RealSurf Surfers' Forum

You get one, I'll take it off your hands if you don't like it.

Isn't your shorty a 6'7"?

Bit of respect for your elders, thanks.

you can always get in shape.

Don't do it Fong. Stick to a shorty at all costs. Use the shorty to keep you motivated to maintain a level of fitness and skill. Once you go to the log it is downhill from there and your skill and fitness will probably get worse quickly. The log will do most of the work for you with less input from you so your skills will go downhill and you will become a fat little f^kk like Grooter in no time.
I see it all the time with blokes who move to those fat stupid retro fish things too. Their skill and ability dries up real quick.

Mate you can always add a little bit of volume to your shorty. Rails, width and thickness. Delay the process as much as you can though as Natho suggested...

Natho wrote:Don't do it Fong. Stick to a shorty at all costs. Use the shorty to keep you motivated to maintain a level of fitness and skill. Once you go to the log it is downhill from there and your skill and fitness will probably get worse quickly. The log will do most of the work for you with less input from you so your skills will go downhill and you will become a fat little f^kk like Grooter in no time.
I see it all the time with blokes who move to those fat stupid retro fish things too. Their skill and ability dries up real quick.

Bullshitt.

Fongy, I reckon two choices:

1) Keep yourself fit enough for it by either surfing most days of the week, or by supplementing with a surfing specific exercise program on the off-days.

2) Get yourself one of these modern planing hull / modernised high performance mini simmons style boards (e.g. MP Dumpling, JD high performance fish, Tomo, Gneck, Diverse Felix, etc.).

High speed + high performance + more stable + paddles better. All that while even going shorter than what you're riding now.

Worth a try mate, its the way a lot of people will be going as time passes.

Still have the ability to surf hard and with control, just less grunting effort to paddle and less agility needed to generate speed.

You'll only need your typical shortboard for days with serious grunt.

Cpt.Caveman wrote:Fongy, I reckon two choices:

1) Keep yourself fit enough for it by either surfing most days of the week, or by supplementing with a surfing specific exercise program on the off-days.

2) Get yourself one of these modern planing hull / modernised high performance mini simmons style boards (e.g. MP Dumpling, JD high performance fish, Tomo, Gneck, Diverse Felix, etc.).

High speed + high performance + more stable + paddles better. All that while even going shorter than what you're riding now.

Worth a try mate, its the way a lot of people will be going as time passes.

Still have the ability to surf hard and with control, just less grunting effort to paddle and less agility needed to generate speed.

You'll only need your typical shortboard for days with serious grunt.

I agree with captains words of wisdom and would suggest in addition to fitness think about diet.

Also, shortboards vary in litres from 25-29 give or take, you can get 30 plus litres into a 5ft planing hull or mini simmons.

You could get a 5"4 planning hull with 30-31 litres or a 5" mini sim with 32 litres (scale up or down accordingly)

I am not suggesting to buy one but you can demo a firewire sweet potato for a test run before splashing any cash.

Find out what you like length and litres wise then order a refined version from a local shaper.

Then you just got to figuire out your preferred fins

Don't listen to these pr*cks. They just want to get all the waves.

Noosa is one of the great mal waves of the world.
I've ridden a mal for 20 odd years and had a ball.
Ridden it about 4 times in the last year though and have actually gone 6' shorter than usual for the last year.
Been back up to the minimal a bit lately but that's more to do with the crazy crowds than anything.
I'm thinking of getting a new fish when I can afford it but like most things to do with aging and fitness its useless to talk to anyone younger. They just tell you to flog yourself more not understanding the natural changes your body goes through. I'm sure they can point at one or two expros who still rip on shortboards. Good on them. I bet they get the benefit of past success on the take off too. Anyway have fun. You can get a pat on the back for riding short but will they give you a wave?

Go for a Grant Miller

Mate, do what you are comfortable with.
There's no doubt the body lets us down as we age. Believe me, I know.
The biggest problem I have these days is at the pint of take off. Getting to my feet quickly. I used to love late take offs, these days I have to really work at it.
Of course, the extra weight around my stomach doesn't help.
But you know how I feel about mals. There is a lot of skill in riding one well, despite what some may say. And you can still throw one around.

How old are you anyway fong?

John (seaweed) who works at Coolum surf had a surfed once Firewire longboard for sale for a bargain price. Give him a call and see if he's still got it.
He is pretty clued in with longboards being one of the owners of Plantation back in the day.
Those guys were the ones responsible for the revival of longboarding at the bluff back in the 80's.
Why not get Huie to make you a cork deck 8'er?
Don't have to go 9' plus to get good glide/paddlepower.
The 8' range is better for dodging the sheeple at the points too.
Must be quiet around here...plenty of posting on the logs, eggs and alts forum of late.
I'm sick of crowds and all their trappings lately.
Rather go ride a deadly treadly around to burn some calories.
Not a licorice allsort lycra clad triathlegeek kind of treadly though.

Sounds like you are entering the McCoy demographic Fong...

If you go the full mal fong those firewires kick a*se in the high performance style. Don't go the increasingly popular flat rockered full old school style till you get your nose riding down. Its the getting back that requires more practice. Having said that where you are is the place to ride them.

A lot of those transition era boards are starting to look good contrary to what I thought a while ago.
Anyway if you look at QLand point waves at ankle height you can still have a good day on a mal.
I don't think anyone could argue with that.

Beanpole wrote: A lot of those transition era boards are starting to look good contrary to what I thought a while ago.
Anyway if you look at QLand point waves at ankle height you can still have a good day on a mal.
I don't think anyone could argue with that.

No Beany, quite true.

What i want to know is - How old are you Fong?
Why you being such a sook? Grow some fcuking balls.
I'm 50 and ride a 6'3". Not fit, average surfer. Easy peasy.
What the fcuk you talking about?

Mal riding is not easy - quite a work out, probably more than a shorty in small stuff.

Yeah thats a radical jump in height and board type, I see older guys doing great things on 7'2-7'6 (think Paul Hutho mids)..theres plently of nice performing boards that arent standard short board shapes..widow makers, bonzers etc...and the blow the doors of standard short boards for speed and carve......

Depends on how old you are, I dont see many 50+ guys performing that well on shortboards unless they are in the water like 4 times a week, fit as f*ck and usually a skinny or short buggers (no offence to any of the short fit old c*nts on this site) .