Thoughts about these used longboards?

[nooshie]

Well, someone bought it before I could look at it! Thanks for all the responses guys!

Like you guys said, the pintail might not have been great for my level so perhaps it’s for the best! I’d love to find a used 9 ft Torq but no luck so far!

[saltydog]

What do I think ?
#1 I think you should stay away from Pin / Rounded Pin tails and pure single fins for now. Can’t see the bottom, but hopefully it’s a 2+1 set up and not just single. Aren’t there any Torqs or NSPs for sale used ?

#2 “A” board is better than “No” board. Price seems good ( does it come with the board case ? ). If you persevere to ride a pin tail single fin longboard, you will be rewarded with some good technique when later you move down to a funboard / mini-mal with 3 fins.

Wkkkchan, can you explain more about why the rounded pin, single fin board isn’t ideal?

My first long board after the wavestorm was exactly that, single fin with a rounded pin. It came with the cutaway fin, and not knowing any better I learned on it. It has the single nose concave to double to v at the tail, and the soft rail everywhere except near the tail. It is decently heavy and pretty flat rocker throughout. It paddles great once it gets going but so hard for me to angle it right so I don’t pearl or get flipped sideways. It’s also harder for me to turn than another long board of similar dimensions with more beginner friendly, allrounded shape. Clearly it requires some skills that more forgiveness no ones and let you by without, and I’ve always wondered without finding answers... but what are they and how is that particular tail shape contributing to that?

[steveylang]

What do I think ?
#1 I think you should stay away from Pin / Rounded Pin tails and pure single fins for now. Can’t see the bottom, but hopefully it’s a 2+1 set up and not just single. Aren’t there any Torqs or NSPs for sale used ?

#2 “A” board is better than “No” board. Price seems good ( does it come with the board case ? ). If you persevere to ride a pin tail single fin longboard, you will be rewarded with some good technique when later you move down to a funboard / mini-mal with 3 fins.

Waikiki, can you elaborate on the riding differences between a pintail single fin vs. a wider tail 2+1? I ended up with a pintail single fin 9' and am very happy with it so far. It's the only longboard I've ever ridden though, so just really curious about other longboard configurations. I'm starting to get a feel of turning and moving up and down the board, if this is one of those 'harder to master but can pay off in the long run' situations then I'm A-OK with that.

[steveylang]

I wish I had seen the post right above me asking the same question! But since I can't edit my post, I just wanted to add that I ride the longboard in everything from 1-2 ft. Malibu First Point to a nice, rolling chest/head high reef break nearby.

[waikikikichan]

I just wanted to add that I ride the longboard in everything from 1-2 ft. Malibu First Point to a nice, rolling chest/head high reef break nearby.

And I think that's the where the Single fin Pin tail is in it's element. Point breaks and rolling reef breaks, NOT dumping beach breaks.

[waikikikichan]

can you explain more about why the rounded pin, single fin board isn’t ideal?
Clearly it requires some skills that more forgiveness no ones and let you by without,

If you go by "tail" measurements, most are around the 15" +/- mark for a 9'0". But that is taken 12" up from the end of the board. So you could get a pin and a squash with the same "tail" measurement. BUT if you measure say 1 inch up, there is a difference in area.

Pin tails are good for smooth drawn out turns and flowing lines. There's less room for error if you initiate your turn in the wrong place at the wrong time and are too forceful. But if you are in tune with the wave, the Pin tail is rewarding with speed. A good thing to search is the difference between the Dewey Weber "Performer" and the Dewey Weber "Stylist". Same maker but different application and approach to riding.

Screenshot 2018-09-22 at 7.51.14 AM.png (304.88 KiB) Viewed 1149 times

Performer

Screenshot 2018-09-22 at 7.51.21 AM.png (295.2 KiB) Viewed 1149 times

Stylist

That said, I've ridden loose pin tails and stiff squash tails, good noseriding 2+1 with wings and progressive riding singles. It really depends on each individual board and each individual rider. BUT I would always not recommend a single fin pin for a newerbie to longboarding.

[steveylang]

I just wanted to add that I ride the longboard in everything from 1-2 ft. Malibu First Point to a nice, rolling chest/head high reef break nearby.

And I think that's the where the Single fin Pin tail is in it's element. Point breaks and rolling reef breaks, NOT dumping beach breaks.

Pin tails are good for smooth drawn out turns and flowing lines. There's less room for error if you initiate your turn in the wrong place at the wrong time and are too forceful. But if you are in tune with the wave, the Pin tail is rewarding with speed. A good thing to search is the difference between the Dewey Weber "Performer" and the Dewey Weber "Stylist". Same maker but different application and approach to riding.

Thanks waikiki, I think those comments make sense to me. I find that sometimes the board feels stiff and hard to turn, other times it comes nice and smooth. I am pretty sure the main problem is my rear foot, I have a tendency to pop up forward on the board. When the board doesn't turn then I 'try' harder, stiffen up, which then further impairs my flexibility and turning (of course I should be checking my position on the board instead.) But when I do get my foot back, get relaxed and crouched, it all feels flowy and more effortless like it all just happens practically without thinking about it. On bigger waves I'll do a rail grab to help set a line, my rear hand is behind my rear foot so then positioning on the board is less critical (but I don't want to use that as a cheat.) At First Point I see experienced riders use a 2-step 'push up' pop up, not to help pop up but in order to use that rear foot to set a good line before they even pop up (the wave can section out so it helps to set a line as soon as possible.)

My sense is that this board gives me more forceful feedback on turning, you can feel it in the way the board responds. I really like that feedback, I think it is teaching me better this way. I have 2 shorter boards that I ride in beach break, including that retro fish that I posted a thread about. The shorter boards are fun in the right conditions. Although all teach me different things, without the longboard I wouldn't be learning the same lessons about proper positioning and turning technique.

[nooshie]

I was able to demo a Matador El Dorado over the weekend: https://www.matadorsurfboards.com/el-dorado.html. It was a 9'2 board with a big single fin. I've been riding my 9' foamie all summer so it was really fun to try something different. I didn't notice much difference in how it paddled--I felt like I was able to get it moving pretty quickly and catch waves similarly. It felt very nice to stand on a real surfboard lol and it was noticeably faster going down the line. It was definitely more responsive (good and bad) so it was nice to get feedback on how my movements on the board were affecting it. While I didn't particularly notice much a difference with the single fin since I'm not really doing tons of turns other than a bottom turn at this point, it felt a bit "stiffer" if that makes sense?

I'd say the downside of this board was that I found myself a bit more tentative on it. The break I surf was super crowded and etiquette is somewhat nonexistent. I was worried about crashes and what not with a big heavy board since nearly every wave becomes a party wave. The waves were also closing out quite a bit--I think the sandbars shifted from the bigger swell we had the week before and that was a challenge as well. With a foam board, I have no worries about accidentally taking a big close out, but I was definitely more aware of this on the hard board!

[BaNZ]

I was there on Saturday. Yes, it is closing out super fast. I also caught a nice barrel due to that. I would get a hard board if I were you. Something like a Torq or NSP which is nearly indestructible. At least if you hit someone else's board. You will only need to repair their board and not both boards!

My board collided with another forum member this weekend and there wasn't even a single scratch/dent.

[nooshie]

It was crazy to see how much the beach profile and sandbars at beach 90 changed after last week! I saw a few people get some mini barrels. Was not expecting barrels but was very cool to see others having fun in them Good point re: epoxy boards! Still waiting to see if something used pops up on CL..

[RinkyDink]

You best check to see the availability of O'FISHL brand side bites in your area if you want to run a 2+1 set up later on. But nothing wrong riding it "as-is" just with the single fin.

When I bought my longboard I took off the side bites and set up the board as a single fin. Now I want to try my side bites again, but the fins have disappeared somewhere in the black hole of my garage. Anyway, I don't understand side bites. What are their function? Are they supposed to give the board more stability or are they meant to give the board more maneuverability? If you set up your board with side bites, are you supposed to have a shorter center fin? I confess, I'm completely in the dark about what I should expect from side biters. Enlighten me because I haven't been able to ride them and figure out why I want them or don't want them. Thanks in advance.

[oldmansurfer]

Sidebites hold onto the wave in steep situations better. So it makes the board better for those conditions. It probably adds some thrust from turns as well. I used to surf long ago with just single fin board. When I restarted I used a thruster and then a longboard with one big fin and two small fins. My instincts were still for a single fin and I would get hung up going sideways in the lip because the board didn't sideslip as easily as a single fin. I considered changing to a single fin but I liked the way the board worked so I never tried it and now I have gotten used to quads but can switch to thrusters or 2 plus one configuration without much problems but I don't want to learn how to ride a single fin again.

[waikikikichan]

I confess, I'm completely in the dark about what I should expect from side biters. Enlighten me because I haven't been able to ride them and figure out why I want them or don't want them.

My apologies RinkDink, but I made a post to answer your question, so we don't jump on Nooshie's original question for used longboards.

[RinkyDink]

Here's another tip about buying a surfboard. If you're interested in a board, then pick it up and walk with it under your arm like you would if you were walking down to the water. The board in my quiver that I want to sell the most is the one I hate carrying to the beach (it's always just about to slip out of my grasp). There is so much volume and width to that board that I don't like carrying it so I rarely surf it (too much hassle). Anyway, something to consider.

[saltydog]

can you explain more about why the rounded pin, single fin board isn’t ideal?
Clearly it requires some skills that more forgiveness no ones and let you by without,

If you go by "tail" measurements, most are around the 15" +/- mark for a 9'0". But that is taken 12" up from the end of the board. So you could get a pin and a squash with the same "tail" measurement. BUT if you measure say 1 inch up, there is a difference in area.

Pin tails are good for smooth drawn out turns and flowing lines. There's less room for error if you initiate your turn in the wrong place at the wrong time and are too forceful. But if you are in tune with the wave, the Pin tail is rewarding with speed.

That said, I've ridden loose pin tails and stiff squash tails, good noseriding 2+1 with wings and progressive riding singles. It really depends on each individual board and each individual rider. BUT I would always not recommend a single fin pin for a newerbie to longboarding.

Thanks for the great explanation! I guess we that’s partly (or mostly?) why I had trouble turning from th middle as well as I tended to catch the tail when I forced to turn. I like the idea of smooth carving, and as silly as it sounds I like the esthetic of the rounded pin, so I hope someday I can master enough skills to appreciate it.

[waikikikichan]

so I hope someday I can master enough skills to appreciate it.

You’ll get it. Maybe it your fin choice that’s holding you back. I once had to resort to using a cutaway fin to turn this 9’6” Harold Iggy Pin tail. What type of fin are you using ?

[saltydog]

so I hope someday I can master enough skills to appreciate it.

You’ll get it. Maybe it your fin choice that’s holding you back. I once had to resort to using a cutaway fin to turn this 9’6” Harold Iggy Pin tail. What type of fin are you using ?

Thanks for your confidence!
Interestingly, it came with a 8.5” true Ames Cutaway, so that was what I was using until a surf shop guy suggested that I should change to 9’ farberow flex. Maybe it was a good choice back when I could barely go down the line or ride a skateboard s l o w l y? What kind of difference should I expect now? I haven’t ridden that cutaway in so long plus I wasn’t at a point to tell any difference back then.

[waikikikichan]

Interestingly, it came with a 8.5” true Ames Cutaway, so that was what I was using until a surf shop guy suggested that I should change to 9’ farberow flex.

Wow o wow, your shop guy and me think exactly alike. That's a great cutaway shape and the Farberow flex is what I would've recommended next ( along with a Greenough 4-A ).

[saltydog]

That’s pretty cool. Actually he gave me a choice of farberow and ...Greenough 4a! And I picked the former for more noseriding possibility down the road, but since I have trouble catching waves with the board, that’s going to be a long while. I may go back to work he cutaway to get a different feel.

[Big H]

I have two true ames cutaways, 6.5 and 7.5" I think they are. I use them with side bites in a 2+1 setup and that's a good feel. In fact, going to set up that way on the mega for next time.