Switching to Soft Top shortboard

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Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Naeco78 » Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:16 pm

I'm thinking about getting a soft top performance shortboard for next summer and I keep reading that Soft Tops can be ridden much shorter than traditional boards. The review below even said the 4'8" Kyuss Fish is equivalent to a 5'8" traditional groveler like the Lost Puddle Jumper etc.. Is that true? Seems like a big difference in dims..

I currently ride a 6'2 Rocket Wide (41L) and looking to transition into something like the Softech Mason Twin 5'6" (35L) or possibly the Kyuss Fish 5'8" (46L). Do you think I would notice a big difference dropping into waves or maybe even the skatieness of such a short and buoyant board. The bigger sizes seem to take away lots of the advantages that soft tops have.

Anyone else make the switch to a soft top board? Any gotcha's to watch out for?

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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Lebowski » Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:44 pm

Careful, my friend bought one of these shorty soft tops, and after the first use, we both decided we didn't really like it. It's hard to describe why exactly. Every wave, I just felt I'd rather be on a 'normal' board. It felt a bit benign and unresponsive.
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Naeco78 » Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:13 pm

Thanks for the feedback. Any chance you remember which brand or model you had?
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Lebowski » Fri Nov 13, 2020 5:40 pm

I think it's a Softtech mystery box. One of those weird square boards. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't horrific, but my friend actually bought a new board straight after that one to replace it.
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby dtc » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:17 pm

You can ride them shorter because they are higher volume than equivalent hard boards. Whether you can handle the shortness is a different issue
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Naeco78 » Sun Nov 15, 2020 3:41 am

Thanks Lebowski I remember looking at that one similarly so it's really good to know that it disappointed. Yeah i think what youre describing is exactly that I was worried about.. the rails on the board might not have a hard enough edge to use for carving the way I like for a shortboard.

I hear ya dtc. I think the 4,8" Kyuss is definitely out of the question, even though the volume is close to a 5'8" groveler. Thats just too much of a change in my foot placement etc. I dont think I would like Mini Simmons boards for the same reason. I think I would go with the 5'8" Kyuss if anything, but thats almost too much volume and might feel kinda boatie.
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby IB_Surfer » Wed Nov 18, 2020 3:18 pm

I've been thinking of getting a 6' Odysea but haven't pulled the trigger, I could probably buy it smaller but don't really need to work that hard LOL
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Naeco78 » Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:45 pm

Yea I was thinking about the Odysea or Bomber for weaker waves or even messing around with it as a finless just to change things up in the summer. I think those 2 are a little more like a mini mal soft top and might get more use in the summer.

Sometimes it seems like the surf requires a different type of board for every season and swell type.. it hasn't been helping my board hoarding tendencies.
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby dtc » Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:52 pm

Naeco78 wrote:Sometimes it seems like the surf allows us to justify the need for requires a different type of board for every season and swell type...
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby Naeco78 » Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:56 pm

dtc wrote:
Naeco78 wrote:Sometimes it seems like the surf allows us to justify the need for requires a different type of board for every season and swell type...


Lol so true. I guess I have board hoarding issues
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Re: Switching to Soft Top shortboard

Postby IB_Surfer » Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:44 pm

Ha, reminds me of my finless surfboard experiment from 5 years back...
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