Hi,
I’ve been thinking about a 8 footer that would be an all-around travelboard for anything from kneehigh to a little overhead. A one board quiver.
I currently ride a McTavish Original 9’1 with 72litres of volume and even though I only weigh 155lbs, I wouldn’t like to compromise any of the paddling ease due to my bad shoulders. If possible, I’d also like to keep the width at around 22,5 inches or less to be able to carry it.
Do you have experience on fat 8 footers? I’ve noticed that Walden has started to make something like that ( https://www.waldensurfboards.com/collections/mucho-magic ). Do you think it’s possible to make a good one with 72 to 75 litres of volume? What design aspects would you specifically look for?
I made an 8’0 for the exact reason you mention. I wanted to reduce my travel quiver to 2 boards - an 8’0 for all longboard applications and a 7’6 hybrid for shortboard/gun uses. I like the 8’0 so much that I never even use my noserider anymore. Basically, I tried to compress the volume of a 9"2 into an 8’0, so in addition to the extra width and thickness, I flattened out the rocker to about 4 in. nose and 2.25 tail. It is 22.5 wide x 18n x 15t x 3 1/8 thick. I’m 50 lbs heavier than you, so you may want to thin it out a bit. Since the rocker is flatter, I put really deep double concaves and v in the tail. It is a 2+1, so when it is mushy I ride it as a single, and when it is steep and fast I put in the side-bites. I use a 7.75 trailer fin, and I find that using longer ones makes them surf stiff and doggish. I even use this board in giant surf at places like PB point and Terramar. I actually patterned mine after seeing the Hobie Peter Pan Slugfish in a magazine.
I like the concept. However, I have had difficulties being so disciplined. So I bought two rolling travel bags, a 7 footer and an 8 footer, each can easily hold 4 boards. As long as I stay under 75 pounds on American Airlines, the fee stays the same, expensive. I end up putting all my fins, leashes, wax, repair kit, wetsuits, etc. in my other luggage to save weight.
With that said, I have found that a single 7’7" x narrow (21") with a funboard plan shape board with one 10/5" single fin box and four well placed FCS type boxes could work in just about any conditions I’m willing to surf. As a matter of fact, I’m building four of these models in the spring because people like them so much. Image below is a 9’4" (x21.75") and an 7’11" (x21") version already plan shaped. Have the same shape behind those in two other sizes, a 7’4" (x21") and a 6’10" (x21").
And as far as bad shoulders go, I kneeboarded almost exclusively for a decade because of a bad right shoulder brought on by poor baseball throwing technique that no coach I had up through HS corrected and paddling a surfboard just caused more issues. Now that I’m fixed I miss kneeboarding
