Surfing Waves

Hi everyone,

I need some help for buying my 1st board, thanks!
Willing to spend up to 700 USD, don't want a Wavestorm.

I'm 195 lbs 6'2, have surfed about 30-50x times over the the last year at Jack' in Santa Cruz US, mostly on 1-4 foot waves using rented 9' SurfTech 98L soft tops (link below) over the weekends. I can take off on most waves and have been practicing turning and riding "along the wave break" with moderate success. Want to get my own board which would maximize my time on waves. Also, I've been actively skateboarding the past 15-20 years, it definitely helps once I'm standing, but for sure less than I hoped for!

I'm considering Torq longboards (appealing price point), but not sure whether to get a 9' (72L) or 8.6' (67L), link below. I'm leaning towards the 8.6' as I'd like to fit the board in my 2009 Jetta (the 9' would fit, but 8.6' fits better) and eventually short board. However, 9' seems more appealing from a learning standpoint as I guess I'd catch more waves and learn faster?

- What are the pros and cons of 9' vs 8.6'? Would it really make that much of a difference? I don't want to torture myself with failing to paddle in and want to focus on riding the waves, while eventually going for a shorter board.
- I'm also puzzled regarding board volume, most soft tops vs Torq is 15-30L difference. As a beginner, should I aim for a higher volume soft top instead (e.g. 8' Odysea log)? Or is the volume of soft vs hard tops not comparable as other factors become more important?

I'll rent out a NSP 9' hard top longboard on my next outing, are those similar to Torqs?

Thanks, much appreciated!

Links:
https://surftech.com/surftech-learn2surf-blacktip/
https://www.torq-surfboards.com/long-86.html

The difference in volume is because foam boards (apart from usually being thicker) are thick right out to the rails - so they have big fat rails and noses/tails; most hard boards have thinner (refined) rails, noses etc. That is good and bad - more volume does help catch waves (to a point) and helps stability, but fat rails makes turning harder

Given how often and frequently you surf I would definitely go for a hard board. As a 6’3/185lb person myself, I suggest the 9ft. But it probably won’t make a huge difference; it will make a bit of a difference but probably you have enough experience to overcome that pretty quickly.

5L difference at that size isn’t really noticeable - what you will notice more than the difference between the 9ft and 8’6 is the drop in volume from your current board (harder to paddle) and in particular you now have less surface area and that the board is easier to turn - the latter two meaning the board will be much less stable (easier to turn = less stable). So there will be a bit of transition adjustment; don’t get to worried about it, just learn to fall off properly!

Torq is a good brand. I would go with either board; if the 8’6 fits in your car then go with that one

Go with the biggest board that will fit in your car. So if a 9'0" can fit in your Jetta, then go with that.

I have a NSP in the Elements line up that is priced lower than the E2 series ( those are the ones the rental shops like to use since they're super durable ). To me it's just as strong and even a bit lighter.

Thanks guys, this is very helpful!

I've rented 9' NSP yesterday (I think it was the E series), I really liked it, although I did have a much harder time paddling into waves that using a 9' soft top. I was also afraid to nosedive so I was too far back most of the time and caught far less waves. I can get a new 9' E series for 600 USD with fins. I'd definitely go with 9' or larger.

I've been also looking at Odysea 9' log, do you think it'd make sense to get that first and, once I am comfortable riding, get the 9' NSP as my next board? For example, currently I can only go right (I'm regular) and could learn going left among practicing the rest.

After the outing with the 9' NSP, I'm now also considering sucking it up and getting a roof rack for a larger NSP 9'6. Would this make sense? Is there a good hard rack you'd recommend?

What's the difference between the 9' NSP and the 9' Torq? I've been looking at board shapes on their websites (links below) but know too little to tell the difference. The 9' Torq is about 570 USD new, so similar priced to NSP.

Thanks!

Links:
https://www.nspsurfboards.com/product/e-longboard/
https://www.torq-surfboards.com/long-90.html

Waikikichan might have some comments, being in the industry, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Torq designed its 9ft board to be as close as possible to the NSP board - imitate the leader

In other words- don’t agonise over the difference, there really isn’t that much

I think a 9ft will be fine - go for a 9’6 if you want, but 9ft is sufficient.

Go with the 9ft board, get over your fears of nose diving, don’t go further back on your board to avoid it your normal best paddle position is where you need to be. ( more about that later) . 9ft 6inches the board Waikikichan advises and we all do, stop over thinking ,go Surfing !

I got both NSP and Torq 9'0. I'm able to catch more waves with the Torq. It's easier and more forgiving than the NSP.

NSP is more fun when the waves are bigger which is rarely the case in my local surf break. Might just be my imagination but it has less rocker which makes late drop harder and it somehow feels harder to paddle.

I have the 9'0" torq and still probably ride that board more often than I do all my other much shorter boards. A good longboard will get you on your feet and riding the wave all summer when the waves are small, when you're tired of having bad sessions with your shorter boards there's nothing like having a 9'0" Epoxy board to get your confidence back! Great beginner board and will probably stay in your quiver for a long time.

Thanks guys, this has been very helpful!

I've rented out both 9.6' and 9', I definitely prefer the 9', although it's harder to paddle I find it easier to turn, it also forces me to think more about my technique than the 9'6, which is more forgiving/easier, but feels a bit too large for my liking.

I almost bought the 9' Torq the other day, but when inserting the main fin at the shop (the ones that come free with the Torq board), it appeared somewhat wobbly. We put a 30 USD FCS fin that held in much better, but I've delayed the decision to buy the board for a couple of days to think about this.

- For those who have a Torq board, how is the fin box? Did you notice the same issue?

Thanks!

For those who happen to read this:
If you're getting the Torq board, simply invest in the 30 USD FCS fin.
I've in the meantime bought a used 9'1 Aloha fun longboard which I am very happy with!

I have 3 of those 9'0 Torq boards. 1st gen, 2nd and 3rd gen. The 2nd gen one has issues with the fin box and the main fin does not fit unless you sand it down. Apart from that, I got no other issues.

armantas wrote:If you're getting the Torq board, simply invest in the 30 USD FCS fin.

Or you could pocket the $30 and just use a McDonald's straw for free.

waikikikichan wrote:

armantas wrote:If you're getting the Torq board, simply invest in the 30 USD FCS fin.

Or you could pocket the $30 and just use a McDonald's straw for free.

But the fin that comes with the Torq fin is black and does not have any pretty logo. That might affect how I'm able to surf though.

That's what I originally thought at first when I got my 2nd Torq. I even called the shop saying hey why is my Torq fin black? Is it just some cheap knock off that they put on. They probably just laughed at me and it makes a nice story.