Surfing Waves

I bought a nice classic 9'2, 23 1/4", 3" singlefin longboard. Love the board but I just can't seem to get enough speed on it. I'm sure it's me; I don't have too much surfing experience.

I have a 9' tri fin longboard that seems to move much faster. With the singlefin, I find that I can't get ahead of certain sections of the wave to keep my rides alive. With the tri-fin, I can tear down the line and pick and choose where I go on the wave.

I think it has to do with my lacking footwork skills. I know moving up on the board is supposed to generate speed, but it seems that when I cross-step up a few steps, I'm still not getting speed increases and I eventually nosedive.

I put the fin all the way forward because I didn't feel like I could turn the board the way I wanted to. Now it's loose as a goose but seems to have lost even more speed.

The guy who gave me lessons told me a classic lb may be challenging. Any tips? Thanks in advance!

Get a bigger fin, move it back, go faster, suffer when trying to turn, trim width off tail rails with handsaw to improve shape, think really hard, buy surfboard making materials, make better board.

RoyStewart wrote:Get a bigger fin, move it back, go faster, suffer when trying to turn, trim width off tail rails with handsaw to improve shape, think really hard, buy surfboard making materials, make better board.

i think hes doing push-ups lol

Roy is right, it might be your fin. Bigger fin=more glide with less turn.

Maybe ride it like a shorter board - on the steep face and pump it.

It is a long board though and the width alone will compromise trim speed.

Yup, you foot position will also affect how she rides.

However - you might actually be going the same speed as on your shorter board, but the size of the long board might 'hide' it !

In any case, keep at it - your surfs are not boring as long as you have a challenge [ Look at Roys’ !! [ I’d like one - one day actually !!! ]]

Thanks, width doesn't reduce trim speed or planing speed actually, in trim it has no effect as the board is effectively on one rail, and when surfing on the bottom width increases speed if applied correctly as wider planing surfaces are more efficient.

Most malibu type longboards have at least three problems which cause them to be slow, so most likely it's a combination of all three. Greater overall width isn't one of them though.

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