Surfing Waves

Hi All,

I have just officially joined the site...although I have been perusing through it for about a month or so.

I have a quick question...

I currently surf a beach break which is not too bad consistency wise. My question, I was given a 6.8 x 20.5 x 2 5/8 "shortboard". I have been mainly surfing on a mates 7.6 Mal which has been a blast. I am able to catch waves consistently and able able to ride the open wave (only been in the water +/- 20 hours since i started) so feel that my progress has been "steady'.

My question is, should i try sell this board and get a fun board (although on bigger days i struggled getting out on my mate's Mal) or do you think that the length, width etc is sufficient for me to continue my progression? I am 5.10 and about 80 kgs...paddling fitness is improving but just don't want to be left too frustrated surfing on my board....i want to still achieve a "high" wave count and hope this board will not be too difficult to paddle and that it's stable enough for me to "pop" up. The beach break can get hollow and this "shortboard' seems to "fit" the wave better...or so i have been told.

I would appreciate enough advice.

Thanks!!

ps: I am super stoked to be "surfing' at nearly 36 years of age!!!

My answer is you've got the board give it a try, it will be a little less wave catchy and a little less stable but but you are light and you can improve your paddle fitness by getting in the surf more.
I wouldn't get something else until you have given the new board a decent try out.
Progress awaits you and you'llknow more about what suits you!

Hey Jaffa , thanks for the reply....I will certainly give the new board a decent try out...it's easy for one to lose the faith after a frustrating session. Would it be beneficial to "float" between my new board and my mate's 7.6 Mal? or could this "hamper" my development?

I'd give the new board a long period of just using it, I think you'd disturb the adaptation if you switch to much!

Ok thanks mate!! i shall refrain from riding my mate's Mal.

I appreciate the advise!

Given that you know what you can do on a mini mal/know how they feel, you have a good base to compare the new board. So you will be able to tell within, say, 4 or 5 sessions whether or not the new board is doable or a step too far. Either way, unless you really need the money, if you decide to go with a longer board just keep the shortboard and bring it out again in 6 months or 12 months (assuming you want to go shorter - there is no magic about going shorter, longboarding can be just as or more fun)

For 20hrs or so surfing you are doing well

Thanks dtc....plan on giving the new board a good try out...the plan is to add different boards to my quiver throughtout the year. But for now, i am going to concentrate on the shortboard i have and assess how i go before making any big decisions. Will keep you chaps updated on my progress!!

Hey guys,

Just an update on my "progress". I have had 2 sessions on my board now with the 1st being a little frustrating but the second a lot more fun (although the break was packed). Struggled a little catching the waves (think it is my positioning and paddling fitness) but I have managed to get up on more than a few occasions (2ND SESSION). trying to get the right "shift" in balance to trim etc...just seem to be falling when I do so. However, I plan on giving myself as long as it takes to get the hang of it (obviously I would like to see improvements within the next month or so of going 2-3 times a week!)

You have probably realised that with shortboards you need to start further in - take the 'late drop' - at least its late in comparison to the mini mal you were surfing before. So I imagine the transition required a bit of adjustment to your usual take off spot, but if you are starting to get the waves then you have figured that out. Actually, for all that we bang on about paddling, if you are in the right spot to take off you actually hardly need to paddle at all (you can find you tube clips of people taking off without any paddling). But you have to be up and moving pretty quick after that.

And it looks like you have also figured out that its not a myth when we say short boards are less stable!

All par for the course - hopefully it will start clicking in the next month or so.

Hahahaha...Thanks for the reply.

I just thought with the width being 20 1/2 the instability would be "less" noticeable...but it is amazing how an inch makes a difference. Having said that, could the "shape" of the top and bottom deck contribute to the instability?

My "pop" up is not as quick as it should be for very late take offs...so I have been trying to catch the wave as early as possible to solve that issue. However, when it is busy i am struggling to "compete" for waves effectively, although people do tend to allow you to have a turn except the handful of "decent" surfers who seemed to be able to catch every wave they paddle for!

Just need to keep getting in the water!

I have to say this time I disagree with Jaffa. I would recommend you chop and change what board you use depending upon the conditions.

Stick to using your mates mini-mal when possible. A 7'6 minimal (in my experience) is really nippy like a shortboard, so you could accomplish a lot on it if you persevere.

However, when the waves are big or powerful and you need to duckdive, switch to your shortboard.

I hear what you are saying rickyroughneck, the card i have been dealt with at the moment is that my Mate is away for a few months which means i can't access his Mal...so for now i am going to concentrate on my board. As we are going into autumn, the swell tends to get bigger which is a blessing as i will have gained some more experience on my board.

We'll just have to wait and see how it unfolds, but i will keep you posted.

The power of the Jaffa , your mini mal board has been zapped, so you are forced to stick to the other board.

Remember this is a forum so different views will give you a number of choices to try.

Enjoyment is the major thing to do

It's funny how things have panned out

I do need to have a lot more sessions to assess whether I am on the right track. As long as I am in the water, as often as possible, I am giving myself a chance! Plus I am having fun and relishing the challenge!

great

still-learning wrote:I just thought with the width being 20 1/2 the instability would be "less" noticeable...but it is amazing how an inch makes a difference. Having said that, could the "shape" of the top and bottom deck contribute to the instability?

Just on this, yes the shape/outline of the board will make a big difference. For example:

- even though the width is 20 1/2, a shortboard is usually more rounded than a mal (which usually has 'straight' rails for part of the board), so the shortboard is only that wide for much less of the board

- a narrower nose is less stable. The board pivots around the nose and tail, so if the nose is narrower, then it pivots much more easily (the trade off - as for all surfing there is a trade off - is that a narrower nose is easier to turn, and to duck dive)

- a rounded shape is less stable than a squarer shape

- the rocker (horizontal curve) is probably greater on the shortboard, meaning that less of the board is actually in the water than you think (remembering that the amount of board actually in the water is what gives you the platform to stand on, so the smaller the platform the less stable). So for a mal with a flat rocker, you might have, say, 85% of the length of the board actually touching the water. For a shortboard with a greater rocker, it might only be 70% (I am making these numbers up for the sake of the comparison, it could be 90/80 or whatever). Anyway, you not only have a shorter board but there is proportionally less of it in the water - so the transition isnt 7.6 to 6.8 (a 12.5% difference), but in terms of how much board is actually touching the water, a transition from 6.7 to 4.8 (a 37% difference). The trade off here - greater rocker increases turning ability, arguably reduces nose diving on steeper waves.

I'm sure there are other factors. Anyway, its not just width, surfboards are complex beasts!

Thanks dtc,

I kind of get what you were explaining. I had a look and my board is "curved" from rail to rail...so i gather that makes it more condusive for rail to rail surfing? Or am I wrong in thinking that?

I am improving ever so slightly with each session (3 now).Yes 3rd session was better than number 2 and the waves were all over the place, choppy and some "steep" take offs....under normal circumstances i probably wouldn't have bothered going out but i wanted to work on my paddling fitness and learn to try pop up quicker on the "steeper" waves...didn't do too badly. Lets just say that it is a "work in progress"

I really appreciate the input from you chaps.

Will continue to keep you posted.

So what you are seeing with the curved rail to rail is yet another 'fun' part of board design... basically the middle of the board (where the stringer is) will be the thickest (and is the part that is quoted when we are talking thickness eg 2 5/8 inch), and it thins out as it gets to the rails. The thickness of the rails affects the way the board performs.

This is a pretty complex area for my little brain, so I'll quote something I got from a surfboard design forum:

A thicker rail extends the volume of the board all the way out toward the rail, providing more float and stability. Thinner rails ball up the volume more along the stringer, providing less float and more sensitivity. So you generally see thicker rails on boards meant to be ridden shorter - like retro fish - or boards for smaller surf. The fatter rail gives you something to push off of on a turn and helps you plane in mushy waves. A thinner rail will dig in too easily in mush surf. Thinner rails are typically used in better surf, where the speed of the wave provides all the planing you need, and the reduced volume in the rail allows it to penetrate the face (or flats) deeper on a hard rail turn, providing better hold.

another good source if you are interested is:

http://www.naturalcurvesboards.com/html ... rails.html

Essentially, thinner rails will allow better turns but you need more speed. But then rail hardness comes into play as well ...

Will it make a huge difference to you at this stage - probably not and, anyway, you have the board you have! But is still worth having some knowledge

Rocker, just the clarify, is the curve from nose to tail, not rail to rail -

http://www.naturalcurvesboards.com/html ... ocker.html

still-learning wrote:My question is, should i try sell this board and get a fun board ... paddling fitness is improving

You will get fit enough to ride it.
You won't get £much for it.
It will cost allot to buy one in the future if you decide you want a shorter board after all.

Keep it . . . Besides I reckon for you height and weight the 6' 8" is pretty much the perfect surfboard to learn on!

Go ride and learn and ride some more - any problems, you know where to come

Hey chaps, Just a quick update....

Surfing the "shortboard" has been struggle but there has been massive improvements the last few times i have been out. Getting to my feet more regularly, wave count is improving and i seem to be finding the "sweet' spot on the board nearly all the time when paddling. So rather stoked!!

Trying to work on my weight distribution when i am up so i can do a few turns etc, hasn't been easy at all. I still struggle on "big" days but i think it has to do with my paddling speed and positioning.

It's now been 3 and a half months now since i started but i feel i making progress at a "decent rate".

Will continue to keep you updated and may post a few questions soon

Til then,

Cheers