RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Okay, I’ll let you know how it goes.

That sounded a bit mean. Take all the swear words out and soften it a bit in your own mind aj. That’s what I meant.

I did that. I know you’re a kitten at heart.

And it will be a learning experience because little AJ’s first comment will be, what the fk is a mile*?

*I’ve from the pre-metric era, but I have heard this comment made by a few callow youngsters aged under 50.

ajohnsen wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:00 pm

I did that. I know you’re a kitten at heart.

Soft as a fat woman’s cankles

tell him if he doesn't fcuken get a swimming act and fast, Uncle Nick will make him do Molokai.

but seriously folks

lemme know when you're ready to get him something aj, I shall guide your offspring into something both effective and peer group worthy.

Everyone's first board should be a piece of shit.

First fibreglass board I had was one of those ridiculous McCoy twinfins gifted by a neighbor.
Awful board to learn on, but jeeze I wish I kept it.

I think I first learnt on a 6’10 Michael Anthony dog, but my first board was a frank latta energy thruster with belly channels

My first board was a 7' pintail that a guy who worked for my dads baker mate had made himself. Boards were dropping in size fast so everyone was riding 5'10" or less. I think he practically gave it to my old man but I was stoked. Next board was another backyarder 5'10" that one of the better surfers at Kingy had. Then my first new board...an MP Ski Free Model like he rode in MOTE. Rode that to death.

My advice re: boards for kids....get something eggy. Don't get a little HPS. They instill bad habits if you start on one because the only way they are going to work is by doing lots of little off the tops. This becomes a mannerism and as the wave gets faster they just start trying to do more and more of them. So many people with fcuked up styles who learnt like this. Let them learn the glide, man. I'd stay on the foamy for a while. Some good ones out there now.

Hot Buttered Twin fin. Still like riding twins

buddy wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:46 am

Everyone's first board should be a piece of shit.

Exactly. My first fibreglass board cost $10. Horrible thing. Second board was a Brothers Nielsen stingray twin fin. Wish I still had that.

black duck wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:19 pm

Tell him when he can swim a mile non stop you will get him a board. That’s what my old man said. Motivation when you’re 10 years old. So I did it, then he bought me a $20 dinged up knee board. Couldn’t get my arm around it and it was a piece of shit hand made dog of a thing. I didn’t know it was a knee board though and stood up on it. Learning curve was prolly stifled to some extent. Had to save up my own coin to get a McCoy double flyer round pin.

I got off easy. My deal was 1km in the pool.

Good plan though to make sure I could swim before I got out the back. Seen a few snapped legropes with surfers unable to swim in.

Well, like the duck I too learned on a kneeboard I couldn’t get my arm around. Stood up first wave (yesssss). Couldn’t swim mind

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:25 am

tell him if he doesn't fcuken get a swimming act and fast, Uncle Nick will make him do Molokai.

but seriously folks

lemme know when you're ready to get him something aj, I shall guide your offspring into something both effective and peer group worthy.

Thanks, will do. I might just leave him with you for two weeks, if you don't mind. I know you'll do right by him and only get him into 6' Sunset.

well aj you know what they say, it takes a village to make a kid do something really stupid

look you guys, the days of riding shit boards are over.

If you want the best out of surfing, you get a good board for whatever stage of surfing you're at and whatever age you are at the time. These days, that may not be what you guys rode 40 years ago as teenagers.

Also, punishing grommets is a bit thin on the ground these days for good reason.

Kids enjoy their surfing when they're doing it with other kids, they grow up pretty quick and form their own friendships in the water. They get to invent surfing for themselves. Surfing becomes a way of letting them go. They may come back to you over time, as they do in other areas of life.

As I've probably bored you with before, my first board was a 5'8" squash tail single fin. I didn't know it at the time but it was originally shaped for Nat Young who rode it in the 1970 world contest at Johanna.

My lil bro's first board was a Ron Wade 5'6" pop-out double ender singly.

We got beyond those boards very quickly and two years later were riding hand shaped 6' plus pintails, v much the high performance boards of their time.

We never bothered with "the glide" or whatever - just pushed ahead with surfing and boards as quickly as our circumstances allowed. It was just about time in the water and the number of waves caught.

Nobody tried to impose a vision of surfing on us, we looked out at the world and chose what visions we liked and followed them. Adults? Ha!

This is pretty congruent with almost every good to very good surfer I've ever talked with about their origins and development.

Can I tell you, it is AWESOME being a good surfer, riding the waves you've dreamed of in a fitting manner, pushing it with confidence, and over time developing a rhythm and consistency that allows you to understand where you're at in quite a fine edged way, surf to surf.

Anyone can be good, it does not take a special body type or any of that shit, it is purely about that first two or three years in the water and how you carry those lessons into further challenges.

So don't undercut your kids, give 'em a shot, maybe they won't take it but that'll be their choice.

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:18 pm

Can I tell you, it is AWESOME being a good surfer, riding the waves you've dreamed of in a fitting manner, pushing it with confidence, and over time developing a rhythm and consistency that allows you to understand where you're at in quite a fine edged way, surf to surf.

Anyone can be good, it does not take a special body type or any of that shit, it is purely about that first two or three years in the water and how you carry those lessons into further challenges.

I think we can all agree on that, Brine Brother. It's Realsurfers you're talking to here remember.