Surfing Waves

Hey Everybody,

I've been surfing for a while (15 years) and I started on a shortboard. I've never surfed a longboard consistently, but as I get older and less consistent with my sessions, I find that I'm needing some extra push in small waves. What should I look for in a longboard to grab the smallest waves? I wouldn't be riding this over waist high. I have waist to HH+ covered with my current boards.


Any feedback would be appreciated!

I am not a longboard expert but can tell you what board I have and my buds and why. I have a 9'6 x 23 1/4 x 3 1/4. It has a 2 +1 configuration and is thinned on the nose and tail. Honestly, I love the board, but I have tried my friend's single fin that has the same dimensions but slightly less rocker and thicker nose and tail and it paddle way better. 10ft is a more popular size for small waves, easier to paddle into, easier to catch waves, but I just don't like them so big.

So, 10ft if you want to catch everything. 9'6" will do, go with volume and less rocker for small waves.

As the teacher says, the secret to small waves is volume - the more volume, the smaller the waves you can catch. My LB is 9'1 x 22 1/4 x 2 5/8 (I am about 85kg/185 lb) with thinned out nose and tail, and its limit at the small end is probably just under knee high and thats assuming its a proper wave and not a wind blown wave. Anything smaller and it sinks once I pop up.

There are some boards that are high volume without going into the 10ft category - such as the Walden mega magic (the 8ft GSI version is 8'0' x 23 1/2 x 3 5/8 = 84 ltr, which as a comparison - using GSI boards as they have the details on their website - is equivalent in volume to the NSP 9ft6 longboard and a bit more than their 9ft6 fireball). Obviously very thick and wide. Never ridden one of them so not endorsing, but its a possible option if you dont want a full length LB. But in general you will need to go longer to get the volume.

Depending on your weight, 80l might be enough (if you are under about 75ishkg at a guess) or you may want to move into the 90+ltr boards to really nail those small waves. Take those estimates with a grain of salt - do your own research, as they say.

At that size I'm not sure if concaves and rails etc really come into it, so long as you arent getting a noseriding board with its specific shape; but no reason not to get a flat rocker (or no reason to get much rocker) and it appears a single fin is worth a go.

Quick update; I bought a used beater longboard just to get the feel of it before targeting something specific. Since I'm used to shortboards and late drops it took a bit of getting used to. The glide and ease of getting into waves was nice, but I think I was trying to surf it like a much smaller board because I kept on digging the rail at the nose. When I'm on my shortboard I angle my takeoffs in relation to the steepness of the waves(steeper = more angle). Is it everyones experience on a longboard that too extreme of an angle doesn't work? I had much better luck by paddling straight for shore, then a soft cutback to cruise down the line.

Hi Mikespeed , a couple of answers for you, often in transition from short to long the first few session you tend to bury the nose to about the length of your short board, it also sounds like you may have been a front foot surfer on your short board. The opposite is needed step back a little and try pushing down and driving with your back foot in the turns and guiding more with the front foot.
The angle for take off will still work especially in steeper waves.
Try for the angle paddling and as you pop up and get your balance try swinging a little top turn to straighten down the face and then lay over a big bottom turn FEEL the POWER that comes with this. Steeper wave and straight drops on a long board require a lot more skill in judging, it as you have so much more to get around.

One thing that is often overlooked about a longboard is that you can be on you feet already as the drop opens up and not have to take off in that critical zone of a shortboard

Get used to moving up and down the board and finding the trim spot where the board can constantly pick up speed. Learn to generate speed and use it and learn the secret art of the stall turn as explained above.

Have fun, the longboard way beckons