Shortboard advice

[sebadelbasto]

Hi, my surf teacher recommended me a wide shortboard between a range of 6,0 and 6,2 of height and 20 to 21 wide, im 5,8 and weigh 145lb , my skills level i believe is intermediate i can do SOME.. (not much) turns, but im more in to achieving some barrels and trying to go into bigger waves every time, were i surf, waves are around 5 ti 7feet, sometimes smaller.
I was searching.. and found that CI Weirdo ripper is kind of suitable to my needs but in the webpage they recommended me a 5,6 according to my weight...
but i really don't know if i have to go for the 6,0 or 5,6, although i found step-down chilli which have similar characteristics.

So my question is... which surfboard(Weirdo ripper or step-down) is better for my conditions, and which height i should buy 5,6 or 6,0 or even higher.

Please! i really need some advice and help!

[jaffa1949]

El basto you have been sold a myth at this stage, if you can only do some turns some of the the time you are not really a barrel rider. Riding tubes barrels etc, require subtle weighting and unweighting and almost instinctive face positioning under the lip. Your stage is nowhere near that.
I am interested in where you surf ( in Chile?) as that might help us advise you on a suitable board.

What are you riding now? Is it only the surf school board or do you already have your own board?

[drowningbitbybit]

im 5,8 and weigh 145lb... but i really don't know if i have to go for the 6,0 or 5,6

Sorry to be brutal, but if you can't decide between a 5'6 and a 6'0, then you're not ready for either.

[benjl]

Out of curiosity- can u actually get out bAck and consistently surf these 5-7ft waves? 5-7 ft is pretty big and I would be highly surprised that anyone who can't really turn yet could make a 5ft drop let alone 7ft.

As for the boards, I don't know much about the CI board but step down boards are generally made for conditions 1-4ft. If you're trying to aspire to barrels then a step down board would be the wrong choice especially if the waves exceed the size it is meant for. If you're up the front of the beach in 1-4ft waves then it would be great and probably good for your learning.

It may help to provide some of the other more experienced guys here more information so that they can give you their feedback.
You don't want to spend a lot of money on the wrong board!

[waikikikichan]

"my surf teacher recommended me a wide shortboard between a range of 6,0 and 6,2 of height and 20 to 21 wide" - So you should listen to your teacher. He/she is the person that actually seen you surf and knows your level.

"my skills level i believe is intermediate i can do SOME.. (not much) turns" - Then you are not an intermediate surfer. If you can not go the opposite way ( backside ) then your not an Intermediate yet. I wish I were a beginner again, that was more fun. Now everything too serious. Enjoy this time while you can.

"but im more in to achieving some barrels and trying to go into bigger waves every time," - That's fine, but it's more up to the wave than what you ride. Not every wave can be nose ridden. Not every ways can barrel.

"found that CI Weirdo ripper is kind of suitable to my needs but in the webpage they recommended me a 5,6 according to my weight... - according to the weight of an Average surfer. NOT for beginner/intermediate. The more novice you are, the bigger you need to go. ( again listen to your teacher !

"So my question is... which surfboard(Weirdo ripper or step-down) is better for my conditions, and which height i should buy 5,6 or 6,0 or even higher." - look at your question of "which size step down". Step down from what ?? Step down boards usually means a Shorter but wider board than you everyday GO-TO board. A Step Up board is usually Longer and thinner board for riding bigger waves than on your Go-To board.
So what size is your Go-To board ?

[waikikikichan]

Forgot to ask if you were a bodyboarder before you started surfing ? That might have a lot to do with you wanting to pull into barrels.

[sebadelbasto]

El basto you have been sold a myth at this stage, if you can only do some turns some of the the time you are not really a barrel rider. Riding tubes barrels etc, require subtle weighting and unweighting and almost instinctive face positioning under the lip. Your stage is nowhere near that.
I am interested in where you surf ( in Chile?) as that might help us advise you on a suitable board.

What are you riding now? Is it only the surf school board or do you already have your own board?

Sorry if my english is not ok, but dude im just telling the truth i don't do many turns the only "tricks" i can perform okay i could say frontside bottom turn, top turn and Re-entry, OBVIOUSLY im not a barrel rider i said "but im more in to ACHIEVING some barrels", and yeah i don't do many turns because i really don't know why..its hard for performing turns riding backside... "im regular"

i surf in Pichilemu and Matanzas
Now i ride a 6.1 lost SD II that my teacher always lend to me

[jaffa1949]

El basto there is no disrespect in my reply to you just pushing a little bit to get an understanding of what you are asking!
Your English is pretty good.
What concerned me was that the boards you were looking at were well under what what your teacher was suggesting and smaller than you!
If you have those turns top turns reentry and and a good bottom turn then you are more advanced than your first post suggests.
All of these "tricks" are really functional positioning skills when they get better backhand,
barrels are achievable. Surfing as a regular at either Pichilemu or Matanzas explains the need to be strong on your back hand.
Why not go around 6' 3" to 6'6" in a shape your teacher recommends, this will work for the bigger surfs and be functional. Go too small at your level and you will lose drive coming out of you backhand bottom turns.
If you like the Lost SD II then I would suggest the 6'4" V3 rocket pretty much fits your needs in dimensions, keep the stoke and have fun!

[piksel]

It was really useful, thanks