Hello people, I have come here for your all-knowing advice on here (:
I am going to shape a performance thruster for a kid who’s 15-years-old, 5’10", and about 130 lbs. I have shaped 4 boards, so I have basic experience in shaping.
Now, I normally surf the more retro boards (a couple longboards, 7’2" semi gun, 5’10" retro fish, etc.), but I decided I would try out a couple thrusters. The only thing is, I have a back problem. If I strain my back too much, it bothers me. I tried my friend’s 5’11" x 18 3/4"x 2 1/4 thruster and it sort of hurt my back after surfing it for 3 hours.
Do you think I could go a little bit bigger while still maintaining the positive points of a thruster?
I need a board that can paddle nearly as well as a 5’10 x 21" x 3" thick fish. I would like to float up to my belly button when sitting in the water.
I was thinking something along the lines of 6’3" x 19" x 2 1/2
Do you think I’m wasting my time with that? Will a board with that much volume still surf similar to my friend’s 5’11" that I tried?
The most important question is, would a board of those dimensions paddle almost as well as my 5’10" fish (dimensions above). I know that it’s hard to beat the paddling speed of a fish, but as long as it’s close, that’s all that matters.
I intend to use this board for waist-shoulder high mushy surf.