Stepping down from a 7'6" 60 L soft stop, going small..

[Rm2121]

I was wondering how much of a drop it was going to be. I can ride down the line, and do ok bottom turns and somewhat slow top turns along with the occasional floater when it's small. I weigh 60 kg and i'm 5'8".
I was looking for something that turned more because the waves I surf are quite fast and somewhat steep even when its not big.
.I would also like something to duck dive even though the softies a fast paddler, getting caught inside on a 4ft+ day with it is terrible.

The board I was looking at is 36 litres, 6'3" x 20 1/2 x 2 5/8

.How bad will the adjustment period be, i'd love to hear from people who have done similar.

[Geezer]

How old are you and how much time will you spend on average per week learning to surf?

[Rm2121]

I'm 16 and will spend 2 hours on average per week until a few months later where i'l be able to spend 4-5 hours and occasionally up to 10 hours a week.

[waikikikichan]

A 7'6" soft board floats more like a 8'0"-8'6" hard board. If you are ready to move down from an 8'0" hard board, a foot is a huge jump. In your case, you're jumping down over 2 feet. That is way way too much.

But try paddling out ( and duck diving ) that 6'3" and see if it works for you.
( but make sure there's lifeguards or other surfers to help you back in if you're in need of assistance )

[Geezer]

So many newbies are in a rush to go smaller. WKK iisn’t kidding at all when he says make sure others are around to help you get back in on a smaller board. It is an entirely different proposition.

If you were 12 or 13 and planned to surf every day for a few hours after school with friends and all day on the weekends, friends who were better than you and would teach you things Id say go for it.

I live in Bali and waves can be big, steep, fast and heavy. People still learn on foamies and longboards and that is what you need to be on as well. I’d get a hard board in the same 7.5’ length, a regular old standard mini mal and surf that at the frequency you mentioned for a year minimum, year and a half to two years even better. Then think about a 7’ pointy nosed funboard for another year and a half.

[Rm2121]

I took the board out for the first time today. The waves were steep waist-high close outs. I could stand up and ride straight toward the beach with no problem. The board turned so easily and duck diving felt great, the only difference is the take off is later and faster. I'm looking forward to surfing it in some better conditions, at least not closeouts.
How do you guys tell if a board has too much rocker?

[waikikikichan]

Did you purchase that 6’3” ?
1) Did you put a tail pad on it ?
2) Did you shorten ( or doubled up ) the leash rope ?
3) Why are you asking about rocker ?
4) If you’re only “Riding” straight to the beach, how is that you know the board turns easily ? You mean it carved on the face or pivots in the flats without much effort ?

[Rm2121]

Yep, I bought the board, put a tail pad on it and a new leash on it.
The reason I was asking about rocker was because the takeoffs were at a much steeper angle with less time, but i'm pretty sure that's also something to just get used to while moving down in board size. I've asked around and my board seems to be low-medium nose rocker with very low tail rocker which seems fine.
I meant that when i rode a longboard I either had to angle the takeoff to get going down the line or do a long drawn out bottom turn whereas on this board i can paddle straight to the beach and as soon as i stand up my board just turns down the line. It also pivots inthe flats easily.