My friends joke that I ride a different board almost every time I surf, but I’m digging it because lately, they’ve all been boards I shaped and glassed myself or with my brother.
Friday I rode a board I made, an 8’ round pin EPS single fin in good overhead waves and found that with the stronger walled up waves, I could have used a couple of side bites. My board just didn’t have enough fin to really dig in hard, and the waves were perfect for short board carving.
The next day I rode a 6’ PU/PE single fin, but the waves weren’t as big or strong, and I think the 8’ board would have been perfect. To top things off I ended going in at the worst possible place and got dragged over the reef in 6" of water. My feet were cut up and my board got a few dents along the rail.
Sunday, I rode a board I made a couple of years ago after not using it for at least a year. It’s a 5-10, 3 inch thick MP stubbie shape I’ve posted here before. I figured the waves would be small, but the sets were coming in solid overhead. I used a different fin setup (thruster with a slightly smaller center fin versus a large center and small sidebites), so I had to get used to it but I had one ride that was just fantastic. The kind of ride where you should just go in because there won’t be a better one all day.
So out of 3 sessions, 1 was OK, 1 sucked cause I got all buss-up, and the third was enough to get me through till the weekend.
Both......I really enjoy the boards I've made. One 9'6" in particular I really dialed for my size, weight, ability, and spot I surf the most. In a month or so I'm going to try to duplicate this board because I like it so much and I've dinged it with my head a few times. That said, I've ridden some very nice store-bought boards. Never had a custom board built for me (what's the point when you can make it yourself?)
I think the issue is surfing, some days are better that others but all of mine have been great. I'd be happy trying to stand up on an ironing board.
good question , sharky ! [and one i've always thought of posting here previously, so i'm glad you did it , mate ! ]
for me , my answer is
i enjoy trying to make boards and fins
i enjoy the challenge of trying to improve them each time
i like riding something i've totally made myself [and trying to figure out how to make it WORK hahahhh ]
but the bottom line , the truth is ...i'll never be a professional board or fin maker . And , i'm FINE with that !!
The commercial boards i have had , have always surfed better than the boards i have attempted myself [ being that i have only ever made 16 boards in my 49 years on this planet , that's hardly SURPRISING , really , IS it ??]
I trust my boards most (I’m going to make this drop!)
But then they are customs by me for me. I’m not sure other people riding my used boards have quite the same experience. I live in hope that one day another good surfer will give me a comment that isn’t, “Your board’s interesting to surf”.
What’ wrong with them all? Can’t they see the pure brilliance in the design, the unparalleled optimisation of curves, the perfection of the separation of wide point, thick section and rocker low point, the…
naa, of course they don’t. They didn’t spend weeks thinking about all those things the way I did.
I like red_boards' thinking. I know what I'm getting myself into with most of my own boards, so there's a certain confidence gained from knowing what the board can and can't do. Like most, I like to see what a certain board can go in, usually taking it into surf that I shouldn't just to find it's (and my) limitations. I know for sure that some people can't ride some of my weirder ideas that work just fine for me.
As for liking riding my own over another shaper's, I love it when mine work, but I enjoy riding any board that works for me. I just know that making myself a dog doesn't hurt nearly as bad as coughing up the $$$ for a new board and it not working for me.
I still have a few Brewers, a couple of Rustys, a couple of Bill Hamiltons, nothing wrong with any of them, but I never ride them anymore…only my own boards. Way more enjoyable!
I suppose I ought to sell all of those “master-shaped” boards, but I never seem to find the time…
Keith, just wait long enough and you can make a lot of money when you sell those boards.
Another reason I ride my boards more is that they are so much more durable than the standard PU/PE surf shop special. I like to save those for days that are really good, then I won’t be as bummed when I see all the pressures I’ve added. But I think we eventually get to a point where it would very easy to copy one of those boards and make it much more durable.
The pro-boards I’ve owned always seemed to have bigger sweet spots and surf way smoother than my weirdo stuff. But every now and then, the lump in the rocker or flat spot in the outline on my home-made sled lines up with the water just right and it’ll out surf anything a pro has ever shaped me. That’s why I’ve only got a few pro boards left in the quiver.
Speaking for yours truly I reckon that’s a damn good question. If I could take back the amount of money I have spent on not only learning how to make surfboards but to get them to the point where I am truly happy with them then I would. Too late for that one now. Good custom shapers are out there, but they are not easy to find. Best of luck in “learning to get it right” without breaking the bank.
The first board I made happened to go better than the board I had. Maybe that gave me confidence, and I've made a few dogs, but my boards go way better for me than boards made by other people.
Guys used to like to swap boards in the water to try mine. I'd always do it, but most of the time I'd catch one wave on theirs and want mine back.
That said, I learned a lot by trying other peoples boards, good and bad.