Surfing Waves

I currently have a 9'6" that I've been riding for two years now. Sometimes I wish I could make turns a little quicker, without having to step around so much. I do enjoy longboarding, but I think I want to try out a shorter board that'll give me a bit more agility.

I'm 5'7", around 160lbs, 30y/o, and can ride the green water. I can turn decent, though I'm not sure if I've mastered it as far as longboards go. Part of me feels I could turn better with a shorter board.

(Also, is 9'6" a bit large for someone my height? Sometimes I feel like it's a mismatch. I do make it work though.)

Anyway, I visited my local shop recently, and the boards that were 7'6" felt like the right height for me. That's a 2 ft difference than what I usually ride. I'm wondering if that makes much of a difference? What should I prepare for? Looking for any and all advice.

Thanks in advance!

You should be fine. Dont get the board because you think it will turn easier; you still need the same skills. But having a shorter board offers advantages (and disadvantages) over a LB (and, yes, it does turn a bit easier)

At the start you will probably miss some waves that you would have caught on the LB, and you might fall off a few times esp if you have some pop up or foot placement flaws that the LB is hiding (because the LB has a much greater margin of error). You will probably sit too far out and have waves pass underneath you. But you should be able to figure out what is going wrong and improve on these aspects relatively quickly - might take 5 or 20 sessions, or more; but you can get there.

The board will feel different, not as much glide and later drops

I'm assuming the new board is still a funboard/mini mal shape, reasonably side etc (21 1/2 inches +).

Normally a 2 foot jump down is too much. Usually I would've recommended a high-performance 9'0" or a 8'6" Mini-tanker. But you started on something over 3 feet over your head, and I've said it's usually okay for your next board (after you've mastered the first board) to be 2 feet over your head. So at 5'7" tall, a 7'6" is about right. How about a 7'10" Hybrid / Funboard ?

But my advice would take it in baby steps instead of huge leaps. If your 9'6" is a single fin only, just getting a 9'0" with a 2+1 setup will be a big difference. ( but it's good you made a strong base for you in the future to build your technique on by riding that 9'6" )

I went from a 9’6” to 8’ board and when I first used it I had trouble staying on it prone. I slipped off the board while padding because it was so unstable comparatively. That shocked me and stressed me out but I got used to it after a few sessions. I didn’t have any problems catching waves or riding it however even just sitting on it gave me trouble for a few sessions

bttf wrote: What should I prepare for? Looking for any and all advice.

Be prepared to get out of the way of other surfers who take off outside of where the shorter boards sit in the lineup. I always feel on my shorter board that I have to be even more vigilant about staying out of the way when I'm sitting inside.

a statement you made concerns me! How can can you tell if a radically different board feels right in the shop! Water proves it, even with years of experience we can get our next board wrong. But less so. Simply , short board track on different arcs around the wave face! Where do want to go?

What are the trade offs? Could be a good deal, more likely not! Chance your choice!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Some of what you said has made me want to ride my 9'6" a bit longer, just to enjoy it more. I do enjoy sitting on the outside, and the casual glides the longboard affords. Perhaps it's not a shorter board I want, but just a new, faster longboard

My current 9'6" has a 2+1 setup. One question I have is, for a board of that size, what is the difference between that and a single fin? I haven't given it much thought and didn't realize fin setup made that much of a difference.

I apologize for flip flopping. I assumed the natural progression was just to go smaller as you learn ... but now I realize that's not necessarily the case!

Read the fin primer on the forum, fins do a lot! try different fin set ups and see what they offer! Take off the two side bites and single fin it.
Think about pushing your skills more and more on one board, it is quite rewarding!