Surfing Waves

We've finally had some thigh to waist high waves after months of ankle biter so I took out my 6'8x 21"x3 walden compact disc just to see how I can get on. To my surprise, I had great fun. It was only about 20% more effort to paddle the a log, pretty to catch waves, and if the waves are good I can get a really fast and long rides while having a little faster response than a log. The downside is, it still requires more paddle fitness, I need to be at the right place and the right time, and the waves need to pack enough juice. So I got talking to a guy at a shop and he has recommended me a 7'1 x 21 1/4"x 2 7/8" hybrid egg Do you think that hybrid is going to make a big difference in terms of being more forgiving and help me in learning to top turn, linking turns, and then cutbacks more so than sticking with the compact disk or going back to a log? I love the look of flowing lines that single fin eggs draw so that's where I'd like to get to in addition to the smoothness of the long boarding that I'm already so attached to.

Forget the "vs." issue.....The answer is always get more boards.....full stop!

You on a egg, you on a hybrid, you on a log, you on a thruster, you on a single ........ is still YOU. You got to be on the right spot at the right time.
That said, SINGLES will Reward you if you do it right. Fight it and it will Punish you. Singles will help you to link turns because you have to be smooth, you can’t just pump your way out of mistakes. Singles will force you to be more patient and work with the wave. Cutbacks ? I think turning will be easier on a thruster than on a single.

Took another look at the photo. Diamond tail ? ...... Yuck. Bump Diamond ..... Double yuck. Wish is was a smooth thumb or rounded pin tail for a single.
Wanna see linking turns and smooth cutbacks on a mid-single ? Watch this .....

Joel Tudor?

Big H wrote:Forget the "vs." issue.....The answer is always get more boards.....full stop!

Hahaha, I like the way you think! To me a part of fun is to try various boards to feel the difference even though that probably pause my learning each time to a degree.

Big H wrote:Joel Tudor?

Yep, it's Joel Tudor. I happen to come across it a few days ago. So fluid and seeming effortless. Wkkkchan has read my mind!

Diamond tail ? ...... Yuck. Bump Diamond ..... Double yuck. Wish is was a smooth thumb or rounded pin tail for a single.

I thought it was sort of unconventional to have a diamond tail because most eggs have a pin tail of various roundedness. Does a diamond tail make it less smooth to turn on a single because it's almost like the board has to abruptly turn to one side or the other? This board is set up as 2+1. Aside from that, it has hard rails throughout, some bevel, subtle double concave to vee at the tail. I wasn't ready to buy a brand new board in a shape I'm not familiar with even with a demo board to try out, because I'd imagine some of the talk is more about making a sale. So that begs another question. Is it wise to trust the sales pitch and try a lesser known shaper who has been mostly a ghost shaper, or the one that's been around awhile and generally has good reputation among the locals? The sales guy sees me surfing often enough to gauge my skill level, but he might be biased toward what he sells in the shop.

Here are more photos of the same board model. This one has more prominent single to double concave than the one I saw.

Wow! I haven't seen a diamond tail since my boards I used to surf long ago. My usual board was a single fin diamond tail glassed in fin with a v bottom no concaves. The nose was pointier and the tail was narrower the whole board was narrower only 18 inches wide although my biggest one was 7'2 x19" but I think the thickness was around there 2.75" You know one of the ways to resolve your problem is to improve your paddle fitness.

speaking of diamonds.. I'd never really tried them until my new Starboard pro had one and it's an absolute beaut.
Something about that board, tail and rail just screams yeoooowwwwww. Definitely give one a try before knocking it, if even just to experience something different.

I've recently designed a new SUP with a company and asked them to make two models of same board, 1 with a rounded pin and one with a diamond as shown. I can't wait to test both and see how they affect the handling, speed and hold etc.
In my mind, if it's quite a full designs (especially on the front), the diamond will help with a little bit of release over a rounded pin but still have more hold and fit for bigger or hollower waves than a squash

I doubt those two tails would handle in any measurably different way

oldmansurfer wrote: You know one of the ways to resolve your problem is to improve your paddle fitness.

You are so right. I've started doing push-ups and arm exercises using a resistance band.

Meanwhile, I took out my compact disk again last weekend. I think I've figured out the sweet spot for paddling so I can paddle better now. But I really need to work on position and timing for catching waves. Anyway, that hybrid egg was already sold, so it's sort of a moot point at this point. It was very interesting to hear all kinds of opinions so thanks!