Haven't been here in awhile, but I thought this would be the perfect forum to ask for expert advice on what to look for in a board when I want to provide the quickest drop into (and function in) fast-jacking, hollow waves? I currently ride and travel with a 6' 5" X 19 3/4" X 2.70" as my "shortboard". I truly love this stick in anything from knee to head-high. I also have a big 6' 10" JC Equalizer...it's a lot of board - and obviously a big board is not neccesarily good for big waves. I just returned from a trip where the waves were as described above...jacking up fast on a shallow reef directly into a full-on barrel until a short inside section good for snaps. No doubt we hit it good, and it was a blast for most of the trip on my smaller board but when the waves got heavier at 6'- 8' I pulled out the Equalizer to have a little more board under me. Got a few good waves, but overall was a dissappointing way to end the trip as most of mine were too late or missed altogether cause I couldn't get that big thing into a wave fast, and when I did, I couldn't get get it angled quick enough to make a lot of those critical drops. I'm 47 and been surfing all my life and am now on a quest to find a stick to travel with for those days on the road, when it gets a little heavy for my 6' 5". After all, these years I still know so little about the role rocker, rails, and bottom design play into what I want. For instance, all the JC, Rusty, CI, etc websites speak of nose and tail rocker as Hawaiian, Medium, Low Entry, etc...how do I decifer this into what I need to get me in it and on it fast, and at the same time draw a line well to help me in n out of sum of the gaping tubes I missed the other day?
I hail form NJ, and waves there when they get big are just as described. My perfect board is a 6’0-6’2"x18 3/8"x2 3/8". 10 3/4" nose and 13 3/4-13 7/8" wide tail. Nose rocker over 6" and tail between 2 3/8"-2 1/2". Tail shape rounded pin, thumb, round tail all work great. Concave, to double between the fin, thin rails. there is so much more to this.
My normal board is 5’10"x18 1/8"x 2 1/8", 2 1/8" tail rocker 4 1/8" nose.
What's the tail width and tail rocker on the Equalizer?
There used to be a guy on here... LeeDD, who posted lots of details about gun design. His posts made sense to me.
One thing in particular I remember him saying was how many modern guns have tails that are too narrow causing them to sink in the face on takeoff.
Some guys with cat-like reflexes can pull it off with nearly freefall late takeoffs on tiny boards but for many of us it's easier to get in early with a wider tail with maybe some boost in the tail rocker to 'fit' a steep face.
Then again, there are some waves that are barely ridable for pros much less mere mortals.
Hi all...thanks for the feedback. To answer a few from above, I'm 6', 195 lbs. I guess I surf more backfooted than front, and have always preferred my boards a little thicker. My current shortboard dims are 6'5" X 19.85" X 2.75" (Nose rocker @12" is 2.0"; tail rocker @ 12" is 1.5"), and the JC Equalizer is 6'10" X 20" X 2.75 (nose rocker @12" is 2.0; tail rocker @ 12" is 1.75") (a whole lotta board, I know!). I'm surmizing after all my reads than I don't have sufficient tail rocker in either of those boards and am thinking I'll need to go more like 6' 8" X 19.5" X 2.5" with a decent amount of concave in tail for lift and a tail rocker of 2.5 - 2.75" to get onto and in steep, hollow waves most efficiently. Please confirm or deny per your expertise. Thanks again...
I am 58 165 and I ride this 5’8 egg in some slabs its pretty epic unless[img_assist|nid=1050487|title=5'8 eggs|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=618] you are trying to lay some seriouse rail but that bc there isn’t alot of it.
I apologize for not offering a more specific answer, the reason being because it is mostly all a bunch of trade-offs. More volume - in earlier, but less control. More rocker, or narrower tail, is the opposite situation.
The wisdom in past threads regarding steep drops, and tube riding is that; “Attitude is as important as equipment.” There is no getting around the fact that equipment won’t pay your dues. My suggestion is to add some fin area to your trusty present shortboard, (Unless you have glass-ons), and to get a helmet for your confidence.
thanks all, but allow me to return to the original question...what are the design features to look for in a board that give the greatest advantage to catching and dropping in on steep, jacking, overhead hollow waves?
Narrower tail than your regular shortboard. Enough volume/width/thickness under the chest to get in early. Don’t go too long because long doesn’t fit well in steep-hollow waves.
I like Girvin’s shapes above. Mine is similar but scaled up to my size.
I am about your size (5’10" 200lbs) and my board for steep-hollow overhead waves is 6’3" with 15" nose; 20 1/4" middle; and a narrowish 14 1/2" round pin. Wide point is about 3" forward of center so the board has a rail line of a centered 6’6". Thickness is the same as all of my other boards (2 5/8"). 4.5" nose rocker; 2"ish tail rocker.
Check out the Rusty Slayer for ideas/dims along these lines.
i find the best design to be have slim lines. no fat gut , developed lats and shoulders and broad hands. add in some good balance, no fear and quick to your feet and your all good
dcs 163. what size waves are you talking about. there are 4 foot waves with lips that will fck you up big time and 4 foot waves with thin lips but still pitch. when people talk slabs its hard to know where they are at give us a photo or something. a body boarders slab is pretty well unsurfable for even skilled surfers. (i mean surfers feet btw) 3 to 4ft being head and half face hight
Tight curves, shorter length. A longer board will get you in early but you are just praying that you make it out. What is needed is board that will fit the wave. A narrower tail and a hair wider overall than your standard shortboard and a little big longer. But the best thing is being the best surfer you can be, in shape and faster than a cat on your feet.
remember waves like that will generate all the speed you could need, what you need is hold and to slow the board down so you have control, at the same time you need something that will get up and go the second you get your feet and start driving. If I took my last coil and made it a round tail, I really think it would have been the best board ever in barreling waves up to a little overhead. It had a ton of rocker and was only 5’10". Also keep in mind bigger jacking waves can have a longer board for the paddle. Fitting the wave is what you need to think about
Thanks all...it's all really good advice to throw in the mix. I appreciate the help, especially as I was previously thinking longer and skinnier (aka: mini-gun) might be better. BTW Silly, I'm talking about all fast-jacking, hollow, steep-drop waves, but the wave that began this particular quest was a 6'-8' thick-lipped wave that jacked quick on a shallow rock reef. It barrelled immediately and the only way to get it was to get on it and in it fast. I had an a*$load of trouble getting the bite early and then making the drop on my big 6'10" Equalizer. At 47, I might actually be in the best shape of my life...have no xtra flab, paddle stamina wasn't an issue, and I've been surfing since I was 12. That said, I'm no pro...just looking for whatever edge I can in using the best equipment I can in a given situation. Thanks.
sorry is that a 6 to 8 ft face. as 8 foot hawaiian has a 15 to 20 foot face.
a 6 to 8 foot face in slab you want the shortest board possible with a thin tail and tuck in the rail
some more tail rocker helps. i think if you need lots of nose rocker then your not in early enough.
5 is plenty of nose rocker 5 and half max
i would be surifng a 6 3 to 6 4 about 21 wide with a rounded pin. thinish rails and stiff fins. bit of foam under chest
wide point forward
cant say anything about 6 to 8 foot hawaiian . never surfed anything that heavy . surfed plenty of waves that big but they been pretty mellow. i had a 4 foot wave rip a finbox out the other day it was that heavy
sometimes its so heavy you cant even do a angled drop under the lip but have to free fall and recover. angeld drop is the best option and its all in a split second, but paddle power will get you half way and a bit of daring and fast to feet. thick or wide tails are a NO GO and rail tuck and softer edges will keep you from sliding out as will stiffer fin tips
For slabs start with your everyday shortboard, add more nose and tail rocker, make sure its a rounded pin, add maybe a touch more volume, but keep the rails thin. Use slightly large fins. Hawaiian rocker is recommended.
Entry rocker describes the rocker curve from the center of the board moving forward towards the nose. Low entry rocker will paddle well, but hang up on a steep slaby type wave. Conventional California rocker is a smooth curve (think circle), whereas hawaiian rocker describes several straight lines linked together by tight curves (think octagon). WIth Hawaiian rocker you get the benifit of a flat plaining and paddling surface under the center of the board, immediatly transitioning to accelerated nose rocker, reducing your chance for hangup. Further, to take advantage of sideways takeoffs straight into the pit it is benificial to have the rail rocker exceed the stringer rocker.
One of my team guys just got back from surfing shipsterns and samoa and he rode a 5-11 the entire trip. The attached blue print is a good starting point.
Bottom line though, if you are not an exceptional paddler, forget about it.
Thanks all for such detailed analogies...just about all of the common threads and suggestions seem incorporated in the R-dot Slayer (thanks, Jamie). I'm gonna check one out and will order it per the dims you all helped me with. Take care and take it e z...thanks again for taking the time to chime in.
