Surfing Waves

You could have chosen a funboard, fish, gun, shortboard or hybrid, but you ride a LONGBOARD!

When the waves are steep you can pearl up straight to the floor and eat sand, rock or reef... YUM! When you want to make a quick turn you have to pivot off the tail with most of the frickin board sticking out of the water... KOOKY! When the surf is up and you need to duck dive...FORGET IT! And when you have to deal with storing, transporting, handling and traveling with your log...it's a PAIN! So why do you do it??

You can learn to ride steep waves without pearling on a longboard.. You can learn to go through the surf without duck diving. Those are mischaracterizations of longboard limitations. The real limitations of longboards are they are slower to turn and can't ride as high on the face of a bigger steep wave and these limitations make them slower in bigger steep waves. The only reason I longboarded was it was easier to catch waves on a longboard. But ultimately I am not a longboarder.

BoMan wrote:When the waves are steep you can pearl up straight to the floor and eat sand, rock or reef

Because a Longboard lets me get in earlier so I'm on the wave Before it gets steep.

BoMan wrote:When you want to make a quick turn you have to pivot off the tail with most of the frickin board sticking out of the water.

To turn a surfboard ( short, fish, fun, long etc. ) your back foot has to be over the fin(s). If you don't like a whole lotta nose sticking out, you better be riding one of them TOMO boards.

BoMan wrote:When the surf is up and you need to duck dive...FORGET IT!

Sometimes the shortest distance be two objects isn't a straight line. I use my Brain ( and superior floatation and paddle speed ) to paddle around the white water. While others need to use their Brawn to fight the ocean.

BoMan wrote:when you have to deal with storing, transporting, handling and traveling with your log...it's a PAIN!

Why do people have kids ?

BoMan wrote:So why do you do it??

Because of the RIDE. The essence of surfing is TRIM, of which on a longboard is easier to maintain. Whatever most moves can be done on a shortboard, many can do on a longboard. A longboard can be ridden in 10 inch waves and 10 foot waves.

But you're right, maybe most should not ride a Longboard. They are no fun at all. They are only for old guys and beginners anyways. Stay on short board and rip it up like the pros and duck dive effortlessly. And work out them legs with those Huntington Hops.

By the way, I don't tell people not to smoke. Go ahead smoke more ......... more waves for me. Same goes for shortboards......

At 1:21 , is this steep enough ?

At 1:31 , is that high enough ?

At 2:17 , is that cut back hard enough ? ( i know ugly kooky nose sticking way out )

By the way, this is at Sandy beach on the East side of Oahu. One of the most dangerous beach breaks for spinal injuries. Usually only bodyboarders are allowed ( or brave enough ) to go there.

As I sit out back at the point on my little dinky shortboard, watching the longboarders pass by on the wave they caught far before I could even begin to think about catching it, I often wonder why I shortboard...

I just surf....sometimes long, sometimes short....

So the fact someone has a shortboard means he/she wants to rip like the pros on surf movies?
That sounds like the same prejudging than a person saying longboards are for old people.

I ride a shortboard, I respect and even appreciate longboards and classic surfing, at the point of being willing to try and learn them too.
I'm with Big H, I like to surf. This longboards vs shortboards talk is unproductive, and causes unecessary rivalry.

We ( short boarders and long boarders ) need to find common ground and meet in the middle....... Preferably on a 7'2" fun board.

I am a longboarder!

I love taking off early and riding down the line instead of waiting for the peak to get steep. The simple act of trimming with the cross step is exhilarating when I can pull it off. I love the easy glide which helps me slide through flat sections and pick up reformed waves for incredibly long rides. It's fantastic that your board can handle the mushiest or tiniest waves with ease. And it just feels COOL to have a quiet upper body and make slow, smooth turns.

Joel Tudor is amazing... I've never made it all the way to the nose. What's it like?

BoMan wrote: I've never made it all the way to the nose. What's it like?

To quote Rose telling Jack on a scene from the movie Titanic, " I'm Flying ! "

It feels like you are defying gravity if you have the tail locked in otherwise it's just a temporary thing and you have to move back again. I think some people enjoy just riding a wave, you know like a beginner just riding along. I really loved my longboard but it had limitations. Now I surf an inbetween board ...not a longboard or a shortboard it's an oldmanoverweightoutofshape board. I get some glide with it and can ride small mushy stuff or even waves that don't break, not quite as well as a longboard but I can whip it around easier and quicker than a longboard. I am sure I would rather I lost 40 pounds and surfed a smaller board but I can't seem to get myself to do that. So it's oldmanoverweightoutofshape board for me

People tell me I'm often on the nose. 10 doesn't happen often. 5 more so , flying with the view of no board ahead of you.
Good nose work is the ultimate expression of glide, your control, your wave reading and response to it need to be smooth to get there and maintain it!

oldmansurfer wrote:So it's oldmanoverweightoutofshape board for me

Ha Ha... Me too!

BoMan wrote:

oldmansurfer wrote:So it's oldmanoverweightoutofshape board for me

Ha Ha... Me too!

I would also like to be about 30 years younger and as fit as I was back then

Personally, it's just nicer, but whatever floats your boat (or board)

CARBr6 wrote:Personally, it's just nicer, but whatever floats your boat (or board)

I love the board in your profile pic. What is it?

The main appeal to longboarding for me is that I can get in a wave so early. As far as being a shortboarder or longboarder, I plan to be both. I'll probably ride one or the other depending on my mood and the conditions.

BoMan: So why do you do it??
billie: it is my style. I don't have the energy for short board theatrics. By the way, I play electric guitar, 6 string acoustic guitar, and 12 string acoustic guitar in the manner that suits me, too. It is my preference and that is not wrong.

billie_morini wrote:BoMan: So why do you do it?? .

I love taking off early and riding down the line instead of waiting for the peak to get steep. The simple act of trimming with the cross step is exhilarating when I can pull it off. I love the easy glide which helps me slide through flat sections and pick up reformed waves for incredibly long rides. It's fantastic that your board can handle the mushiest or tiniest waves with ease. And it just feels COOL to have a quiet upper body and make slow, smooth turns.

It 's perfect for "low and slow BO."

Having been a short boarder for over 30 years, single tin, twin fin, quad, thruster, back to quad and a coupe of thrusters in the garage I have finally overcome my prejudice and ordered a performance longboard off my long term shopper. having bored a mates Mactavish Original Performance long board on a crap day and had a load of fun. It's all about water time, where I am living at the moment and with work I don't have the luxury of regular clean off shore days and much as I love my quiver I was getting in the water less, with a longboard, if Im off work I'll surf in the end for most of us that's what it's about. I'm 50 next year I've been surfing since I was 11 and I want to go on surfing for at least another 30years. It's not the old man fitness issue I still regularly clock 6 k swims and 100 k bike rides its the driving to the beach and thinking is it worth going in on this? and often with my SB's the answer is no, but the logs are out there , when it's really good i've still got my short boards. after 39 years I'm not going to forget how to ride them. Might even buy an SUP... I spent a year in West Africa relearning to body surf, ..... put the image, ego aside and ride the right tool for the job, love what you do stay healthy and respect other ocean dwellers/ users........ sound like an old hippy? yep... except I grew up listening the Sex Pistols ..... perhaps we should look back o the George Greenough era... just surf and stop worrying abut how