Surfing Waves

Hi All,

I'm after a bit of advice please.

I'm 46 years old, 5'9 and weigh between 70-75 kilos depending on the season I've been surfing on and off for 25 years.

I've had a performance longboard in my quiver for a while it's the old 9'2 Mctavish JB Performance model (2+1 fin set up). It's not impossible to nose ride but it's twitchy so needs a wave with a bit of speed.

I ordered a Beau Young 9'8 Re Evolution in the hope that it would be more of a Nose Rider orientated board. The dimensions are 9'8 x 23 x 3 (74.2L). When I received it today I was surprised how thin the rails were. Although it looks slightly bigger i'm not sure if it's going to be something that I will be able to nose ride.

I envisaged something which I could knee paddle with lots of buoyancy (especially around the nose).. I can't say I'm disappointed it's just not what I expected... There are no waves for the next week so I can't even take it for a test drive...

Any thoughts if this is a suitable nose rider?

Did the shaper know it was for noseriding? They usually have less rocker and a wider nose to accommodate. At 75kg I can't say you won't be able to, just that it won't be as easy as those surf videos you have seen on youtube of people noseriding. At 84kg I can noseride my 9'6x3 1/4 x 23 performance longboard, but only on occasion on really nice waves, you can do yours probably too. I am about 25yrs and counting, age 55

I would go get a 10" raking fin to help, it will turn less easy but help set the back of the board. Have fun.

enjoy the stoke,

My thoughts:

1) Looks to be an awesome template for noseriding.
2) On the website there's a video of Beau riding it, so it is possible to nose ride.
3) The specs did say PINCHED 50/50 RAILS, so you shouldn't be surprised about how thin the rails are. Did you not read that BEFORE you purchased it ? ( or better yet actually went into the shop to feel up one ? )
4) The sizing recommendation for a rider 70-80 KG is their 9'4". Why did you go with a 9'8". Getting to the nose will take much longer than on your 9'2". You may think "what, it is only a 6 inch difference ?", trust me that is a big difference especially if you don't have a good cross step down.
5) What was "twitchy" about your 9'2" McTavish ?

@IB_Surfer - Where I live (Israel) most of the boards are imported and are really expensive. I did not have access to a shaper. I saw a guy riding the same board one day and when he got out the water we got chatting and he mentioned he had imported a handful of them so I purchased it.

I got the chance to take it out yesterday and 1-2 foot mush. WOW it goes really well. Firstly, I was really blown away how well it turns. It was so easy to cutback on and it felt so fun. Getting to the nose is definitely going to be possible for me... The waves were not really walling up so it was hard to stall the board and setup for a proper nose ride but I managed to get to the end a few times without the grace that longboarding deserves Like you said on decent days it's going to be a lot of fun and even on days when most people won't go out it makes surfing fun.

Thanks for all the info!

@waikikikichan -

1) It's going to be a good noserider, the limiting factor will definitely be myself.
2) I think Beau can likely nose ride a toothpick
3) I wrote above to IB_Surfer that I literally brought the board on the spur of the moment after a chat with someone on the beach. Where I live there is not a huge range of surf shops that you can go into and buy boards off the rack. Those shops do exist but they are crazy expensive (x3 the price). I definitely could of done some more research. In reality I brought the board so cheaply I could sell it next year and what I would get for it can buy a new board from outside of the where I live.

Next purchase I will definitely go somewhere where I can feel one up and may even a test ride.

4) I did not like the 9'4. I'd seen people riding the 9'4 / 9'8 and the 9'8 seemed to have more of that longboard floaty classic style when people were riding it. I wanted a board which was significantly different to my 9'2.

5) So the 9'2 McTavish was my goto Lonboard for 20+ years. I brought it in Australia off the rack. When I purchased it the guy said it had been made for a sponsored rider and that he did not like it (used it once or twice) and decided it was not for him. It's very narrow, thin and looking back it looks like the guy probably requested to go thinner/narrower but I just think the design does not work in the smaller stuff. Being honest it combines the worst of shortboarding with the worst aspects of longboarding. The only surf it really seems to do well in is when it's in the 4foot range but to be honest that's not really the waves that I personally want to longboard in.

Thanks for all of the advice. I'll try and get some pictures of me on the nose this summer

So I just wanted to give an update on the board and a bit of feedback.

Firstly, what I've realised is that a lot of the time a lot of people buy a board because they want to let's say 'nose ride' and when they get the board and can't nose ride they are looking to buy another board as it's a 'dedicated' nose rider. This was me Embarrassing I know but hey it's all a learning curve.

I was a little disappointed when I first saw the board. I tried to put on a brave face but I expected something super thick, wide with a huge nose. Side by side next to my Mctavish 9'2 JB Performance it does not look that different. My wife even said the Re Evolution looks thinner.

So, the board is absolutely amazing. I was looking for a classic style longboard and it's definitely got that old school feel to it but with some modern refinements.

Day 1 - I could not knee paddle it, the board just sank. I blamed the board. I did manage to get to cross step to the nose but it wasn't with the style/ease that anyone would have blinked at in the line up.

1 Month later - I switched out the fin for a 10 inch Captain Fin Pivot which changed the feel of the board (for the better). I'm knee paddling to the point where I don't want to knee paddle anymore as it's just not comfortable haha. My cross stepping has improved to the point where literally I'm taking off on waves and not thinking about cross stepping... I'm cross stepping is something I'm doing because I need to i.e I stall the board then cross step forward not because I want to cross step. The board turns on a dime literally I can really appreciate the pinch rails and the attention to detail that tiny refinement has made.

For the first time ever people are watching me surf in the line up and I've had a couple of hoots from people as I go pass on the nose. It's really been a game changer.

Things to take away

1. Don't blame the board. Speak to a shaper let them know what you want to do and build the board around the way you want to surf. Once you have the board it does not mean you will be able to surf the way you want.

2. It's actually really good to have problems with boards. For instance the fin the board came with really is rubbish But after surfing with it and changing for a bigger fin you can understand the difference the fin really makes. A

3. Little tweaks are really important to the board design and definitely help you surf better inch by inch. BUT a good surfer can likely surf a bad board really well as opposed to a bad surfer not being able to surf a good board.

Thanks for all of your advice... If anyone is thinking of getting one of these don't hesitate. It's a great all round board which can combine modern longboarding with old school longboarding. I have the 9'8 .. The 9'4 is recommended for my size but I honestly find the 9'8 more.

Take care everyone and stay safe

Thank you SurferJay for the feedback on the board.

I've got a Seaplane 9.1 from Beau Young and I love it (they are not making it anymore). I also replaced the single fin with a better one.
I asked for a noserider that wasn't old school as I feared my skills weren't enough for that. The Seaplane is kind of thick but still very maneuverable. I too have progressed my surfing.

Now I'm curious about the Re-evolution and the Vintage Log as well.
Cheers.