I purchased a 10ft (18.5" nose x 22.5" wide x 14" tail) Robert August Saber a while back. It is a Mike Minchinton shape. I use it up here in Washington and Oregon. So far, I have had mixed results with the board. For one, it is a beautiful and strong board. No trouble with the craftsmanship. Performance wise, when waves get up to chest high and bigger, the board responds great. It goes rail to rail quickly and is stable to walk around on. My trouble is with smaller waves (3ft or under). When there is not a lot of speed, the board catches rails easily, feels very unstable rail to rail and turns stiff. Other longboards I’ve had or tried feel like they are a more stable platform. Also, the board likes to pearl on takeoffs.
I’m 6ft tall and weigh 168lb without wetsuit. Is this too big of board for me?
Could a fin set change help? I have a 2+1 (8" WN cutaway or 8" stock RA ) set up and a 10" longrake Wingnut single fin. What would be best in the bigger and smaller wave situations?
Another possibility is I’m surfing it wrong, I have always had 9ft hp boards in the past. This is the first 10ft noserider I’ve owned. Is the low rocker causing me these problems? If so, any suggestions on how to alter my approach?
I like this board and really want it to work for me. I appreciate any help you can advise.
the saber is a solid shape, but it is designed for a higher performance, more powerful style of surfing. 3 foot surf should be enough, though, so i’d say you probably just need to adjust to the extra board length. i’m sure it’ll just click soon enough.
that’s a long and relatively narrow board (aspect ratio) so its better suited for larger waves. Combining those dims with flatter rocker then ya gotta angle across on smaller waves…trim trim, no turn turn.
And yes…
dont use the sides in weak surf (why on a noserider?)…
get a 9 or 10" center and move it forwards
If all fails, use another board (I own anywhere from 5 to 8 boards)
Thanks for the help. I will keep the sidebites out and move the center all the way up. I hope this helps.
Considering that fin and their placement (plus improved trim surfing skill) are the ony things I can adjust, is there a fin that would be ideal for this situation? Like I said before, I have an 8" RA center fin, a 8" Wingnut Cutaway, and a 10" Wingnut Longrake. Here is the history with these:
8" RA + sidebites: Too stiff. Way to stiff, even with the center moved pretty forward. I have not tried the 8" RA single in small waves. Next session. 8" seems small for a 10ft board.
8" WN Cutaway + sidebites: Slips on bigger waves, drags on small waves. I did not like this setup.
10" WN Longrake: My favorite setup for good size surf but seems stiff on small waves. I have not moved it all the way forward yet. Next session.
So, single seems to be the way to go. I’m wondering if you all have any suggestions for trying a different type of single fin. I’m curious about the Velzy Classic V-bottom or Wingnut Sweep design. Would the thinner base combined with good depth help loosen the board up but still hold? If so, what size for this board? Are there any other fin shapes I should consider?
Taking fin base away and moving the fin forward will help the board become more responsive in small waves. You need to be able to swing the board around without too much fin resistance and adust trim quickly. The approach to finning the board will help. If the board has some kick in the tail. It’s slightly exaggerate on some longboards and works great when you want to step back and turn the board or do a drop knee turn.
personally, i’d only use a cutaway with sidebites. i’ve had some good experiences with Rainbow fins. there’s the Wingnut Sweep at 9.5", the Wingnut Longrake at either 9 or 10", or the BioFlex at 9.5". the sweep is a good all around fin, while the longrake is good for carving hard turns. the bioflex is very high performance, but if you’ve never ridden a flex fin before it could take some getting used to.