Advise for a surfboard, Beginner/advanced surfer

[jim204]

Hi,

I weigh 80kgs, 6'1 tall and currently ride a 6'0 35L firewire dominator.

My current surf ability is somewhere between beginner/advanced and intermediate and I am usually surfing 2-3 ft beach breaks once a week.

My goals for the next year in surfing are to generate speed down the wave, do basic bottom and top turns. Currently I am not really getting down the line and am caught behind the white water. Although a lot of this is due to technique, I am hoping a more appropriate board will help me in this progression. (More volume, different shape)

I have been following a surf instructor called Kale Brock (check youtube) who recommends getting more of a fish/hybrid shape board for smaller waves and can be beneficial to non advanced surfers.

These are the boards I am currently looking at, something around the 40-45l range.

https://www.backdoor.co.nz/product/phoenix-eps/dhd-epsph.aspx
https://www.backdoor.co.nz/product/seaside/fw-hsea.aspx
https://www.backdoor.co.nz/product/rocket-wide/ci-rw.aspx
https://www.backdoor.co.nz/product/ultra-joe/ci-uj.aspx

Am I on the right track with board selection? Any you would particularly recommend?

[waikikikichan]

1) Being that you're 80kg. 6'1" tall, what were the board size(s) you rode before your current 6'0" Dominator ?

2) Being that your current surf ability is somewhere between beginner/advanced and intermediate but yet can't
do basic bottom or top turns and get caught behind the white water thus not being able to go down the line ( with speed ), my question would be, "what then is a surfer who is just a beginner/novice able to do (and not do) ?"

3) Of the 4 listed boards, so far I think the Merrick Ultra Joe is best, but that is before I hear your reply to my questions

[jim204]

Before my dominator I had various boards ranging between 6-7ft. I didn't really know anything about boards, so I just got whatever board, I could. But I have had my dominator for a few years now. Here are definitions I got my information from

Beginner

Definition: This first category is the person who is catching white water waves and popping up with a relatively high success rate. The surfer may have had a handful of rides where they have ridden a clean, unbroken face but this has happened mostly by chance, not by intention. This surfer hasn't performed a manoeuvre yet and is still developing confidence in catching waves and reading the line up.



Advanced beginner

Definition: This second category is the surfer who is starting to experiment semi-regularly with cutting across the face of the wave. They aren't yet performing turns, but they're relatively confident with trimming along an unbroken wave face and don't have much trouble with popping up on the wave. This surfer might feel like their positioning is holding them back a little as they are in the early stages of reading the line up and adjusting their position accordingly to be able to catch more unbroken waves.



Intermediate

Definition: This third surfer is the one who is cutting across the wave regularly and trying small to medium manoeuvres like top turns and cutbacks. They might feel frustrated with their body as they go through turns because it doesn't achieve what they picture in their minds for a successful manoeuvre. They may have some small turns which they have successfully performed and are looking to improve on these with a great surfboard and technique.

[waikikikichan]

Thank you for the clarification on surfing levels. I was a bit confused with the Beginner/advanced vs. Advanced beginner.

I have been following a surf instructor called Kale Brock (check youtube) who recommends getting more of a fish/hybrid shape board for smaller waves and can be beneficial to non advanced surfers.

Since you follow Kale Brock, do you cup your hands like he recommends to do ?

[jim204]

Yep, have been cupping my hands when paddling

[waikikikichan]

Yep, have been cupping my hands when paddling

If you have been cupping your hands on the paddle, it won't matter what board you get. It's just a bad domino effect that starts from the take off.
I cringe each time I hear what advice Kale is feeding beginners. But his videos are great for the surf industry. ( especially for the 2nd hand used board market )

But to give you my thoughts on the 4 boards you listed.

1) DHD phoenix eps - " Surf the ‘PHOENIX’ 2 to 3 inches shorter and 1 to 3 litres more than your everyday shortboard. " You haven't found your go-to everyday board yet ( and are looking at an increase in way more liters, like +5 - 10 liters ) - So this is out.

2) Seaside - ""The Go Fish goes fast and feels skatey and loose and I love it, and riding it for a couple years made me want to feel more high performance – more carves, tighter turns. So the Seaside is about refining… less area in the tail, narrowing the tips of the swallow, creating more curve and narrowing the nose. All elements for ripping while the Go Fish stays cruisey and fun. - You aren't carving (yet), You aren't making tight turns (yet), You aren't ripping (yet). So maybe the regular Go Fish is more suited.

3) C.I. Rocket Wide - " “My brothers and I loved the speed and control we were feeling with the Rocket 9 and we wanted to see how we could apply those same levels of fun and performance to a board for small and gutless waves. The Rocket Wide features a wider tail block to skate across flat sections and a wider nose area to accommodate for better paddle power. It’s a shorter, wider skate machine designed to lift the fun factor when the waves are not at their best. - What it doesn't say is it's "for a rider that can already surf a Rocket 9" type of board.

4) C.I. Ultra Joe - "A few years back, we built the Average Joe to be a fun, simple, easy-to-ride board and it became one of our top sellers. For 2019, after rounds of customer feedback and team testing, we’ve created a souped-up, sleeker version…the Ultra Joe. - Are you ready for a souped up version ? Look at the name of it's predecessor " Average Joe ". A board for the "average" surfer. Are you an average surfer ? You said you abilities are between advanced beginner and intermediate, so you are not at the level yet for a average surfer or a souped up surfer- so this board is out, ( and even the regular "Average Joe" ) .