Surfing Waves

Firstly I'm sorry for yet another what board but now after trying a lot shorter board I'm now getting more of an idea of what I want.

On my longboard I now catch loads of waves and I can nail my bottom turn but I can't get my head around moving around and turning at the same time so I can make small adjustments along the wave and stay in the pocket, if I do move I forget to move back or forward because I'm concentrating on turning.

On my shorter board that I bought mainly to see what it's like surfing a smaller board and I actually did 10 times better than I thought. The dimensions are 6'10×20 1/2× 2 1/2 don't know the volume I did google it but it brings up a wider fatter board at 45L so I'm guessing low 40's. when I catch a wave it's awesome I can turn it really easily and I can go down the line and make alot sharper turns, paddling out is possible but as I imagined Alot harder (the good thing is I can kind of duck dive it) and also catching waves Up To 3-4 ft is difficult but possible over 4ft I start to struggle as I can't get the speed up so end up having to take on steeper and steeper waves.

So what I want is something inbetween the 2, I want something that I can paddle in just that little bit earlier but I don't want to have to walk around on the board to get the board to do things, the paddle out I'm not too worried about as I can generally get out in bigger surf than I like on both boards.

So do I just need to add volume to my short board? Or do I need to look at length as well? I definitely want a bit more width to make it that little bit more stable.

So the boards I was looking at,

If I just need more volume maybe the seed or the egg 7'0 or if I need more length the 7'6 egg
www.tombstonesurf.com/?page_id=196

The two next boards I was looking at the 7'2

https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/blank ... tripe.html

https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/blank ... tripe.html

Or finally maybe

https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/art-o ... n-7-8.html

I would go with one of the first three (ie not the last two). If you generally surf weaker or smaller waves then one with a fatter tail (seed); if they are more powerful then one of the others (by 4ft do you mean 4ft face?)

Keep in mind that anything over about 6'10 and you probably need to move around to get your back foot all the way back comfortably; so if that is an important issue then don't go too long

I would keep the 6'10" and work on paddle technique and endurance. There was a board I saw advertised today locally that would paddle easy and surf well I think; maybe something like this:

Maybe not....just re-read your post and remembered you're a relative newbie......why not just go for a standard mini mal around 7'6"? Would do everything that you want and I bet you can find loads of them secondhand....use it and sell it on when you're done.

I thought 7'4" is the max that's fits in the car.

dtc wrote:I would go with one of the first three (ie not the last two). If you generally surf weaker or smaller waves then one with a fatter tail (seed); if they are more powerful then one of the others (by 4ft do you mean 4ft face?)

Keep in mind that anything over about 6'10 and you probably need to move around to get your back foot all the way back comfortably; so if that is an important issue then don't go too long

Thanks for your reply, yes 4ft faces and usually the biggest I will surf is 6ft ish sometimes slightly bigger when the surf forecast is wrong.

If it's just a case of moving my foot back that's not too much of a problem it's on my board now I seem to have to go back around 1 1/2 ft but if I stay there unless the wave is a decent size I drop off the back so then I have to move forward and backwards if you get what I mean.

Big H wrote:Maybe not....just re-read your post and remembered you're a relative newbie......why not just go for a standard mini mal around 7'6"? Would do everything that you want and I bet you can find loads of them secondhand....use it and sell it on when you're done.

Thanks for the reply I have been looking for a mini mal for the past 2 months ish I would of thought that loads would of been up for sale but none within a reasonable distance and the only one that I saw was a 7'4 and battered to hell and they wanted £260 when you can get one new for £350-£400.

That's why I was really looking at the 2 blanks boards which are under £400 and come with fins but the tombstone are just under £600

waikikikichan wrote:I thought 7'4" is the max that's fits in the car.

Thanks for the reply.

I can fit a 7'4 inside the van strapped under the roof this means I can leave it in the van and still work from it with ease. As the last board I was looking for was not going to be my go to board i was more concerned about having something that I can fit in the van. Now I am looking not for just a board to get me out but I am looking to use this as my go to board, as I have enjoyed this short board on the times that I've taken it out I want to start heading that way but I don't want to go that extreme that I'm not catching waves this is why I asked if wether just volume would help with building up that speed if not I would have to look at slightly bigger.

If people think that adding 4" and probably around 8 liters would be enough to add that little bit of speed that im lacking then i could go for one of the 7'2 or 7' boards that i put up.

If you think that i just need more length and slightly higher volume 46 litres then thwre is an epoxy board that I was looking at and I would quite fancy getting an epoxy board as I'm not the most gentle.

If I need more length and volume then I can fit Up To 8ft in my van at an angle, I don't want to go that big but if I have to get a 7'6 then so be it.

I wasn't really looking at the mini mals since I got my new board as I would like something I could use through out the next year and not have to change again.

SurfSimply likes the Pumpkin Seed. I don't have any experience with it.


http://surfsimply.com/surfboards/pumpkin-seeds/

Millsy82 wrote:

waikikikichan wrote:I thought 7'4" is the max that's fits in the car.

Thanks for the reply.

I can fit a 7'4 inside the van strapped under the roof this means I can leave it in the van and still work from it with ease.

If that is the issue, try tilting your front and rear seats all the way back and putting the board in so that it slides all the way into the front seat foot well. Doing this I can fit a 10'4" board into my minivan and still have about 6 inches to spare. Not saying that you should get a nose rider, but you don't need to limit yourself to 7'4".

In any case, if you can ride the 6'10" but just want more paddle power, look for wider, a bit longer and/or thicker with less rocker and you will get what you're after.

Millsy82 wrote:

waikikikichan wrote:I wasn't really looking at the mini mals since I got my new board as I would like something I could use through out the next year and not have to change again.

Don't sell mini mals short.....I have the board in the pics (Jimmy Lewis 7' destroyer) and while I don't rip like this I can do a lot more on it than most who decide that mini mals are "holding them back" can do. A mini mal will not limit your progression......this is one of the boards I will never sell.

I tend to agree with the others and say that your current 6'10 is one to keep working on rather than just buying a new one. Its fairly thin (2 1/2) but adding a bit more volume probably wont make much difference - its not going to be the volume so much as the outline of the board that you will notice. Its easy enough - well, with practice - to improve your paddle and positioning.

that said, if you are keen on a new board, then on 4ft faces, which arent that big in the scheme of things, you may find that the best option is a board with a wider than normal tail. The wider tail picks up the power of the wave much easier, which is good for catching waves and also for pushing you along the face (in lieu of pumping etc). The downsides are that being given an extra push at the start of the wave can be a bit of a 'slingshot', esp in steeper or bigger/more powerful waves, which isnt always what you want, and its harder to turn off the front foot. But you are young and quick, so should be able to deal with it. Think about grovellor boards (eg pumpkinseed) and how they all have fat wide tails.

not to say a narrower tail is impossible at all; and a narrower tail will add a bit of control once you are up and running. But a tad harder at the start.

in any case, of the boards you linked the 'seed' or the 'big one' are probably along the lines of what I would suggest. Based purely on the photos, the 'big one' might be a slightly more stable board (eg also harder to turn).

In terms of length, 6'10 will be long enough - you have already proven that with your current board. But if you want a longer board then that is perfectly fine - plenty of people 'could' surf a shorter board and choose a longer board for a variety of reasons (me included).

Big H wrote:

Millsy82 wrote:

waikikikichan wrote:I thought 7'4" is the max that's fits in the car.

Thanks for the reply.

I can fit a 7'4 inside the van strapped under the roof this means I can leave it in the van and still work from it with ease.

If that is the issue, try tilting your front and rear seats all the way back and putting the board in so that it slides all the way into the front seat foot well. Doing this I can fit a 10'4" board into my minivan and still have about 6 inches to spare. Not saying that you should get a nose rider, but you don't need to limit yourself to 7'4".

In any case, if you can ride the 6'10" but just want more paddle power, look for wider, a bit longer and/or thicker with less rocker and you will get what you're after.

My van has a bulk head which is a steel wall behind the front seats which i wont remove as it is there for security.

I'm not against a mini mal but with a baby on the way I don't want to buy a board now and have to buy another in 6 months as money will be short. The second hand market around here is full of short and fat boards (grovelors?) But I don't really want to go shorter at the moment.

The board I was looking at was
https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/blank ... tripe.html as it is 4" longer that my smaller board 1 1/4" wider and 1/4" thicker I was hoping maybe a little bit easier to paddle but because of the shape maybe feel a bit more like my shorter board on the wave.

dtc wrote:I tend to agree with the others and say that your current 6'10 is one to keep working on rather than just buying a new one. Its fairly thin (2 1/2) but adding a bit more volume probably wont make much difference - its not going to be the volume so much as the outline of the board that you will notice. Its easy enough - well, with practice - to improve your paddle and positioning.

that said, if you are keen on a new board, then on 4ft faces, which arent that big in the scheme of things, you may find that the best option is a board with a wider than normal tail. The wider tail picks up the power of the wave much easier, which is good for catching waves and also for pushing you along the face (in lieu of pumping etc). The downsides are that being given an extra push at the start of the wave can be a bit of a 'slingshot', esp in steeper or bigger/more powerful waves, which isnt always what you want, and its harder to turn off the front foot. But you are young and quick, so should be able to deal with it. Think about grovellor boards (eg pumpkinseed) and how they all have fat wide tails.

not to say a narrower tail is impossible at all; and a narrower tail will add a bit of control once you are up and running. But a tad harder at the start.

in any case, of the boards you linked the 'seed' or the 'big one' are probably along the lines of what I would suggest. Based purely on the photos, the 'big one' might be a slightly more stable board (eg also harder to turn).

In terms of length, 6'10 will be long enough - you have already proven that with your current board. But if you want a longer board then that is perfectly fine - plenty of people 'could' surf a shorter board and choose a longer board for a variety of reasons (me included).

Thanks for the reply. The 6'10 I have at the moment I am guessing was designed and made for a girl probably not the same size as me 6'2 and 90kg (200ish lbs) the red white and pink stripes kind of give that away, I bought it as a bit of a test really as I literally didn't have a clue what I wanted and didn't want to spend £250 upwards and find I can't paddle it or catch a wave, at least with my current board it was cheap (£95) and I knew I could resell it for the same amount.

I was looking more at this board https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/blank ... tripe.html is that the big one you were talking about?

You were saying about the tail and on my smaller board it is non existent compared to what I have surfed in the past (foamie and an nsp longboard) so when I look at how I'm paddling I feel like I'm looking like the short boarders that cab get in the right place every time but I can't do that at the moment (I am improving on that every day).

This is my current shorter board as I said I'm good Up To about 3-4ft on it but will be lucky to get 1 out of 10 over that.

If it wasnt for the thickness i would say that your existing board is perfect! Its still a fairly high volume in the scheme of things; and a 6'10 board that is (say) 42L is still an easier board to surf than a 6ft board that is 34L - yet people manage to surf the 6ft board at your weight. But it is getting to the margins

Still, I have the same suspicion as you that its a board designed for a female/much lighter person than you are.

Yes, that board you linked is the one i was talking about. It has a nice outline, wont be as easy to surf (once you are up) as the pink one (a bit looser ie maneuverable but less stable) but wont be too much difference. The 6'8 might be a bit too far, but the 7'2 looks like a good choice.

dtc wrote:If it wasnt for the thickness i would say that your existing board is perfect! Its still a fairly high volume in the scheme of things; and a 6'10 board that is (say) 42L is still an easier board to surf than a 6ft board that is 34L - yet people manage to surf the 6ft board at your weight. But it is getting to the margins

Still, I have the same suspicion as you that its a board designed for a female/much lighter person than you are.

Yes, that board you linked is the one i was talking about. It has a nice outline, wont be as easy to surf (once you are up) as the pink one (a bit looser ie maneuverable but less stable) but wont be too much difference. The 6'8 might be a bit too far, but the 7'2 looks like a good choice.

Thank you very much the other board that I was looking at was
https://www.circle-one.co.uk/product/7f ... surfboard/

Or they do a 7ft version which is what I originally looked at when I thought I would probably be ok on the board I had but what put me off is the volume was quite a bit lower than the others it the board is epoxy so should have that little more float? Also I was originally looking for an epoxy so I don't have to worry too much about damaging it.

Millsy82 wrote:Thank you very much the other board that I was looking at was
https://www.circle-one.co.uk/product/7f ... surfboard/

Or they do a 7ft version which is what I originally looked at when I thought I would probably be ok on the board I had but what put me off is the volume was quite a bit lower than the others it the board is epoxy so should have that little more float? Also I was originally looking for an epoxy so I don't have to worry too much about damaging it.

That one has a lot less volume because its only 2 1/2 thick. Of itself neither here nor there, but thickness is the major contributor to volume. Still, 44L should be plenty. Any of the boards discussed will be fine, at least based on shape and description (I have no personal experience with them, so no idea about construction quality or design etc; the single to double concave is a pretty standard and very well established bottom contour which most of the boards have)

Epoxy doesnt have that much 'more' float. If you are 65kg and your board weighs, say, 6kg, then the board needs to 'float' both you and its own weight eg 71kg. An epoxy board may weigh 3kg - so it only needs to float 68kg. Yes that is about a 4% difference, so noticeable (in theory), but its not really a huge difference. So the 44L board you linked is probably equivalent to a 45.5L PU board in terms of 'float'. (note: math was my worst subject for year 12 and I failed year 10 physics....so my understanding may well be, lets us say, not entirely correct!)