Help-what was going wrong !!!!

[Tecx]

Hi Everyone,

Last night I decided to got the east witterings and get out on the board and get some paddeling traning in.
Yes it was not ideal conditions but neither the less I went.
Got into the sea got on the board lieing there with my hands on the rail my feet on the edge of the board and the front of the board kept on sinking down.
Now after a couple of minutes of adjusting myself it was still doing it, the front of the board kept on sinking.
So now i put my feet off the board and YES the front of the board came up out of the water I put my knees on the back edge of the board and yes the front of the board came out of the water.

Now the question I would like to know is have I brought the wrong size board or the wrong board ?
The board I brought is :-
BIC EGG 7FT
I weight 74kgs and I am 5ft 7ins tall.

I did all my maths before I brought the board to make sure I was not to tall or to heavy and made sure the board was for a beginner.
Hope someone can help

[oldmansurfer]

That could be about right. You want the nose only an inch or so out of the water when you paddle. Your weight distribution depends on your own physical build and how much you arch your back and how you hold your legs. I am 6 feet tall and surf an 8 foot board and my feet go to the very end of the board. Just making a guess you may be trying to get the nose too far out of the water or your hands are pushing the nose down or you are not arching your back. Then there is the board but whatever the board is you can learn to paddle it. Google paddling a surfboard and look at the images. When you arch your back it brings your weight back and the nose up and keep your feet together and straight back .

[dtc]

yeah, sounds perfectly normal to me. A smaller board you need to have your weight back a bit.

[Tecx]

Hi,

Is that I have a shorter board my feet need to be off the back of the board ?
I was lying on the board with my feet right on the edge and I have made a mark with tape so I know where my nose should be and it was level with the tape so I know I was in the right spot.
On one exercise I stretched out arms at my side and the nose still sank, I put my feet up and stretched out my arms at my side and the nose still sank.
But when I moved down the board and had my feet off the board the nose came up out of the water, Is it that I have a shorter board my feet need to be off the back of the board ?
I am going to wait for a calm day and have another go

[oldmansurfer]

I think it may be so. It's hard to say exactly without seeing what you are doing exactly but most shortboarders have their feet off the end of the board.

[dtc]

remember that if the board is unable to support your weight fully (ie sinks a bit when you are sitting on it - which is entirely normal), then the board will sink if you have your full weight on it when you are laying on it. Volume vs weight/density and all that stuff. Basically the board cant support more weight than it can

so you slide back a bit and the tail will sink, there is some weight off the board and the nose goes up

What exactly concerns you? If you can paddle and the board is moving, does it matter where your feet are?

Finally, keep in mind that when you are up and surfing, the movement of the board will keep you supported (not sure of the scientific reasonsing here!). Basically, you can see pros sitting on their shortboards out the back sunk up to their chest and the board totally under the water. But once up and surfing, they dont sink or anything. So your position for paddling around may well be different than your position for paddling into (and catching) waves

[drowningbitbybit]

I have made a mark with tape so I know where my nose should be and it was level with the tape so I know I was in the right spot.

Well, no, you weren't in the right spot. You don't work out the right spot by lining up the board next to you on the land, you do it by shifting your position back and forth til you get it right.
Just more practise required.

[Dead_One]

i had a similar thing, just switched from a 7'10 mini mal to a 7'2 something else, and my feet are about 8" over the back of the board now to get the board level.

[Tecx]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for you help on this matter, I will stop worrying now.
I will just have to get out there and practice,Practice