Surfing Waves

Hi guys,

Doing a ton of research on my next board. I'm about 6' tall, 185 pounds. I'm about 35 years old and in reasonably good shape. I surf beach breaks around southern california (santa monica, hermosa beach, venice, etc).

I currently have a 9' Robert August What I Ride surftech and after about 10 months of getting used to it, I'm thinking about expanding my quiver. I think I want something a bit more manuverable and maybe a bit lighter. I have a very easy time catching waves on the WIR and can do some basic frontside and backside turns.

I tried my friends 7' Merrick flyer and it was a bit too tough for me to catch a lot of the mushberger waves I enjoy so much.

At this point I'm a bit torn between going w/ one of those 8' - 8'6" sharp nose "hybrids" like the M-13 Al Merrick or the Rusty Desert Island surftechs versus a more performance oriented longboard like a Takayama Noah Ka Oi or Stephen Slater model.

http://www.rusty.com/index.cfm?page=2&board_id=28



vs.

http://www.beckersurf.com/ProductDetail ... oup_id=365




I'm very interested in some tips and advice as this will be a big purchase for me.

Thanks for all your help!

I have a Cobalt 8'6" vPanel that is a performance "mid-board", and I love it. I also have a 7'6" Doug Haut surftech pointy-ish nose hybrid, and I love it too. But they are totally different rides in my opinion. I am 35 years old, 5'9", and 175lbs, and it sounds like I am about the same ability as you. I find that I need a bit bigger wave to catch on the Haut. Also, it is quite "corky and perky", as my friend put it. Not quite as stable but really quick in reponse. I miss some waves that I should be catching because it is a little harder to paddle, but when I am up it is fun!!
For me, I would lean towards the hybrid. I think you have a great ride in the August board, and the longboard or minimal would be too close to it to justify getting it. I would diversify. But that is me!
I love both my boards, I am sure whichever you pick you will enjoy.
If you go for the longboard, check out cobalt.com, nice boards and I found that they are a really good deal on price. About $150 less than the Takayama 7'10" surftech I looked at this weekend.
Ooohh, that Rusty looks sweet....

My love still stands out there for longboarding. I say go for the Takayama Noah Ka Oi model. Becker also has other boards such as the legacy or Mike G that are great boards.

thanks for the feedback. i think i may go with the longer board -- i'm actually thinking I may step up to a 9'6" if i can find the right model!

is there a nice Tak 9'6" or Robert August 9'6"?

Thanks!