I usually ride my 9’6 single fin log on anything from 1’ to well overhead… im debating grabing a 7’6 single fin i think it’s around 22 wide and about 2 5/8 or 2 7/8 thick. i see they are very popular, are these still good in small san diego waves?? anyone’s opinions would be great. thanks.
7'4" by 21" by 2 5/8" single fin. I like it in small surf.
Kind of hard to answer...so many variables. Are you talking small Tourmaline or small Blacks? I have a 7'6" single fin and I wouldn't (couldn't!) ride it on 1' waves. Be prepared to catch fewer waves. Noseriding is out unless you're a talent freak. A width of 22" sounds like an egg template, so could be fun in smaller surf. You're just going to have to try it yourself.
I used to ride a 7-6 single fin in SD and surfed it in everything from 1 foot to well overhead. But, that was over 30 years ago and I had one board to ride in whatever I surfed in and it had to last a few years. And it did last. My point is it may not be the best board for all conditions, but a lot of your success is simply adjusting to the board and learning how to make it work for you in different conditions. I think the most important thing is your board captures your imagination and lets you surf the way you enjoy surfing and it should bring you joy to ride. Mike
Sir- I started on a 7’6" rounded pin? I managed to almost get up and speared myself in the temple @ age 14! This was kid bros board I asked if I could try. Glad I didn’t get impaled! Lol. Just had a baby nick above my eye…
This whole exp made me race to surf shop to pick my own out-along with good old dad! I settled on a 7’4" winged swallow single fin! Gunnish nose, middle 19-ish to 19 and a quarter wide, very funcional and fun as all hell to ride!
Fyi-It was my first board I ever rode a wave on! I kinda started on white water and to my surprise it regrouped into a nice 1 foor barrel! It must have looked hilarious! A 14 year old teen on this big board trying to do s turns-yet I was! I was trying to pump it as I rode it all the way to the sand almost! I could not recommend a better board- grab one to your liking!
Oops
Suggestion: take your time looking for ur board. You want a board you can surf any day of week ok?
More… I believe I rode about 20 waves that day! All 1-2 foot little barrels… All I could do was ride in a straigt line, and gyrate/pump it… But back then-that was the best I could do. but as ya know, its so new and fun-you can’t get enough! I recall surfing prob every day for prob yrs…go grab one and don’t look back!
I’ve kept at least one midlength singlefin on hand for the last 10 years and I like them - under certain conditions. My latest is a 7’0" x 22" x 2.75" with an Aussie Transition era style template. It’s piggy with the wide point about 5" behind center and a 17.5" tail. Flatter rocker (3.25", 1.5") and a lot less vee than the originals so it’s not as loose, but it’s very smooth. Hands down, this shape fits my style better than any midlength I’ve ever surfed before. I surfed it at Cardiff yesterday and had a blast; surfed it at Church last week with the same results, so that gives you an idea of the conditions where a board like this excels. Swamis, Grandview, Tamarack, Oceanside Harbor at high tide, places like that. Slower waves where you don’t really want to get too far out in front, but fast enough for some turns. Obviously I wouldn’t favor a board like this for fast conditions, though.
I’m real comfortable on this length because It’s reasonably easy to duckdive and it’s short enough to come around on a dime; well, on a quarter, anyway. It’s no longboard but it still still paddles pretty well. My advice to you is to not go any longer than you can duckdive with, otherwise you’ll be the last paddler to make it to the outside 100% of the time.
Just made a 7’2x21.5x3 3inchs of nose rocker 1.75 of tail. Got a 10 sec nose ride on it. LOve the board did a spiral vee bottom. I can crack it off the lip but if its too steep its tricky coming down. I think it need a flexy fin.
Everyone needs an egg. San Diego is eggtacular and you have a ton of choices round here. One of mine is for sale, Christenson C-bucket, 7' 10" single w/spiral vee. pm me if you like.
7.0 from the side
7’6 single sounds great. When I’m not on a longboard that’s about all I ride (okay, mine current board is a 7’5, but…)
I tend to go with “retroish” shapes. Full outlines (22" widths, 2 3/4 - 2 7/8 thickness) in either stinger or round-pin configurations. Lowish rocker. Flat to vee. But, with slightly updated rocker and rail styles. Those that I’ve built in EPS/Epoxy go great when it’s small because with the low weight you can put it where-ever you want to on a wave.
When it’s bigger, I like a PU shape better, but that’s just personal preference. For me they have a bit more drive and carry-through.
I’m actually building a 7’5 balsa round pin right now as a mid-sized, shoulder to a few feet overhead, board.
Enjoy!
***edit***first pics up here, and don't kno how to make them big. any help would be appreciated, thanks
7'6 single fin gun I made last october. I forgot to take pics when it was new and pretty cause I wanted to surf it so bad, so please excuse the sand and wax :)
Good hold in big stuff and super fast. I find it to work really well in big surf, and very hollow surf. In the mushy stuff, it doesn't work as well unless it's really big cause of the narrow width.
[img_assist|nid=1056724|title=single gun|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0][img_assist|nid=1056722|title=single fin gun|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0][img_assist|nid=1056723|title=sf gun|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0]
[quote="$1"] first pics up here, and don't kno how to make them big. any help would be appreciated, thanks [/quote]
I can enlarge your pics, but they become distorted. Do you have a url for them? (i.e. the web address on picasa, flickr, photobucket, etc.)
My first board was a 7-6 Surfboards Hawaii semi-gun. My most fun board was my 7-6 Morey-Doyle. The first board I made was a 7-6. All single fins.
I rode a 5-6 Hansen Stratoglass twin fin for a while, too hoppy like a skateboard for my taste. I rode a 9-8 David Nuuhiwa Noserider also, fun to ride but not responsive enough. 7-6 boards were best for me. I still like single fins also. I was 5-10 and 175 to 180 lb (muscle, not fat) at that time.