Surfing Waves

I'm making the switch from a 7'8 to a shortboard and was wondering what board I should get? I'm 5'11 & 175 lbs.

There's this board which is 6'8" x 19.75" x 2.625"



And this board which is 6'6" x 19.5 x 2.5"



The first board is $200; the second one is $100. The only difference I see is the fuller, wider nose. Opinions?

Hi - For what its worth here is my 'transition' ....

Started surfing 8 months ago on a 7'2" Hybrid Funboard.
6 Months later I supplemented this with a Miller V-Skate, 6'6" x 20 3/4 x 2 3/4
The step down to this board was quite noticeable (needed to paddle much harder etc), but wasn't too bad due to the volume of the 6'6 being quite high.
The Miller snapped in 4-5ft sets last weekend so I have just bought an Aloha AF2 Turbo, 6'6" x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2 - this is a big change from the Miller despite being the same length as it has much less volume in the nose, is noticeably thinner and quite a bit narrower. I honestly believe I would have struggled to go to this straight from the 7'2
(Incidentally I surf every morning for about an hour - sometimes get an afternoon session in too!)

Looking at your pics ... The first board does appear to have much more volume in the nose, but is also wider and thicker. I would say this would be the best of the two for you. Also, coming from a 7'8 is a big jump - have you considered moving to a 6'10 as an interim?
The second board still carries its width quite far forward, but being narrower and thinner will have less volume overall.
Personally, if these are the only two options I would go for the first one, however I would also think about trying one before you buy it to see how it feels and maybe looking for a 6'10 or simalar as a step-down board.

Finally - what kind of waves are you surfing and how often as this will have an impact too. The second board looks like it may be better in bigger waves and the first board would be a good board for 2 ft grovelling days! (Although you really need to look at the rocker too when thinking about board shape for waves)

Hope this helps!

Jonny

^^^^^^

What he said.

Jonny_H wrote:Hi - For what its worth here is my 'transition' ....

Started surfing 8 months ago on a 7'2" Hybrid Funboard.
6 Months later I supplemented this with a Miller V-Skate, 6'6" x 20 3/4 x 2 3/4
The step down to this board was quite noticeable (needed to paddle much harder etc), but wasn't too bad due to the volume of the 6'6 being quite high.
The Miller snapped in 4-5ft sets last weekend so I have just bought an Aloha AF2 Turbo, 6'6" x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2 - this is a big change from the Miller despite being the same length as it has much less volume in the nose, is noticeably thinner and quite a bit narrower. I honestly believe I would have struggled to go to this straight from the 7'2
(Incidentally I surf every morning for about an hour - sometimes get an afternoon session in too!)

Looking at your pics ... The first board does appear to have much more volume in the nose, but is also wider and thicker. I would say this would be the best of the two for you. Also, coming from a 7'8 is a big jump - have you considered moving to a 6'10 as an interim?
The second board still carries its width quite far forward, but being narrower and thinner will have less volume overall.
Personally, if these are the only two options I would go for the first one, however I would also think about trying one before you buy it to see how it feels and maybe looking for a 6'10 or simalar as a step-down board.

Finally - what kind of waves are you surfing and how often as this will have an impact too. The second board looks like it may be better in bigger waves and the first board would be a good board for 2 ft grovelling days! (Although you really need to look at the rocker too when thinking about board shape for waves)

Hope this helps!

Jonny

Thanks Jonny. I have considered actually even stepping down to a 7'2", but I just can't find one on Craigslist with something in my price range. I'm not sure which shape tail I should get either; I'm assuming squash since it seems to be a good all around shape. My thinking that since it's summer, the waves are most likely going to be ranging from 1-4' for the next 4-5 months, which will give me time to start learning and mastering my shortboard in time for winter. Winter months usually average head high, with the double overhead which happens once a month. The waves for the summer are nice and mellow, but don't really hold good shape year round. This past winter I saw average 8' waves that closed out a lot :/ I surf every day for about 2 hours. What shape should I look for in the rocker?

OK so I here are the specs for the boards I'm looking at

6'8 x 19.75" x 2.625" @$200, squash tail, FCS




6'10 x 19.75" x 2.5" @$160, squash tail, glassed on




The only reason I'm asking is because I would obviously buy the cheaper one, but the board is located 50 miles away from my current location and was wondering if it's worth the drive.

Recap:

5'11 @ ~180 lbs

Transition from 7'8 to shortboard

Current summer waves are average knee to waist high, shoulder to head on the off chance

Definitely the first board! That increased volume in the nose will make paddling a breeze. A nice curve in the last section and a tight tail will make it turn well.

Jonny_H wrote:The Miller snapped in 4-5ft sets last weekend

I snapped my main board at Manly 4 weeks ago (two days before Super Sunday) North Steyne sneaker set caught me out and axed me.

I was struggling on my summer board anyway, I've put on 4 Kg and can't handle the switch into a full wetsuit. All the signs were there to get out the winter semi-gun and now I have no choice This long weekend looks the goods and I've got a bloody head cold! going out regardless but wish I was 100%

Yep - it was North Steyne that caught me out too! I have to say, North Steyne / Queenscliff was a bit of an anti-climax over the long weekend - still nice but not what was forecasted. I didn't get chance to explore further up the peninsular, but hear long reef was solid 4ft sets!