Surfing Waves

So, as always, I have been buying and selling used boards to try them in my search for a small board for a big guy.

I bought a couple of used boards, including the bessell eliminator, bill johnson stealth quad and a rusty dwart.

I had a mini simmons made and loved it, but no better or worse than my fish, so I sold it.

So, I just visited Addict Surfboards and put in an order for something similar to the rusty slayer wich is a combination of volume with performance, but with thinned out rails and other performance enchancements.

Will update when ready

Oh, forgot, I already own a 6'8 x 20 1/4 x 2 5/8 sharpeye step up thruster, so ordered this one 6'2 x 20 1/4 x 2 5/8, preety much taking my step up and chopping it down (my shaper gets it...)

Good grief man... your disposable cash is way too disposable!

LOL, actually, I buy and sell boards all the time, I don't really have the money to keep all the boards I've tried, I only own 4 boards right now, had 7 at the beggining of the year. The 3 I sold are financing my current board LOL.

How many boards do you think your quiver has seen over the years?

Gosh, at least 3 used boards a year and a new one for the past 15 years, so like 60 of them? I like buying used boards to try different shapes, and when something feels good I order it custom new.

For example, for my shortie (remember, I'm 200 lbs so don't laught at what I call a shortie) I bought a 6'4 rusty, 6'6 ellington, 6'4 bessell, 6'3 Merrick tufflight, 6'7 merrick, 6'4 chemistry, 6'2 Addict and a 6'5 addict but ended up with a 6'5 Carbon fiber board by Addict Surfboards which I have not replaced for 2 year. Similarly with my step ups, my guns, my fishes, my hybrids and such.

I like trying new things.

60, holey moley! It's good to have a hobby

Thats crazy. i just wish that i lived close enough to the sea and the conditions where good enough all of the time to get some decent hours of surfing in. i do try to make up for it by spending around 12 hours in the sea on the days that i do get to go.

I was supprised how shortboardish it looks, cool! Will post up after a few rides

Got a chance to use it yesterday at OB .

So, did this experiment work? Still figuring it out. It paddles easier than my shortboard as expected, it holds better than my disc as expected, but did not seem to cutback like I expected.

It was a weird funky headhigh+ day with not great form, so will have to post later.

The research continues...

This board you show here wont't cut back mega because it's a round tail, albeit fin selection would make a big difference (I reckon).

Althought I respectfully disagree that you can't do mega cutbacks with a round tail, I am comparing the board to my others, which are both round tails.

I think adding both width AND nose volume to compensate for my weight was a bit much, might have to have another one made with just the extra width.

One thing I liked for sure: a couple of the waves I caught where 2 paddle entries, just paddled twice and popped up, which I like better than having to dig hard just to catch a wave which my old 6'2 required my 200lbs body to do...

just looking at the outline, I suspect (and I'm no expert!) that your cutback ablity comes from the proportions of the board as a whole - not just the tail shape. A very wide front half and a normal back half will have an effect on turning similar to a longboard or gun, due to the added weight in front (like a longboard) and straighter rail curvature relative to rocker (like a gun).

Remember that turning ablilty at speed is due primarily to the rocker of the board, and tail shape is more about breaking free the flow of water to initiate a turn, than actually controlling the rate of turn in say, a cutback...

Also fin placement is a big aspect of this, as slide is inherent in a turn, so bigger fins and further aft fins will reduce the ability of the board to slide - thus straightening the arc of the turn a little, but by doing this they stop the board from over-turning and skipping out during a turn.

Just my 2c.

'teach: that is a cool way to try different boards. Going used, that is. And there certainly are far more expensive hobbies one can have. Thanks for posting photos of that little and notes about how it works. It was fun to learn about it.
billie

Jimi wrote: A very wide front half and a normal back half will have an effect on turning similar to a longboard or gun

I was wondering if that would happen, I thought having a board 4 inches shorter would counteract some of that. Still, it was a big mushy day, need to try it on a more rippable day to really know if I goofed on what I asked for.

Jimi wrote: bigger fins and further aft fins will reduce the ability of the board to slide - thus straightening the arc of the turn a little, but by doing this they stop the board from over-turning and skipping out during a turn.

I didn't experience any slide, caught and rode waves no problem. I was complaining about slide on my disc, a board not meant for steep waves as it is.

Thanks though, good insight...

themathteacher wrote:Thanks though, good insight...

No worries, and remember - I'm no expert!

I'm just offering my opinion base on my limited experience, and a few books I've read on surfboard design.

Can't wait to hear how it goes after you're used to it a bit more!

Ok, got a chance to try it on better waves and had a blast with it.

Really easy to get into waves, like a disc, but it held great and it cutback no problem, I even hit the whitewash (instead of the lip) and came back into the wave, hard to do with the bigger board since it usually gets pushed hard by whitewash. Fun fun

So, after using it a half dozen time I am going to have to give this board a FAIL. It performs fime, but it's too thin and I have to work hard to catch waves, harder than I like to. Plus, because I sink it, it takes me a while to get to the lineup, unlike my other boards.

So, back to the drawing board, gonna have to get one similar but 2 5/8 thick like I had originally wanted.

Notch up another board for themathteacher!

So I sold it, and my shaper felt bad because I ordered my original board 2 5/8 and he made 2 1/2 because he thought it would be too thick so he gave me the new one at cost.

And to dispell any rumors that I am a board hoarder, with this board I only have 7 boards, each with a specific purpose.

Here she is: