Takayama in the pink...tough paddle

[tommykrebs]

I will stop here writing about the Takayama. It's pointless. Maybe this thread will help some people to make a decision if it's the right board for them. But please don't let the little nose rocker let fool you to catch waves easily.

[Geezer]

I play golf too. Used to anyway. No such thing as an effortless swing, bur what is true is relaxed is fast, and the key is in the technique of hinging and unhinging of the wrists through release with a gravity influenced rhythmic whip of the club….that and a bunch of other things including form, swingplane, playing within yourself and pre shot routines that are supposed to assist with consistency. Parallels to surfing are that trying “hard” is counterproductive and the tension means a slower swing than a relaxed swing with a consistent tempo and wrist whip. Relaxed, smooth, rhythmic tempo…..sounds the same as good paddling to me.

I’m no shill for any surf teaching program. I don’t know what they could teach anyway beyond those two videos; really that is all there is to it. Learning and building the muscles and flexibility to arch up while paddling in before putting your hands on the board to push up is really the key to controlling the nose of your board while paddling in. With practice you can position yourself on the board so that chin down helps dive into a wave you are late on and chin up will pull that nose up and tail down to get that glide.
Really isn’t snake oil. It’s just fundamentals. Watch groms and their super flexible backs paddle into waves with their chests up at almost a 90* angle to the board while paddling and emulate them.

[tommykrebs]

I deleted my last post because I see no point in arguing. I try it again. Sure, I still can catch a wave if I nosedive by arching my back and shift a lot of weight towards my tail. Or take off the moment I nosedive. (I have to learn it first) This is not my point.

My point is, if the wave is big enough that I nosedive with the Takayama, I can take a mid-lenght board without nosediving. No need to take the Takayama in the first place.

I bought the Takayama to catch small waves, like in the picture below. Obviously I have not the strength to paddle for such a small wave and I need something with more volume. There is no need to make the Takayama work for me in bigger waves. I have two mid-length boards.

[jaffa1949]

Had a read back through the whole post, ( something I do in case I'm missing what is being asked) and I thought to show you a day with very small surf between my waves I was able to take this photo, the guy's board was 9ft 6 inches very heavy no rocker it was sheer skill, experience and lots of meaningful crouching that avoided nose diving and then nose riding.
the Takayama seems not to fit a few people, might cost a little but hire some none soft top longboards of different construction and see if one fits your needs for small waves.
The whole Raft ( pun intended) of advice offered is to get you surfing and being happy with what you are doing, short, long, in between, we all want you successfully wet!

[tommykrebs]

Thank you! Today I went out with my 7ft and I had no problem to catch the first wave. Coudn't ride it because everything was closed out, but yes, compared to the Takayama it felt very easy. I think I have more of a problem to get the heavy longboard moving and a even bigger longboard makes it not easier. I cannot see my speed but I can feel how fast I can move the water with my arms and with the Takayama it feels super slow and it takes forever to accelerate the board. Too slow to catch a small wave.

[tommykrebs]

Although I caught just five waves in four month (see, I am not a quitter, haha) with the Takayama, I learned a lot about reading waves and pro-active paddling/positioning. It wasn't fun but by no means wasted time.

[tommykrebs]

Same spot, same small wave but different board. Today I catched and surfed more waves with my 7ft long Phish than in four month with my 9ft Takayama ITP. The Takayama has around 20L more volume but it weighs a ton. For me its tough to paddle and I am glad I am done with it. The long Phish is so much fun, I just ordered it in 7'6''.

But it's puzzling to catch waves pretty easily with the 7ft and with the 9ft not at all. I assume it has something to do with acceleration and momentum.

[jaffa1949]

Seven foot is your lucky board, surf it lots and improve lots, let any thoughts of the Pink fade

[tommykrebs]

My replacement for the Takayama arrived today. A 7'6'' long Phish. What a beauty. Soon I will try to repair and sell the Takayama in Hossegor/Capbreton.

I watched a documentary on YT about Christenson and they shape the Takayama's in the same building.

[tommykrebs]

Today I took the 7'6'' out to it's maiden voyage in very small waves. Between 30 to 60cm. (1-2ft) And it was mind-boggling how easy it was to catch waves with it. I didn't had to be spot on at the peak and no "paddling for my life". I could even catch those small waves on an 45° angle. The difference in catching waves between the Takayama and the Christenson Phish is like playing a different ball game. Sure, the Phish has not enough volume to carry me thru flat sections but I caught between 20 to 30 waves. Better than zero waves with the Tak.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to bash the Takayama, it's just amazing how easy it is to catch waves with a smaller board and 20L less volume. It should be the other way around.

[jaffa1949]

OK nothing more is needed except surfing as often as possible!
Being forward on that board will take you across same flat spots if you get alittle speed.
It is very like one of my favourite boards

[surferfamily]

Spent ages writing a response to this topic and lost it…

Anyways I am no pro surfer but the ITP has consistently been the hardest board I’ve ever paddled in on. Definitely a rewarding fun ride but definitely the fussiest I’ve ridden. I was always too far back, forward, early, late or angled wrong etc. Tried and owned various others in 9’4-9’8 length and would consistently catch most of the waves paddled for. Bought 9’5 updated version of the ITP and could only catch 10% of waves paddles for. It did love late takeoffs and have longest fastest nose rides ever! I swapped it for a 9’6 CJ Nelson Apex and now I catch every wave paddled for no matter where I am positioned or even which way I am pointed. My personal opinion is that the ITP was the hardest board I’ve ever come across to paddle in. Rewarding and fun, but hard work. Now I have a board that is easy in and just as rewarding and loves hollow and fat waves. Go well on your new ride.

[thediver]

(first post, long time reader, saying Hello!).

I went through this dramatic thread & I'm sharing two points:

1. I surf roughly 3 weeks per year and over the last 12 or so years I built up some level of expertise which allows me to go out there and enjoy myself. I always rent boards and I do my best to stick to the board I rented (unless it's a complete disaster). Usually after 1-2 days I start feeling comfortable. So, perhaps, Tommy, the variety of boards you have at hand is your curse...

2. ITP - I surfed it last year for two weeks around Encinitas, California. I'm 1.85m, 82kg. The board was 9'6. I LOVED it. Can't recall any problems with pearling/ catching the waves (apart those I can blame myself for). Once you catch the wave this board just flies. I wonder if I'm the only one enjoying this this board?

[surferfamily]

I know have a Torq 9’1 x 23” which is extremely similar in design (& intent). Although not as easy to paddle as some other designs (like my 9’6 CJ Nelson Apex), it goes really really well. It can be nose ridden in nearly any part of the wave (feels like cheating really), turns well and quickly accelerates to amazing speeds in no time. I briefly own a 9’5 Kai Sallas Camper shaped by same shaper who ghost shaped for Donald Takayama. For such a big board, I personally found it unenjoyable to paddle. It has more nose and tail rocker than the original ITP and to me, felt like a bulldozer going forward in soft sand with its blade down. Awesome to surf on the right wave, especially with steep late drops. But that particular board wasn’t for me. Whereas the Torq 9’1 board is a great fit. ITP don’t have a lot of nose entry rocker and I think this really helps. The underwater dynamics are a winner and it’s popular for a good reason. It does seem to polarise some people though.

[voyager]

Don’t get me wrong, the board is amazing…in the right conditions. Malibu point break 3’-5’, nice offshore wind - heaven.
5’ low tide Saunton Sands beachbreak UK in Feb - nightmare.

It’s about the paddling out mainly, if you have a nice flat shoulder you can get round it’s fantastic, but trying to get through 5” of whitewater on a long paddle out, it is not the board for that - and that is mainly the conditions we have in the UK.

So horses for courses, depends where you surf/live and the science/geography/current weather of your paddle out experience, that will, I believe be make or break.

On a nice day/right conditions this board is amazing, I had some seriously good fun on it…only not often enough for it to be my 'go to' board. I sold it.
But, I’ve seen the board many times out there since selling it and the guy who bought it utterly loves it, so what do I know?

[thediver]

that's a great point (the where). actually I found this thread while doing some research on boards since I'm thinking about finally buying one. I'll be moving from the UK to the continent and I'll be trying to surf more - EU west coast, mainly beach breaks etc., i.e., the very much not Malibu -like situations. for this sort of conditions - have you guys (@voyager?) found any single long board you believe could maximise fun? I've heard some good things about the Skinner's boards but never tried one. thank you.

[surferfamily]

If you get the opportunity, definitely try a Parallax in Thunderbolt Technology. Fast, easy to turn, super easy to paddle and designed for “feel” not winning longboard championships. They come in 9’3 9’6 and 9’9 lengths . My own favourite board is an Apex 9’6. Looks like a 9’9 in size, paddles like a 10 footer, surfs like 9 to 9’3 board. Well worth considering.

[voyager]

Hi TheDiver,

sorry everyone to keep banging on about these but I swear by the Walden Mega Magic 9'. Either that or a bulldozer, why? Because most of our UK beach waves need pushing through quite a bit of white water, Saunton, Putsborough, Newgale, Rhossili etc. Places like Le Tranche, Biarritz in France and San Vicente De La Barquera in Spain are not dissimilar. Unless you find amazing reefs and point breaks or a rip to help you out the back, I find you need every bit of paddle power you can get, and the Mega Magic paddles like no other board I've ever tried, but that's just me. A few people on this here forum don't seem so convinced, I guess it's horses for courses.
Because the Walden paddles very fast and you can get it moving quickly, you can get to moving/changing peaks when you need to move around the break a lot.

Out of interest where do you surf now in the UK?

[thediver]

Thanks voyager, surferfamily for chming in. Appreciated! Also great to chat with someone who understands the specifics of European beach breaks - out of breath after an endless paddle

What are your heights/ weights and what sizes of Walden Mega Magic/ Aphex are you guys riding?

voyager, well, this is a cliche - beaches of Newquay. Friday early afternoon train from London, 6hrs etc. I hate the city but the beaches are stunning. I know that the entire coast is beautiful but didn't have a chance to venture off the beaten tracks. Whenever I have more time I go to Portugal (south of Porto)...

[voyager]

my current ["doughnuts-are-good"] weight is 13st 3 lbs, my "salad-is-your-friend" weight is 12st 9lbs, height - 5' 9".

The 9" Walden is quite a different beast from the 9'6". The 9'6' is slower to get going and turn into a wave quickly I found which means I missed quite a few waves with the 9'6". For me the 9' is very quick to get going and you can turn and paddle into waves fast, so for me , much easier to hoover up tons of waves, usually way more than anyone else [sorry to boast!] and I can usually get a bit further out than anyone else because of the board, so often get on the wave first.

I used to surf Fistral , Gt Western and Tolcarne quite a bit - but can't be doing with the car park AMRP type facism now, 'send you a fine if you so much as stop and open your door for 2 seconds' thing. The town now is horrible too, just drunk people on stag nights mostly. I s'pose if you get the train you don't have to suffer the car parks!.....Just a tough walk as well as tough paddle!