Competition longboard

Hi, this year i’m going to do all the europen ASP/EPSA longboard tour, and i’d like to know how are the boards that the best competitors use in a contest. I know what kind of board i want to surf everyday, but i think that competition demands other kind of board. I’ve thinking to have basicaly two models, a “good waves board” and a “small mushy waves board”. How about the mesurements?, how about the laminate/glassing job?, weight?, fin set up? My shaper is going to shape me a 9’0’’ low entry rocker, with wide nose and thin rounded tail, with double concave and soft “V” between the fins. The rails will be like on a modern short board. This will be my “good waves board” if i like it. What do you think guys? Thanks for all guys. Coque.

Hi, this year i’m going to do all the europen ASP/EPSA longboard tour, and > i’d like to know how are the boards that the best competitors use in a > contest.>>> I know what kind of board i want to surf everyday, but i think that > competition demands other kind of board. I’ve thinking to have basicaly > two models, a “good waves board” and a “small mushy waves > board”.>>> How about the mesurements?, how about the laminate/glassing job?, weight?, > fin set up?>>> My shaper is going to shape me a 9’0’’ low entry rocker, with wide nose > and thin rounded tail, with double concave and soft “V” between > the fins. The rails will be like on a modern short board. This will be my > “good waves board” if i like it.>>> What do you think guys?>>> Thanks for all guys.>>> Coque. The good wave board ideas sound great to me. I’d go about 9’0"x18x22.5x15x3 with a rounded pin. you’ll be amazed at how varying your fin combinations will affect performance. I have a 9’0" a little wider than the spec above and it’s hot till the waves get overhead. I think the low entry rocker is a very good idea. The rocker speck on my board are: 3.5" nose rocker – 3.25 tail rocker. somewhere around here should work fine for you. If you in the Santa Cruz area look me up. I’d be glad to let you take it out to help you decide. The mushboard will have to be bigger (around 9’6" or even longer depending on how big you are) more retro bottom and rails and have more rocker at both ends I would think. Good luck with you decision. I’m sure there are some folks here on the forum that can be most helpful to you. Good Surfin’, Rich

Hi, this year i’m going to do all the europen ASP/EPSA longboard tour, and > i’d like to know how are the boards that the best competitors use in a > contest.>>> I know what kind of board i want to surf everyday, but i think that > competition demands other kind of board. I’ve thinking to have basicaly > two models, a “good waves board” and a “small mushy waves > board”.>>> How about the mesurements?, how about the laminate/glassing job?, weight?, > fin set up?>>> My shaper is going to shape me a 9’0’’ low entry rocker, with wide nose > and thin rounded tail, with double concave and soft “V” between > the fins. The rails will be like on a modern short board. This will be my > “good waves board” if i like it.>>> What do you think guys?>>> Thanks for all guys.>>> Coque. The good wave board ideas sound great to me. I’d go about 9’0"x18x22.5x15x3 with a rounded pin. you’ll be amazed at how varying your fin combinations will affect performance. I have a 9’0" a little wider than the spec above and it’s hot till the waves get overhead. I think the low entry rocker is a very good idea. The rocker speck on my board are: 3.5" nose rocker – 3.25 tail rocker. somewhere around here should work fine for you. If you in the Santa Cruz area look me up. I’d be glad to let you take it out to help you decide. The mushboard will have to be bigger (around 9’6" or even longer depending on how big you are) more retro bottom and rails and have more rocker at both ends I would think. Good luck with you decision. I’m sure there are some folks here on the forum that can be most helpful to you. Good Surfin’, Rich

The good wave board ideas sound great to me. I’d go about > 9’0"x18x22.5x15x3 with a rounded pin. you’ll be amazed at how varying > your fin combinations will affect performance. I have a 9’0" a little > wider than the spec above and it’s hot till the waves get overhead. I > think the low entry rocker is a very good idea. The rocker speck on my > board are: 3.5" nose rocker – 3.25 tail rocker. somewhere around > here should work fine for you. If you in the Santa Cruz area look me up. > I’d be glad to let you take it out to help you decide. The mushboard will > have to be bigger (around 9’6" or even longer depending on how big > you are) more retro bottom and rails and have more rocker at both ends I > would think.>>> Good luck with you decision. I’m sure there are some folks here on the > forum that can be most helpful to you. As a former pro competitor my advice is ride what got you there and never mind what everyoe else is doing —all that will achieve is to make you a clone of them —look at the top they are there cause they are different from the middle of the pack (who are copying them -thats why they are in the middle)—Dial in the most familier board you are currently riding and then scale up or downward to suit the need. EXAMPLE; if you are riding a bd that is high performance and surfs well up to 10’ then make a mush bd or if your surfing a good 5’ and under board then go high per-form for up to say 10’-----the main thing is to keep to your flavor—years ago I broke a bd in 6-8 surf and didn’t have a spare w/ me for the final and Jim Phillips offered me one of his --but I had to decline and do a beach beg because as nice a bd as it was -it wasn’t my flavor–so I ended up with chessy version of what I’d been riding and went on to win----so I’m not just making this up I have proven it —talk it over w/ your shaper and see what he thinks–best of luck to ya! > Good Surfin’, Rich

The good wave board ideas sound great to me. I’d go about > 9’0"x18x22.5x15x3 with a rounded pin. you’ll be amazed at how varying > your fin combinations will affect performance. I have a 9’0" a little > wider than the spec above and it’s hot till the waves get overhead. I > think the low entry rocker is a very good idea. The rocker speck on my > board are: 3.5" nose rocker – 3.25 tail rocker. somewhere around > here should work fine for you. If you in the Santa Cruz area look me up. > I’d be glad to let you take it out to help you decide. The mushboard will > have to be bigger (around 9’6" or even longer depending on how big > you are) more retro bottom and rails and have more rocker at both ends I > would think.>>> Good luck with you decision. I’m sure there are some folks here on the > forum that can be most helpful to you. As a former pro competitor my advice is ride what got you there and never mind what everyoe else is doing —all that will achieve is to make you a clone of them —look at the top they are there cause they are different from the middle of the pack (who are copying them -thats why they are in the middle)—Dial in the most familier board you are currently riding and then scale up or downward to suit the need. EXAMPLE; if you are riding a bd that is high performance and surfs well up to 10’ then make a mush bd or if your surfing a good 5’ and under board then go high per-form for up to say 10’-----the main thing is to keep to your flavor—years ago I broke a bd in 6-8 surf and didn’t have a spare w/ me for the final and Jim Phillips offered me one of his --but I had to decline and do a beach beg because as nice a bd as it was -it wasn’t my flavor–so I ended up with chessy version of what I’d been riding and went on to win----so I’m not just making this up I have proven it —talk it over w/ your shaper and see what he thinks–best of luck to ya! > Good Surfin’, Rich

Thanks guys for yours responses. I’m from Galicia, Spain, that’s why i’m going to do the European Tour, if i was on the USA for sure i have more oportunitis to seen diferent longboards, either progresive or classic, but here in Spain there isn’t to much longboards out of the “standard” 9’2’', thick, to much rocker, trifin. I was a short board competitor for some years so i know how tu turn a board, and how to do modern maneuvers plus those last years with the longboard (it was love at first wave) i learn to nose ride, and the other classic maneuvers, so in contest, i use to suit my surfing to the waves condition. For the “good waves board” i want a board that turns and acelerates like a shortboard, but nose rides good… It seems to be dificult to find. I saw in internet some progresive longboards, in example the Collin Mc Philips model, but i don’t liked to much, maybe i like a wider nose and a narower tail. The thing is that i haven’t seen till today the board i’m searching for. Maybe it’ll be my shapers next shape, i hope so. In the other board, the “mushy waves board”, i’m still thinking about, i like how i surf with an heavy, old style, single fin noserider, but maybe a less heavy board, with to little fins on the sides will turn beter… In this case i truly don’t know. Thanks for all guys. Coque.

Thanks guys for yours responses.>>> I’m from Galicia, Spain, that’s why i’m going to do the European Tour, if > i was on the USA for sure i have more oportunitis to seen diferent > longboards, either progresive or classic, but here in Spain there isn’t to > much longboards out of the “standard” 9’2’‘, thick, to much > rocker, trifin.>>> I was a short board competitor for some years so i know how tu turn a > board, and how to do modern maneuvers plus those last years with the > longboard (it was love at first wave) i learn to nose ride, and the other > classic maneuvers, so in contest, i use to suit my surfing to the waves > condition.>>> For the “good waves board” i want a board that turns and > acelerates like a shortboard, but nose rides good… It seems to be > dificult to find. I saw in internet some progresive longboards, in example > the Collin Mc Philips model, but i don’t liked to much, maybe i like a > wider nose and a narower tail.>>> The thing is that i haven’t seen till today the board i’m searching for. > Maybe it’ll be my shapers next shape, i hope so.>>> In the other board, the “mushy waves board”, i’m still thinking > about, i like how i surf with an heavy, old style, single fin noserider, > but maybe a less heavy board, with to little fins on the sides will turn > beter…>>> In this case i truly don’t know.>>> Thanks for all guys.>>> Coque. Hey Coque, Send me an email at if you want to chat about that competitve long board. Good Surfin’, Rich

It was a real shocker to see CDB (Clay) pump off the bottom and whack the pitching lip, I was off to the side and had a perfect view. He rockets off the bottom and as his board goes up the face to smack the lip, it pitches out hard, he’s verticle at this second and I watch the top half of his board hinge in two. When the heat was over and we had a chance to inspect his board, it was found that the DOW styro blank had a thumb size void in it that was invisible from either side, but gave the energy a place to snap the board. He’a a tough competitor!!!

It was a real shocker to see CDB (Clay) pump off the bottom and whack the > pitching lip, I was off to the side and had a perfect view. He rockets off > the bottom and as his board goes up the face to smack the lip, it pitches > out hard, he’s verticle at this second and I watch the top half of his > board hinge in two. When the heat was over and we had a chance to inspect > his board, it was found that the DOW styro blank had a thumb size void in > it that was invisible from either side, but gave the energy a place to > snap the board. He’a a tough competitor!!! Ok Jim sounds great what did the board look like? Rich

Ok Jim sounds great what did the board look like?>>> Rich RICH; The bd. Jim was refering to was a 9’2" pintail w/ a wide nose 18" center wide point 223/4" and a 15" tail semi flat deck w/ box type down (75-25) rails 2 1/2" thick with 5 1/4" nose rocker concave 30" long fading into a slot v-hull the slots about 3 off the rails with a light “v” out the back with a full 4" of tail rocker —this was a really great board (till it broke) afterwards I changed directions on my boards but recently this bd repaired made it s way back into my hands so I am currently revisiting many of the features and concepts of this board on many of my new designs—borrowing from the past to build the future–so the design continues as does expermentation p.s. thanks Jim but you might have written the book on being a tough competitor CDB