Is my board too long/thick/wide?

[jesse370]

Guys,

I have started surfing around 2 years ago and I am currently riding a 6"2 x 20 3/4 x 2 3/4 (after stepping down from a 7"0), which is a big chunk of foam.

I have been riding narrower and thinner boards before and I especially felt like I was able to turn much sharper and faster. Take-offs felt better and I could ramp up speed more easily. Also, the board I have doesn't perform that well on bigger waves (3ft+), probably due to its wideness, could that be?

On the other hand I can say, that I am not a pro on this board either, I am fore from mastering the board yet I think, but I am really asking myself if it holds back my progress curve as I am surfing at least 5 times every week and I am in good physical shape. Stepping down from the 7'0 to the 6'2 didn't feel like it was hard either for me in terms of balance and paddling.

What do you reckon to do if I surf that often and want to progress?

I am thinking about something in the 5'11/6'0 x 18 1/2 x 2 3/8 range - I am 175cm (5"10) tall and weigh roughly 70kg.

I would be more than happy about your feedback and recommendations!

Cheers guys!

[alakaboo]

The board you are currently riding sounds like it is too wide, that board would probably be for someone up to 95kgs or so.
But it has more to do with the shape and the distribution of foam. It is most likely a small wave board, fairly flat, with a lot of volume.

Your suggested new board sounds better. I ride similar dimensions and I am 5kgs heavier and a touch taller.
If you are surfing 5 times a week, go the smaller board and adapt to it.

[jesse370]

Mate, thanks for the answer, much appreciated! At all, if it helps, this is the modell I am currently riding: http://simonandersonsurfboards.com/boar ... index.html

As I am in Australia, I can choose from JS, DHD, Al Merrick, Simon Anderson etc. - is it worth going for a big brand board like one from Al Merrick or JS? I am wondering.

[collnarra]

you're riding a Simon - the guy who invented the thruster, and you want to buy a "big brand" board?

Personally I think you should stick with what you have a learn to ride it better. Simply buying a new board isn't going to make you a better surfer.

[BA]

Personally I think you should stick with what you have a learn to ride it better. Simply buying a new board isn't going to make you a better surfer.

It might if the board he has is a dog. All shapers turn them out occasionally.

Go and have a talk to your local shaper. All it costs is some of your time. If you like what you hear, get a board off him. Better than buying some "big brand" presumably off the rack sold by some kid in skinny jeans.

[jesse370]

you're riding a Simon - the guy who invented the thruster, and you want to buy a "big brand" board?

Personally I think you should stick with what you have a learn to ride it better. Simply buying a new board isn't going to make you a better surfer.

Haha, I didn't mean to say that Simon isn't a big brand already (that's why I mentioned him up there as well), this question was just pointed to the possible new purchase.

[Nick Carroll]

Look jesse, I hate to try to give advice to any surfer without having watched him/her surf a fair bit and talked about it for a while too.

But everything you've written tells me you're expecting a little too much both of yourself and of your equipment.

Unless you are extraordinarily talented and under 16 years of age, I suggest you stick to your current board for a while and begin thinking a bit more about how you are moving on the board, rather than how the board is moving under you.

Two years is a very short time in surfing terms. If you are really surfing five or six times a week, keep doing that for about six months, then reassess.

[Natho]

Jesse, look on the bright side. If you learn to turn and drive your current board with good technique then it may in fact help you once you go to a smaller board. Don't get too caught up on brand names. As an example there are some good Merrick' s but there are also plenty of gimmicky ones based on marketing coolness at the time which may not be right for you. Look for a board that is right for you rather than what has some cool marketing name or what some pro rode for 5 minutes ( many pros are paid to ride those boards). Talk to a good shaper when you are ready. Simon makes great boards, some of the best I have ridden so you could talk to him when you are ready, or someone else.

[speedneedle]

Hey Jesse - I will only add this -

What I see with fellas making the change to smaller boards is that they write off the old one too soon. In other words, don't get rid of it if you can afford to have the newy without trading.

Go back to the old one now and again for comparos. It'll teach you more about boards and surfing than even if you nailed the perfect new board.

JD

[Rustt]

When I was younger I used to get a new board every 2 or 3 months, local shapers loved me and I got a good discount, so much so it was costing bugger all to turn them over and I learnt a lot about riding all different types of boards and I think it advanced my all round surfing. Why don't you just cruise ebay and the second hand racks and grab a used one, if you buy well you can get your money back or possibly more. There is nothing like a new board, but only if you know what you need. So while your going through that learning curve you can surf 3 or 4 different boards a year and it might only cost 3 or 400$$ a year

[dUg]

Simply buying a new board isn't going to make you a better surfer.

In my experience... massive difference and major improvements but it's probably that's more a case of having devoped bad habits / poor technique over some 20 odd years and suddenly being "forced" to rethink / address them on new equipment.

You're in the same weight range as me Jesse, and that does sound like a lot of foam. The ebay idea is great because it'll really let you turn over a few boards and figure out what works for you, without sending you broke. Just be mindful that after just 2 years you still probably have a fair bit of work to do on base skills, and adding too many variables can make refining them difficult.

[StayPuft]

Jesse, you might need to do what I did. I was learning on a mini-mal shape that was 6'6" x 22"(!) x 2 3/4 (it was a Miller Powerglide), and it was good in lots of the ways learners need a board to be good, ie stable for learning to pop up, stable once up and riding, easy to paddle onto waves early, good for catching small waves. But I got to a point where I was ready to perform sharper turns but was having trouble budging the board because I was struggling to get enough leverage to turn it sharply, or at all, sometimes. I'm the same weight as you, btw.

So although I was still learning, I spoke to Grant Miller and ended up splurging on a custom which was still enough volume to keep a beginner happy, but was a bit less volume and a more traditional short board shape instead of the mini-mal. It was a 6'4" x 20" x 2 9/16 v-skate. First surf I was on my feet and turning the board much more freely than I could the old board.

So maybe what you need is to accept that it takes ages to learn to surf and that you still need a beginner's board, but one that is a little better suited to your weight. Having said all that, if I stuck to my old board and learnt to surf it better as NC recommended to you, maybe I'd be a better surfer than I am now.

[philw]

It's not the board, it's you.

Smaller, lower volume boards may give you the impression of surfing better because you can move it more quickly but your technique will be identical.

The board yr riding is not too big to do roundhouse cutbacks etc. It might not go vertical in the lip so easily but be honest with yourself, if its not going there it's you not the board.

When yr learning volume is yr friend.

If you think big boards can't be surfed in tight fast arcs watch a 'performance longboarder' ie not trad nose riding.

Guys can surf a 9'0 pretty much like a short board, at least as much as most normal people surf shortboards.

Stick with it. Get someone to video you. A board that's too small will hold you back forever...!

[Natho]

I think people may be starting to make general assumptions without seeing Jesse surf. Too much foam is not always your friend and going smaller can help some people. Who knows in Jesse's case? Too much foam can hold people back and make moving, controlling and duck diving a board harder. So there is a point where people can have too much foam, esp once they start progressing.
Without seeing Jesse surf it is not possible to say either way.

[philw]

^^ yep, true. but for his weight the dims of the board he has dont indicate something ott, a little on the bigger side but probly going to help more than hinder. hard to say without eyeballing, could be a horrid shape, no rocker or too much etc CONGRATS PARKO!!

[Rustt]

Well Jesse after reading all this good advise are you totally confused enough yet?

[jesse370]

Guys,

haha, nope, not totally confused yet, just very thankful for that much advise from all of you, you rock!

I agree with most of you that I expect a little bit too much from my board and that I don't have mastered it fully of course, and that a much better surfer would do much better on this board, no doubts.

However, what I am trying to achieve is to boost my progress through change and challenging myself more, however, I would keep my board I have right now to go back and forth under different conditions.

Thanks so much for the Video Taping advice, I am sure going to do that, this way I finally find a use for my GoPro (besides diving) as I don't see a point of putting it on a board haha, so I'll ask my mate to get in the water and tape me riding. Thanks!

As I like to try out new things, new equipment and like change and experiment, I think that what I read from you guys by combining a few questions and my opinion together is to KEEP my old board, get a new one, video-tape me on both - and important, reflect and understand how both boards work in more depth. This way I think I would make the most progress. What do you think?

Maybe something around or in between those ranges?

5'11/6'0 x 18 1/2 x 2 3/8
6'0 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/2

Btw: I am riding AM-2 in a thruster setup.

Thanks so much guys, and if my conclusion about all this was wrong, please beat me up and tell me what I must not do that at all and it is totally rubbish!

Cheers guys and CONGRATS PARKO!

[Davros]

So you have a small wave board that's to big, what happens in Autumn? If ya not careful you could end up with 2 small wave boards. Maybe get a better performance all rounder because when you have a couple a shit sessions on it and you go back to the old board to tune things up you'll be happy.