Surfing Waves

Does anyone have any experience with both boards, especially with the Torq one.? There is no doubt Takayama In the Pink in an excellent versatile board but less reviews on Torq The Horseshoe. Takayama costs approx $400 NZD more. Both are made from EPS foam and Epoxy finish. Torq appears to be excellent value for money, in its price range most boards are standard PU construction. As an advanced beginner learning to glide I wonder if I will notice any difference stretching my budget to get Takayama. Both claim to be versatile , offer good ability for nose riding and turns.

Also would 9'3 be a good choice for someone who is ~72kg? or 9'6 better for nose riding but more difficult to turn?

Thanks for any suggestions advice.

Kia Ora
I expect both would be OK based on your learning curve and would offer similar results, so the dollar ratio is your call!
A couple of thingsto consider EPS/Epoxy construction is lighter and more buoyant and sinking the rail or tail is a little more challenging
Both are excellent construction and durable in the EPS / Epoxy build and quite a few forum crew are very happy with their Torqs.
PU board will sit better on the wave but be heavier ( not necessarily a problem) and slightly less durable depending on the glass job!

At your either the 9‘3“ or the 9‘6“ would be OK, again your choice, your skill level to turn either would be about the same, there will be a slight tail weight aid in the longer board.
All things being equal , my question is do you need to put extra money into the the Takayama?

My friend who is a surf shop owner and has surfed over 30+ years love the Horseshoe. As he is getting old, he switched from shortboard to Horseshoe a year ago.

thanks for both replies. on another post someone said that Takayama is not suitable for a beginner because I will nosedive easily due to a flat rocker and you need to angle the takeoff which i guess always would be the case unless 2-3ft waves or whitewater. so i wonder if this would be an issue or not. But from your replies i leaning towards Torq

Happy to help!

greenskynz wrote:thanks for both replies. on another post someone said that Takayama is not suitable for a beginner because I will nosedive easily due to a flat rocker ................. so i wonder if this would be an issue or not. But from your replies i leaning towards Torq

The problem catching the nose on the take off isn't so much because of the flat rocker, it is more because the ITP has such a big trash can lid wide nose.

But the main reason I don't recommend beginners getting a ITP is the tail kick. That's good for locking down the tail, but not easy for a beginner to control.

So then you would think the Torq Horseshoe would be better for a beginner. Nope. As their own website writes " In the tail, the rocker lifts slightly through the last 12” . So same tail kick problem you will encounter.

As for going for either the 9'3" or 9'6", what size board are you trying to noseride on now ?

Hi Greenskynz,

I had a 9' 3" Takayama, In The Pink [as I've banged on about a lot on this forum] . I sold it because it was so tough to paddle, particularly
in blown out UK surf [which is a lot of the time].
Due to the concave, there is less friction so I felt it was as hard as a shortboard to paddle. BUT - in the right conditions, [Malibu-ish], consistent point breaks, flat shoulder to leisurely paddle out on it's an amazing board, this is where the concave is an asset , as it really helps nose riding and cross stepping.

In short - if you're going to be riding it in consistent, nice 3-5ft clean , glassy point breaks - utterly awesome.

If it's windy 5" slop - forget it, unless you want to grow you shoulder muscles to Hulk proportions....and little else.

thanks waikikikichan & voyager for the interesting insights. despite the kick problem the Horseshoe seems a better option. there is not many options in this price range where I am. (Auckand NZ). another board recommended for me was Modern Retro but it is PU and i would prefer more durable board as not sure how PU in this price range will last for.

Did you make a purchase yet?

Also worth consideration might be the NSP Sleep Walker in Elements HDT construction. I use the 9’8 mainly at Orewa and it’s great on the slow mushy waves. I originally had the 9’4 which was a more all round size, but the 9’8 is more of a log and has better glide for where we surf.

If you get the Torq Horseshoe I’d love to hear how you find it. They also make a TET Nose rider 9’1 and the Don Nose Rider. Both seem to be based on the same design but in classic bombproof Torq construction or the same lightweight TEC as their other performance boards.

Let us know what you do.

@surferfamily thanks for your message. havent logged here for a while. no i havent made my purchase yet, got to put the money somewhere else... there was a good Easter special at pt chev shop recently and i posted another question about Torq Tet. just conscious of someone's opinion that the Horseshoe is not so beginners board and i think either is the Don.

1. Torq TET 8’6 x 22 1/2” x 3 1/8” 67.2 ltr
https://www.torq-surfboards.com/tet-longboard.html

I’d highly recommend the Torq TET 9’1” nose rider. It has many of the advantages of the ITP, but is easier to paddle into waves because it has a flatter tail exit rocker. It has a bit more volume than the 9’0 ITP is more durable hands down than the PU boards you mentioned and is loads of fun to ride. Easy to learn on because it’s stable, but really rewarding because it loves to turn from mid trim and off the tail.

I'll say the Torq Don NR is a still a performance board but a bit more user friendly than the Torq horseshoe, I noticed the Horseshoe is no longer made with side bite fin plugs, and I wanted to run a 2+1 finsetup depending on the waves, and it's way easier to turn. I thought maybe the 9ft 1 Torq Don NR would not have enough volume for me, as most longboard reviewers recommend a 9'6 for over 80kg riders, but I didn't need to worry, it nose rides very well.. ! The board does have a good tail kick on it like the Horseshoe, but the noserocker is lower, similar to the normal Torq Don, so you have to watch the noseon steep takeoffs. Very versatile board. A mini Mal is more suitable for a learner though, it's still a lot of board to paddle and turn.

We had the Torq 8’6” for a short while and they’re great as a lightweight beginner’s bird but not quite big enough for a bigger person to learn on unless they’ve already got the basics happening. The Torq 9’1” in TET is a really good option.

There is currently a Thunderbolt Skindog Peacemaker 9’1” in Trade Me worth looking at. It has a minor bruise on the tail but the design is pretty awesome and Thunderbolt construction is amazing. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4137925635

I have a brand new Torq 9’1 in TET epoxy construction that I just surfed today for the first time. Loved it. However I didn’t buy it for me but my children and it’s going to be way too big for them. Text me if you’re interested in buying and save yourself a couple hundred of dollars.
David 027 2224541. Viewing and pickup Coatesville north of Albany, Auckland.

How old are your children, nobody has asked that!
Did you know that pre legropes ( leashes) varied construction materials kids learnt on 9‘ 6“ balsa boards, I was 9 years old when I got mine.If you are supervising them then the torq is a really stable board to stand on, if you are concerned about impacts etc, buy a soft top.
The other question no one has asked is what is what is your level of experience, , it doesn‘t matter as long as you can make their learning fun!!!

My 14yo is sorted on a 9’6 Waikiki (Kai Sallas), my 12 mostly rides a 6’6 fish. However my 10yo is coming off a 7’6 foamie that has a proper mini longboard shape. She is trimming nicely and starting to make some turns with her back foot. She’s keen to surf an 8’6 or 9’ but her arms don’t reach around this particular board so well. Being 77 litres and having a true wood inlay deck it’s a bit heavy for her and a bit too much volume.

I found the board in itself great. Takes a different paddle approach to my own 9’6 which is very laid back and catches anything with very little effort.

We have other boards in our family quiver she can ride and the Torq 9’1” is available for a new home.

We’ve taught quite a few children and their parents to surf and most have continued on and have their own boards now.

Wow you have it all well in hand, you can look forward to family surf trips;I‘m going on surf trip with my son to France next week, he‘s 52, I‘m ancient 40 years of trips wich him

Awesome, have a great time! Where’s your regular break? We have five children and most are interested in surfing and general water play. Great way to spend family time together.

Have a blast.

Amazingly as an Australian surfer who now lives in Austria, I have 3 river waves I go to within and hours drive.
Not exactly the same as oceanic waves but Spain, Portugal and France supply those: We will be about an hour north of Biaritzz at Vieux Boucau , forgive my French spelling, at 73 have gone back to a knee board ( ancestors of short boards, cousin of paipos and belly boards, totally not related to boogey boards) will be filming and photographing too.
Look for my adventures

That’s just brilliant. Thanks for sharing your background.

I used to kayak surf in my youth on whitewater sections which may be different again to the river surfing you do. Now I live near the ocean but we don’t often have waves in the east coast of Auckland and many of the roads to the West Coast beaches were damaged or destroyed by recent flooding. We just have to be patient.

I learnt to surf in the early 1980s on a mid 6’ single fin built in the 1970s, and then on a too small a quad. Got into windsurfing late 1980s. And back into surfing with our children a couple of years ago. So much fun.

Vieux Boucau Looks like a huge long sandy beach with lots of different beach breaks. How can I find out more about your adventures?