Surfing Waves

Over the last 2 weeks, I surfed at a longboard break. This spots is famous for retro boards/ nose riding or whatever you call them. I have no clue. What I know is that their board is super heavy, I think it's around 2x heavier than my board. With super massive single fin. I also see someone riding a board made out of wood.

What does it feel like riding one of these board? Are they harder or are they much more fun? I'm just curious as I've never ridden one. During those 2 weeks, I only saw 1 other Torq and maybe a NSP. Rest of them I've no clue and assume they are hand shape or local made.

Can you explain to someone whose never had an Orange before what it taste like ? You just have to try it out for yourself. But for you first bottom turn on a heavy single fin " Log ", you better make sure no ones in the pit or flats in front of you because most likely you will try to turn and the board will head straight. If you fight the fin, it's going to punish you. If you let it load up and release at the right moment, it will reward you.

You're going to have to properly execute a Pivot turn or a Drop-knee turn. Trim and Glide is what it's about.

So what you're saying is that you actually need to know how to surf properly if you're surfing a single fin log. They made it look really easy, I kept thinking hey maybe I can nose ride like them if I use their board. But of course I know that's not possible. It's just like when I thought I could surf better when I bought a fish.

I just thought maybe it's more fun or gives you a even better feeling than the more modern board. I'll stick to my Torq but just curious.

Try it and see, many guys and girls have fallen in love with the glide

BaNZ wrote:So what you're saying is that you actually need to know how to surf properly if you're surfing a single fin log.
I just thought maybe it's more fun or gives you a even better feeling than the more modern board.

On the contrary, every surfer should start on a big single to learn the fin,
to learn the rail,
to learn trim,
to learn weight distribution,
to learn body placement on the board,
to learn board placement on the wave.

All these post about not being able to turn a 5'10" would've not been if they were able to turn a big single. You should try or borrow a big heavy single for half a day. It will teach you to be smooth and not so herky-jerky. You will learn a lot from using one. ( then when you get back on the Torq, you'll be flinging that thing around easily )

BaNZ, stop by soon. I'll send you out on Big Red. Big Red is a 12 ft board I keep at Senior Jorge's place. We'll remove the side bites and you'll have a massive single fin long board. Be forewarned, Big Red is so thick that 5 people can ride it at one time!

waikikikichan wrote:All these post about not being able to turn a 5'10" would've not been if they were able to turn a big single.

Well said. I got on my shorter board today and had a blast. Super fun point break waves rolling across the cove, sun going down and beautiful, everybody stoked . . . it was a good session. Anyway, I was making ridiculous drops on my takeoffs, but stalling in the trough (my heavy back foot problem, argh!). Anyway, my longboard break straightened my takeoff issues out.

waikikikichan wrote:[then when you get back on the Torq, you'll be flinging that thing around easily )

Yes, that was exactly my experience when I went back to my 8'2 after riding the 9'4 single fin for a month. I was surprised how loose it felt and how easy I was throwing it around.
Yesterday used the 9'4 again on a small 3-5ft day, it was great I just like that feeling of using different boards.
Only downside was there were lots of beginners out, had to scrape the wax off the bottom of my board afterwards..

Tudeo wrote: I just like that feeling of using different boards.

I just enjoy riding them equally. The other day I was on my longboard and just threw myself into paddling for a wave. So as I'm sprint paddling I pass this other surfer paddling back out. That's when I realized I was flying on that board. It was like one of those scenes of outrigger canoe paddlers racing across the water (in my mind at least ) and then I just launched into my takeoff. I can't do that on a shortboard. So both styles appeal to me equally. I actual think that riding a traditional longboard (not a gun) in big surf is way harder than riding a shorter board in larger waves. But there's Phil Edwards taking off at Pipeline on one so I don't know.

Some of the photos WKK posts of longboarders just blow me away, especially the guys in heavy surf. I think those guys are doing interesting things on longboards, but there isn't enough coverage of it. Or actually . . . I should see if I can find more coverage of that style of surfing Anyway, I find their skills impressive.

RinkyDink wrote:I was flying on that board.

Yes, paddle speed is such a big plus with a longboard. It helps u get outside quick, and then when u see u must adjust position for being in the perfect takeoff place it's never a problem. On shorter boards I'm often too tired to make those last adjustments.
But then, my noserider is a bit hard on takeoff for pearling. I think it's because the wide tail and lack of tailrocker cos I don't have that problem with my 9'2. That old pu 9'2 has a lot of tailrocker and almost no nose rocker, and no nose concave. The nose can be a bit under water when paddling for the wave but magically rises up just in time for popup.

Tudeo wrote:That old pu 9'2 has a lot of tailrocker and almost no nose rocker, and no nose concave. The nose can be a bit under water when paddling for the wave but magically rises up just in time for popup.

That sounds just like my longboard. In fact, I was looking at the tailrocker of my board the other day and thinking to myself that I needed to look up its function again Something about the wave picking up your board's tail yada yada yada too many beers.

the heaviest longest and most waterlogged board there is probably easier to turn than my 7'9" BIC

RinkyDink wrote:

Tudeo wrote:That old pu 9'2 has a lot of tailrocker and almost no nose rocker, and no nose concave. The nose can be a bit under water when paddling for the wave but magically rises up just in time for popup.

That sounds just like my longboard. In fact, I was looking at the tailrocker of my board the other day and thinking to myself that I needed to look up its function again Something about the wave picking up your board's tail yada yada yada too many beers.

Tail rocker helps you to turn the board easier. It also helps to fit the shape of a steep curving wave better. It does however slow your board down so it requires a better wave to surf it (steeper). So if you want to surf flat mushy surf then a flat board with no tail rocker is probably better. On steeper waves if you are used to it a flat board can be good as well but one with tail rocker would be easier.

pmcaero wrote:the heaviest longest and most waterlogged board there is probably easier to turn than my 7'9" BIC

Never had a problem turning my old Bic 7'9, only I (later) didn't liked it's weight and flexibility.
Now it still serves as a balustrade to keep my 3yo son from the kitchen..

oldmansurfer wrote:It also helps to fit the shape of a steep curving wave better.

This is what I noticed most. I stopped using the 9'4 noserider in overhead waves. If I survived the popup without pearling I often catched a rail or nose turning down. I came out of many heavy wipeouts without injuries, but didn't particularly liked going headfirst over the board..
But I love the feeling riding smaller waves, walking forward and just keep going until a nice section appears and getting covered up. So nice!

oldmansurfer wrote:It also helps to fit the shape of a steep curving wave better.

I like the way you phrased that. I can visualize the pintail of my board slotting nicely into the curve of the wave. I can also visualize how a board without much tail rocker might give a board more downward thrust on takeoff. Anyway, I keep losing posts after I submit them because the site logs me out and my post is gone. It's super annoying. So I'm going to keep this one short since this is like my third attempt at a reply.

This site has a nice little rocker graphic if anybody is interested.

https://barefootsurftravel.com/livemore ... rds-rocker

oldmansurfer wrote:Tail rocker helps you to turn the board easier. It also helps to fit the shape of a steep curving wave better.

when i was getting one of my boards shaped I told the shaper that it was going to be used for steeper beach break waves. I was expecting him to say 'ok, I'll increase the nose rocker', but instead he told me that he would increase the tail rocker. Seemed counter intuitive especially on a 'longer' (6'10) board but, as OMS says, it works.

Indeed, from my point of view increasing the tail rocker is probably a better choice than increasing the nose rocker (obviously up to a point) because the downside of more tail rocker is usually that the board is a bit slower when on the wave, but with nose rocker the board is slower when you are paddling and also on the wave (although turning is easier).

If you have a widish tail with 'extra' tail rocker, or just a higher volume board in general, it can still be very easy to catch waves and maintain speed. So its not just the rocker, the width and thickness of the tail also play a part. And then we get onto rails.. and overall volume....

dtc wrote:Indeed, from my point of view increasing the tail rocker is probably a better choice than increasing the nose rocker (obviously up to a point) because the downside of more tail rocker is usually that the board is a bit slower when on the wave, but with nose rocker the board is slower when you are paddling and also on the wave (although turning is easier).

If you have a widish tail with 'extra' tail rocker, or just a higher volume board in general, it can still be very easy to catch waves and maintain speed. So its not just the rocker, the width and thickness of the tail also play a part. And then we get onto rails.. and overall volume....

I have to confess that I don't understand why tail rocker slows a board down. This is probably because I don't understand planing and its relationship to the surface area of a board. Water is sticky. In my mind, if I want to design a craft that is faster, then I want as little of that craft to touch the water as possible. Why? Because I don't want the friction between the water and the watercraft to slow me down. The reality, however, appears to be that the greater your surface area in contact with the water, the faster your watercraft goes (planing--more lift across the board?). So, can I infer from that that the width (surface area) of my board, in large part, determines the speed of my board? Does this mean that tail rocker slows you down because it has less contact with the surface of the water (when the board is flat on the water) than a board with a flat tail rocker that is in contact with it? Can someone straighten out my understanding? Thanks!

I think tail rocker essentially shortens the board as far as the wave is concerned. So the push you get from the board is less than that of a board without tail rocker. I think this is only in a down the line aspect. But the wave is pushing on the bottom of the board steadily till it gets to the tail rocker then suddenly that surface drops away and the board has less push. This would be at planing speed so essentially the rocker part of the tail comes off the wave a bit and less force is applied to that area occupied by the rocker. Speed is created by the wave pushing on the board (except for turning up and down the wave ie speed turns)and once you are planing the more board surface pushing the faster you go. Now this is completely obliterated by the speed that can be generated by turning rapidly on a steep wave which is why longboard don't do as well on steep fast waves.. I think there are however situations where you get the board in the right place and rocker helps it to fit that place and makes it go faster but those situations aren't the majority of the wave at least for us kooks (unless you are riding straight in)