Having been out about 10 times now on a 7’6" funshape, I’ve determined both how hard surfing is, how exhilirating - and that I’d like to move up to a longboard.
I’m 6’5", 165 lbs + full suit, 42 years old, not an exceptional athlete but enjoy snowboarding, carveboarding, and am in excellent swimming shape. I want a board that I can paddle easily enough to catch more waves, get good trim and perhaps a carve or two in the short rides available. I’m not particularly interested in nose riding or radical manuevers & get out once a week or so.
Our breaks are mostly shore breaks, with a few reefs/pointbreaks thrown in. Waves are decent (to me, at least) but not often big or powerful.
Here’s my question: How do I evaluate longboard offerings when I walk into a store or talk to a local shaper? Have read through posts here and Parmenter’s article but still am interested in:
everything in surfboard design and construction is a tradeoff. identify what style your surfing focuses on, and get a board with features designed to maximize that style.
– Length / width / thickness
increasing any or all of them will make the board paddle faster and easier at the expense of maneuverability.
– Rocker
flatter rocker will paddle faster and catch waves easier, but if it’s too flat you’re more likely to get burried on takeoff. increased rocker will turn more easily, but paddle more slowly.
– Single fin/tri fin/2+1
it’s a longboard…singlefin or 2+1. single is classic and traditional. single fin boards will paddle faster because they don’t have all that excess drag created by the sidebites. the sidebites, however, give you more control through harder turns, allowing you to surf the board more aggressively.
– Off-the-rack vs shaper
unless you’ve already got a big name board that you’re in love with, i’d always say custom shaper…especially in your case. you don’t seem to be exactly certain of what it is that you’re looking for, and a local shaper (who’s any good) can easily help you dial in the specifics of the perfect board for you.
– Any particular board recommendations
well, your lack of interest in noseriding and the desire to snap a few turns and cutback leads you down a more progressive route than the classic, traditional style that i love so much (by the way, have you ever actually tried noseriding…it’s awesome!!!). anyhow, definitely a rounded pin tail with a 2+1 fin setup. for someone your size, surfing with a more progressive style, i don’t think i’d go shorter than 9’2"…and you could go longer. as far as a specific board goes, check out the Walden “Magic Model 3”…i think you’d like it (and you can even step up for a noseride should you ever get the desire). but really try and talk to a local shaper who has firsthand experience of the conditions you’ll be surfing in…he’ll get ya set up right.
Soulstice, IMO, is on the mark relative to “make”. I’m 58, 5-11, 190 ( now overweight, relative to my age, by 10-15 lb) well conditioned as a former '60’s national level swimmer and still an excellent board paddler. The Boardworks 9-0 Walden Magic is, well…magic. It’s the only “popout” I can recommend. It masquerades as a noserider but effectively presents more as a performance 2+1 board. My preferences since '00 are custom epoxies from Pointblanks and Loehr…AND a “real” McCoy poly/poly 8-0 Nugget. (I also own the 7-11 Surftech McCoy Nugget single, now an expensive loaner). I’m a Walden “fan”, and have my eye on a 9-2 custom. We’ll see…consider the B-W 9-0 at your weight.
my recommendation on the walden stemmed from the design, but i have very negative feelings towards popouts (all stemming from my first experience with one…ironically enough, on a walden magic). anyhow, i don’t think i’ve ever hidden my feelings toward epoxy popouts on this message board, and if you do like the walden, i would strongly urge you to spend a little more and get a real walden…not a boardworks popout. the design should suit you well, but the ride characteristics of popouts really aren’t to my liking.
Here’s my question: How do I evaluate longboard offerings when I walk into a store or talk to a local shaper?
Hey M…its real easy to over-complicate things and soulstice has given some good advice…but IMO, i think comes down to mostly how you want to ride waves, your style, more than anything (youve seen guys rip and others cruise on the same waves right?).
So a really fundamental question is how you see yourself surfing on your new stick, progressive or classical.
Answering this fundamental question will point you in the right direction. For example, at your lighter weight a traditional 9ft+ LB will be more difficult to progressive surf than say a 8.5ft lightweight board with similar shape…lots of debate there but basic physics (swingweight) still applies. I have a friend who swears on long noseriders…cant figure him out…he never nose rides and tries to smack the lip every chance he gets but very often fails cuz the board is fighting him back…it just doesnt want to swing around…I try to help but he’s very stubborn…he does catch a lot of waves though but I think a progressive LB shape would suit him better and he would still catch as many waves.
Generally speaking, almost any longboard can be surfed classically, but classical boards are much more difficult to progressive surf…progressive vs. classical…or both…your call.
I agree with the comments about getting a high-performance longboard. I also completely agree about getting one from your local guy.
But, you’re 6’4". I would encourage you, despite your lean weight, to go at least 9’6", and maybe more like 9’8" or 9’10". You can go thin - like 2 7/8" thick in the middle - which will decrease weight and increase responsiveness. You won’t have any trouble swinging that much board around, with the torque your long legs can generate, and how far you’ll be able to lean your body over a rail when your get comfortable with it. I agree that 2+1 fins will help, and so will a squash/square tail. A round pin will draw out your turns & create drag that you don’t need.
If you can swing it, get Jim Phillips to make you an EPS/epoxy board. He’s the high-perf longboard master and is doing a lot of EPS these days, I understand. Point Blanks is also a good call, as is Bob Miller - that should cover you if you’re in CA, if you’re somewhere else, keep asking.
Edit - sorry, the ‘East Coast’ bit in the topic should have tipped me off. But still, long, wide, thin is your board. Maybe Steve Forstall? (Coda Surfboards - there’s a thread about him right now on this bb) Sounds like an awesome shaper and is using EPS/epoxy…
so, you’ve been out 10 times on a funshape and are now in the throes of the addiction. welcome to a lifetime of fitting things around surfing.
here on the east coast we don’t have the sorts of wave action that one sees almost anywhere else in the world…so our boards have to reflect our own unique environment.
and our selves.
so, your weight to height is good, good physical condition. you’re not up to doing any cross stepping, yet, but that will come. as will the nose riding. but obviously you don’t want some 30 lb+ classic logger.
for now, you’d want something around 9’4 (we already know you can get up on a smaller board) and probably not more than 23 wide. go to a 2+ 1 and you get the best of both worlds…experiment with fin setups, that is. i’d say 3" thick and with a bit more than the minimum stringer…maybe 5/8 basswood, if you’re getting a custom with a clark super green blank and polyurethane. 6 + 4 on the deck and 6 on the bottom. should be able to get it to weigh out at about 18lbs or so. down rails in the back 2 - 3 feet, softer down rails in the middle 3 or 4 and raised up to 50 - 50 at the nose. get a concave in there just for the heck of it, for about 6 months from now when all of a suden you find yourself up there.
i’d suggest a custom shape by a reputable local shaper. if you have the bucks. if not a good used board can be found at shops or maybe on one of the many surfing forums. if you like what parmenter has to say about durability get the shaper to hold the thickness symmetrically thru the board.
vibram five fingers kso shoes just an anecdotal takedown, a few cases of transitioning too fast to natural running, or something more? The Internet Monk puts his faith to the test by walking with Jesus in his new vibram five fingers kso shoes - a religious perspective on VFFs.vibram five fingers kso shoe are hot in Charlotte, N.C. - a nice local news story (And video) on Vibrams growing popularity.Sean Pelleteir reports on a recent lecture by Chris McDougall at Frederick Community College, on the wonders of barefoot running.
But still, long, wide, thin is your board. Maybe Steve Forstall? (Coda Surfboards - there’s a thread about him right now on this bb) Sounds like an awesome shaper and is using EPS/epoxy…