OK, i did a search and nothing showed up on this, so here we go:
I have a 9-0 Ricky Carroll longboard that rides like a gem in 1-2' "surf" (pretty much teh norm in summer on Cape Cod). But all this week it has been waist to chest high, and the board does not behave well. The inside rail (chine rails) seems to "stick" and the board rides up the face of the wave until I go over-the-falls. Not rider error, as I first thought…it happened four times! I am not using the side fins, just a single fin, 7" deep. I've ridden a 9-0 Skip Frye (1967), 8-10 Hobie GP Wedge c 1969), 9-0 weber Performer, all great boards with no problems. So what gives with these chine rails? For the record, I am 5-7 125 lbs (135 with wetsuit?). Board is 9-0 x 22.5 x 2.7. Comments?
I think that is way too much foam for your weight. Same set up with a 100kg rider probably would not have the problem. I would put the side fins in and see if it makes a difference. Better yet, put 4 1/2 sides with a 5" center.
Also, I imagine the rocker is pretty flat(just quessing) and your biggest problem is your front side. Too much foam for rider weight and rocker and fin set up.
easy solution is to learn to surf with opposite stance and always backside in larger surf.
yes, rocker is pretty flat…i can go backside easy enough, where i tend to weight the inside rail a little more, but not much of an improvement. i have teh side fins for the next go-out, we'll see…
Perservere with the chined board - they work…At least I've been a longtime exponent, with many shortboards including chines. The idea of your board "sticking" in the front end seems counter-intuitive, but then, I don't do longboards. The function that chines are regularly utilised for is more freedom in the nose end, reduced catch in turns - It's used in a number of McTavish models.
I think of them, to simplify, as rocker for sideways movement…sort-of like belly roll but with a concave cut through the middle of the roll.
I don't think it's the rails. Bill Stewart has made thousands of his hydro hull boards and they have a beveled rail. I think you just need to adjust to the board a little. Every board will work a little differently when the size and power of the wave changes. What you may normally do when the waves are one size don't always work when the waves are a different size.
Bigger waves will have more power and are probably sucking up the face more than the smaller waves. I'm thinking that you may need to adjust your angle of attack to be slightly more towards shore.
Is this something that occurs when you on the nose or when you are back on the board trying to get covered up?
No, usually when dropping in…so I think your idea of taking off more toward shore may be an answer. when i "in" teh wave, it seems fine. I am taking off maybe 45 degrees to the face, maybe too much at waist high, but 60 deg to the face, pearling is almost guaranteed (beachbreak)…I've tried it! I MUST PERSEVERE!!!
having shaped a few{thousand} "chine" rail boards in my past I do not think that, the chine, is your problem. A 7" fin is a little small for a 9' board not too small just a little. I used to have a similar sensation when I would get my fin too far forward and the board would "track" and not release in the steep part of a hollow wave. Move it back see what happens. A picture of the fin placement and board would help a lot otherwise it is just Voodoo. Sorry but pilot error still sounds a little suspect.
That is a ton of foam. I'm like 120lbs, and when I ride my higher volume stuff in bigger surf I get that feeling when dropping in. I know the waves by me sometime get very steep very fast, and I find it harder to make a big chunky board comply with such a drop. And my high volume stuff is nowhere near that high volume. Usually if I flip over taking off, the board is pointing too much across the wave, it gets sucked up and I go over. So whoever said aim at shore a bit more may be right. When the board is so across the wave, like all the rail is in it and getting pulled so the board will roll over. When I make those steep drops on, say, my 6'4"x22x3" single fin, it's usually backside with a ton of rail grab with my left hand, (goofy) pretty much like a getting barreled stance right when I take off so I don't roll over. All my wieght is shifted towards the face to keep the board from rolling. Of course, then I stand up, and then you can play with that sucking up motion and pick up some speed.
Also, with all that foam, you could probably get in so early that a steep drop or water moving quickly from bottom to top isn't an issue? Like while it's still a bump and not pitching over.
I think your problem is that you are trying to use a board in conditions that are above your ability. You need to get into the wave early enough to get to your feet. If the wave is a thumping beach break a small board will be more forgiving, but you still need to get to your feet before it jumps up and throws out.
Work on your paddling. You need to be able to paddle fast enough to catch waves before they are breaking. Go further out and start paddling early so you can get into the wave before it breaks. Or you'll need to work on air drops, but I don't recommend air drops with a long board.
I get the same impression. I'm puzzled by the list of boards he mentioned earlier. Sounds like he's not exactly new at this surfboarding thing. But, given what he said in his followup posts, I'd say it's operator error causing the issue, not the fact of chined rails. I also agree that the board itself is probably way too big. I'm 5'10" and 145 lbs. My longboard is 8'0". I can knee paddle it and it noserides very, very well. Most people who began surfing after 1970 that use a longboard are riding a board that's far too big. For instance, back in '66 a 10' board was considered just right for a grown man who weighed 180-200 lbs. I just don't get these newbs who ride a 10'6", and they're only 155 lbs, or so.
""I've ridden a 9-0 Skip Frye (1967), **8-10 Hobie GP Wedge** c 1969), 9-0 weber Performer, all great boards with no problems.""
"I used to have an 8'10" GP Wedge. Possibly the worst board I ever owned. A real dud."
my 2 cents - you listed a bunch of cool old school sticks, but the reality is they all pretty much suck, compared to a newer one. Chine is good, it doesn't bite, it does help you flow. Maybe yeou need to get your mindset around the board, you should turn it, and work it, not just gliding in a straight line, like those big old logs. Don'tget me wrong, I love the templates on many older boards, but the foils, bottoms, rails {chine maybe, but lots of other possibilities too}, everything else is better now.
another thing to do, is look at some videos of some good surfers riding midlengths and newer logs, and try to copy a bit. You really have to move a bit different on a big bord to make it work. Now go surf.
Oh yeah, SC and Ace are really worth listening to, a 7" fin is too small for that big stick!
No, not exactly new to this surfing thing…i started when i was 13, 1966. Maybe it is more that I am so effing old now, that I just suck. At 125, 5-7, i am hardly out-of -shape. I am going to dig out the 7-0 Frye egg and see how that goes. Now if the surf just continues to be waist high…"conditions above my ability"? Eight feet would be above my ability, not 3-4', sorry… I still stand by my accolade for the GP Wedge. In fact, Hobie makes almost the same model in their current longboard-single fin lineup: the TW (Tyler Warren) model. It's a little wider iin teh nose and slightly narrower hips, but basically the same board. I should just get one of those and be done with it…
Yes, it is a fast beachbreak; catching it way outside when it is just a "roller" is great if the bottom is gradual enough for it to break like that. This year, it doesn't…and I am not as fast as I was when I was 17. I thought a longboard would give me more time (catching earlier) but it doesn't seem to be the case. I'll try the 7-0 Frye.
I think that it's age. I'm about 5 years younger, but I've been sidelined since March due to open heart surgery. I can't swim or surf until late November, so I'll need to do a lot of work to get back to where I'll be strong enough to surf the way I did just last year. My plan is to start swimming and work my way up to surfing. It may take a month or more to feel ready.
Do you get in the water often or not so much? The longest I normally go between surfs would have been about a month, but not more than 2. I can really notice the difference when I'm not surfing regularly, like once a week or several times a month. Paddling power is down and timing is off. Getting to your feet gets to be more challenging when you get older. I hear it from a lot of friends, and I notice it myself. That's where getting into a wave early is the key, you have more time to get to your feet and set up for the drop. It's one reason a lot of older guys here in Hawaii (60+) are riding SUP, they are already standing and can get into the waves quicker than when they were paddling with their arms.
I agree with ACE on the fin. I usually have the tip about even with the tail, maybe up an inch from the tail max. I use 9" fins more than any other size on my singles.
Another thing, I don't surf beach breaks much, mostly reef breaks that are a quarter mile off shore. My perception of the way a wave stands up and breaks may be very different from the way your waves are. Unless it's solid overhead and pumping, we usually have a lot of time to get into a wave and stand up.
