I would get a performance LB or a 7-0/7-6 that you
can duck. Current on the outside has not been a problem
for me at PC so it might have been a odd day.
I’ve got 3 Boards for Oregon:
9’4" Stewart Hydro Hull, glassed heavy with a single fin. Obviously this thing
paddles great and catches waves easily. I’ll take it out in solid 6-7ft Surf no problem.
7’4" CI Waterhog. Hands down the best oregon wave board IMHO. Easier on the paddle, enough rocker to handle our not so hollow waves, faaaaassssst enough to make the sections. Love this board!
9’ Greg Mulligan HP Longboard. 2 +1 Glassed in fins, a little more gunny than your usual HP LB and lots of rocker to handle the latest of drops. This is my favorite board of all time, I’ll take it in knee high to overhead surf and feel totally fine on it. Loves hard turns and you can even nose walk it…sometimes. Unfortunately its seen better days so it doesn’t get out much anymore, I’d get another but I can’t find Greg. Anyone know where I can find him? He was in Santa Barbara County when I got this board.
Hope this helps.
I always liked the 8’4’’ that Brian Kang shaped me for the jetty, I still have it and ride it down here when the jetty gets big. It was a combo longboard/gun another good paddler was a 7’2’’ egg.
nate
I forgot to add that you should contact Greg Griffin he has shaped my last 4 boards and they are great, he can make them work for you in Oregon.
nate
If you are in “horrable” shape, you need to stay out of the water till you can deal with it up here unless you want to buy that orange board upthread so the Big Orange Bird can pluck your hard breathing ass from the sea the next time last Sunday happens.
As to your chosen spot, the place has those issue’s with any serious swell, most of Oregon does but more so at PC, the place sucks in quite a few kooks all the way from Ptown after all.
Slight kidding aside…
9’ HP longboards are the way to go.
Thin, hard railed and single finned.
A lot of so-called ‘performance’ longboards are still really wide. It’s like some shapers just slap on some side fins and take out 1/4" of thickness and call it their HP longboard.
For any wave over 3’ I like longboards much narrower - check out the Harbour Habanero as an example of a nice and narrow longboard that surfs more closely to a shortboard feel (well, my shortest thruster is a 7’0" these days…). My Habanero is 9-0 x 15 1/2 x 21 1/2 x 13 3/8 x 2 3/4 and weighs only 14.4 lbs. I weigh only 160 lbs. or so but because the nose is more curved and narrow i can kind of duck dive it, too. Still paddles much easier than my 7’0"or my 7’4" egg. A local shaper should be able to make you something like that for your local conditions.
Hey Rich,
Do you still have your “slimmer Sims / diamond tail” board. I was always curious about that one. Seems like it would have been similar to the Habanaro. Eric
Hey coachnate2,
Can you post a picture of Brian’s board? I’ve lived up here since 88’ and I have still never seen one of his. Thanks. Eric
I will try but I have never realy figured out hot how to post picks. I also have a rotch lost coast egg with some of his famous art work on it I had him paint a surfing pink panther on it.
nate
Quote:
Hey Rich,Do you still have your “slimmer Sims / diamond tail” board. I was always curious about that one. Seems like it would have been similar to the Habanaro. Eric
Unfortunately the “slimmer Simms” has been passed along to someone else. It was certainly nearing the end of its life but it gave me many hundreds of great waves. I loved that thing. The Habanero is similar (same?) rocker and same tail but it’s just pulled in even narrower in the nose. Seems to surf about the same, even lighter swing weight though when you turn it.
Eric sorry to hijack the thread… do you work at st joe’s in Eureka? is kevin Macdonald still working there and did keith curaso (I know I spelled that wrong) finish nursing school? I know that keith had one of brians boards. I remember that greg goldstein also rode a lot of his boards.
nate
Ya, the rockers should have been the same. Thanks Rich.
check for PM
This SoCal shape paddles fine in Oregon…
But really, the best solution is just stay out there and paddle…
It’s the only thing that’ll make it easier…long or short…
Skip told me that he never duck dives…
He just paddles really fast!
Troy
I think the distintion needs to be made between paddling to “get out” - the “duck dive” factor - and the reality of the “out side” rips/currents… The smaller “duck divable” board isn’t going to help much in maintaining position.
I think my new turtle belly is a good thing for me - but to each his own…
Personally, I enjoy seeing those who choose to ride shorter boards, on bigger days, with more water moving - and, pehaps not paying enough attention - drifting way off the peak.
Taylor
I’d agree with all that…
Today was shifty peaks all over…that you could pretty much dodge by being quick and picking the right angle…some days (& some river mouths) require pretty much constant paddling…I can duckdive my 8’2" thruster pin (helps being over 200#) but can’t paddle it fast enough to avoid pummeling like I can the 10’6"…then again, on big days, when it’s all sets and no lulls all that board is a problem…likewise, if the lineup is 25 yards from shore then timing and speed count… if it’s 250 yards from shore then stamina and patience pays off.
The only real solution to the original posters complaint (if I recall it correctly) is to paddle until they are stronger and in better condition.
Troy
I hear ya Troy - By the way, the offer still stands, to your “friend from the osp - Doc,” to stop by if he ever makes it down as far as Newport. -
I think the guy was asking about the current type of paddling - to be sure being in shape is the best thing - and to a certain degree, even with a smaller/duck divable board - once you get to a cerain size, you gotta have the power to get though whether is duck and charge, or speed and bail…
Who knows… by now he’s probably over reading about all the stuff he “should” do… Ha!
Taylor
Oh contraire my friend. I have a 7’2" that I can probably duck.Now I need a bomber for those days I just want to dodge. And the guy who “jokingly” said stay out of the water until I’m in shape at PC. Yeh right.Even out of shape I can still hang with the big boys at bigger spots thn PC. …1/2 joking!!!