Surfing Waves

This year, since I'm not back into surfing I have been experimenting with different boards,

I always had one board, then sold it and moved to the next. Never realised how much board shape and fins can affect your surfing. I bought a M10 surftech ratboy 6.0 about 8 years ago and have had that and surfed it (no dings all this time) until I traded boards with someone in the line up for a couple waves. It was a 6.0 pu and it was like a dream. Immediately I ordered a custom board from www.quashi.com (our local shaper) just like the one I rode and it was great. As I rode it I found little things I wanted to change like thickness and rocker. I had one more shaped to spec, then I had another shaped that was 1" shorter with the same specs. then I had a modern fish shaped that I really hate. Now i have a 6.2 round pin coming. So in the last 3 months I have ordered 5 boards. Pretty strange for someone who always just had one board.

Surfing the right equipment can really take your surfing to the next level. Whatever that level may be. I really suggest for all you one-boarders out there to trade boards for a couple of waves with your buddies. You may be missing out on something you never thought possible.

Will post a photo later.

I was riding 6'4" boards for a couple of years, with only my fish being shorter than that.

My sister got a 6'0 x 18&1/2" x 2&3/16" off a colleague's daughter but she found it too small and had trouble paddling it. 2 years ago when she was off on holiday I borrowed it.

The first wave I caught I couldn't believe the speed this thing would turn at. It was like night and day between that and my 6'4" or 6'0 fish.

I started on 6'4" and never really thought about going down in length, I had always thought a narrow and thin 6'0 would only be for groms and rippers. I never thought to myself "you are a little guy, so you can ride little boards", I wish I had sooner!

It's my standard board to this day now. I'm now keen on trying narrower or thinner decks to see what a difference that makes.

i had an old 6'4" board. it had tons of rocker and was pretty thin. it had to be pretty big/powerful surf for it to ride well, but when it was firing, it was a blast. it was kind of water logged, which is what i get for buying an $80 board from my friend, but it was fun. then i got a 5'6" retro fish, and i realised what a difference a new/not destroyed board was like. then i got a 6'2" shortboard. and i love it. fish for the mushy and/or small days. shortie for anything else, and i love the 6'2". it's just so easy to ride. then i'll bust out the longboards from work when it's really really small or i don't feel like riding the fish or after a lesson

I gotta agree ApneaBlue, I've only been surfing for a few months and have already tried 7~8 different boards, and I can also feel the different qualities of those boards, well at least some of the different qualities...
Gotta keep swapping them to find what feels good to you I reckon.