Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

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the hulkster
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Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by the hulkster » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:08 pm

Hi long time reader first time topic starter.

I have been surfing a 8" 6 longboard for a while now and can use it pretty well. But i am keen to take my surfing up to a new level. I would like i bit more speed and maneuverability. What i like about my board now is how easy it is to paddle especially during summer when its a bit smaller. Also it easy to stand up on etc.

But what i want is a board that i can paddle easily and catch plenty of waves with bit also start to get a few moves happening and speed to make more sections.But i dont really want a super short board or anything like that.

I would class myself as beginner/intermediate, getting more to intermediate. I am 5ft 11 and weigh about 74kg.

I have been trying to find out what to get but i thought a few bright minds on here might be able to steer me in the right direction.

Any help would be appreciated.

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marcus_h
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by marcus_h » Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:29 pm

What about a 5'10" or 6 foot twin keel fish? Or something like Pridmores quad?

collnarra
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by collnarra » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:31 pm

go to a reputable surfshop (wicks at collaroy springs to mind - if you are on the northern beaches. Ask for steve. and yes, they are mates of mine. no, I don't get a discount).

anyway, go to a reputable surfshop, take your current board and ask the sales guy what he would recommend.

It sounds as though you're ready to take the next step. one thing that springs to mind is the Miller Waterskate. Get one around 7' long. (and yes, I have had boards from miller in the past. no, I don't get discount).

http://www.waterskatesurfboards.com/
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by pridmore » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:58 pm

There are a few options but I would need more info to be able to make an accurate recommendation but sounds like a 6'10 - 7'4" with a bit of width and volume could suit... PM if you wanna discuss design specifics.... 8)

the hulkster
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by the hulkster » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:46 am

Thanks for the info so far. What about a fish, from i can gather that might work . I think i need to head to a few surf shops and chew the fat to figure out which way to go. I live near Torquay so does anyone know a reputable place i could go down that way.

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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by WANDERER » Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:49 am

I'd suggest maybe a semifish instead of a full on fish, but more importantly I think you need to keep thigs simple at the moment, go for a standard shape and three fins, when you have this wired then you can mix things up with twin fins/keels and or quads and the various different styles of shape.

To back up what Collnarra is saying something like the waterskate looks like the go, however with your low body weight and size I'd suggest there is no nead to go any longer than 6'8" maybe 6'10", there should be more than enough foam to get you into waves easy on something like that.

If your local area doesn't stock the Miller deals, then basicly what you want to look for is good width and thickness under shoulders/chest when paddling as well as reasonable width under your back foot when standing, this does two things in particular; (1) firstly the width under your shoulders/chest when paddling will make it easy to paddle and catch waves, (2) the width at the front combined with the width under your backfoot and the extra thinckness means that you have the ability keep the board moving when you move out of the power zone of the wave, if you are a good surfer you can use your surfing skills to stay in the right spot on the wave, however while you are learning it is good to have a board that lets you make mistakes and recover from them, if you find yourself shooting out on to the shoulder uncontrollably on a performance shape then without the acquired skill to adress the situation you will simply sink as soon as you run out of power and speed, the extra foam and width of an intermediate board will give you a much better range ability to progress, the easier it is for you to stay standing on your board and negotiate the wave face and pocket the more quickly you will become acustomed to piloting the board successfully through the differnet stages and sections of waveriding. The mistake which I see made all too often is that cats who have learned to stand immediately on reaching the beach go to the shop and buy a replica of what the pros ride, this results in a complete stagnating of skill development as the surfer will spend very little time catching waves successfully and even less staqnding up on their board - take things one step at a time and within a year or two you can be a competent shortboarder in average conditions, go straight for the hi-performance shortboard without being ready for it and you may NEVER develop into a good surfer.

the hulkster
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by the hulkster » Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:39 pm

Super info there Wanderer, thanks heaps.

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Davros
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by Davros » Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:27 pm

Thick will do the trick.

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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by jimmy » Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:34 pm

Davros wrote:Thick will do the trick.
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huie
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by huie » Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:41 pm

Image

Image

fast fish indeed

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Chillin
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by Chillin » Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:51 pm

Sorry, not a fish lover, although that one ( is a quad still a fish?) looks as sweet as! Its not the look, but the way they surf, flat and fast, which is far removed from a 'normal' shortboard. Heaps of guys around here are selling their fish or not surfing em because it ruins them for their normal board surfing. i don't know about that, but for me, they are more suited to their design target, i.e. fast points, the flat, almost mal like turning style is not, i don't think, going to take you to the next level. I would be looking to a more traditional tri fin around the 6'4"-6'8" with a reasonably shallow entry, rounded pin or squashtail. Around 19" wide and maybe between 2 5/8" to 2 7/8" thick. Nose rocker is the killer when paddling into waves, not thickness as such, thats one of the reasons fish paddle so well, they are pretty much flat. Check out the Miller F skate, its a kracker of a board, well made, and will get you into waves well.
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by pridmore » Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:45 pm

Image

How bout one of these ? been doin a few of these shapes for people that just want an easy, simple board that catches waves real easily and is stable, fast and forgiving....this one is 6'6" x 20 1/2" x 2 5/8",
rounded square tail thruster. Flat bottom thru to front foot where a slight double starts and runs thru to the fins ( the flat keeps it neutral, stable and just solid under foot then the slight double gives it some life and helps it get up on rail..).rocker is smooth and gradual, fast but forgiving, soft fullish rails ( but not corky )....have done them for beginners, people getting down off longer boards ...seems to be a growing demand for such a shape lately....
Last edited by pridmore on Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Chillin
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by Chillin » Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:33 am

Yeah, thats looks more like it, not as pretty as that quad though...Have you done any timber vacuum bagging Prids?
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by pridmore » Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:45 am

nah, my focus is on shape and design more than the different construction methods and materials...although I do keep in touch with it and am interested, may even go that way in the future but for now I'm right into creating the most functional shapes to suit the customers needs..as well as always playing with some alternative shapes ( Swinger, 6 finner etc..)..nearly hooked up with Huie to do a bit of CDD-Epoxy work but didnt happen, maybe in the future.... 8)

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Chillin
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by Chillin » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:31 pm

I would have thought that matererials where part of the design parameter, being as PU has been pretty much done to death. The new (ish) materials allow boards to do things in a different way, therefore the boards can be an even more radical departure from what is traditional these days.
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by pridmore » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:45 pm

yeah, your right but like I said that isnt my focus atm, possibly in the near future...I have dabbled in a few diff materials but there hasnt been the demand there for me...so I continue to shape what I am passionate about and what my customers are asking me for....but I do agree that some of the new ish materials allow you to do ( and feel ) things differently....also cost comes into it for me being small time and I also want to keep my prices lower so my boards are MORE affordable than most... 8)

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ric_vidal
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by ric_vidal » Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:08 am

Chillin wrote:I would have thought that matererials where part of the design parameter, being as PU has been pretty much done to death. The new (ish) materials allow boards to do things in a different way, therefore the boards can be an even more radical departure from what is traditional these days.
Lot of nuances with different materials, Chillin, also a fair degree of expense and time and expertise and a market that basically doesn’t want to pay much MORE. :wink:

If say, you consider Firewire an example of high tech manufacturing then I’d be concerned as I’ve seen and know of delaminations and that is not uncommon for any composite construction. Even the ubiquitous Surftech has a degree of performance issues, albeit not related to delams.

Carbon fibre is expensive and brittle, kevlar is expensive and a pain to work and looks like crap and to be effective they really need to be used in conjunction with epoxy which is about 5x the price and sets in a mind numbing 3 hours :shock: d-cell, corecell, klegecell, any cell you like, is all expensive and requires specialist treatment like vac bagging and other knowledge and skills.

To be honest, they don’t lend themselves to any ‘radical’ design departure other than the supposed new holy grail of flex. Well here’s the thing, Chillin, turn a PU/PE board upside down and put your foot on it and watch it spring ala Bert’s ever popular demonstration of his Sunova’s. They ALL flex, some just may flex better than others.

Isn’t a whole lot wrong with PU/PE ’cept possible ineptitude in modern manufacturing processes. Yeah, they can look so good on the rack, the more I see the more I think...

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Chillin
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Re: Best board to take your surfing to the next level?

Post by Chillin » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:23 pm

Flex is a whole new ballgame, especially as it changes with the weight and style of the surfer. In my experience with firewires, some work and some dont, probably due to the different nature of balsa rails, ei, the not all the rails flex the same. Hence Firewire moving to carbon fibre to control flex. I have a view that surftech boards would be FAR better if they where 1/2 inch thinner, that would bring their buoyancy back to similar levels as the PU equivalent and still take advantage of their strength and flow. Bert was looking to chase the 'new board' feel with his designs. I personally rekon he was on the right track, but money and time pegged him back to make Sunova's in order to make a living. NC has some views that kind of parallel mine with regard to new materials, as in it more than likely where the next jump in performance will come.
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