboard...

...but you'd be able to catch waves easier with a fish than a shortboard.

A fish is best in smaller waves, while a shortboard works better in more powerful/steeper waves.

Despite its volume, a fish can be difficult to paddle (its large area at the front means its pushing a lot of water) and can be hard to duck-dive (tricky to get that fat tail underwater).

A fish isnt very forgiving. Going from a mini-mal to a first shortboard, I would get a softened shortboard (I dont mean soft. I mean non-extreme).

something like isaluteyou's suggestion of 6'6" x19x 2 3/8 is about right - with a squared off tail, reasonable volume in the rails and not too ridiculously pointy.

[steph k?]

my my...
well that changes alot.





alright pretty got the general specss...guy at the shop told me the same thing today.
"]



quite excited.

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

I've found round nose fish to be very stable and forgiving. Able to cheater 5 on both 5'2 & 5'8 fish. Also easy to paddle, but yes, much more difficult to duckdive than a shortboard.

The first shortboard I rode when I transitioned from funboards (Aipa sting swallows 7'6, 7'2, and finally a 6'8") was a Lost Mayhem 6'6 x 19.5 x 2.63 Pro-Formance squash tail. Lots of volume, very stable, excellent for beginners. I didn't ride it for very long though, because it was still too big and difficult to duck in bigger waves. Ended up buying a a 6'3 in the same shape.

I prefer shortboards to fish, but it's nice to have one for really tiny days.

In retrospect, I don't feel that it was necessary to get so many "transition" boards since I didn't ride the 6'8 or 6'6 for very long. Here's the url for Lost boards with descriptions of the Pro-Formance and round nose fish. Might answer some of your questions/concerns.
http://www.lostenterprises.com/prod/05boards.php

[steph k?]

found one.

"]


but i think it might be a bit short...6'2''

however it is only 100 dolares


"/


http://sandiego.craigslist.org/spo/471351938.html

[isaluteyou]

for a $100 in fairly ok condition id go for it. Might work for you either way you can just resell it if it doesnt. hell if you dont i might just snap it up -got a buddy who wants something simular lol

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

sweet deal! can't wait to hear how you like it.

[steph k?]

WAIT!!
i found a bunch of flyers that are slightly longer..
and a wee bit more expensive...however i am known for my ridiculously good persuasive skills therefore....i could probably get them to drop the price a wee bit...



hmm..

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/spo/476137121.html


http://sandiego.craigslist.org/spo/475788929.html