Brent wrote:I dunno about some of the comments above about bigger & longer boards; currently in
www.swaylocks.com there is a good thread in the general forum started about a week ago about paddle volume and surfing, how some guys find going to bigger, longer & higher volumed boards destructive to their surfing...
Correct me if I am wrong but this thread is primarily aimed at the benefits and limitations of reduced flotation with a particular focus on FUNBOARDS when compared to SHORTBOARDS… The question of this thread was what LONGBOARD would people suggest for young 14 year old bluesnowcone2000.It has always been my view that funboards lack all the benefits of both long and short. This has just reinforced my views on their lack of ability in terms of paddling and ride performance. What funboards do have going for them is stability when compared to shortboards although not the case when compared to longboards; this is a major aspect for a beginner when obtaining their first board. Another swinging factor for a beginner is that they are generally cheaper then a true longboard and relatively equivalent in price to that of a shortboard.
Nothing negative there that relates to the longboard, I have taken out a couple of interesting sections that sort of do focus on longboards; if you are interested in the topic do have a read, there is some pretty interesting stuff in there:
http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=260433;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;guest=4224236PlusOneShaper wrote:… Basically, boards seem to paddle well when they are very floaty or, they are a bit sinky. Also, boards with certain waterlines in the mid-float range paddle horribly, like they are taking weather to helm or something…
J.Troy wrote:…The only time I can feel the thickness or lack of is in the thick soup where the airated water magnifies the lack of float…
iam2sam wrote:…I had a 9'6" once that had all-around down rails, medium-to-high tail rocker, and little nose rocker. I absolutely loved riding that board. It paddled pretty well in ideal conditions, too… …there is the fatigue factor - the relative ease of duck diving a short board vs. paddling a long board through the soup and constantly accelerating it back to speed could easily make a big difference by the end of a long session, especially for an older surfer…
oneula wrote:…i guess that's why most "funboards" end up not really being all that fun in the long run…
Benny1 wrote:…I've said for years that the worst-paddling boards are mid-size. You paddle a 10' board with glide - momentum, smooth strokes, speed. You don't paddle a sinker, you swim it… …Too big to swim (and dive), too small to glide. No thanks…
Nels wrote:…You have a bunch of folks on longboards who can out paddle mid-range sizes, and shortboards who can duckdive anything... …sometimes this size board just winds up out "out of place" in contemporary lineups...too short to compete with longboard peaks and too long to safely bang rails in shorter environments…
waaahoo wrote:…Condition specific for wave, rider, and board combination. I think sometimes the problem with a fuller volume board is that even tho you have what seems to be enough speed you are floating on top of the wave instead of being caught in the wave and carried forward with it…
TomBloke wrote:…A heavy 12' hunk of timber enables you to roll under the wave, which is just as effective as duckdiving a shortboard. Also, a heavy longboard is able to use its weight to swing into late no paddle drops, unlike superlight foam longboards. Heavy longboards can be low volume or high volume. . . it's the weight that counts. Heavy longboards also accelerate faster when taking off…
As bluesnowcone2000 is currently ridding an 8’4” funboard I guess the information kind of relates to why he should ditch his current board and progress to a longer or shorter board... He might like to note that being only 14 years of age he is probably much smaller in the sense of height and weight to those posting responses on swaylock. Taking this into account and thinking that a 9’ board for 6’ person would generally be accepted by all as a reasonable ratio to be classified as the starting range for a longboard (not taking into account shape etc.). He is currently riding and 8’4” funboard, if it is classed as a minimal any height below 5’7” (166m) will yield approximately the same result. If he is say 5’7” and has been ridding his friends 9’1” (I am guessing) longboard, it is approximately the same ratio as me (6’) ridding a 9’9”.
Try to go for a traditionally glassed board rather than an epoxy popout… Epoxy popouts are light and stiff … regardless of all the marketing hype, light longboards don’t perform half as good as a glassed board. The extra weight makes all the difference when paddling out and gliding along the face of a wave. Definantly being a young chap go for a three fin setup and nothing with 50/50 rails to improve manoeuvrability. Remember to continually try different boards, both long and short, they all perform differently. Gaining experience with boards of different size and shape increases your awareness of what you really want to experience and how you can experience it better.
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"Seek first to understand, then to be understood"
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:42 pm
For me the mal or as you would probably call it "the modern longboard" is what tickles my fancy. I don't see any down fall in having the trim position set around the 3/4 mark... gives you a reason to move, keep them coming Roy I enjoy watching your clips.
