Too obsessed about longboard width?

[jlowrie]

I have a question for all those that know more than I do. I've surfed about 3 years and do fairly well on smaller waves. I've had a few longboard and mostly they were bigger bricks and had a ton of fun on them. I 'graduated' to a 'modern longboard' by Bruce Jones (second BJ board). 9'2" x 22.25 x 3 1/8. I surfed it today and actually had a ton of fun. I DID notice it was less stable but DID turn way easier. I'm 5'7" and float between 140 and 150 lbs.

Am I too obsessed that this board might be too slim? It's not billed as a performance board — Better board to progress on? I'm a smaller guy — for some reason I always thought 23 was the least width I should have. What am I sacrificing / gaining with the .75" difference?

I mostly surf beach/ rivermouth breaks but also do Doheny which is a longboard break.

Any opinions? I'm a little too nutty with getting the 'perfect' board.

[waikikikichan]

You seem just as obsessed as others are in other sports. The endless search for the "perfect" golf putter. The fishing pole with the magic touch. The aero handle bar on his bicycle that will shave 0.000023 seconds of his race time. Are you obsessed the same way with your lawn mower or the paint brush ?

One thing I can say, is to not focus on one dimension. Sure there's width - length - thickness. But I think stable-performance aspects come more from Rocker, Rail and Bottom Contour. A standard longboard is 9'0" x 22" x 2 3/4". Bruce Jones boards are rather generous in the float dept. ( is yours a PU or Boardworks ? ) My contest board is 9'0" x 21.5" x 2 5/8" ( i want 2 1/2" but they snap too easy ). You are not that heavy, I would look for a true performance longboard especially for beach break. Try your friends boards and take notes.

Nelson Ahina at a beach break in Miyazaki Japan

[jlowrie]

Thanks man. I appreciate the reply. I know it's nutty — I went from a 9x23x3 to a 9'2" x22.25x3 1/8 which seems the same volume - It's PROBABLY perfect for my size and 3 years surfing. I'm just nutty that way. I'll probably pick up an old log for those San O' days and keep this board. This one will keep progressing the way I should. Thanks!

[jaffa1949]

At 25" and above you have to get aircraft carrier landing markings on your deck.

[Roy Stewart]

In many respects wider longboards turn much better, but it depemds upon the type of board.

Here's a 27" wide board:

[CheaterFiveSurfBum]

Wide boards are good for stable cross stepping and nose riding. Not as wide boards are good for paddling if you don't have very wide shoulders. Long boards below 3-1/8 thick remind me of the 1990's longboard revolution when shapers were making longboards to do short board turns. Thick is good for paddling fast which helps you catch waves and help you get out to the lineup fast on big knarly days as you can't duck dive.