Surfing Waves

Hi Guys.
Need a bit of advice on surf boards!
Been surfing for about 10 years on and off but recently I moved from Cornwall due to work to the city so in the past 5 years I have only been surfing maybe 10 times a year. This has caused my surfing fitness level to dramatically drop.
My surfboard is a custom 6'1 short board. When I first had it, I was a tad trimmer and it was more buoyant but now I weigh a tad bit more (11.5 stone) and it sinks when I sit on it.
The pros of this board are that I can duck dive it really well and it handles like a dream when I am stood up on the board.
Cons are that paddling this board is a nightmare. Whether its due to my fitness level or because the board is not right for my weight and height, I'm not sure but surfing has become HARD WORK for me.

I am debating a new board. I want one that is snappy enough for me when I am up on a wave to maneuver and something that I can push under the water to duck dive well but big enough to paddle a bit easier.
Do I go longer or wider or thicker??
I am 5'ft11 and 11 and a half stone. Generally good level of fitness but due to my unfortunate seldom surfing sessions, my surfing fitness is very low!
I tend to stick to the same beach (Gwithian in Cornwall) which is a slow easy beach break.

Any help and advice would be great!! Many thanks in advance!

Steven

stevenprebble wrote:Hi Guys.
Do I go longer or wider or thicker??

All of the above?

Going a little bit longer/wider/thicker will certainly make life easier (and is probably more suitable for Gwithian anyway), but try and get something with a bit more foam up front. A wider front section makes paddlng and catching waves much easier than the traditional pointy shortboard. See if you can try out a pod-type shape.

Yeah, your ideal board is probably a board that is the maximum volume that you can still duck dive (what that is or how you find that out I am not sure). There are quite a few boards now days that are higher volume for their length than has traditionally been the case.

For example, check out the Firewire site (not as a recommendation, just to illustrate my point) which includes the volume of its boards, which allows you to compare boards of a similar length but different width/thickness and hence volume; plus the location of the foam. There are plenty of other shapers/manufacturers doing the same thing - the 'money' or focus in the sport seems to have moved from the 15yr old grommet to the 'middle aged but wealthier' older surfer who needs some 'assistance'; and this need is being catered for. So you should be able to find something that is much easier to paddle than your current board but that doesnt affect performance too much. Naturally you are trading off ease of duck diving - there is no way around it.

All very good advice! Many thanks! It saddens me that I am no longer the 15 year old grommet although at 28 years old I'm not quite ready to me the middle aged older surfer although my muscles would say different.
I have been very intrigued by the pod (http://www.cisurfboards.com/surfboards/the-pod/)
Seems half way between a shortboard and a fish.
The problem is I know sod all about surfboards. I dont understand about good volumes, widths, lengths etc so I am worried about spending money on a surfboard to find it doesn't work for me. You surely can't return a surfboard once it's been waxed and surfed on!

Hi Steven, if you look at your custom which is not working for you at the moment, see if the dimensions are penciled in on it that will give you an idea of it's volume ,then compare with the pod or what ever of your fancy surprisingly an inch more in length mor e wider in profile and thicker and a deepr thicknees of foam under the chest will add to the paddling power, and duckdiving is a skill and timing that needs to be kept fresh.
Think along those lines and look at something 6'4" ish and poddy .

It's your lack of consistency, 6'1 would be great if you surfed twice a week. Get something bigger and start having more fun

I got the exact measurements. I was a bit wrong! It's 6'2 - 18+1/2 - 2+1/4
I am probably being dumb but how do I work out the volume from that?

stevenprebble wrote:I got the exact measurements. I was a bit wrong! It's 6'2 - 18+1/2 - 2+1/4
I am probably being dumb but how do I work out the volume from that?

You can't without a specialised CAD type program. This is because the board isnt a square - the width and thickness changes constantly so working out the volume with any accuracy by hand is almost impossible. The best you can do is divide the board into as many sections as you can handle (eg 8 or 10), measure each section (ThicknessxLxW) and then add that up.

There is floating around on the web a program some amateur shapers use which might be of some assistance but I can't recall what it is called.

Another way is to go to a shaper's site which has volume (eg Firewire, GSI) and find a board with measurements as close to yours as you can find. Allowing for the fact that the other board may have a different foil or shape, you will get a rough idea. This method is probably around 90% accurate more or less.

stevenprebble wrote:I got the exact measurements. I was a bit wrong! It's 6'2 - 18+1/2 - 2+1/4
I am probably being dumb but how do I work out the volume from that?

When we talk about volume we don't mean numerical values, sorry, we mean volume as in what we know of surfing then comparing to your weight and other factors.

The board you have is super thin and narrow, probably ok for someone your weight if you surfed 3-4 days a week consistently and had been surfing 5+ years. If I was going to surf 10 times a year I would get get something wider and thicker to allow for my lack of practice. I'd say around 6'3" x 19 1/4" x 2 3/8" or even 2 1/2".

Maybe some other 11.5 stone surfers can give you suggestions of what to get that would be easier than yours...

Yeah you are right! Unfortunately due to geographical reasons I do only surf about 15-20 times a year which would be more reason why I struggle so much. Need to swap this board in with something bigger then on all sides. Really appreciate all the advice from everyone!