getting old, dont want struggle on a shorty

[Natho]

Well I reckon if your still paddling out at 60 then u r doing ok

[Trev]

Well I reckon if your still paddling out at 60 then u r doing ok

I'm 65 and really don't want to ride anything but a longboard.
However, I do have Mark Pridmore's experimental (?) "Swinger in my quiver.
8'8" with the front half of a longboard and steps down to a shortboard rear half (and a quad). Once you're up and riding you can learn to ignore the nose sticking way out in front and ride it like a shorty. Good fun on smaller days and in beach breaks.
I didn't set out to own it, just had it for a while when it was Mark's traveller. Then later asked for and got first option when he was making space in his collection.

[JaM71]

Yeah, I thought fongss was 40 carrying on like he was 50 & letting himself go
Hats off to those over 50 or 60 still getting amongst it.

Thing is with training ya gotta know your body and your limits.

[Cuttlefish]

Plus one on Beanpoles' post.
Turned 50 a couple of months ago and I reckon I was surfing my best from roughly 40-45.
The last 5 years have shown time catches up.
Just got xrays and ultra sounds done this last week to find out why my hips have been causing me pain for the last 15 years.
(Suffer silently...it's a bloke thing).
Anyway hopefully physiotherapy will help.
I trained my guts out when I was a youngster.
Now I'm getting older I can't be bothered with peripheral stuff and just do the activities themselves.
Yoga sounds helpful.
Read through NC's fading obsession story and could relate to that.

[batoes]

Interesting thread. Some of my older mates at 45-50 are just very picky about when they surf. I'm still like a grom in that i surf whatever and whenever i can. I'm 37 - no major injuries and still fairly fit - but 3 kids, job, wife - they've cut into my fitness regime massively. How the hell do you guys find 4 sessions in the gym each week + surfing? Let me guess - you wore condoms or something?

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[Beanpole]

Actually been working on flexibility and core strength a lot over the past few months. By my standards anyway. I've got a few gizmos that have really helped and I'm increasingly watching my diet. Started the 2:5 regime a couple of weeks ago which seems to have kicked me over the flat spot I had hit weight wise. So basically I'm enjoying surfing a lot at the moment. As far as being selective about surfs goes, with a teenage surf nut in the house I often find myself out in conditions I wouldn't bother looking at if left to my own devises. All up that has to be good.

[Davros]

Cutting booze by 50%, running 10ks the days you don't surf, stretching focus on lower back, hips, hammys....good...for me approaching 50.

[spork]

The old injury is the kicker here, bad knees are a clear problem for riding short boards. If its arthritis Fong, then you can do something about it. Get hold of 'The Arthritics Cookbook' and follow the diet. My mum got this book when she was in her 60's and unable to do her knitting and her hands where virtually useless. It took a while but her hands cleared up allowing her to function pretty well for the last 20 yrs or so. Personally I'm 57 and still on the shortys, but ride a 8' mal occasionally. Go the log kicking and screaming and being held down by a scrum of FOGS (fat old guys), not by choice I reckon.

[old grom]

Inspiring to hear guys over 60 still getting out... once I turned 40ish I noticed a loss in strength and speed. My solution to this was three fold: increasing volume on my boards (my 'shorty' is now 6'10x22"x3"); took up yoga...have been going to two classes a week for nearly five years; and generally watching my food and grog intake...pretty shite at this but managing to keep a gut off. I think the yoga is a real gift for guys over 40 who have a plan to keep surfing long term; keeps the stiffness at bay.

Still never surf like I could in my 30s but working g on different styles with a kind of versatile quiver....best thing about being an older surfer...is I don't giive a shite about image or hassling....for me its about play; hanging with friends and family; and keeping up a grommet like stoke. Love it when I turn up to work after an early surf just buzzing; still going on the odd cheeky surf adventure. The mostly younger than me guys i work with trip out. Thanks for the inspiration. OG

[oldman]

At wat age do u just " give up" and jump on a log

When you are ready to give it all in, when there is no reason for you to go on, then buy a log.

Until that time, fight the good fight. Honestly, I don't intend surfing any more when I get to that stage.

[Beanpole]

Gunna miss out on a lot of fun then olds. I hope to be staggering down to launch some boat sized craft into tiny weak little waves for as long as I can walk and carry the thing. Then I will "progress" to a lid and body surfing with flippers. My father in law is back swimming at 90. I hope I live that long but I probably wont. That's the fight worth fighting.

[Yon Beasty]

Amen Beanpole.

Intend to go well beyond the log back to the beginning, before the end.

They can drag my wrinkly hide from the surf clutching a piece of foam or something
before I call it a day.

(though understand Oldman's preference might be to go straight from short boards to the body bash foamy stage based on principle - only time will tell, Oldman might succumb yet)

[bombora]

Been dry for almost a year thanks to a spinal condition (thankyou, genes).
Got wet for three days straight beginning of last week when there was some decent swell.
Rode 7'2" Campbell Bros bonzer speed egg. Rounded pin.
Spaghetti arms (knackered after two waves), back still as bent as a queensland pollie, and swallowed kook pills as well as pain killers and muscle relaxants before the surf, but my sweet baby jeebus this is a wonderful board.
Never had a midlength before (mals for tiny tiny stuff, or shorties and fish, and brain biased by the 'funboard' crew).
But this board is quite a wonderful petroleum product: you can just feel the refinement of, what, 40 years in the design's evolution: in its foil, outline, rocker, complex bottom curves and concaves and of course the quartet of side runners and central single fin.
Swell dropped on third day. Board goes as good waste high as it does head to overhead. Love it backhand and forehand.
At 50 and physically twisted, it's a godsend. Paddle advantage in Sydney crowds was also appreciated. Bought the board (a second hand bargain) as incentive to get back into the water, now worried I'll be too lazy and too happy with this board to move back to shorties, if the body allows.
Malcolm Campbell was shaping here recently, might be some around for sale, if they haven't been nabbed already.

[Cuttlefish]

Campbell bros bonzers are a thing of beauty in any length.
There's been the odd Octafish popping up on Evilbay and winter is the time to buy them as the demand is lower.
Lately I'm having a ball surfing everything in my quiver.
The locals never know what I'll paddle out on.
4'2" prone board, 6' McCoy, 6'8" scorpion, 7'4" diverse, 8' old skool single, 9' dvs reefrunner.
All depends upon the conditions.
As all the pros say about their heats these days, "I'm just going to go out and have fun."

[ccdave]

Been lurking on here for quite awhile, came across Fongss post and was thinking this was also my dilemma. A 3yr ongoing shoulder problem that I just cant seem to get 100% right. Im now resigned to the fact Ill be in a management phase forever!!
Been riding "longer" short boards for a while, just wasn't have that much fun. I got a 7' 6" epoxy McTavish Carver for the smaller days and have found I'm riding this thing in all the time. Wave count has tripled as well. Its a great board, just little too much volume for duckdiving for my liking.
After reading the posts on here I gave Grant Miller a call and now have a 7' Powerglide on order, without the nose concave. Cant wait to get this new baby in water!
Doing my 2nd Maldives trip in 6 weeks (Lohi's) and cant wait to get these "longer" boards into some warm water perfection.
Cheers.

[ctd]

After reading the posts on here I gave Grant Miller a call and now have a 7' Powerglide on order, without the nose concave. Cant wait to get this new baby in water!
Doing my 2nd Maldives trip in 6 weeks (Lohi's) and cant wait to get these "longer" boards into some warm water perfection.
Cheers.

I have a powerglide with the nose concave - does grant add a bit more nose rocker to compensate? I'm not quite sure of the rationale for the concave, but I bowed down to Grant's knowledge.

They are very well made and glassed boards; I'm still trying to sort things out after moving down from my beginners longboard so can't tell you how good they surf, other than to say I dont think I lost any paddle ability despite moving down over 1.5 ft in length. Grant is a great guy to deal with, and if you ever get to his place in Milton it's a beautiful location.

[Beanpole]

My carver which is as beat up as sh*t and about 5 or 6 years old still kicks butt I reckon. I mean you can actually keep riding it up to decent size solid waves and it handles them with ease. The big drawback is as you say duck diving. My son's used it as a mal since he was in primary school and all up it has got more use than any board I have ever owned. You can ride dribble, do a cheater five and still whack it around on a decent wave. Pity about the oversized logo.