Stepping down board (shorter board with volume)

[ilija]

Hi,

Looking for advice on a step-down board. I am a relative beginner having some 6-7 months of surfing spread over 3-4 years. So far I surfed mostly longboards and a super fat 7'6" funboard (70l volume). I enjoy it and would not go to a shorter board were not for travel. I tried a 7'4" NSP fish on Sri Lanka over Christmas, and was able to catch waves go down the line and make some basic turns on 3-5 feet waves. I also tried an NSP 7'2" (some girly edition), but that one was somewhat more difficult. I am now looking to get me a board and found a couple of candidates. Looking at a hybrid 6'4 with 50l, but not sure if this may be too short for me as I am somewhat tall (193 cm) and between 85-90 kg (up to 95). It would be great to carry such a small board as I am traveling frequently. Alternatively, I am looking at 6'10 or 7'2 fishes (firewire addvance, torq, or nsp). I also looked at something like 6'10 egg, but not sure if that would be too advanced. Don't have a fixed budget, but looking at around 400-600 $.

I don't have a specific break I surf, but I travel frequently (3-4 months a year near surfable waves). I tend to avoid anything over 6ft and super steep.

Any advice welcomed.

[dtc]

What kind of length is the maximum? You seem to be going between a 6’4 and 7’2, which are quite different boards

The Torq fish or mod fun boards are probably good travel boards, likely s bit tougher than the FireWire (btw, the general consensus on the Addvance is that it’s a board for a good surfer looking for volume, it’s not a board designed for beginners ie don’t get misled by the volume and think it’s a beginner board. In the same vein, don’t be misled by a high volume 6’4 board. A 45l 7ft board will be easier to surf than a 50l board at 6’4)

[ilija]

Thanks for the answer. Initially, I looked at 6'10" - 7'4" range, but then someone offered me a high volume 6'4 board, saying it may be the same. The only constraint in size is that it should fit in an omnibus in Florianopolis as I am going there for a month and a half, and I am not staying on the beach (rent-a-car and taxis are way expensive for going surfing 3-4 times a week). Not sure what the size limit is, but 8 2 can't fit and somehow think the limit is about 2m (last time I was there I had one of those)

How about other Firewire boards, I read that Greedy Bever is for may be a good option?

[dtc]

Florianopolis looks pretty cool, although I’ve never been there and have no idea what the length limit is or the type of surf.

I don’t know anyone with a GB but from it’s shape and rocker etc it seems to be a pretty good choice for what you want. The bigger nose will make it pretty stable, although the thinnish tail might require you to make some effort to keep up speed in smaller waves. But that shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.

Whether it’s a tough board for transporting around I have no idea. FireWire are pretty tough as a whole.

Are there local boards available? I would have guessed local shapers wouldn’t be too expensive. But have no idea

[ilija]

Thanks for the info. The thing is that in Florianopolis most people ride short boards, and they are quite cheap. And everything else gets a bit pricey (second-hand are often more expensive than in Europe). Any mid-size gets hard to find (I checked the classifieds and couple of shapres). I have an option to get a good condition 6'10 GB for half price of a new one. So probably I go for it.

Thanks again.