Surfing Waves

For someone who has zero funds, over the months i have aquired several boards of different sizes. I have my regular shortboard, 2 fun shapes 1 longboard on the way and a retro thruster style.

Now i heard a lot from other surfers about choosing the right board for the conditions. So i started doing a little bit of experimenting and found you can really improve a surf session if you have the right tools for the day. Of course this has a problem in itself i often find myself second guessing on what board to take

Just wondering if there is a guidline to what style board suits what style of wave. Ive allready established that my 7'8 fun shape fairs much better in choppy / bumpy conditions than my shortboard does. (ive gathered a longboard comes into its own on those flat days as well)

Any body got some pointers.

Get a roof rack that can carry them all!

I carry a wide variety down to the beach when I go..and when i see the conditions are X I take out X board...

I have several boards (funboard and longboard). The way I figure out which board I'm going to take is determined by the tide and swell ht. I like the funboard on bigger days regardless of the tide. On average days, I check the tide table and if the tide is low or going to a low when I plan to go out I take the funboard, because it works better in those conditions. If the tide is high or going to a high then I take the longboard because it works better in mushy conditions. Keep in mind that I surf a beach break, so this wouldn't apply to point or reef breaks.

Hope that gives you some ideas. Also, if you feel you took the wrong board just go out anyways and try to have a good time.

definetly, having the right board means getting more waves, having more fun..i remember i went out one day on my shortboard, waves were breaking 2-4 ft, but very slow and powerless..swear to God, i was paddling really hard, but couldnt catch a single wave, while some random old guy with a log was cruising right before my eyes, he passed by me like a hundred times in like an hour, while im struggling for a wave..i was so disappointed

Ah, you cant beat the feeling of sitting out back in the line-up, and then watching everyone suddenly paddle towards the horizon, realising there's a mammoth set on the way in... and knowing you're on a completely unsuitable board for a big wave

Hahaha, great feeling....

I carry as many as I can with me, between the roof rack and the back of the truck I can carry like 4 boards over 8' and like 4 or 5 boards under 7'5". Of course I usually have somone with me, but that still means I get 2 longboards and 2 or 3 shorter boards, if the balance is even

Speaking of which, I know longboards are better for smaller waves, and guns are for big waves, but what else? What are mini-mals good for?

What happens if you try and surf a really big wave with a mini-mal or a longboard?

Some boards are designed for specific conditions, but you can typically surf most waves 2 foot to 15 foot (face) with any generally standard board (shortboard (including fish and hybrids), funshapes (including 'minimal' and 'big guy shortboard'), egg, or longboard).

Guns are for big, big waves, or major ledges like T'hupoo (though they don't use guns at T'hupoo, but boards made specifically for the short steep fastness of it - so I should revise my statement).

Guns are for big, big waves (25 + faces). They are designed to enable speed, before tow-in surfing made it possible to get up to speed on waves too big to paddle fast enough to catch.

I've taken 15 foot faces on a longboard. What happens? You get a really good ride.

The big issue comes not in size of the wave but shape and design. It could be really steep, meaning you're going to want something with a bit of rocker to it. It could be fat and thick - if it's slow moving, you might want some volume to help pick it up, if it's fast, you'll want something that can get you up and going (meaning you're looking at tail style and fin setups more).

Wind conditions might affect you too. Stiff offshores might rule out a longboard if you can't get down the face before the wind picks you up. Onshores might make it too mushy to get a good ride with a shortboard.

there's no one answer. But, I've been riding an 8-6 in most everything for the past 2 years. Haven't pulled out the 6-6 or 6-4 in all that time.

rich r wrote:The big issue comes not in size of the wave but shape and design. It could be really steep, meaning you're going to want something with a bit of rocker to it. It could be fat and thick - if it's slow moving, you might want some volume to help pick it up, if it's fast, you'll want something that can get you up and going (meaning you're looking at tail style and fin setups more).

very true, that's why i switchted from 6'2" x 2 1/8" x 18 1/2" squash to a 5'11" x 2 1/2" x 20" swallow, i can catch almost any wave with it, this is my everyday board