Surfing Waves

Hey all - im looking for a board back home in cape town.. been surfing since i was 16 - im not much of a dimension freak and dont know much - i know judging a board by its length is like judging shoes by the color.

So... as far as ive chatted, it seems the newer trend is slightly broader shoulders - i rode a needle in Hawaii and it sucked, couldnt catch a darn thing. In costa I had a gr8 66 i absolutely loved but couldnt afford to fly back..

I ride anything from 3ft to about 8 ft most of the time, and im not super fit but relatively ok.. what thickness / width would i look for - some sites recommend around 19 1/2 wide and about 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 abouts..

I dont want something too thin where im draggin too much, rather 2mm more than less for me, the days of surfing weekly are gone however 2 3 sessions a week are coming this summer..

Can anyone educate me a little in laymans terms?

tx

Hi soon to be not so casual surfer, if you liked the 6'6" in Costa then think around that size, go a little wider in the profile 19" is getting a bit into the high speed performance line ( towards those needle shapes) 21" may be better as it extents the curves to an all round useful shape. A bit of meat in the thickness for float and paddle ease but giving you good rails don't go fun shape! maybe go to a local shaper and talk shop for your level and amount you surf , dial him in to where you surf and see what is offered.

People make the sad mistake of going for what the pros ride, and struggle , most pros have their abilities and other factors and a different board for different parts of the tour.

Beginners intermediates and ordinary surfers just need a board that will give them ease of surfing, pros boards will not do that for them.

^^^^ What he said.


As someone who is also tall and 80-odd kilos, skinny boards are just a pain.
My go-to board is 6'2 x 20.5 x 2 3/4, and carries a bit more volume towards the front (not like a funboard or a fish, but like a slightly wider shortboard, and with thick-ish rails towards the front) which makes paddling and catching waves easier.
It's not ultra-agile (compared to a high-performance board), but neither am I

So maybe go for something like that - a touch longer maybe as you're 6'2 yourself, and it should be like that 6'6

I agree 100% with what has been said so far, but if you're still a little uncertain go have a chat with the guys at Atlantic surf co. situated in the table view area. My go to board is one shaped by them, 6.4" 20.5" 2.5" goes like a dream on the little days and holds it's own in the bigger winter swell. If however your in the muizenberg or fish hoek area just go to any of the surf shops on the beach front or better yet why not go to all of them have a chat and see what they recommend? You could also rent some boards from any of the beach front surf shops in muizenberg, very good prices if I may add, so why not have a go on a couple of the options they offer and see what you like.

sweet guys - yeah ill check out the dimensions here, never really paid much attention - A chap in a surf shop did say if u go slightly broader with the shoulders u can drop an inch or two length wise, it creates more lift when catching which makes sense.. Wish airlines didnt charge so much for surfboards (!!)