Knee paddling longboards

[monkeyman]

Hi,

I need some advice on what longboard to get next - I ride my sleek 9'4" when it is waist high, it's a DT2 by takayama I think. as it gets bigger I go for a fish above that, and a 6'3" above that....

I am now keen to get a longboard that really floats for those knee high zippers, I'm no stylist, I just like to noseride through and go fast down the line.

Can anyone recommend a 10 footer that I could properly knee paddle? What dimensions or models?

And hopefully knee paddle onto waves? I'm 77kg and heading to 40 fast. I also want to be able to take my little 5 year old for a paddle on it in summer.

Live at manly - so will look at dripping wet, bennett etc, but it's hard for a shortboarder to buy a longboard.... whole different language to what I've been talking since 1983.

Thanks

[peterb]

have a look at the short paddle boards that are now coming to market....for example starboard now have a 8ft5 and a nine foot 8 paddle board....a number of guys are using these as long boards without the paddles...definitely can knee paddle those....available at windsurf and snow anzac parade collaroy

[monkeyman]

Thanks mate, had a aquiz at their website - very good - the SUPs are too wide, I'm more looking for a very buoyant cruiser like my old man used to ride at the qld points in the early 60's. I need to be able to much around and pretend like it's big wednesday. Not too keen on sups generally as they look ungainly and the paddle is just one more piece of kit to carry.

[otway1949]

Hi,

I need some advice on what longboard to get next - I ride my sleek 9'4" when it is waist high, it's a DT2 by takayama I think. as it gets bigger I go for a fish above that, and a 6'3" above that....

I am now keen to get a longboard that really floats for those knee high zippers, I'm no stylist, I just like to noseride through and go fast down the line.

Can anyone recommend a 10 footer that I could properly knee paddle? What dimensions or models?

And hopefully knee paddle onto waves? I'm 77kg and heading to 40 fast. I also want to be able to take my little 5 year old for a paddle on it in summer.

Live at manly - so will look at dripping wet, bennett etc, but it's hard for a shortboarder to buy a longboard.... whole different language to what I've been talking since 1983.

Thanks

Hi Monkeyman consider a 9'6" 10" for your daughter with a thicker volume for more floatation and a more rounded profile, Bennetts is a good start.
If you can afford it go custom a good shaper can still give you progressive rails. Get heavier glassing where you kneel, the deck cops a pounding, so do your knees, be the first at your beach to regain board bumps but kneeling is so easy to stand up from. Don't back off bigger stuff either, a longboard can do bigger stuff just change your mindset and angle of attack, ENJOY

[bombora]

Hiya monkeyman; why you reckon you need a ten footer to knee paddle? Like you I only ride a mal waist high and below, and love semi traditional boards to just nose ride and play with trim and stalls etc.
Got a custom shaped by Mark Rabbidge cause I couldn't find what I wanted in northern beaches shops. Nine six x 3 x 22 and something single rounded pin. Brilliant board and I can knee paddle it easily (me 47, tall, super skinny). Knee-takeoffs fund too.
Mark shaped a great board, at a great price (approx $950, if you've been doing the rounds of lower northern beaches shops you'll know how good a price that is) with super glass job, and colour and pinlines round the rails, and even delivered to my backdoor on one of his runs up to Sydney.
He's worth a call.

[sean--]

Sounds like you already have a good longboard.

[monkeyman]

Thanks gents - that sounds great - so really it's about thickness and width not length for floatation...? $950 sounds great - I apid more than that for my current longboard - just in time for my birthday - I'll speak to rabbidge and will update when I know what I'm getting.
Cheers

[Trev]

Hi,

I need some advice on what longboard to get next - I ride my sleek 9'4" when it is waist high, it's a DT2 by takayama I think. as it gets bigger I go for a fish above that, and a 6'3" above that....

I am now keen to get a longboard that really floats for those knee high zippers, I'm no stylist, I just like to noseride through and go fast down the line.

Can anyone recommend a 10 footer that I could properly knee paddle? What dimensions or models?

And hopefully knee paddle onto waves? I'm 77kg and heading to 40 fast. I also want to be able to take my little 5 year old for a paddle on it in summer.

Live at manly - so will look at dripping wet, bennett etc, but it's hard for a shortboarder to buy a longboard.... whole different language to what I've been talking since 1983.

Thanks

at just 77kg you should easily be able to knee paddle on that DT2.
at 92kg I would need a 10' plus board to knee paddle.
God I miss doing that.
Gotta lose weight.

[monkeyman]

Just checked out donald's website, the board that I have - which even I can tell is a thing of beauty, is actually a dt-1 so not much float, glassed on side fins and a box fin with a rounded pin and an almost pointed nose. Never catches a rail and sometimes I can even turn it off the top... (I have accidentally taken it out on some bigger days at long reef - but I am a menace to all and sundry because of the lack of duckdiving ability).

So the next one needs to be a big scoop-nosed noserider that I can knee paddle with much less rocker. I actually really love riding a longboard, it's such a skillfull and magical thing to watch.

Leads me onto question number two, how do you get out the back when it's five foot plus????

[otway1949]

Just checked out donald's website, the board that I have - which even I can tell is a thing of beauty, is actually a dt-1 so not much float, glassed on side fins and a box fin with a rounded pin and an almost pointed nose. Never catches a rail and sometimes I can even turn it off the top... (I have accidentally taken it out on some bigger days at long reef - but I am a menace to all and sundry because of the lack of duckdiving ability).

So the next one needs to be a big scoop-nosed noserider that I can knee paddle with much less rocker. I actually really love riding a longboard, it's such a skillfull and magical thing to watch.

Leads me onto question number two, how do you get out the back when it's five foot plus????

AAH the wonders of the almost lost art of the eskimo roll ( the real transcendental meaning of esky before it was stolen to apply to Boogy boards). Roll over,grip your rails about 2/3 way to the nose and hang down pulling the nose towards the bottom, a little practice and timing helps and paddling towards the wave at speed helps. Go see Mark Rabbidge he is helpful talk through all aspects of how you surf custom make for good customers

[sean--]

The DT1 is a pulled template more suited to bigger steeper waves. The DT2 is a lot different being flatter, wider and a more all round board.
Takayamas are beautiful boards but cost heaps starting at around $1500 for a 9 footer and if I won the $60 million I'd have the whole set. I dont reckon you could do better price wise than getting one off Mark Rabbidge and his boards are bloody good. Take a weekend trip down to Bendalong and talk to him and tell what you want to do and he'll make something to suit you. He'll talk your ear off though.

[Trev]

Just checked out donald's website, the board that I have - which even I can tell is a thing of beauty, is actually a dt-1 so not much float, glassed on side fins and a box fin with a rounded pin and an almost pointed nose. Never catches a rail and sometimes I can even turn it off the top... (I have accidentally taken it out on some bigger days at long reef - but I am a menace to all and sundry because of the lack of duckdiving ability).

So the next one needs to be a big scoop-nosed noserider that I can knee paddle with much less rocker. I actually really love riding a longboard, it's such a skillfull and magical thing to watch.

Leads me onto question number two, how do you get out the back when it's five foot plus????

The eskimo roll works but you do need to hang on well forward of halfway up the board. Be prepared to be flipped over a few times, as you go over wrap your legs around the board in a bear hug.
OR! This is why most mal riders prefer point surf. You paddle out AROUND the lineup.

[roy Stewart]

The eskimo roll works but you do need to hang on well forward of halfway up the board.

Totally wrong. . . grabbing the board forward of the widepoint is dangeous and will lead to cartwheeling, ALWAYS grip the board at the mid point, or if paddling over a big wave which is breaking, behind the wide point

Be prepared to be flipped over a few times, as you go over wrap your legs around the board in a bear hug.

Being flipped is disastrous and is avoided as decribed above. . .. if you are getting flipped you are holding the board towards the nose

Holding the board toward the nose when rolling is a habit brought on by duckdiving shortboards, but it's wrong !

Also, never wrap the legs around the board as in bigger surf this wil result in the board and ride being swept backwards, the tail will dig in and the board will flip.

Far better to keep the body as vertical as posible in the water to act as a sea anchor, and grip the board strongly, even pulling the board down on to the head for extra strength.

Most lightweight mals are notuitable for rolling though, anything under 25 pounds is not much good as the weight of the board needs to keep the rider underwater, the amount of rubber the rider is wearing does affect this.

[monkeyman]

Thanks Roy

Always love hearing from you.

What dimensions would you recommend for a knee paddler - and none of your neo-celtic-south-pacific wooden stuff - I've see how you ride your monster boards and it looks a white knuckle ride to me!! What standard type mal dimensions for someone who like to walk forward to accelerate and back to turn???

I saw some old dude (ie. in his 50's) eskimo roll his oversized shortboard on the weekend and couldn't work out why he did it? I sat on my board(after safely duckdiving) and watched him get pulled back into the pit of whitewater doooooooom from a nice sized set.

[otway1949]

Snapped on esky

Snapper.jpg (9.71 KiB) Viewed 10381 times

Hey Monkeyman, the esky works but needs some practice. I grew up surfing Dee Why before leggies and your eskies had to be strong so as not to get puled back onto the rocks.
Find your sweet spot to esky too far back your nose will be lifted and you will flipped and dragged.
Roy is right use your body as a sea anchor at right angles hanging below your board pull the nose down.
As for the ultralight modern mals I've had two just snap clean in half just eskying go with the strength not Chinese pop outs

[Trev]

The eskimo roll works but you do need to hang on well forward of halfway up the board.

Totally wrong. . . grabbing the board forward of the widepoint is dangeous and will lead to cartwheeling, ALWAYS grip the board at the mid point, or if paddling over a big wave which is breaking, behind the wide point Well Roy. I beg to differ. Been doing it that way since 1962. Recently in separate discussions with two longboarders of reasonable ability who have come off shortboards they were complaining about being flipped/tossed wildly and having the board ripped out of their hands when holding it at the wide point. Following my suggestions, both tried it my way and have reported much more control. To be honest I hadn't thought about it much until the first of them made the comment. We analysed where I was holding on and they took it from there. So. Not "Totally wrong". Just another difference of opinion across the ditch.

Be prepared to be flipped over a few times, as you go over wrap your legs around the board in a bear hug.

Being flipped is disastrous and is avoided as decribed above. . .. if you are getting flipped you are holding the board towards the nose No! See above.

Holding the board toward the nose when rolling is a habit brought on by duckdiving shortboards, but it's wrong ! No! See above.

Also, never wrap the legs around the board as in bigger surf this wil result in the board and ride being swept backwards, the tail will dig in and the board will flip. Might not have made this point clear. Not suggesting you do it at the point of roll. This is a last ditch action as you start to go over, to avoid losing your grip on the board to the detriment of anyone close behind you.

Far better to keep the body as vertical as posible in the water to act as a sea anchor, and grip the board strongly, even pulling the board down on to the head for extra strength. Nice theory. Think about the timing in eskimo rolling. Carried out just before the wave hits you. You gotta be some kind of contortionist to roll and then upend your body at full length below the board before impact.

Most lightweight mals are notuitable for rolling though, anything under 25 pounds is not much good as the weight of the board needs to keep the rider underwater, the amount of rubber the rider is wearing does affect this.Huh???

[Trev]

Find your sweet spot to esky too far back your nose will be lifted and you will flipped and dragged.
Roy is right use your body as a sea anchor at right angles hanging below your board pull the nose down.
As for the ultralight modern mals I've had two just snap clean in half just eskying go with the strength not Chinese pop outs

Hmm? So you're saying I'm right about where to hold the board and Roy is right about hanging below the board. That's cool but I don't reckon I can get more than my upper body, down to the waist at right angles to the board. My legs will still be hanging out the back somewhere unless I roll a lot earlier.
Know what you mean about Dee Why before leggies. Make that Kirra for me. Pretty much similar in those days.

[otway1949]

Find your sweet spot to esky too far back your nose will be lifted and you will flipped and dragged.
Roy is right use your body as a sea anchor at right angles hanging below your board pull the nose down.
As for the ultralight modern mals I've had two just snap clean in half just eskying go with the strength not Chinese pop outs

Hmm? So you're saying I'm right about where to hold the board and Roy is right about hanging below the board. That's cool but I don't reckon I can get more than my upper body, down to the waist at right angles to the board. My legs will still be hanging out the back somewhere unless I roll a lot earlier.
Know what you mean about Dee Why before leggies. Make that Kirra for me. Pretty much similar in those days.

On with Esky 101 As I've never eskied with the super tankers Roy rides I don't know about his method, I practice what works for me.
TrevG consider that you paddle towards the wave,roll and grasp your board you are actually facing the tail of the board looking back along the upturned deck under water and as much as you can hang your body vertical it pulls the nose deeper, as in all surf things good timing does it better.
Hope this helps Monkeyman too!
Trying to find some pictures of board lumps from my old photos. to come back to knee paddling, mine were contenders to keep me out of Vietnam but luckily my number didn't come up. Phew