Are Surfboards getting too short?

General Discussion
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I have seen some people surfing some very short equipment round here recently with varying results. Generally good surfers are surfing well on the shorter boards, but I get the feeling that some surfers with less ability might want to think about riding something a bit longer. By a bit longer I’m talking about riding a 6’2 rather than a 5’9 in overhead surf. It reminds me of the “banana board” fad in the early 90’s. The pros made them look good but pretty much everyone else was left floundering. 

Short boards are great since they make it easer to turn. Lose a bit of rocker, increase the width a bit and they’re easy to paddle into waves as well. What they have trouble with (from my experience as an average ability surfer) is getting into bigger waves early behind the peak then knifing an angled take-off, bottom turning and beating a fast section. In waves head height and under, particularly if they’re a bit fat, shorter boards seem to do the job.

The other problem with very short surfboards is controlling them. Once again good surfers have no problem with this. A lot of average surfers can end up looking a bit out of control. With a longer board you’re forced to draw longer lines and generally surf in a more restrained manner. This is in my opinion a good thing if you’re lacking in ability.

I’m interested to know what others think about this issue. Is it even an issue at all? Am I just another older surfer who’s a bit out of touch?

(Just for the record I have a 5’6" and a 5’10" in my quiver.)

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They are for me.  But I just sent four to the glasser.  5’5 , 5’7, 5’9 & 6’2.  I could make four or five shortboards out of the 9’0 I ride.  Lowel

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Yes , No Maybe.  The masses will always follow the trend. I recall some saying that wide boards just don’t turn you can 't get snap out of a board more the 18.5 wide. Then you need all that rocker to turn vertical.  Fins too many? one fin too few?                                           Whats a poor surfer to do? buy a quiver of 20 Boards in a variety of shapes sizes and pray you are not caught on the wrong board on the right day. Haven help the poor lost soul with the wrong board. " Is that a 6’1" fart Blaster? My God Man you need 5’7" Blue Bunny burner 6 fin on a day like this. In The mean time some old bald guy on a 9’0" foot board slides into a nice 4 foot wave trims and sets an edge and glides down the Point. Muscle memory kicks in and the brain turns off. It’s a good day. Could be my last day. Better make the best of it.  

 

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The whole naming of boards issue is something else that I reckon is getting a bit silly. 

 

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1st artz,

Read you,  us older dudes will slide on our rides.

puddups,

would not chime in except…

IMHO there seems to be a change in the wind.

As I notice a surplus of 5-8 -6-0 “pointy nosed” stuff.

 

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I’m short, so, no. A 5’5" is my height. I’m comfortable on my 5’5"x19" in overhead surf. For me bigger boards feel more out of control once I get up and going. I ride my 5’4"x20.5 most of the time anyway. It could lose another inch or two, but, I don’t think that’ll benefit me much. It’ll just make getting the rocker right more difficult since there’s not really many tiny blank options. 

Maybe for others who are older/taller. 

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I think the trend is reversing, and boards with a little more rail are coming back. Carving a turn rather than pivoting a turn. 

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Too short?  No.  In fact, they aren’t short enough.  

It’s high-time that the big-name board makers allowed the masses to explore the hidden performance aspects of the sub 5-foot range.

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What’s weird to me is that after all the lessons people think they learn from the last trend, they repeat themselves over and over.

A lot of guys are terrible on overly short boards, but if they’re digging it I think it’s fine. Better than fine! Explore away and enjoy. But to get so convinced that this is “the” thing? Even when you’re blowing sections, getting few waves, and disgruntled? Going from a 5’6 to a 5’4 ain’t gonna change a thing. Funny and sad. Think you’re ripping? Placebo effect? Stoked for you.

As a college job twenty years ago I worked at a Banana Republic. Always cracked me up that some of the girls on staff actually believed the catalogue snippets. “Now this season’s pants are the greatest ever, I can’t belive that we really liked our leg openings 1.5cm wider last season, can you? That slimming effect changes everything. And the colors! Midnight blue versus Dusky Dark blue, now this sweater in Midnight I’m sure will be timeless while the Dusky, gads… what a horror show that was. How could we have been so blind?” And then the next catalogue comes out…

As a disclaimer - working there had two great benefits: very cheap clothes and a very high female to male ratio.

Anyway, to stop my rambling. Brands, including surfboard brands, will do what they can to capitalize on the market on any given day. Most folk are sheep just begging to be led. Some designers and some surfers are really exploring what can be done on shorter equipment, and some do it well. Most suck. Just like some guys can ride a 7’6" single beautifully and some struggle. Just ride whatever makes you happy.

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The best reason to stay fit as you age is to have choices. Current rotation is 5’3" 24l, 6’10" 39l, and 10’ 130l SUP. All overlap, but keep it interesting, and keeps you learning about design, your ability and staying stoked.

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Aloha Jeffrey,  

IMO, your observations/comments, are spot on.      

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When was it that surfboard

as a term was enough…?

1961,for me.

when a kid showed up at the queens surf

rental with a nappy napoleon

hyper thin balsa ‘malibu’ reshape

like the one in O.B. patterson’s book

being paddled by the chick

in the 1950’s one piece…

wow that was away diff erent

than the bohemian surf properties’

"Velzy’s ‘’  on the rental stand

thet were all velzy green.

split hairs about dimensions are quite a fixation.

the subculture of surfboard dimension should not deny

that there are culture pockets of ethafoam affectionados

that know no better and are yet to even percieve there is something different.

Attaining self esteem and ''I KNOW “” status self esteem comes before

‘‘I still have a lot to learn’’ awareness so Is it time to focus on a specialized

board and wave determination aka-- make a board for a specific spot and size of wave–

or just scatter gun shot rude wrong board s

in good wrong surf to learn what a 4-10’’

high lift garbage can lid.toilet seat is for.

 Maybe a satelite probe rentry vehicle can do

it better.

Alas , yes perfecting a gliding walk

,on a 9’ board,

from tail to nose

and back -appropritely timed-

as demonstrated by

invisible to the untrained eye

masters of technique.

Neophytes  beware

 chinese manufactured surf trend product

worlds beyond comprehnsion and control

do exist in and aong us,

bless their hearts, this is the real future

have mercy on us all.

let aloha reign and

let us long for sense and

and order to things familiar.

avert your gaze when paddling out lest you imprint poorly 

your impressionable mind and start surfing like the guy

on the ethafoam

plug with the

wide stance

seagull arm wave 

craw fish butt dip

dragarm

kooly i age.

or maybe jj moon

mungo jerry, or dora jerky

or straightoff adolf

or henry ford

or chuck linnen or mike haley

or elvis constantiople or bob purveyor.

 

old guys  at some point

give up and just go straight off

body surfing where kuks dont go to learn

to 

not run each other over and tangle leashes.

…ambrose…

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…when you stand up on big boards or too big boards for the conditions (surf and bio type) you have two scenarios: glide only; ride with the wave or have enough strength to carve such a long bulky rail/outline. This is evident to the eye with the women that surf; too big boards used and not enough power.
-when you stand up on short boards you should be a “lively” surfer if not it will be drag all over (regarding a HPSB)
If you are big (seems that now most are big even kids are bigger than previous) you should be an athletic person. Why all these hassles?
Because the ride IS better than with longer boards, no doubt. Always is better to carve and go directly to the pocket and turns on a dime than glide and just that; more in normal beach breaks around the world where the waves are short. Is make the most with what you have. Is modern surfing.
For the recreational surfer, the shaper needs to adjust the volume and length to enhance more the prone position part of the given design.
Old school, and modern Surfing; two different concepts.

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Now a days, good guys need…

A (balanced) quiver.

BTW, I was a “run what ya brung” guy, until

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After riding a 10’ board for a while, my 7’7" mini-longboard feels like a Ferrari.  Then after surfing my 5’9" bar of soap, jumping on my 7’7" feels like an ocean tanker.  YMMV.

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“Old school, and modern Surfing; two different concepts.”

Reverb, there are a thousand shades of grey between those extremes. And a bunch of them are fun. Just as the status quo definition of “modern surfing” usually refers to one tiny branch of what I consider to be modern, or surfing.

Enjoy.

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What comes around, goes around, or something like that.  When I started surfing in 1966 boards were 9’-6" then the short board revolution.  Boards went to 8’-6" then dropped to 7’-6". A few years later boards were in the 5’-6’ range. I even had a sub 5’ board in 1971.  Size varies according to trends.  

Now, some 50 years later, I ride 8’ to 9’ boards since the pop up is getting a bit harder.  The next board I build will be a wide and thick in the 7’-0 to 7’-2" range.  I’m hoping it will work out.

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…trim only is old school and a very old one; the shortboard revolution, the change from big planks to Balsa wood then foam; all modern school trying to make the best with what you have…

Going big is not the way except if you are a big MF and without training.; but that way you lose a lot in performance.

If you are an small MF you have big trouble with big boards in normal surf if you do not have the right technique; even with technique the performance is not as good as with smaller right equipment.
But may be you have one of these retro boards that are everywhere right now…

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I don’t mean to be pedantic, but again, between trim only and only “HP” there are many, many variations. And I’m perfectly stoked to see people ride whatever they want.

However, terms like “best” and even “performance” are very relative. A boad that turns great but bogs in the flats and can’t connect sections doesn’t sound fun to me. Or a board that has a hard time getting into soft beachbreak… is just as silly to me as trying to ride a one-trick-pony noserider when its bowling. Can it be done? Sure. Can someone enjoy it? Sure. Is either scenario the “only way” or the “best way”? I don’t think so. Is it better that someone surfs “modern” and gets a great little hit from time to time but can’t make through to the reform or connect sections? If it makes them happy, I don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t, then there is room for other options.

The guys (sorry, where I surf in winter its pretty much all male) that I see surfing the tiny boards well could also surf a 6’4" single well, or pretty much whatever else they wanted to surf for that matter. If they get more stoke off a very short board, more power to them.

HOWEVER, those who surf the tiny boards poorly which appear to be a majority, and who I see cursing out of frustration for missed waves or blown waves…who leave the water more annoyed and annoying than when they got in, well, they might be better of on something else.

By the way, my quiver is pretty varied, from handplanes to a paipo to a 6’2" three-fin, 7’2" single, 7’5" chambered balsa egg 2+1, a bunch of longboards in various declinations which are slightly off topic… Sometimes I’ll build something else… a fish, a weird little compact whatever. In compsand, in EPS/Epoxy, in balsa (sorry for the repetition), in PU/Poly… That happens less and less as I get older, I’ll have to admit.  I’m 6’4" and 195 lbs. and don’t have any trouble getting a 7’5" to come around, so the little ones are just playing with water for me.

Sorry if it offends, but the hyperbole of “this is modern”  or “this is what surfing is” or worse, “this is what surfing should be” just doesn’t cut it.

 

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…“Jefrey with one f Jeffery…” (Pixies); sorry from day one your name reminds me that song. Seems that you are missing my point. In the design always the foucs is in performance; those of you that use other materials etc talk about flex; controlled flex et al; is all to try to perform better. If a good surfer use a too big board (for him) to surf normal conditions and he s trying to perform like most: try-seeking for the pocket; turns; slashbacks, cutbacks if you need em; bottom turn to top turn or snapback, etc he needs to put more force to perform that. This is basic. Of course he can ride whatever, and that s good too (all the greys that you mention) but the design performance facts are others. Yes, a rookie can drop a wave and just that is too cool for him; I see that the same way as you but I am referring to is it useless performance wise to use not the right equipment; remember for what a quiver is?

Also, the reality is that not so good surfers or rookie ones no matter on what equipment they have, the ride would not be so fluid.

-check what Gunkie and Surfifty say.