Surfing Waves

Hey guys,

I am about to buy my second surfboard and would like to have some advice.
I was surfing for 3 years in France, Atlantic ocean with some breaks (usually in the winter) in between.
I rode a 6'2 round tail with a 35,2L board during that time. Since I was studying in Germany after that, I am a little out of practice. However, I am currently living in Japan and want to go for a smaller board since I am just 174 cm tall at 64kg. I also want to improve, so I am thinking about getting a Pyzel Phantom, 5'9 at 28.6L, 19 1/4, 2 7/16 (stock measurements).
I am confident with waves up to 2 meters. With the 35L, I could somehow duck dive but had difficulties going deeper, which made me a little uncomfortable on bigger days. Turning was possible, but it felt a little stiff. I think my stance is not perfect at all since my back foot is always right in front of the pad.
So to summarize, I would like to buy this board because I think it fits with waves between 1m and 2m and my body.
Do you think it is a good choice as an intermediate?

Additionally, I would like to ask if you think EPS is better than PU, if I want it to last long and what fins you recommend. Since I am planning to buy the board in a shop, only FCS is available. Do you think futures would be better? The old board I have has futures and I read somewhere that futures will transfer energy better than FCS. However, even pro surfers are using FCS so I don't think it should matter so much. The leash should be the same length, correct?

Thank you in advance!

Eps vs Pu question well eps is stronger and lighter and more durable than pu so there is that however lots of surfers like to have a heavier board so use pu and polyester resin both of which are heavier than eps epoxy. I prefer an eps epoxy board with more glass to make it stronger which will also make it heavier. I plan on using my current board until I die. Some surfers think eps board are corky but I think it depends on what you are used to to some degree. If you are a high performance surfer then you won't be asking these questions as you will have figured out what you like but many of them prefer pu polystyrene resin boards because high performance boards are lightly glassed and eps epoxy makes them more floaty.

Eps/epoxy boards can be pretty good now. I like them for longboards with a tuflite style sandwich construction. Don’t care for eps in shorter lengths. Like OMS said, for me in shorter lengths boards feel too floaty. Has to do with it’s inherent buoyancy rather than volume. Even in lower volumes boards that are short don’t feel “right” to me.

Leash standard I use is a foot longer than the board. I use longer and heavier the bigger the surf is.

I like futures but have boards with fcs 1 and fcs 2 plugs as well. I’m not good enough to feel much of a difference unless it’s twins.

I have a pu phantom in the quiver with a rounded tail. I like the board; nice balance when getting into waves, pretty versatile in terms of conditions I use it in; does better on smaller waves than I thought it would but not as good on hollow. I use it rarely ever since I got a board from a local shaper that obviously knew what is needed for breaks around here. Pyzel classes it as a stepdown for head high and under; for me with the round tail shape it is more versatile than that but if the surf is turned on at all I'm going for the local shape.

I favor volume above duck diving ability. Have to find the balance between the two. Alot if days at certain breaks would be very difficult if I couldn’t get under the waves and whitewater that you need to fight through. But I have erred on the low side as well as the high. Doesn’t mean much if you can get out back easier if it is hard to catch the wave and more importantly if you don’t ride it well and get out of the pocket and lose the wave. Smaller volume has smaller margins and in a crowd if you blow a couple waves it is hard to get back in the rotation.

Thank you for your answer. I never had a PU board, and I read that it will become after a year or two. Since I cannot afford a new board every second year, I would like to have more durability. How do you feel about your PU boards?

LOL...how do I feel? I have alot of boards. I sell them when I get tired of them or if they fall out of favor. I only buy used and while I have favorites that I'll never sell I like trying new shapes; part of the fun for me. It also lets me try a new to me board without breaking the bank, and if it doesn't work out with that board I sell it on and usually break even.

I don't like EPS in shortboards, like it in longboards so long as it has some type of semi bulletproof shell like tuflite. Phantom is a nice board for waves with decent shape and push 1.5x and under. But I'd get it in PU.

oldmansurfer wrote:Eps vs Pu question well eps is stronger and lighter and more durable than pu so there is that however lots of surfers like to have a heavier board so use pu and polyester resin both of which are heavier than eps epoxy. I prefer an eps epoxy board with more glass to make it stronger which will also make it heavier. I plan on using my current board until I die. Some surfers think eps board are corky but I think it depends on what you are used to to some degree. If you are a high performance surfer then you won't be asking these questions as you will have figured out what you like but many of them prefer pu polystyrene resin boards because high performance boards are lightly glassed and eps epoxy makes them more floaty.

Big thanks to OMS and Geezer! Found these explanations on eps vs pu extremely helpful for someone who has picked up both second hand over the years, but never quite figured out why there was this difference.
This might be an overly specific comment for OP, but don't sweat going too short because you live in Japan. I faced a similar dilemma repeatedly in Korea, ending up with boards too short for my level resulting in missed waves and bitter frustration. However easy it was to transport to the beach, it wasn't worth it in the long run. Found ways to make up to 6'8 and even 7'0 manageable in living space and transport, anything bigger was an escalating hassle unless you could store it at or near the break. Boards can get really expensive in that part of the world, so choose carefully and best of luck!

Hi Simon, I am currently living in Tokyo. I usually surf in Chiba, Shonan or Ibaraki. Where do you normally surf at ?