Surfing Waves

Hello,

So I am planning to get a new board, as I gave my old 7'4 minimal to my girlfriend. I want to get something for smaller or lazy days, when I want to take a break from my shortboard. Which board would be the best choice? I can get them for around £300 each.

1. http://www.aldersportswear.com/products ... d-3-detail
2. https://shop.pukassurf.com/collections/ ... inec170307
3. https://www.torq-surfboards.com/fun-68.html

Thanks!

As you say you are also surfing a shortboard, I'm assuming you have a reasonable skill level.

I should also ask (but will give my 'answer' anyway regardless!) - do you essentially want something similar to your old mini mal, or are you looking for something different? If so, what differences are you looking for ie what is it about your mini mal that you didnt like or want to be different.

If you want a board for 'smaller or lazy' days, then you really need to go above 7ft or a short groveller small wave board. A 6'8 board, for example, will catch smaller waves (by which I mean waist high or below) but will require a bit of extra effort so isnt a 'lazy' board. That effort is both in catching the wave and in keeping up speed while on the wave.

The Big Bird will be the laziest board. Easiest to catch waves and cruise along, probably the hardest to turn. but turning isnt impossible, just means wider turning arcs. If you are looking for a dedicated small wave board and dont want a longboard, then get this one. As said I would go for the 7ft or at worst the 6'10, but the longer the better.

The egg probably requires a little bit more oomph in the waves but is ok. It would be great all rounder board, but as a specifically small and lazy day board it perhaps isnt ideal. But its worth a look and will go pretty good

the 6'8 modfun is I think too short. You could go for the 7'2, in which case Torq is a great budget brand (I dont know the other brands at all). That said, the 7'2 modfun and the egg have identical dimensions and pretty damn close outline, volume and (from the looks of it) rocker. So I dont know that there is really much of a difference from a surfing perspective - maybe in construction or weight or cost there might be.

So in short
- the big bird looks to be the best for a dedicated small lazy day board
- the modfun and the egg are very similar. They probably offer a little bit more performance than the big bird, but at the expense of requiring a bit more effort and potentially lower performance in waves right at the smaller end

But... all that said, I go back to my original question - do you just want to replace your existing mini mal or do you want something different? If you just want to replace it, then get something that is similar; if you want something different then what?

I like that minimal, but it’s pretty old now, and my girlfriend is looking for a board, so I’ll give it to her, and I want to try something a bit different, I’m not looking for specific things, just different size and shape, want to experience what other boards have to offer. Something below 7ft, as I am quite short. By “lazy days” I mean when I’m not feeling like surfing a short board and just want to spend more time getting into waves and cruising around. That first board looks quite attractive to me, but I am a bit worried that I will lose quite a bit of performance with it. I really like the outline of 6’8 torq board, it looks like a middle ground between minimal and shortboard, it would take more effort than a minimal but still way less than a shortboard.

I have the 6.8 mod fun, it is indeed a versatile shape. I’m 6’1” about 200 lbs, so it’s a shortboard to me lol. But as a beginner at 48 years old, the fact that I can ride it speaks volumes as to the functionality of the board.

Tom

I’m only 5’6’’ and 145lbs, so I reckon it should be alright. I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different. What type/size of waves are you riding on it?

MartinRecik wrote:I’m only 5’6’’ and 145lbs, so I reckon it should be alright. I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different. What type/size of waves are you riding on it?

ah, yeah, probably (definitely!) I should have asked about your weight as well. At 145lb you can go a bit shorter than 7ft I guess; but a cruisey board should still be pretty long.

My concern with getting a shorter board, like a 6'8, is that you get a little bit of extra turning ability but lose a bit of the cruise and small wave ability. So you end up with a board that isnt achieving either outcome particularly well. If you were looking for a general purpose board then that is perfectly fine and perhaps ideal - that is why mid length boards exist. But if you are aiming to get a board that is focused more toward one end of the spectrum (small waves, cruise) than the other end (tight turns, late drops etc), it might not be giving you the outcome you want.

That said, if you actually want a board that is easier to surf than your shortboard, but you arent as far toward the small wave/cruise end of the spectrum as first suggested, then the Torq is a good choice. Or the Indio 6'8 version, which is pretty much the same.

In relation to the first board and your concerns about 'losing a bit of performance' - of course a longer and wider board wont turn on a dime like a short board, but you can turn it just as much or ride it up and down the face or whatever. Its a different style of surfing, as you will know from your mini mal; doesnt make it a bad style. And be honest with yourself as to how much of that 'performance' you will actually use - are you doing 180 deg top turns or hacks, floaters and cutbacks? If not, then being too concerned about 'performance' may not be warranted

anyway - I'm sure all of the boards you have listed will be surfable and will be suitable for you; the differences are not significant and its just a matter of you figuring out exactly what you want from your board. This isnt a criticism - its always hard to know what questions to ask yourself to determine your ideal outcome - and one of the significant value adds that a good shaper can provide

MartinRecik wrote: I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different.

Not necessarily, you could get 10 different boards from 10 different shaper all being 7’2” and they will all ride different. Some might float better than your 7’4”, some might not turn as well as it. You can’t just base of one dimension ( such as length or volume ). You have the consider everything as a whole.

MartinRecik wrote:I’m only 5’6’’ and 145lbs, so I reckon it should be alright. I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different. What type/size of waves are you riding on it?

I use it in Cozumel Mexico at a break called Chen Rio. I need a steep, fast wave to make that board work. Like I said, I’m a beginner, still progressing. You might float way better on it, but it’s still a small funboard/big shortboard and will perform as such.

Tom

tomthetreeman wrote:

MartinRecik wrote:I’m only 5’6’’ and 145lbs, so I reckon it should be alright. I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different. What type/size of waves are you riding on it?

I use it in Cozumel Mexico at a break called Chen Rio. I need a steep, fast wave to make that board work. Like I said, I’m a beginner, still progressing. You might float way better on it, but it’s still a small funboard/big shortboard and will perform as such.

Tom

Interesting. Your Mod Fun didn't work too well for non-steep, mushy, kind of slow beach break waves?

ConcreteVitamin wrote:

tomthetreeman wrote:

MartinRecik wrote:I’m only 5’6’’ and 145lbs, so I reckon it should be alright. I mean If I would go 7’2 I wouldn’t feel a difference from my old minimal, but going to 6’8 would be different. What type/size of waves are you riding on it?

I use it in Cozumel Mexico at a break called Chen Rio. I need a steep, fast wave to make that board work. Like I said, I’m a beginner, still progressing. You might float way better on it, but it’s still a small funboard/big shortboard and will perform as such.

Tom

Interesting. Your Mod Fun didn't work too well for non-steep, mushy, kind of slow beach break waves?

For me, at my current level, it feels like a large shortboard underneath me. At 6’1” and 200# maybe it always will. I was even getting a semblance of a duck dive with it the last time I used it. It doesn’t feel very high volume at all to me for the dims.

Tom