Surfing Waves

I'm looking to move down in size from my current board and I'm looking for some advice.
Have been surfing for 5 years, but I get out more frequently in the last 2 years.

I currently ride a 6'8 Torq mod fun (6’8” x 21” x 2 3/4”, 41.9L), which I've had for almost 2 years now. I've been looking at moving to something shorter and more maneuverable, a bit more fun, but I'm not sure which options in size, fin set up and tail shape will be best for me.

I'm a college student and I live quite far from the surf which means that I rarely get perfect conditions to surf in and often end up surfing waist high onshore beachbreaks. I find that my board can be hard to generate speed on if the waves are mushy and slow, but it's the most fun when the waves are around shoulder to head high. I can turn fine, but nothing special or advanced.

I've average ability, but it can be 2-3 weeks between surfs especially in the winter. I'm quite fit, and currently am about 75kg/ 165lbs and 183cm/6 feet tall.

I have been looking at shapes like a fish/ twinfin with similar width to my current board, a small bit less volume but shorter. I have seen a few hybrid type boards with a thruster or 5 fin set up that are aimed at average waves/ average surfers but I don't really know which option is the best.
I would preferably like a board that is easier to generate speed on and performs well where my current board doesn't, and I can still improve turning and make the most of poor waves when they're the only option. Ideally, I want to keep as much of the paddling ability of the Torq as I can, because its cold here (Ireland) and surfing in a 5mm all winter can be exhausting haha. I've seen some boards on magicseaweed etc. that are around 6' and in the same volume range.

In short, if you were to move from a 6'8 fun board to a smaller board, what would you be looking for, with an aim to get something that's faster in bad waves?

I don't know about a smaller board but from your description of surfing intermittently small mushy surf I think you should be wanting a bigger board. On mushy waves with a shorter board you have to generate speed by constantly turning up and down the wave and if it is too small then this becomes difficult. If the waves are bigger or steeper then it becomes easier to do. A longer board however gets more speed without turning and the speed can help you turn. You might get a wider board that is the same length but your board seems pretty wide so maybe thicker. Wider tails are supposed to be good for mushy surf but they are harder to turn so that won't help you learning to turn. Maybe it is time for you to get a custom made board by a local shaper that knows the waves you want to use it on? One question is do you see average surfers riding the waves you want to ride? What kind of boards are they using?

Yeah that's what I've been finding. What would be the main pros and cons of going thicker than what I'm currently on?

I actually had intended to talk to a shaper soon about a new board, hence seeing if anyone else had any tips for changing boards, for an idea of what might be good for me before that.

There is usually a lot of variety between boards- there's always a few longboarders in the lineup regardless of the break, and on an average day (when I'm out) some mid-lengths, and more hybrid (as in wider or thicker) short boards than high performance, which I think would be more at heavier breaks.

phil96 wrote: I've been looking at moving to something shorter and more maneuverable, a bit more fun

Fun in what way ? Turning ? I think going shorter without the skills to "create" speed in small mushy surf will make things harder ( thus less fun ).
If you want to make your board more maneuverable and drive more in gutless surf, change up the fin setting. Your Torq board should be equipped with Futures Fins. Try using the "T1" set up. It has taller front fins and a smaller trailing fin. That's what I use on my 6'4" fish.

Just like changing the tires on your car or bike can effect performance, same for your fins. And fins are cheaper to change than changing to a new board. Actually it's free to change/try if your local shop has the Futures Fin Tree, where they let you borrow fins at no charge.

phil96 wrote:In short, if you were to move from a 6'8 fun board to a smaller board, what would you be looking for, with an aim to get something that's faster in bad waves?

I'm the same length/weight as you and I would be looking at a Firewire Chumlee 5'11.

waikikikichan wrote:

phil96 wrote: I've been looking at moving to something shorter and more maneuverable, a bit more fun

Fun in what way ? Turning ? I think going shorter without the skills to "create" speed in small mushy surf will make things harder ( thus less fun ).
If you want to make your board more maneuverable and drive more in gutless surf, change up the fin setting. Your Torq board should be equipped with Futures Fins. Try using the "T1" set up. It has taller front fins and a smaller trailing fin. That's what I use on my 6'4" fish.

Screenshot 2018-02-23 at 6.14.29 AM.png

Just like changing the tires on your car or bike can effect performance, same for your fins. And fins are cheaper to change than changing to a new board. Actually it's free to change/try if your local shop has the Futures Fin Tree, where they let you borrow fins at no charge.

Screenshot 2018-02-23 at 6.21.20 AM.png

Fun as in retaining some turning ability, given my skill level, while being able to drive through flatter or weaker sections a bit easier is what I'm trying to say there. I know speed is down to the surfer more than anything else, but riding the a board that is designed to be fast in poor waves is probably a good idea too haha.

I had wondered about fins, hence the interest in the twin fin but I hadn't seen that set up before. I'll take a look into that first and see how I get on thanks! I didn't actually know that about futures but I'll definitely keep it in mind

I guess for small mushy waves you want a wide tail and a flat bottom (very little rocker) and quads or maybe twins or that configuration that Waikiki is suggesting. I have a board like that but I really like it in steep fast waves even more than small mushy waves. But if you can try fins for free that is great. Ideally you would have a set in the car and try out one then come in switch fins and try the other in the same waves. Fins can be expensive to buy to try.

phil96 wrote:I'm a college student and I live quite far from the surf which means that I rarely get perfect conditions to surf in and often end up surfing waist high onshore beachbreaks. I find that my board can be hard to generate speed on if the waves are mushy and slow, but it's the most fun when the waves are around shoulder to head high. I can turn fine, but nothing special or advanced.

I've average ability, but it can be 2-3 weeks between surfs especially in the winter. I'm quite fit, and currently am about 75kg/ 165lbs and 183cm/6 feet tall.

I have been looking at shapes like a fish/ twinfin with similar width to my current board, a small bit less volume but shorter. I have seen a few hybrid type boards with a thruster or 5 fin set up that are aimed at average waves/ average surfers but I don't really know which option is the best.
I would preferably like a board that is easier to generate speed on and performs well where my current board doesn't, and I can still improve turning and make the most of poor waves when they're the only option. Ideally, I want to keep as much of the paddling ability of the Torq as I can, because its cold here (Ireland) and surfing in a 5mm all winter can be exhausting haha. I've seen some boards on magicseaweed etc. that are around 6' and in the same volume range.

In short, if you were to move from a 6'8 fun board to a smaller board, what would you be looking for, with an aim to get something that's faster in bad waves?

I'm not as experienced a surfer as you, but here are a couple of things I focus on when it comes to finding the right board. I start with this question: How much rocker do I actually need? In my experience, if you want paddle speed, then find a board with less rocker. The flatter your board is, the faster it will paddle and move across the face. I've come to the conclusion that I don't need or want a lot of rocker in the waves I surf. I angle most of my takeoffs so I don't see why I need a lot of rocker. Of course, rocker comes into play on steeper waves and, if you're riding a shortboard, then you'll be taking off in more critical, steeper sections of the wave. The length of your board and your surfing skill-set will determine the difficulty of your takeoff. Plan your board's rocker accordingly.

The second factor I consider is the shape of my board's rails. Since I angle my takeoffs and drop down diagonally into the wave, I want a board where the rails really bite into the side of the wave on my takeoff and down in the trough on my bottom turns. I don't have a lot of experience with different rail types, but it's currently the area of the surfboard I'm trying to understand better.

The third factor I think about is volume. I know I want a flatter rocker, and sharper rails, but how do I want to distribute the volume of the board. In my imperfect understanding of surfboards, volume and rocker will determine the paddling difficulty of my board. I don't mind having having a wider board because I like the stability, but I want the rails thinned down. I also like getting most of the volume of the board up front toward the nose of the board where I want the extra width/planing surface. The shape of the last third of the board, nearest the fins, I want to decrease the width and, hopefully, get most of the maneuverability from the back of the board. I'm kind of describing a stinger shape. Anyway, those are my current thoughts about what I look for in a board. I have no doubt my thoughts on these things will evolve and in three months I'll read this post and say, "What the hell was I thinking?" Good luck on finding your magic board.

To get past sections and flat spots you need speed. There are two main ways of gaining speed

- a bigger longer (high volume) board, which means that it requires less wave power to move you a given distance ('wave based speed')

- a small / short fat board that is designed to allow the surfer to generate a lot of speed as easily as possible ('surfer based speed) - these are grovellor boards

Within each of those categories you get various design elements that can contribute to speed, which the others have mentioned eg flatter rocker, bigger tail being the main two (and rails and concaves obviously also contributing)

Being surfing, each kind of board has tradeoffs. Grovellors allow you to move up and down the wave face fast and easily and build up speed, but they are bad paddlers and very unstable boards (instability = easier to turn = easier to fall off). Longer boards are better paddlers and more stable, but perhaps harder to turn and fit in cars and so forth

There isnt really a magical board that is fast but stable, easy to turn but easy to paddle. Everything is a trade off.

You might find something with a fatter tail is worth considering (eg Firewire Domintor or Mccoy Nugget) or a proper swallow tail (fish style - note that having a narrow swallow tail eg the Firewire Addvance isnt solving this problem). Another option is a mini simmons (Ive never surfed one, so not sure how easy they are, but they are good for mushy waves) or maybe a govellor (eg Firewire sweet/baked potato). Btw, I have referenced Firewire boards only because they are easy to find on the net, not because I think those are the boards to aim for

Of course, trade offs again - big tail boards can be a handful in fast plunging waves (too fast at takeoff) and require a lot of back foot surfing.

This board melds a lot of the above http://www.moresurfboards.com/the_dumpling.html You can see its wide, thick, fat tail, flat rocker.

Noticed wkk has a blog post on this very issue

http://alohaki.jugem.jp/?eid=659

Hi dtc, have you seen the Firewire Chumlee in action where you surf? I've read a lot of good things about it.

Tudeo wrote:Hi dtc, have you seen the Firewire Chumlee in action where you surf? I've read a lot of good things about it.

I havent seen it (to my knowledge!). the outline looks pretty good although the thin tail profile seems a bit weird for the kind of board it is trying to be. That said, I imagine that a fairly clean breaking wave, even if small, and it will be great. Probably not so good on mushy or rolling waves (but, then most shorter boards arent). And given how light it claims to be, I imagine that in steep waves or if there is some wind it could be a handful. That tail probably not so good in steep/more powerful waves either, although maybe the tail thinness will help?

so.... off the top of my head it looks like a really good summer beach break board if you want to put in the effort needed for a grovellor type board.

waikikikichan wrote:

phil96 wrote: I've been looking at moving to something shorter and more maneuverable, a bit more fun

Fun in what way ? Turning ? I think going shorter without the skills to "create" speed in small mushy surf will make things harder ( thus less fun ).
If you want to make your board more maneuverable and drive more in gutless surf, change up the fin setting. Your Torq board should be equipped with Futures Fins. Try using the "T1" set up. It has taller front fins and a smaller trailing fin. That's what I use on my 6'4" fish.

Screenshot 2018-02-23 at 6.14.29 AM.png

Just like changing the tires on your car or bike can effect performance, same for your fins. And fins are cheaper to change than changing to a new board. Actually it's free to change/try if your local shop has the Futures Fin Tree, where they let you borrow fins at no charge.

Screenshot 2018-02-23 at 6.21.20 AM.png

Haven't replied to this thread in a while, but thanks for the advice! Finally got the fins last week, put them on the board a few days over the weekend. I knew a little bit of the theory on what fin set ups do what, but I didn't expect there to be such a major difference (to me).

The waves were average, 3-4ft ish, a little bit messy, and I felt like I was on a completely different board- I found it a good bit easier to keep speed across flatter sections of the wave, and turning and and keeping up with the waves was relatively easier.

I think over the summer I'll give a few different boards a try and see what I want to go with next, but I definitely want to give some twin fins a go, for what I was out in that set-up was far better than what I had been originally been using imo .