8' or 9'?

[monsterzdadi]

I am 5'5 155-160

I am just a cruiser surfer who surfs to hang out with and invest in my daughter when we surf here in Hawai'i. We surf at Rainbows near Kualoa, Kahana Bay is her favorite cause she can walk the board, Buttons in Hale'iwa and Waikiki and Kewalo.

I like boards easy to paddle cause I am 49 and don't have the motor I had when I was younger.

I have the opportunity to either get a $300 8'x23.5x3.5 mini mail with like a swallow type tail with wings above it...not sure what it is called.

Or I can get a Stewart Redline11 9x22.5x2.75 for $600

Both are used the $300 board has tapered rails on the bottom where as the Redline has Stewart's signature beveled rails on top and bottom which are more pronounced.

My question is would the shorter/cheaper wider and thicker board catch waves the same or easier or would the longboard still have the advantage?

Sometimes the waves get steep which leads to pearling so I thought maybe the 8' would be the better all around board.

But all in all for my stature and surfing intentions which would be better .

I carry my boards overhead so under the arm width isn't an issue for me.

Mahalo gang! I look forward for some advice!

Aloha n God Bless!

[monsterzdadi]

Mini mal not mail. Spell check over ride!

[RinkyDink]

Mini mal not mail. Spell check over ride!

"Override" not "over ride". Spell check override http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/override . I got an 8'8" board, 23" width, 3" rail and have some buyer's remorse. There is very little rocker to the board (nose and tail). The board is incredibly easy to pop up on, but trimming it is not easy. The board is fast, however. It was cheap so I'm not too bummed about it, but if I had to do it over again I would have been more diligent about considering the dimensions, in particular the rocker. I'm learning as I go along. Nothing like a purchase to teach you what you don't know. That's why I buy cheap.

[oldmansurfer]

I think length adds more glide when you paddle which means it goes further after you stop paddling. So if all you are concerned about is wave catching I would go longer.

[waikikikichan]

You have to really figure out if you're buying the board for yourself or for her. For both of you will be hard. I think the 8'0" x 23 x 3"+ will float you, but being a "bump" or "wing" swallow, it's made for moving more rail to rail carving than cruising.

Length will be fine to walk on for your daughter, but to sit on and paddle, 23" is literally quite a stretch.

[icetime]

The bigger the board, the harder it is to get out of the impact zone when you screw up, but the longer the less effort to paddle and catch waves, plus there's a technique to not even paddle, with a longer board you can literally cork your way into a wave as long as it's not too big :p
Either way chose the board that you feel is right for you, both of them should work fine, just pick the one you find has the right volume and all

[monsterzdadi]

Mahalo gangies! Interesting info! Learned lots..."override" hahaha!

Yeah. I like the redline 11 but not the price. I found out I could get the used custom 8x23.5x3.5 for $280!

I surf maybe 3 x a week at most but safe to say 1 most weeks.

I know it's super wide but I was Hoping the thickness would help also.

I glad to hear the tail makes board more maneuverable because it is a wide and thick 8 footer!

I appreciate the mana'o!

[monsterzdadi]

Can someone calculate volume on 8x23.5x3.5 and 9x22.75x2 7/8?

[waikikikichan]

Don't rely on those Volume Calculators. You have consider the "total" package. Not just volume, but rocker, rails, bottom contours, domed deck, beak nose, etc. You can find a 9'6" that easy to turn. You can find a 8'6" that floats more than some big 9'0" ( Hobie Peter Pan Slug comes to mind ). You can find 10 boards all with the same length and volume, but they ALL ride totally different.

And if you come to Waikiki............. bigger is better.

[oldmansurfer]

Mahalo gangies! Interesting info! Learned lots..."override" hahaha!

Yeah. I like the redline 11 but not the price. I found out I could get the used custom 8x23.5x3.5 for $280!

I surf maybe 3 x a week at most but safe to say 1 most weeks.

I know it's super wide but I was Hoping the thickness would help also.

I glad to hear the tail makes board more maneuverable because it is a wide and thick 8 footer!

I appreciate the mana'o!

I think the shorter board would be fine just harder to catch waves with. In the long run you will get used to that however still longer boards are easier to catch waves with regardless that they may have the same volume or surface area. Think of width this way if you turn a board sideways to paddle it's not going to be anywhere near as fast and this is what happens when you add width and take away length. However this is not such a drastic situation and it will be only a small difference that you can easily get used to if you surf a lot. I am an old man and I surf really wide boards that are shorter but have lots of flotation and volume.. I think length alone makes a board easier to catch waves with. adding some width to make up for a shorter length goes a little ways but doesn't quite make up for it. there has to be something about width and drag. I think the wider the board the more drag from the planing surface and also maybe drag from the form or rocker of the board. So a longer narrower board may have exactly the same planing area and drag from that but the nose to tail profile or the amount of water the board pushes when you paddle is greater with a wider board so it doesn't paddle as well. Ultimately you can get used to a shorter board not paddling as well so if you have other concerns rather than just catching waves a shorter board may be for you.