HELPPP!! possible new surfboard/problems with current board

[mjjj9]

ive been surfing for about 7-8 months now religiously for 3-4 months and i have hit a roadblock with my current board. my current board is a 6'2 funboard. the rails are very very thick and it is very bouyant. i have fun on the board when the waves are below shoulder high and are inconsistent. ive learned to pop up and catch green water waves but the board cannot do any manauvers or anything and can barley turn. if i go into bigger surf with this board it is almost impossible to make it to the lineup because duck diving on this board is not an option. i have been trying to learn to duck dive this board for 4 months now and it just doesnt want to budge. the board is so bouyant that you cant even submerge it if u used your full strength. it might submerge a little bit but now enough to duck dive u and get u under the wave. everytime i try to duck dive the board it flys out of the water and i end up getting pushed back. i am pretty sure i have mastered the duck dive because when i use my friends shortboard it is as easy as tying a shoe compared to trying to duck dive mine. my intentions are to go in bigger surf and start to learn manuevers in surfing (cutbacks,snaps,floaters ect..) ive been out in 8 ft surf with this board because of pure luck and eskimo rolling but the board ends up not holding up in the large surf anyway. do i get a new board or do i just stay with the board i have. sorry for the long post. i surf in orange county/san diego btw. please help regarding this issue.

[dtc]

but the board cannot do any manauvers or anything and can barley turn..

No, YOU cannot do any manoeuvres or anything. You don't have the skills. Its not the board (repeat in your head 'its me, not the board'). 100lb people can turn 9ft longboards; you definitely can turn a 6'2 board.

That is fine, everyone starts off and needs to learn skills. Just be clear about what the issue is.

These are your choices

1. use your current board and learn to turn, but perhaps you cannot duck dive (how heavy are you?). Although it seems that you aren't good enough to really learn how to do turns on this board so it may take a while.
2. get a smaller board that you can duck dive. It will almost certainly be harder to learn to turn and do manoeuvres with a smaller board. And you are already finding it hard, so think how hard it is now and think harder.
3. buy a bigger board (longer) which will make it easer to learn to turn. Then go back to your current board. Then go to a shorter board.

Longboarders can't duck dive and can get out the back. You have to choose whether you want to learn to surf or be able to duck dive.

[Big H]

How was your friend's board for you when you tried it? Were you able to catch waves and get into them or just ride straight? Did you like your friend's board better, did it work better or worse for you (besides the duck diving bit which is nearly irrelevant)?

I started not too long ago....I couldn't wait to get into bigger waves than the waist high waves that I was able to ride....it wasn't until I slowed down a little and paid attention to developing my technique on the smaller waves (including turtle rolls in progressively bigger surf), it wasn't until I did that did I start to develop fundamentals that could be built on that I was able to surf larger waves with control and apply what I'd learned as far as pop ups early and late, angled paddling, fading, turning and going down the line, bottom turns, top turns, cutbacks and floaters to progressively bigger waves on progressively smaller boards.

If your friend's board worked better for you get a smaller board; if not keep practicing on the bigger one on smaller waves....practice a lot and you'll be out with the rest of the guys soon enough.

[mjjj9]

thanks for the help guys! and ya it definitly is me cause i still suck but i will keep trying. the board i currently have has a ridiculous amount of volume which created the duck dive problem for me. today i went out and was able to control the board better and turn better so maybe in a few when i solidify my current skills im building on ( popping up better, turning, timing and learning the ocean than ill jump on the smaller board. my friends board was very easy to duck dive and i caught a couple good waves with it while i was using it. it was defintly harder to catch waves but i was able to and when i did it felt more comfortable, more skatey feeling, looser, less of a logged feeling. so i think im gonna stick with my current board as of rn and maybe try and turtle roll with it instead of duck dive it since i found more success with the roll. the board is 6'2 but is very bouyant for a 6'2 board. board was made for floation and learning to surf. before rushing into anything i will try my friends board again to see how much fun i can have with it and to see if i will have fun with a shortboard. thank you for the help! really appreciate you guys taking time to respond.

[dtc]

What are the dimensions of your current board. I was a bit flippant saying it wasn't the board but you; but its possible you have a really big grovellor (small wave board) with a heap of volume packed into a small board - if you are light (weight wise), it could be an issue.

In that case, you might actually be better off getting a longer board (say 6'8) that has a similar volume (you still cant duck dive it but it might be better for your surfing)

so - what is your weight and your current board dimensions?

[mjjj9]

5'10 140 ib.

[mjjj9]

6'2 length. The Width, thickness, and volume isn't applicable since the person who sold it to me didn't know himself. Quite an old board. Very wide and very thick is all i can tell u.

[benjl]

'very wide and thick' is like asking how long is a piece of string.. it's entirely subjective to the person measuring it. What's wide and thick to you could be completely different to me.

Why don't you get a tape measure and measure it / take some photos and post them here?
Also being an older board, I doubt it would have the modern 'groveller' style of shape so my guess is that it wouldn't be wider than 21" and thicker than 2 3/4.

I'm a very light weight guy and started riding a 6'2 fish within 6 months of ever surfing (6'2 x 21 x 2 1/2). I've actually always found that the more buoyant the board, the looser it is and easier to turn. When over head height it can get hard to dig in a rail if they're fat and high volume but it's still far more to do with the rider than board.

[dtc]

Most boards have the dimensions written on the bottom somewhere, usually along the stringer (the wood bit down the middle) (or occasionally its on the top covered by wax).

As benjl said, if its an old board then its probably not going to be too modern shaped and at 140lb is a 6ft2 board should be generally ok.

Of course, there are some terrible boards (often made by backyard shapers). If you don't like the board, there is nothing to stop you buying a new one and trying it out (or trying out your friends boards and see if you click with any of them)