Why longboard for small waves

[greypump]

Just intetested - why are longboards good for small waves? You would have thought big boards would be for big waves?

[mikej]

you need to be going faster to catch small waves and longboards go much faster than shortboards. they also have more momentum.

[isaluteyou]

the more surface area the easier a wave will pick the board up. The longer the board the more paddle - there are other dynamics but thats the gerneral concesus

[greypump]

So, if your local spot has small to medium size waves then a longboard is quite a good idea?

[isaluteyou]

yes but not always as that depends on your riding prefrences i have no probs riding 2ft-16ft+ on my collection of shortboards granted in 2ft ankle slappers a longboard would work better

[LOLRuss]

Longer, thicker board = More buoyancy

More buoyancy = Easier to catch small waves

More of the wave pushes on more of the surface area of the more buoyant board, and this means it will get pushed more by a small wave than a smaller board.

My 11' board is so buoyant that if I botch a duck-dive, sometimes I end up catching the wave - BACKWARDS - while paddling AGAINST it.

[justloafing]

How do you duckdive an 11' board?

[isaluteyou]

How do you duckdive an 11' board?

ive seen it done i doubt its very effective in bigger waves though

[parrysurf]

How do you duckdive an 11' board?

skill and weight......but all the skill in the world won't get er dun unless u weight 230+

[LOLRuss]

How do you duckdive an 11' board?

You use your mass - but it doesn't get that deep. Maybe 2 feet. But thats a lot better than getting washed along with the wave on the surface. And yeah - in big waves you got to flip over/toss the board.

[immortal technique]

My 11' board is so buoyant that if I botch a duck-dive, sometimes I end up catching the wave - BACKWARDS - while paddling AGAINST it.

LOL, pop-up and ride the wave next time.

[garbarrage]

did just that on a longboard a few weeks ago.... was paddling back out after a wave, got caught inside and hit by a biggish wave.
felt like it was going to toss me, then just before the board got to that critical point where you are upside down the nose swung round and i was heading for the beach... decided i might aswell stand up. then did exacly the same thing on the way back out for the next wave. got sense the third time and turtled! lol
that count as a fakie take off?!

[parrysurf]

Just intetested - why are longboards good for small waves? You would have thought big boards would be for big waves?

One word glide.

[joem]

You would have thought big boards would be for big waves?

this does apply once over a certin size of wave but think more of fish to guns rather than longboards you do get 10' big wave boards but these bear little reblence to longboards