General advice on board size, skills, tricks etc.

[Sheijay]

Hi guys!

I hope you're having a great day. You've helped me a lot in the past so I've thought I ask you for advice again.

So I've bought my first board Torq 8'0 about 2 years ago and love it. It's the best board ever.
I have no problems in catching waves (small or bigger), standing on the board, riding waves (left, right, changing direction), building up speed (pumping, running on the board).
A friend of mine said lately it's about time for me to switch to a shortboard. And I've started to think about it. Well, I don't know... I've been having a lot of fun catching and riding. The reason I've started to think about the shortboard or shorter board, I guess, is the problem with paddling out and coming through the waves. Currently, I surf a beach break (there's a big beach, where I live). And sometimes it's pretty challenging with the longboard, no matter how many turtle rolls and jump overs I take, it seems impossible to come out. Although, some folks don't seem to have a problem with it. I can't tell if they have an 8'0 board like me because I'm pretty tall (1,8m), but they definitely don't have shortboards.
I don't know if this is a problem of the board or my skill, training, performance or so. This is what's bothering me or occupies my mind lately.

So my questions for you:
1. Is this a problem with the board, my skill or the board+conditions combo?
2. Should I try a shorter board? When yes, what size?
3. Other opinions or questions I should ask myself?

My boyfriend's said that talking about this was a lost call, that I've already had the answer, but I still loved to discuss it. Maybe you know more aspects of it or an opinion that's different.

Thank you guys for helping, your time responding and guiding me in advance!
Cheers,
Sonia

[oldmansurfer]

I surf funboards which are all too big to be duck dived. I go out in conditions that are too rough for most surfers on whatever sized boards. Here is what I think. First off you are having fun with your current board. Secondly you recognize that people without shortboards seem to do well in the same conditions. But the third part is you don't recognize what they are doing differently than you. Perhaps you should spend some time watching people with those bigger boards and what they do in the surf. Figure out how that is different from what you do. Then also if you get a shortboard that doesn't mean you will be able to handle the surf better. Learning to duck dive and how to go through the surf is a skill set that needs to be learned. A short board won't teach you that. If you want to surf a shorter board you should try it but if you don't then why would you? There are conditions where having a board that you can deeply duck dive makes a big difference however I am pretty sure you aren't going out in those conditions. A big part of going out through the surf is your own physical conditioning. That is probably equal in importance to being able to read the surf. If you work at that then the other skills to go through the surf will come easier because you won't get tired as easily or out of breath as easily

[waikikikichan]

A friend of mine said lately it's about time for me to switch to a shortboard.

Who knows you better and how your true surfing skills are ? Us here on the forum or your friend that actually surfs with you ? If she / he is willing to give you advice, then they should be also willing to lend you THEIR short board for you to try out.

Question: what size is in the middle of a 8’0” round nose mini-tanker and a 6’0” pointy nose shortboard ?

[Lebowski]

If you want a shorter board then go for it, but personally I think that buying a shorter board to get out easier is a bad idea. Duckdiving line after line of whitewater is exhausting, and the board will generally paddle slower and take more effort to cover the same distance, so it's not an easy ticket out back. On top of that, it will be harder to catch waves and there will be less margin for error when riding.

I'm not saying don't do it, but make sure you do it for the right reasons.

[dtc]

Yep, if you want to try a shorter board then by all means try a shorter board. Accept there are benefits and disadvantages with a shorter board; so you trade off (say) ability to duckdive with having to take later drops and paddle harder.

[jaffa1949]

A friend said it’s about time to ride a short board, ride what you like best, let’s not have “sizeism”.
You will find a shorter board more challenging to paddle take off positioning will be different, all skills you have are transferable.
But you won’t get out the back any easier, because unless you masre duck diving quickly it is just as tiring!

I think your problem with getting out the back, is not understanding how the wave and rip system works at your beach at different sizes, swell direction.
If other “Long “ board surf get out easily watch where and how they do it.
Duck diving/turtle rolling is sometime we all need to do as little as possible on the way out the back!

Back to board ride what gives you fun, short board fun board long whatever!

[Sheijay]

Question: what size is in the middle of an 8’0” round nose mini-tanker and a 6’0” pointy nose shortboard?

Do you mean a 6'8 or 7'2 Hybrid?

Thank you, guys!!!
I really love your points of view!

I know, that you can't answer my questions 100% because you've never seen me actually surfing.

I guess I know the beach well so finding a rip or a window between sets isn't a problem and I don't have the feeling I wouldn't have the power to paddle. When I don't surf, I always do a lot of training, pushing, pulling, stretching, all the stuff. But sometimes I get the feeling even with a current it's impossible. But does this have something to do with the board or just me?
Because as you've said, a shorter board is harder to paddle. So?

And I should be watching the other guys. Well, I do and I can't figure it out. Maybe I don't paddle fast enough? Am I pushing myself too much?
Probably, I should chill out more
Sorry, if this is turning into a shrink talk

Mainly, I was interested in your opinion.

[oldmansurfer]

For the same effort longer boards go faster so however fast you move with a shortboard you will move faster on a longer board. Going shorter will slow down your paddle speed. So one way to get out through the break is to get hit by multiple waves and duck dive them. This is rarely the fastest way. Another is to avoid breaking waves as much as possible and have something you can do like duck dive or some other skill that you need to learn to do. This is generally the fastest way and the faster you can paddle a board through the impact zone the quicker you will be through the impact zone and free to cruise along to where you want to be in the lineup.

I have a bunch of different methods of going through breaking waves and I am pretty decent at most of them but what I am better at is avoiding having to use those skills by being alert and knowing the lineup and being in good enough shape to paddle hard when I need to.

[tomthetreeman]

I just started surfing in August, and I surf a beach break all the time. I’ve gotten waaay better at getting out by being patient. I can find the rip and paddle out often only having to battle one or two waves by waiting for the calm period and then going like hell. It’s still not easy, but I don’t look like as much of a kook now. I surf a 7’8” and a 9’ depending on wave size. I go with the longboard mostly now, strictly because I can’t get the smaller board into waves below waist height as well as the 9 footer.

[Lebowski]

Getting out easily is mostly about timing and experience. At a fairly relentless beachbreak, if I know there's a difficult paddle ahead, I'll wade out until I'm about chest deep and wait there. When whitewater comes just lift yourself over it and hold your ground for as long as necessary. Eventually there will be a lull and that's your cue to get on the board and paddle quickly out.

If you just arrive at the waterline and begin paddling out immediately, there's a good chance you'll be knackered by the time there's a lull. Similarly, if you wait on the beach until you see a lull, by the time you get to chest deep the waves will be back and you'll be going nowhere.

[Sheijay]

Thank you, guys!!

I've read the word "patience" a few times and guess, that's my current problem. Lately, I had limited time for surfing because of work and also light (can surf mostly late afternoon). So I cut down pre-surf stretching time and got a lot impatient in the water, too.
Wow, wouldn't believe it, but this is the problem I guess.
So that's why I posted here. Just to know your opinion and see, it helped.
Sometimes you just can't see the problem..
A big THANK YOU for helping me figure this out!!
Going to work on it