The magic numbers are three and twenty three. I don't understand why but you will see those numbers over and over. Everything from a Mini Simmons to an 8' egg to a long board. Stay close to those numbers.....Get back on a long board....get back to surfing 3+ times a week. Surfing is the only thing that will improve your surfing.
I am not a fitness junkey. My wife has health issues. The best exercise for my wife is walking. It's good for me too. We walk 30-40 min, 3-4 times a week...easy...good for the heart...good for the soul. Keep moving....
am I happy with my surfing???....ha ha ....I'm happy to be able to surf......
I’m gonna look into finding something longer used because I don’t have the funds for a new board and who does really? And yes I’m still in that learning stage but I felt I was doing good on the other board. I had a 10’ board and that thing was a tough one to handle and I feel that for someone who can’t handle a board that size they shouldn’t be in the water. I defiently got ahead of myself and maybe it’s time to go back to square one.
I’m 56 and I guess I’d have to say I could be happier where my surfing is, but am still glad I can participate in it. I recently started to have issues concerning my abilities that previously were second nature to me. In the last year or so, stiffness and pain with my lower back have made popping up to my feet properly quite difficult. I’ve ended up having very awkward take offs, missing waves and difficulty crouching. I started to do stretches and took a yoga class to help loosen up and strengthen my core and back. So far it’s been a slow progression toward getting back to feeling a 100%, but I’ll keep trying to get back there.
One bright spot in all the recent darkness was riding a longboard I made some 12 yrs. ago that I had relegated to my mothball fleet. At one point in time it was my main ride, but was set aside as I made other boards. Anyway I pulled it off the rack, dusted it off and for some reason that I still can’t explain, slapped on one of Cheyne Horan’s Star fins that I had laying around for years and still had’nt tried. Up until I caught the first wave using that fin, I was doubting its merits. The first wave nullified any of my doubts as the board turned just as good, as with any other fin I have used on it. That was 4 or 5 sessions ago and I have yet to take it off. I really can’t say its light years better or worse than any other fin I’ve used on that board, but my keeping it on is a statement in itself. It does make the board feel like it noserides better though, in the sense that the board does’nt feel like it’s gonna pearl as much when the wave starts to flatten out.
My advice for you Paul, would be for you to look back at all the boards that have been fun for you and take it from there. Try not to get caught up in what other people are riding. You probably know what works for you more than anybody. Stay stoked!
Put attention to your weight and the average wave size at the most convenient break then begin your quest suitably equipped. Throw everything else to the side, out the window, on the back burner, whatever.
pre conceived images and ideals have a way of becoming un-necessary hurdles and crutches. If you magically drop a ton of weight, just get a new board. Simple really. Small feet? Short arms? 7’4 to 8’4, 3.75 at 22 inches wide. Super pinched and domed = a suggestion, for serious fun. Just don’t go too long or too wide because you may miss the best part of the fun factor.
Why not break the 4" stigma? 7’8, @ 4" pinch n dome, sounds like what you really need to me. I’ll make it for ya, go out there and rip bruddah.
… I had a good session today
your getting the mckee quad placement unless you have a better idea, you can put extra boxes on the rail next year.
Can only speak for myself, but I’ve found that here in my sixth decade on the planet (fifth in the water), I need to cross-train religiously and eat right in order to stay fit and toned enough to surf at what I consider to be a “satisfactory” level. Regular bicycling, work-outs on my Total Gym® plus going easy on sweets, alcohol and fatty foods and getting enough sleep makes a world of difference. Old bodies aren’t as forgiving of abuse and neglect as young ones so maintenance and up-keep become a more mandatory chore. The pay-off can be more energy and less pain per session.
If you have serious medical issues that interfere with your surfing, try to get them addressed with chiropracty, PT or surgery. I have orthotic lifts in my shoes and have had bones spurs ground out of one shoulder and an unguinal hernia repaired. A partially prolapsed L-5 has me looking for mechanical assistance (dolly, come-along, jack, ramps, hoist, etc.) any time something heavy needs lifting or moving. Maintaining good muscle tone and reasonable body weight also helps take the strain off a sketchy lower back.
Partly depends on how bad you want to keep surfing and whether you’re willing to give up other things and put in extra work to make it happen. It’s all about priorities.
The day will come when for each of us when we’re simply be too old and broke down to paddle out anymore. Til then, just do all you can to push that day off into the future.
Paul - one thing to think about, who shaped the board you liked, and who shaped the subsequent boards you don’t like as much…fins placement, rocker, rails, foil, etc are as/more important then just length/width/thickness. Still have the board you liked? If so, get back on it. If now gone, sit down with the shaper of that board, go over what you liked about it, and what you’re hoping to have in the next one. Sell all your other boards if you have to pay for a new one that will work.
About dimensions, however, 23" can be a bit wide for smaller feet, which lose the ‘leverage’ battle on turns. Generous V underfoot will help put the leverage back in your favor. Personally love single to doubles with V in the back third.
I’ll be 62 soon, 6’3 x 185, keep myself lean (eat simply and spin/swim laps) to reduce the pressure load on two bad hips (cartilage pau, replacements in the near future), two knee repairs, and a shoulder repair, all thanks to decades of surfing and snowboarding . So fairly beat to hell, but staying light and in shape let’s me still chase down the deep ones well enough to smile while thinking about them later…
I am fortunate enough to have built my life around surfing. Self employed and living at the beach.
I'll be 54 next month and have been surfing since I was 7. I rode all the surf toys (except kites and hydrofoils) at one time or another.
Service related neck problems forced me to give up overarm paddling about 10 years ago and I've been strictly Kipapa (prone) ever since. This has not diminished my stoke at all. I surf as often as the conditions and my wracked up ol' body will allow. Typically 4 days out of 7. I'd like to have my 17 year old body back but that ain't gonna happen so I stretch every day, surf as often as I can, walk and bike a lot and swim when the surf is way down..
I’m creeping up on 62, and started when I was 13. I still ride boards from 6’3 on up. My weight has been pretty constant since high school. I am 5’10 and weigh 145-150. Just this Winter I began to experience stiffness in my left shoulder. First and only ailment that might be age related.
Still, I know I don’t surf anything like I did when I was younger. I think my ability peaked in my mid 30s.
Besides all that, I catch more waves than damn near anyone I share a lineup with. I take off later and deeper, too. It’s just the way I’ve always done it.
Im pretty happy with where its at. Im no ripper, but i am happy enough to be able to surf a few times a week ( though not lately!! ). I could improve for sure, and i like trying to improve the basic turns in my trick bag, but im usually having too much fun to consciously think about if im surfing good or not.
Sometimes. At my age it’s a game of not trying to lose much. Keeping fit and keeping the excess weight off is the key. Where I would like to improve is in the area of big wave riding. That would require I grow a much larger pair of nads. Last time I looked they were the same size as always. Bummer. Still a small wave guy. Mike
lcc I don’t have that other board and it was the one I had the longest. But I think this idea of going back to that board was on my mind for awhile, because I went to the shop that I got it from a couple weeks ago and they had all the dimensions of my last board in the computer which I thought was great. The board I did see in there that I liked was a single fin with a bit of a blunt nose and it was by a different shaper. We even talked about what I wanted next in a board. I gonna head to HB tomorrow and trade in one of my boards and get the ball rolling on something but I may check some used racks on the way. Shoe sizes is 10.5 and I have short arms. As far as the 23 and 3 thing I have heard that before most likely on here maybe we all can be enlighted by one of the gurus or garage guys that are in the know.
Proneman I have seen some of that footage before because I was looking into getting a kneeboard/bellyboard for big days(hoping to maybe get barrelled). It’s amazing how those look like snowboards. It just shows you how all these board sports are related.
Another question would a flat deck have more volume or a domed deck?
Ilovesabrina I have thought of a longer simmons board and the tread about those has me thinking of one someday. The one’s that spence makes are pretty nice. I think I need to focus on mastering one board though. And post up when your done with yours always liked what you do. Just read the simmons article on here which reminded me of your post.
