I have a small collection of boards and need to clean house and get something new. I’m 40 175 LBS. 6’ 0" and find myself paddling more than surfing these days.My old shortboard is the standaed 6’6" x 19 x 2 1/2. Instead of going the longboard route I was thinking of expanding the dimentions to 6’8 x 12 x 20 1/4 x 14. So I’m adding an inch to the nose and center. I was also considering pushing the center point up 1-2" from center for ease of paddling and to help the board track a bit better.
What do you weigh, what is your foot size, how do you surf, what waves etcetera?
OTHER THAN THAT, ID USE EVEN A LITTLE MORE VOLUME, always.
ADD MORE TAIL WIDTH, UNLESS THE WAVES ARE REAL POWERFUL. 14 IS NOT MUCH. more width, more drive, this coupled with straighter outline will speed you up.
BIGger board means heavier board [more glassing] so more volume is needed to keep the same weight to volume ratio. That would give you the same feeling surfing the new board.
Who is going to shape the board anyways?
sorry for the caps lock, cant be bothered to change it.
from dave ferals site:
WHAT IS THE
BEST VOLUME FOR ME?
Ahh, How long is that mythical piece of string? Ok i will
tell you what i have discovered over the last few years.
i took the time to find out the weights of my pro riders
& advanced surfers that i make boards for, then went
thru all the boards they were having the most success
with & collected the volume data... i came up with a
calculation of .35 litres volume per kilo of body weight.
Eg: 100kg = 35litres. So grab your bathroom scales type
in your weight on the calculator on the right hand side
and times it by .35 = your answer! now you can test
yourself and see what is the ideal volume for a PRO
SURFER riding a high performance shortboard in everyday
to good conditons is. Now is the time to start thinking
of what your skill level is... Unless your at the peak of
surfing, just maybe you will need a little more volume
than that answer you just calculated!
I like wouter’s formula to get a comparitave volume.
That being said, length gives you some increase in volume, but incraseing thickness gives you more, and still lets you keep down the length. I think that if you’re looking to get a board that paddles easier, go with thicker over longer. You can still keep the same rail thickness and outline for performance, but the incrased thickness, placed appropriately, will give you better paddling ability.
Also, if you like the performance of the old board, keep the widepoint where it is. Changing that will change your rail line curve, and change the ride considerably. I would’nt put it further forward than center, which might be a good idea if it’s now behind center. I like boards with the widepoint at center.
The greatest gain in volume, (floatation) is achieved with additional W I D T H. You control the outline, and rate of curve in the tail, as well as tail area and volume. As a practical matter, the modest movement forward of the wide point, as you described, will NOT make a significant change in your ride. There are a number of variables that you can play with to tune the board to your taste, and sensitivity to rider input. Go with your plan. You will probably end up with a superior board. A report back, would be instructive to others faceing similar choices.
Thanks for all the feedback. Here is my stats. I’m 40 6’0" 175 LBS. Out of shape as far as paddling goes ,but still would consider myself an advanced surfer once I get up.I surf beach breaks but have a gun for the big days and points, and a fish for the small days. So this will be my “good at home days” /travel board.
The thing I didn’t dig about my old boards is the pointy nose . I hate the way they paddle and I always struggle to keep afloat on the flats. I’ve reciently ridden a couple old early 80’s boards that have a little wider noses and wide-point a bit further foreward and they seem to paddle and get up and go easier. I also like the way they kind of “track” ,or excelerate on their own.
Not shure of the shaper yet but I’m looking foreward to it.
I was under the impression that adding width, say 1/2 inch, can be seen as adding two 1/4 inch strips of foam along each side of the stringer, the thickness of the board. If the board’s 6’6, that’s less than 8 cubic inches of volume. Adding a 1/2 inch of thickness to the same board adds more like 15 cubic inches of volume (that’s a conservative estimate), because that 1/2 inch is added across the entire bottom of the board.
Moving the wide point forward gives a straighter template in the tail. Less curve = less turn.
For us big guys, I like width and thickness.
Lay down on your current board in the water with your knees right at the tail. This is what I found to be the position that lands my take-off stance correctly on the tail ( tri-fin short board). How is the board floating? If the board is level with the nose just above waterline, you’re good to go. If the tail sinks and the nose pops up, add foam to the back area to get you to level. Could be 1/4" to tail thickness, or 1/2" to tail width. Moving the floatation forward could cause you to push too much water when paddling.
So I’m cosidering either a 7’2" sigle fin gun with the wide point pushed 6" foreward or a modern Channel islands M-13 7’2". Two takes on different boards.
I prefer width to thickness and I prefer thickness to length.
The thing about adding width that I think people sometimes overlook is that it adds surface area and reduces the speed required to get up on plane. Adding thickness doesn’t touch that aspect of it and adding length only barely affects it.
I also think your observation about riding boards with 80s templates is instructive for your situation. Look at all the “new” models that are currently in vogue - almost all of them are wider templates and more relaxed rocker, usually with less length rather than more. I don’t think that most surfers in “average” waves can outsurf an 80s template with modern bottom contours and fin setups.
from feature on surline with sean collins and his quiver:
Roger Hinds / Country 6'6" x 14 3/4" x 21" x 14" x 3" roundtail SHAPER Roger Hinds
This board is great for typical SoCal surf up to a couple feet overhead. It's really snappy for a guy my size and actually holds in a lot better than I thought it would. If I want to ride this in bigger or down-the-line surf, I might just throw in a slightly bigger set of fins, which will give it more drive out of the turns. It's not too thick, it's very light, and the outline shape is pretty full --- almost fishy. I have "old school" disease from the 70's, where I turn off my front foot a lot of the time, so having the wide point on this board slightly further forward than normal helps. Roger kept the thickness at about 3 inches and maintained it out a little closer to the rail than usual 'cause for me this board is still pretty small and super responsive. The roundtail really helps with the release and looseness in the mush and flat spots as well. On the bottom the single concave going to a double to a vee at the tail keeps the water flowing -- this board is like a skateboard for me in punchy waves. Ever since the 70's, I've always surfed boards a little wider and thicker -- they have a little more float and help me to keep board speed over the flat spots. It's important for me to keep this board moving rail to rail as much as possible. The added thickness and width helps the float and to get the board up on a plane quicker, even when paddling. A bigger guy can get away with a board that's not quite so thick if he goes a little wider. Especially at a beachbreak where there's lots of flat spots in the waves.
go a little wider.. maybe flatten the rocker a bit.. if the waves are juicy pull the tail in some if you keep it flat..
leave some nose volume up front and you'll be golden
board posted above looks good, minus all the thickness.. i just rode a board like that the other day, a Back Yard Board in around head high hawaiian south swell while my board was down.. much thinner than that around 2 1/2" thick and was great to paddle but a dog to turn and had a real drawn out style..
if you can get a compsand get one with similar dimensions but much thinner..
I'm 190 pounds riding 1 7/8 thick 21 wide 6'6.. the tail is super flat but the outline is curvey and it turns great, can be a bitch on the drop though becuase i left the nose kinda thin, wish i would left some more volume for the late drop