Alainguitars
you could ride a 6’4" easily maybe get down to a 5’10" modfish or fish
I would give his new twin keel or convertible thruster/quads a try too
I’m 53-54 around 200lbs and ride both a GG 6’2" 5-fin fish and 6’4" 5-fin modfish
I also have a 6’8" GG thruster and a 7’2" 5-fin shortboard and 7"4" 5-fin rocket
The bigger boards provide better paddling for juicier waves but I definitely prefer the shorter length when navigating around the face or duckdiving big white water.
I’m 51, 5’6" between 165 and 170 lbs. Been surfing since ‘66-‘67. I still ride boards from 5’ 8" up to 10’, but for good days I like boards between 6’ and 6’ 8" depending on the size and thickness of the waves. I try to go as small as I can for bigger, better days, and long when it’s small and crowded.
If you get right into the spot where the wave breaks, you can catch them with just about any size board. The key is being able to stand up quickly and make the drop. Sometimes even the small ones will break with enough push to keep you from getting to your feet and making that first turn. That would be something I’d work on. Then when it’s bigger you can move up to the air drops.
The quick pop up was definitely a problem after the hip surgery and that’s why I went to bigger boards. I purposely stayed away from the breaking part of the wave to avoid drops until my hip was strong enough. Therein part of the frustration. Catching shoulders isn’t the best way to up a wave count. It’s not a problem anymore so I ditched those boards and I’m trying to figure out what I should be riding. My 6’4" MR singlefin just came in yesterday and I’ll get to surf it in decent swell tomorrow. Based on how that feels I’ll get in touch with GG and order a board that complements it. The MR is really chunky with tons of foam up front. I’m expecting a lot from the board but the truth is in the water.
All of the comments have led me to ask another question. What is the usual number of strokes you need to get into head+ beach break surf? I was finding myself paddling 6 to 8 strokes 10 yards before the wave to have any chance of catching it on the 6’4" ( with a little over 6" of nose rocker) I referenced earlier. This doesn’t seem normal to me and I’ve had boards that size that did not require that much effort. Without that kind of aggressive take off the board just gets sucked up the face. I remember vividly being able to shove my Peterson fish’s tail straight down into the wave, letting it bounce back and hardly paddling?
If you want to get into the wave early, you’re going to have to paddle more, or get a longer board. If you catch it right where it breaks, you might only need one pump and paddle.
Sometimes I will have to paddle quite a bit to get a wave, other times I don’t. It depends on the crowds, the size and power of the waves, and where I am in relationship to the breaking part of the wave. I’m not real aggressive about trying to be in the right spot for every wave like some people. I like it when my friends are all catching waves too.
I’ve paddled more than 10 yards to catch waves even with longer boards, but I always try to ride the waves as far as I can, and 100 yards is about the norm for me. I don’t like surfing breaks that don’t go at least 50 yards. Most of the places I surf require a long paddle out to get to the waves.
I’m 71 yo, started surfing 49 years ago (as of last month), and have built all my own hard boards since 1968. The set of boards that I presently ride are a 42" bodyboard, 3 shell-type kneeboards (67" x 24-1/4", 65" x 21-1/2", and 68" x 20"), and a 44" x 19-1/2" hydrofoil paipo board–the choice primarily depending on the wave size and characteristics. With minimal flotation none of them are very good paddling craft (longboards are typically 3x as fast; short boards, about 2x). But ease in catching waves has not been my primary objective in designing my boards. As a result, most take-offs tend to be on the late side after kicking with swim fins to accelerate and get moving, then typically terminating with an especially energetic single sweep with one web-gloved hand at the most critical time.
MTB, Doesn’t sound like you’re riding East Coast waves. I’d love to see pics of your quiver. I just got finished doing two hours in head + 1/2 in a major northeast swell. Air temp in the low 40’s with a howling side offshore wind. First time I surfed the 6’4" MR singlefin. 20 1/2 x 2 7/8 . One thing I found out quickly is I can’t duckdive the board. Had to walk a mile down the beach to a sand bar. Got out with a sprint paddle. That was OK because the rip was so strong I ended back to my break within 15 minutes. I can see this board will work great in less demanding surf. A lot of natural speed and drive. It’s got way too much float to be my big wave board, same old problem, it gets sucked up the face very quickly on take offs. One thing mentioned quite a bit is getting in earlier but I find that big waves in a fast beach break that pitches only have one takeoff spot regardless of board size, unless it’s a long board that can catch waves before they start breaking. I haven’t noticed much difference between a 5’8" and a 6’10" in terms of lining up this type of wave. I’ve done a 360 in my thinking and I’m now leaning towards something 5’8" - 6’ 20 1/2 wide 2 3/8 thick. My reasoning is I’ll have the width for paddling but not so thick I won’t be able to duckdive. Not a fan of swallowtails due to sharp corners so probably round pin.
one of the best exercises i have found to stay surf ready ,along with swimming or paddling,is to do pop ups.it gets the heart going,keeps the reflexes and muscle memory smooth.I noticed that’s what gets harder as surfers age,and the slower the pop up,the harder to make the drop or catch the wave.
Right now I have two boards and no money. I can’t afford to try boards that don’t work well for me.
Kava,
No problem. I edited my post a bit. Wasn’t comfortable sharing that online.
I have two boards that I ride on a regular basis.
The first is a 7’ 10" keel fin, twinnie version of a Simmons hull. It is 23’’ wide and 3 1/4 thick, shaped by John Mel.
The second is a 10’ 0’’ HP quad long board shaped by Nick Palandrani of Source Surfboards.
I’m 62 years old. FWIW
.Okay then,I’m in the same boat,basically,55,and surf mostly fast powerful reef waves in winter,(north or south pacific)mellower waves in summer,although on a good swell,the summer waves can get fast and powerful also.Here in hawaii,it’s almost always crowded on a good swell,although it’s possible to score an uncrowded session.If I can score an uncrowded session,I usually surf a 7.0 x 20.5x2 3/4 egg single fin, pretty flat rocker,or a 6.2x21x2 1/2 quad fish,or if it’s just a great longboard day,that’s what I’ll use.If it’s crowded,it’s the longboard.A modern longboard works in anything,triple overhead reef,it works.Barrels,it works.Ankle slappers,it works.Noserides,it does. Break in 2,they do too!Wave count,not an issue,actually have to hold back,and share.good surfing to you.
Good thread. I’m reluctant to offer advice about design. But here is a data point for you. I am 58, 170 pounds, swim masters, lift once in a while. I struggled to catch on anything between 6-10 and 7-plus. Very frustrated. Figured it was time for a LB. But, I got some good advice from Mike Daniel and went to a 6-0 post modern fish, quad. Immediately began to catch. Pop and goes like a champ. I picked up a used Griffin 6-2 Modfish. Same story. Going shorter made the difference for me. I sit deeper in the water on the boards, sink more on the wave just before takeoff, and just catch more. I think I can go shorter and am considering a 5-8 bullet just to test the idea.
All the best to you.
Greg,
Interesting comments … at 46, 165 lbs, I was having an OK time on a 6-7 semi-fish & just moved down the scale to a 6-3 Stretch. Sat lower in the water but really like the feel of being “in” the wave (as opposed to “on” the wave) on takeoff & have had a lot more luck catching waves. And of course once up & riding the smaller board is fantastic. On a side note, duck diving is much easier which gives me more confidence to stay in the right place for actually catching waves, as opposed to sitting outside …
The Stretch Rat Skate has more volume than a regular shortboard … not sure I would have such a great time on one of them!
Michael
ok, time to weight in(more truth than fancy in that) i’m 63 been surfing since 63(thats kool) always liked a slightly longer board, so the quiver consists of : 8’3 EPS/epoxy 5 fin bonzer by Brian Wynn, 7’8" Campbell bros also 5 fin also EPS/Epoxy, and a 9’0 single fin performance longboard from Scott Busby down on hatteras–thats a vacuum bagged EPS/epoxy. as you can tell i like hand laid up epoxy boards and custom always wins out! at 220 lbs i need some foam under me and i like the float and strength of epoxy, then there’s the damaged knee from a MERSA infection i got in panama surfing a coral slab…not fun. i think the Wynn is 3 inch too long, but i love the drop in speed and down the line top end of it. since your in the northeast, maybe you should give brian Wynn a call, i took my Campbell bros over to his factory and we stood around it on the lawn and figured out what would be a good extension of it(then i added inches, which was my fault)—great board, it killed it in panama this summer in 8 days of shoulder to 3 feet OH surf. I think you need to talk to a shaper who can take what you like/dislike about your boards and surfing and built the right thing for you…
60 years old, 170 pounds. Started in 1961 on a 9’2" Dave Sweet. Since then, ridden one or more boards by : Weber, G & S, Con, Jacobs, Rick, Soul, Thought, Mike Noble, William Dennis, W.A.V.E., Freeline, Bing, Joey Thomas, Haut, Yater, Vinson, Pearson Arrow, Rick James, Nukumoi and various “backyard” shapers (during the early 70s).
Currently riding 4 Harbours:
•9’ 0" Diamond Tail
•9’ 6" Diamond Tail
•9’ 6" Banana
•9’ 8" Noserider
Use a Total Gym® to stay in shape/increase stamina. Also walk a couple miles every day.
g’day Alain and everybody, I’m only 48 but have been thinking about the comments on wavecatching. Today I went surfing and in the morning session I counted waves for this thread.
My wavecatching technique is divided up into 2 categories.
Jam the tail into the wave and pop forward - I always need paddles after the pop forward.
Paddle Only - I paddle in front of the wave and ramp up to a sprint paddling speed as the wave catches me up.
The Paddle Only method typically takes more energy. When I am getting desperate for a wave the Paddle Only method is the one where I am most likely to misread an insufficiently forming wave and over-optimistically go for it.
this morning in a session lasting 1 and 1/4 hrs I counted 7 Paddle Only takeoffs 2 of which I messed up. First mess-up was going for the wave before it had sufficiently formed and I just caught it and ended up taking off too late to make the wave and another one where I did the opposite and the whitewater pinned me to my board, but I did make the wave after a messy takeoff. The other 5 Paddle Only waves were just fine.
I was enjoying myself and lost count of the Jam the Tail method and how many mistakes I made, but I definately did more Jam the Tail takeoffs.
The reason why I did some Paddle Only takeoffs despite the disadvantages I mentioned of this technique is simply thats the only option that was available to me because paddling into position was required - if I had just sat there and waited for the wave to arrive I would not have been able to catch them eg on one of them I had to paddle into the shoulder, make a turn towards the beach while paddling then takeoff. There is no time to paddle into position then pause to Jam the tail.
For the Paddle Only technique I think volume and length always helps. There was an older guy out today on a quad-funboard doing just fine with the Paddle Only technique. When I am desperate I tell myself to relax which reduces the wishful thinking that causes me to over-optimistically go for a wave which is not going to form sufficiently.
Today is Monday so I had a higher wave count than usual - I’m usually confined to weekends. My board is a 6’ 3" TL2 Bushman - very light and for my small size sits me up to my waist on water - typical chip riders are up to their chest. I think things would have been even easier on my larger Tuflite Flyer 2 which sits me up to my hips in water, but I’ve stopped using that board now coz I want the manouverability. One thing which might be relevant is that it was 3’ well formed point break (about shoulder to head high) so maybe this sort of wave encourages paddle only more than waves that jack out of nowhere?
I do realise you want to duckdive though Alain and on that subject I don’t surf beachbreak much, but last time I did it on my TL2 I felt the more effective duckdiving more than made up for the slower paddling when compared to my larger Flyer in terms of energy expended in a session, although I can duckdive the Flyer ( 6’ 6").
Today was my second time on the Mark Richards 6’4" singlefin. First time was Friday in head & 1/2 storm surf with very strong offshores. Didn’t catch enough waves to get a feel for the board and I was hesitant to make air drops on a board I didn’t know. Seemed too floaty for the conditions. Had it out today for 2 1/2 hours in chilly remnants about 3ft. occasionally bigger with offshores that kept some waves from breaking. I was in a line up with 4 longboarders. I caught as many if not more waves than they did and the board has much more down the line speed than they had. I was able to execute some lay backs without even thinking about doing them, just came naturally on that board. I had longer rides because I was able to get past sections when necessary. I’ve read that a singlefin takes time to get used to but it seemed more natural to me than the trifin. Maybe my years as a windurfer? I’m used to and like engaging the rail as opposed to stomping on the fins and pumping. The board can stall or speed up on a wall just using your weight distribution. I’m totally stoked on the board and it’s performance. It fills out my everyday board needs really well. It may not be the big (head+) board I need but I’ll judge it in shoulder to head high when I have the chance.
sounds great Alain, you just need something foiled out enough for the heavy stuff now. I think what the older guys ride has more to do with how nimble and what they want to do rather than age. 2 of my mates are in their early 50s and have fun guns - a 7’ 6" tri and a quad of similar length respectively. Both very competent but neither effectively duck diving the heavy stuff, but we do have channels here. 2 other mates are about 60 and ride longboards, again very competent and going out in some substantial surf - they never surf beach break. Then there is a mate back in Wales who is 59 and on a 6’ Merrick Flyer - similar build to you and absolutely kills it. At age 59 he is better than I ever have been but he is in the ranks of the Super Talented (former European champion).
g’day Greg, my post on categories of wave catching was a bit long and didn’t quite get to the point. What I was going to say was maybe the reason for those such as yourself who catch more waves on the shorter boards do better coz the short board discourages the Paddle Only technique and encourages the Jam the Tail technique. The Jam the tail technique encourages good wave judgement - we tend to spin our board around at the last moment - it is harder to see what the wave is doing when paddling into position with the wave behind us. Or do you think I am doing a disproportionate amount of Paddle Only wave catching?
whatever, I think what you are doing by going shorter is good coz it challenges the senses. I think it is good to challenge the senses with something new every so often in order to keep us sharp.