Hey there, I’m 5’11, 150lbs. I’ve been surfing for a very minor 6 months now, daily. Currently riding a beat, hand me down Santa Cruz Barney 6’1x21.25x2.31, I’m concerned that riding this board is going to give me a stinkbug style. I live and surf in Santa Cruz.
I’m looking for a board to help me draw out my lines and turns, something that will hold up to overhead surf. I’m open to anything, but I’d like to stay on a shortboard.
go fishin’
Suggestions as to what dimensions and fin setup would be ideal?
single fin '70’s style board.
it seems to me that single fin boards from this era are inherently anti-stinkbug.
they react really well to strong clean lines and turns. plus, one should go really
well in overhead surf.
i don’t know off hand who could make you one similar in S.C.
I’m completely down to pick a single fin up off the rack.
What dimensions/tail would work well for this type of board?
Thank you for the help, I appreciate it.
Michel Junod is making super nice 70’s style single fin right now, I was at the factory (westside sc) the other day and he had bunches ready to go. Check him out. Mollusk in San Francisco has a nice selection. Really, many shapers in SC can help you out. John Mel, Bob Pearson, Ward Coffey (Ward makes modern single fin shortys that are popular), Doug Haut, Carl Olsen, Johnny Rice, Nick Palandrini, Bob Miller, Stretch, Joey Thomas, Steve Coletta - any of them can make you a winner. Good luck!
I would go with 6’2x20x2 3/8-2 1/2. I have riden a board that size in overhead surf and went great.
I was originally going to order a thruster from Source, I believe they would be less pricey (correct me if I’m wrong).
Would they be a good choice for this type of board?
Man you're a little guy. ;) So you can go a little shorter. I second the motion of a 70's single, they're all about the flow. Think the mini-gun in the mid six foot range ~19.5 at the fat point, and narrow in the tail ~10.5in (at the mid point of the fin box.) You could get away with 2.5in thick but traditionally these boards are thicker with domed decks. If it's not thread jacking I'll post a pic of my vintage 70's single? I'm new here so I don't want to step on toes ;) These boards put the meat right under your chest so they paddle like crazy, and the narrow tail will keep them stable when it gets good. You'll learn what loose is, earn a whole new appreciation for what the 70's style icons were doing, and you'll become one with the flow. :)
Peas;
Mers
Nick Palandrini, who shapes the Source boards is a great guy and the folks who ride his boards seem very happy. I have only riden his longboards (GP Surfboards) and they were great. Tell him I say “Hi”.
Hey there, I'm 5'11, 150lbs. I've been surfing for a very minor 6 months now, daily. Currently riding a beat, hand me down Santa Cruz Barney 6'1x21.25x2.31, I'm concerned that riding this board is going to give me a stinkbug style. I live and surf in Santa Cruz.I’m looking for a board to help me draw out my lines and turns, something that will hold up to overhead surf. I’m open to anything, but I’d like to stay on a shortboard.
12’ Roxy-printed soft-top w/handles and matching bikini.
Do yourself a favor and get a 9’
Once you can handle that get a 7’6
Once you can handle that get a 6’8
Once you can handle that get a 6’3
I promise you won’t have stink bug style.
i respectfully disagree with Fostachild.
in my opinion:
if you want to surf a shortboard, surf a shortboard.
if you want to surf a longboard, surf a longboard.
it kinda bothers me when i talk to people and they
tell me “yah, i learned on a 10’ but i’m now on a 7’6” "
or whatever. craigslist is FULL of boards for sale because
the seller is now “transitioning” to a shorter board.
you can learn to surf on a SB. and i bet your reaction
and reflex time will show it. i don’t know who came up with
this transitioning to smaller boards thing and taught it
to everybody at Lindamar (think Malilbu party waves except it’s beach-long, knee high, sloppy closeouts) but somehow
it’s been taken to mean that a 7’6" semi-gun is the logical step between a 10’ tanker and a 6’3" potatoe chip. unless
there is something physically debilitating (sp?) you, get
out there and take your lumps and do it.
and as long as i’m on a soapbox, it boggles my mind when people who have been surfing a few years say “i learned…”. are you not still learning? or do you have pretty much everything mastered? i hope to never stop learning.
if you want to learn to ride a shortboard properly, in my
opinion, there’s nothing to it but to do it.
rememer, it’s surfing. in essence, there are no rules.
Let me clear this up, I can pop up to my feet on my 6’1, make the drop, drive through my bottom turn, top turn and trim/pump in head high+, the basics.
I’m looking for a board to help/force me attain a decent style.
I’m now leaning towards picking up a used singlefin fish (2+1 possibly). Dim suggestions if possible.
Thanks again swaylockers.
i’d like to suggest an andreini vaquero(mollusk has some) around 7’4" …
O.K. let’s look at the facts so far:
Your thin and somewhat lightweight but not short. You have enough experience to be able to surf a 6’1" at least up to head high. Looking for a new board that can handle your size measurements and overhead surf. Want to be able to draw out clean lines. You haven’t mentioned any interest in longboards so that’s probably out.
Well, you have a lot of learning ahead of you so picking up some high perf potato chip is not gonna be your best bet. Fish are usually better suited for experienced surfers as are hulls. Funshapes would be totally unnecessary since you already have the basics down.
Why not go with a 6’4" rounded pin tri-fin? That length will handle most anything you can paddle into at this point and not feel so squirly that you have to stink-bug to try to control it. Stop by your favorite local shops and peruse the racks for boards in this range then ask to speak to the shaper and tell him everything you’ve told us, then see what he recommends. Board shapes are very personal for most people, that is why you have so many different recommendations on Sways. Most everyone here has years of experience surfing and has found what works best for them. However, what works best for me is not necessarily the same for Steiny, Janklow or you. And for god sakes don’t get hen pecked into buying some wafer thin pro model from anybody. You’ll only get frustrated as hell.
Good luck.
SrPato, that’s the kind of advice I was looking for, thanks dude.
Swaylocks makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
my first board was my brothers single fin hot buttered/terry fitzgerald, this was very late 70s to early 80s - and you are forced to do a proper bottom turn, cut back, etc on these shortboard single fins… just very hard to “cheat” on these boards; not unlike how you are forced to do the same on a 9+ log, just different though
you want good style, flowing arcs, deep bottom turns, I say the single fin shorty is the way to go if you’re already fairly comfortable with the 6’1, maybe with a round pin tail about 6’4 w wide point forward so you have extra foam under your chest and boxy rails; but this never ends, you must force yourself to learn how to surf many boards well in order to know how each shape helps your surfing; I went from single shortys, to tri-fins, even had a T&C quad square tail in the mid 80s, then wanted to learn how to surf a log so I did that, then moved on to the keel fish and currently have found that for surf around here a quad fish is my personal favorite until the waves get about a foot or two overhead, which is rare unfortunately
some of my best sessions were on a garage shaped 6’2 round pin tri-fin with glass ons… it wasn’t even symmetrical in the tail, but it would handle whatever you could throw at it… 80s style fat rails
that Fineline posted would teach you a thing or two… whatever you do I suggest you go used and not new and they do not have to be in pristine condition, this way you can spend less, experiment more and when you find a shape that you really love then maybe go new or custom but spend time looking and riding before going new/custom
I do not have the answer and i am still enjoying experimenting myself with 25+ yrs in water time… just like what was said by the other poster, learning never stops in this, even the best of the best are still learning… the pursuit and lessons learned along the way is what matters
Lankamese, reading that some of your best sessions were on a garage shaped board definitely makes me consider spending my money on a blank and tools, rather than a new to me board.
I’m going to shop around town today and if I don’t find anything that catches my eye, I believe I’m going to take the dive and give shaping a shot.