New noserider (9.6 Hap Jacobs)

[zalle]

Hi guys, I'm new around here. Not sure if there's an introduction topic... I will look it up

I've been into longboarding for 22 years now (I'm 44), and I own a few boards, a small 5'10 fish retro board, a bigger 7.2 for big (ish) waves, an epoxy 9.1, a double stringer 9.6 made by a very good local shaper and I recently aquired a Surftech epoxy Hap Jacobs. It's a 9.6.

I previously had a Surftech epoxy 9.4 Robert August Wingnut model. Sold it to a friend (we usually surf together) and got the Hap Jacobs, they look pretty similar, but I had the Robert August for a few years now, I resprayed it due to a bad fix, and I didn't pay much more for the Hap Jacobs, which is in mint condition.

I found that the HJ, although longer than the RA has less volume, which I did not expect.

I cannot find a lot of information on these boards around the web, but I believe these are the measurements:

Hap Jacobs

Length - 9.6
Width - 22 1/2
Thickness - 2 7/8
Tail - 14 3/4
Nose - 18 7/8

Robert August

Length - 9.4
Width - 23 3/4
Thickness - 3
Tail - 14 1/2
Nose - 19

So I guess the Robert August has more volume... Am I worse off for nose riding? What would be the basic differences of surfing one or the other? Do you guys know the formula for calculating volume in liters?

Here are a couple pics. First the Robert August with the custom paint (red is original). Next the Hap Jacobs in light blue, and the hatchet fin it has right now.

[jaffa1949]

Spock on Surftrek Said it perfectly, “Surf long and prosper”. Welcome Zalle

We know your vintage your height and weight, but you should be able to finesse yourself with that experience behind you!

[zalle]

Well, actually I surf for quite a long time now, but I've somewhat out of the water for the last few years...

[waikikikichan]

Forget about this or that Volume. Volume doesn't determine how a board will noseride. It's where and how you can control / maneuver the board.
1) You could get two boards with the exact same volume, length, width, thick, nose, tail, etc. and BOTH ride differently.
2) You could have two different boards of varying sizes and volume, and yet the lower volume board noserides better. ( which you have found out with two boards you've owned )
3) You could get 10 "hand-shaped" Poly/PU boards from the same shaper and they all ride differently.
4) You could go out on clean off-shore reef break at 6 feet and have fun. You could go out on 2 feet on-shore dumping beach break and be destroyed.

That said, I have ridden both the Surftech 9'4" RA Wingnut and the Surftech Hap Jacobs 9'6" extensively. The 9'4" Wingnut noserides insane. The 9'6" Hap Jacob was a dog. The Wingnut has a really wide foward outline. The Hap is more popsicle stick. So is that that ?
1) Did you get a bad shaped board ? The molded-epoxy construction means each board of that particular model will ride the same whether you bought it in Hawaii or Australia or Japan.
2) RA's are good and Jacob's bad ? No, one of my favorite boards was the Surftech Hap Jacobs 9'2" Pro Performance. his Surftech 9'4" with the pin-tail was ok too.
3) So the 9'6" Hap Jacobs doesn't noseride well ? NO, Eugene Teal JPSA longboard grand champion used a Surftech 9'6" Hap Jacobs to win most of his contests. He loves that board.

So to each his own. Sadly, they don't make the RA Wingnut anymore.

Question:
1) are you using the exact same center fin on both boards ?
2) have you tried putting the fin further back in the box ?

[zalle]

Hi waikikikichan, thanks for your extensive and knowledgeable reply.

That said, I have ridden both the Surftech 9'4" RA Wingnut and the Surftech Hap Jacobs 9'6" extensively. The 9'4" Wingnut noserides insane. The 9'6" Hap Jacob was a dog. The Wingnut has a really wide foward outline. The Hap is more popsicle stick. So is that that ?

So you mean the HJ was a dog noseriding, or it was a dog all around?

Question:
1) are you using the exact same center fin on both boards ?

Nope, I had a turbo tunnel gimmick on the RA and the Johnny Rice Hatchet on the JH. By the way, my comments were theoretical, I have not yet ridden the HJ in good conditions for noseriding, I don't know what it's like yet.

[zalle]

After a while, I found out that the hatchet fin is not good for this hj board. I put a standard shaped 10" fin and it's a lot better now.

[zalle]

Hi guys,
A year later I regret getting rid of the Robert August, so I spoke to my friend and we swapped. I gave him the 9'6"' Hap Jacobs and he gave me my 9'4" Wingnut Robert August again!! YEY!!!

[zalle]

Dammm... I just spent 15 minutes writing a reply and there was an error so it disappeared.