Surfing Waves

I'm mostly a shortboarder but have gotten a longing to longboard. Specifically, I show up on a 1ft day with my fish and have to yield to longboarders who have the right of way, so now I want to longboard so I can have my share of waves.

I own a longboard, a really nice 9'6, but I don't like putting the racks on and such, just like to thorw my boards in the car and go, but the 9'6 does not fit in my car.

So, solution: I am buying an 8ft board that my shaper is going to make using the dimms of a 10ft board but cutting a foot off each side, a mini-mall, but super thick and wide.

So, question, and discussion: will an 8ft board made extra planky paddle like a 10ft board? What do you guys think? My shaper will make it. What do you think?

Well the deep ends! The 8ft could be fat and gruesome or it could be a miracle worker.
The rails are one thing the cut down profile is another he might be able to dome or step the deckhand give you reasonable bite on the rails for performance. A lot of longboards utilise a long flat section in the rocker for planing speed.

I'd also be talking seriously about what sort of surfing you want to do on the board that too will determine the shape.

But I have give you a serve, thinking, board to fit the car. Wouldn't the criteria be, board to fit my surfing

Alternately think Foley board or bigger mini Simmons

Why no roof racks some sort of California risk manage program

But given your sterling contributions to babe of the day, I can overlook anything

jaffa1949 wrote:
But I have give you a serve, thinking, board to fit the car. Wouldn't the criteria be, board to fit my surfing

Alternately think Foley board or bigger mini Simmons

Why no roof racks some sort of California risk manage program

i agree,
you won't believe me for sure, but for about one years I carried on my 9.3 longboard on a moped... yeah I know but no car..no choice....now I've a car and I bless my roofracks

Sounds like a magic carpet kind of board?

I've had a go on something similar once or twice - personally, I didn't like them because they felt a bit too corky. They bob about on top of the water, but don't plane like a longboard. Having said that, I've seen other people riding them and having a great time and catching everything, so I suspect it might have just been me
Depends how you like your boards, I guess.

I've been thinking similar thoughts about boards (must be our age) but I'm leaning towards a funboard-type thing with volume of upfront. Maybe in the new year.

For what its worth, Mactavish make an '8ball' which they describe as "The Eightball takes all the best bits of the popular 9 footer [Fireball] and condenses it down into an 8 footer." So there are boards like that. There are also the very high volume mini mal types, like the Walden magic or the very high volume fun boards like the Firewire Addvance (not sure if this board is replicable without the EPS core), for which you could probably go under 8ft and still get the benefits. But as DBB said, they might be too floaty to feel right. Or something like the Miller Waterskate.

I know you are having yours shaped, but thought I would throw in the above as potential 'styles' to have a look at. I think the rocker will be important - if you get a board with a very flat rocker it will probably paddle/catch as well as longer boards with more rocker.

Great advice guys, after taking it all in I went to visit my shaper, we discussed a bunch of this and I am going to go ahead with the 8ft board. I already own an 9'6" I dig, so worse come to worse I will keep it as a loaner.

I am going with a 4+1 set up, intend to use it with an FCS quad set up on 1ft mushy days, standard the rest of the time.

Thanks for the input guys, when it comes to longboards I am by far still a rookie at buying them, appreciate the feedback

I decided to dump the 4+1 idea and just make it a center with sidebites. Here is the board almost done being shaped and needing glassing

Looks like a very high volume 8ft board. Much bigger in plan than mine, and I certainly don't have any trouble in small waves. Just ask DBBB!

Should paddle great!

Keep us posted, and you're not alone in moving up in size.

Looks nice!

Why the wood nose?

To match the tail. Wooden tail and nose blocks used to be a common feature of a longboard. As did multiple stringers.

pico_train wrote:Looks nice!

Why the wood nose?

Like Jaffa said, it's how it was done before. I wanted more of a retro look and thnk it's cool.

Probably a good deal tougher too!

Mathteacher I appreciated your reply on my post about giving shortboarding a go- it's funny that we seem to be going in opposite directions. I think you should try changing your fin set-up. For me a single fin feels the best and seems to paddle fastest, quad is in the middle and a 2+1 the stiffest and slowest (maybe the toe-in of the side-bites causes too much drag?). Of course I am biased because I love the looseness of a single fin (like surfing on a cloud), and I still remember the day I took those sidebites off my first longboard and surfing changed for me. If you're already a shortboarder and going longer, I would give a single fin set-up a go and experience a whole different world. (That's also my goal for getting into shortboarding!)

LOL I guess I am going in the opposite direction, but this will pretty much be my small wave board, I still intend in using my shortie and gun for bigger days.

yYBTW ou are totally right, I have a longboard and rarely use the side fins, only time I did was when I longboarded big days with my longboarding buds at sunset cliffs, it seems to hold the rail and turn a lot easier with the sidebites, which is why I got them on this new board in case I decide to longboard on a big day. Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to be ready.

I also WAY prefer a cutaway fin to a standard sweep fin, think it pivots easier, but am going with the standard longboard fin for the retro look

And for you longboarders out there, I am not knocking longboarding, it's just not my first choice but intend on making it a good runner up

.

picked her up today. Actually, forgot to mention, the wood blocks are painted, real wood blocks would have been expensive and heavier. Also, my shaper forgot that I cancelled the quad set up so now I have something to play with

Took it out today in overhead perfect conditions, overhead slow rollers with steep faces. I would normally use my step up or fish but decided to break in the new board. Was way outside taking choice rides, the board held a good line and turned fine. Fun stuff. I rode it as a 2+1 but think will ride it as a single fin, want even more paddle out of it.

Now need to wait for it to get small to check out if my concept worked.

themathteacher wrote:Took it out today in overhead perfect conditions, overhead slow rollers with steep faces. I would normally use my step up or fish but decided to break in the new board. Was way outside taking choice rides, the board held a good line and turned fine. Fun stuff. I rode it as a 2+1 but think will ride it as a single fin, want even more paddle out of it.

Now need to wait for it to get small to check out if my concept worked.

Look and sound like a keeper to me, that could be a rarity for themathsteacher though, if you can get a set of FCS Bonzer fins try using the smaller pair of the quad set as side bite, if you have a twin concave they will do wonders. You also have multiple positions for that single fin in its centre box. Enjoy the wave count and experimenting>

Yeah, gonna keep this one. Although at the end it does not paddle like a 10ft board I think it will handle small waves just fine.

Looks like it has very flat rocker - is this more from cutting the ends off (obviously where a lot of the rocker usually is) or a conscious decision to 'go flat'?

Flatter by design, I like a flatter board for easier paddle. More rocker makes it more responsive and better in big waves, but I don't intend on using it fon big days, yesterday was just so I could try it.