longboards for 5'4 female?

[cocoroko]

Hi,

I am interested in noseriding. I am 5'4 (164.5cm) - what is a good size for longboard to practice noseriding?

also, if there are good surfboards to look into for noseriding practice - my friend recommended me donald takayama, joel tudor, NSP- since i am new to surf "brands", i would love to hear any thoughts or recommendations...

[jaffa1949]

Hi Cocoroko, welcome the happy land of long boarding , any of the brands you mention are suitable and of good build quality, I would suggest something about 8ft in performance model, light, particularly as I'm assuming that you are not heavy, in what country are you surfing?
If you are near surf shops spend a little time looking and see what catches your eye.
If you know or can talk to girls who longboard have a talk.

Good luck and we will be happy to hear that you are on the nose

[cocoroko]

thank you jaffa! i am in the states. if i may ask, do you see a difference in noseriding for 8.6' vs. 9' boards? is it more stable to ride on a 9 foot? and what would be the difference between a 9' and 9'2" (not exactly sure what changes with 2")

[jaffa1949]

Hi Cocoroko, 9ft is good as is 9ft 2" they will be better platforms for nose riding than an 8ft but there may be some trade off in the other elements of surfing but they will vanish as you skills progress.

The bigger boards are more stable for nose work are they act as a counter balance to your weight on the nose.

Happy to help and I hope it does!
Girls look great on the nose!

[cocoroko]

thank you jaffa! i can hardly wait. i'm looking to visit the west coast in a few weeks. if there are any surf shops that carry good longboards that anybody might have thoughts or recommendations on to share, would be awesome to hear!

[Rickyroughneck]

If you are beginning, anything over 9ft would be a mission to handle in the water (not talking about catching waves, just general handling), my 9'2 longboard can be an effort and I am 6'2.

I would recommend something 8'-8'6. Assuming you are under 150lb, noseriding will be fine on an 8', although try to get one with a large centre fin (either by itself or with two smaller side fins).

[cocoroko]

thank you ricky! 9' boards are indeed big! i do like how stable they seem when you're riding it - i'll try to experiment and compare with the 8' boards, cus i do like the portablity of them too... if there are any websites that anybody may recommend checking out for surfboards, it would be awesome!

[GarrettFL]

Donald Takayama makes a board model Kassia, meant for lighter weight, small female models. Made by Kassia a team rider. Little pricey but it'll work

[surf patrol]

Hi GarrettFL, welcome to Surfing Waves!
& thanks for the info.

[jaffa1949]

That's a really good call kassia is top notch, a board for her should suit well!

[Fay]

If you are beginning, anything over 9ft would be a mission to handle in the water (not talking about catching waves, just general handling), my 9'2 longboard can be an effort and I am 6'2.

I would recommend something 8'-8'6. Assuming you are under 150lb, noseriding will be fine on an 8', although try to get one with a large centre fin (either by itself or with two smaller side fins).

I agree, I've got a 9'2" NSP epoxy longboard and it's a real handful out of the water; the slightest gust of wind and it acts like a sail when carrying it from the car to the beach and, being epoxy, it's heavier than a fibreglass board. I am a 5'9" 178 lb female and, personally, can't wait until I can graduate to a smaller board! But, in the meantime, my 9'2" is a great board to learn on despite its size and weight.

[cocoroko]

hi surf patrol, great to hear the recommends! i checked the kassia meador board out online, it looks very nice. i would love to ride one like that, that is classic and not too wide for a women's shoulder width - approx. how long a width does that turn out to be?

hi fay, i didn't know there was such a difference between epoxy and fibreglass! i can't wait to practice on the longer boards - i've tried the 8'6 recently and as big as it looks, it surprisingly seems on the shorter end when i was on it.

[jaffa1949]

Cocoroko the Kassia board is between 22 1/2 inches and 22 5/8 inches depending on the length.

I had the pleasure of surfing with Kassia and a group of the Roxy longboard ladies at my local break.
I called them two stroke surfers as they were so light and nimble with two strokes they could catch a wave and within two steps ( cross stepping they could be on the nose and being so light they could maintain a nose ride well beyond what a heavy weight like me would grunt or strain for.
Look at the Kassia board again and look for a sisterhood to hang out with, support as you learn!
Surprisingly a lot of guys like to help too, ( often without motive) Women surfing makes the break a nicer place to be!

[dtc]

Women surfing makes the break a nicer place to be!

I surf near where Pam Burridge (former world surfing champ and long time pro surfer) lives and she sometimes makes an appearance. My area isnt very aggressive at all, lots of weekend surfers and general kooks like me; but as soon as she appears even the 'manliest' man sits back and lets her rule the waves. Which she does in the most pleasant manner.

Although, of course, watching her certainly and somewhat depressingly highlights the vast difference between a great surfer and, well, me.

[Fay]

hi surf patrol, great to hear the recommends! i checked the kassia meador board out online, it looks very nice. i would love to ride one like that, that is classic and not too wide for a women's shoulder width - approx. how long a width does that turn out to be?

hi fay, i didn't know there was such a difference between epoxy and fibreglass! i can't wait to practice on the longer boards - i've tried the 8'6 recently and as big as it looks, it surprisingly seems on the shorter end when i was on it.

Epoxy is more durable and, as such, is better for beginners and returnees to the sport. As someone just getting back into surfing after a long absence (and is as clumsy as hell), I currently use an epoxy board as it can take more rough handling and beatings than a fibreglass one and if it had been fibreglass it would be full of dings by now. Newer epoxy boards are lighter than they used to be but still heavier than fibreglass.
I'm hoping to get good enough to graduate to something at least 2 feet shorter and in fibreglass by this time next year, though! My 9'2" longboard fits inside my car, but only just.

[LadyLogger]

Hi,

I might be late to the party, but I wanted to chime in because I was recently looking into this kind of thing myself. I'm a beginner/intermediate lady longboarder who surfs mostly in NY/US.

First of all I just want to say, I think NSP boards rule for learning to surf on. I'd highly recommend them or ditto whoever said it first. I rented a 9'2 a few weeks ago and caught almost every wave. They are super cheap, durable, and lightweight. I've also ridden 8'6 and 8'2 models and they were excellent. I think for someone of your size an 8'2 or 8'6 would be perfect, more towards 8'6 for noseriding, or 9'2 if it's not too annoying to carry around. (I'm 5'7 so the 9'2 is perfect for me).

On the issue of epoxy, I highly recommend epoxy boards! Especially for women and/or people with less surfing ability or upper body strength. It seriously kicks me up a notch as a surfer, because with epoxy you float better and you can paddle faster. People on this thread have mentioned epoxy being heavier, but I haven't had that experience. All of the epoxy boards I have used in New York & California were lighter than their PU friends.

I recently bought a new longboard from a local shaper, and I asked the shaper & the crew at the shop what would be good for a lady surfer who wants to noseride but isn't really strong enough to carry around a heavy classic log (or try to steer one in a crowded messy beach break). The board I ended up getting is epoxy, 9'0 by 22.75 by 2.75, and its great for my needs. The downsides are that it's true what other posters said about the wind - especially out of the water my board is like a big kite trying to fly away. Also it just doesn't have the gliding PU feeling of a classic log, which is just the trade-off you get with epoxy I think. The epoxy just has it's own character and advantages.

Personally, I'm not really good enough as a surfer to take advantage of the PU qualities, but I definitely get the most out of epoxy boards.

Anyway, hope this is helpful!

[jaffa1949]

Welcome Ladylogger ,
This is great, it is all very well for the boys to suggest stuff, but when it it gets down to the nuts and bolts of what a girl need for her style and size of surf who better to advise than the sisterhood
I would like to suggest a women's section thread on all that concerns and covers the differences What are thoughts about this?

[LadyLogger]

Thanks, Jaffa1949. This is a cool forum and I've learned a lot from it over the years (lurking). I am glad to contribute any way I can! Hope the original poster found a good board...

[cocoroko]

wow! jaffa and dtc, that's awesome you see professional surfers locally. watching her surf is breathtaking! i'd love to see more professional longboarders in the west coast. fay interesting! in terms of epoxy and fibreglass - what does the majority of boards these days use for lighter weight? (am a total beginner on this topic) ladylogger, it's awesome to hear your experiences - i'm looking forward to renting a 9 footer this weekend, as much as it is heavy to carry around... i'm thinking if i can find a convenient case for it i can hold with my shoulder, it wouldn't be so bad if u don't mind to share, which local shaper do you see in NY? what is PU btw?

[jaffa1949]

Morning Cocoroko, there are some surfboard slings around to carry surfboards easily this is one and it comes from California
http://bettersurfthansorry.com/106/boar ... rs.com.htm much better than a case as slings don't add much weight to your shoulders.
As for shapers in NY Hmmmmmm hard to know from Australia.
If would look at some of the off the rack Takayamas (ie the kassia) or some of the name boards with models for women, have a look at Curl magazine see what is being ridden.
A quick update on the PU PS and EPS stuff in boards, the foam under the fiberglass. PU = polyurethane = standard foam used in most "normal" type boards,
PS = polystyrene and EPS expanded polystyrene often used under epoxy type boards and vaccuum bagged boards . Epoxy can be used on any foam it is more durable but harder to work with.

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