Would appreciate some help on dims, bottom shape etc for a good wave board
I have ridden longboards for 15+ years but in the past 2 year swapped to two shorter boards
a quad fish 6’4" X 21 5/8" X 2 5/8." full template but foiled out nose and tail
an eggy shape 6’10" X 21 1/2" X 2 7/8." with thruster (Miller Waterskate) fairly full and thick in and tail
nose… plenty of paddle power but tough to duck dive This is my every day board its fast and easy to ride forward or off the tail but because of the volume is a hard to duck dive
I would like a good wave board (5-8’) for trips to Indo, Maldives and on better days at home. Something stable, predictable that carves well and will generate speed without too much rider input. Needs to paddle well as some of the reefs are a 10-15 min paddle from the beach at high tide also be ok to duck dive.
I am 43 75kg ride all sorts of beach and reef breaks Where I live I cannot buy a board so have to import (usually from OZ) so no chance to browse or talk to shapers.
I was thinking of a 7’0 x 20 1/2" x 2 3/4" Thruster with a V bottom (rather than concaves)…
Thanks but tried a Nugget already… I have a 6-8 single fin poly and been using it for a year or so …but I just find it hard to adapt to the heavy backfoot style the Nugget demands… I still tend to step forward to trim and then the board bogs… I have had some good times on it and it is super easy backhand but to get the best out of I really have to think about what I am doing where as the other two boards feel more natural… Its also tough to duck dive! At this stage I don’t know whether to keep it and persevere or go with what feels more natural.
I only press because your review is 180* from what I’ve felt about them. I’m a very front-footed surfer, using my leading knee and even arm as much as either foot. And I find it way better frontside than backside. I get from your post that you don’t like rear-foot surfing; neither do I. At least, even if I liked it, I’m far less capable of it than I am leading a carve around from the front.
I’m 220 lbs; my 7’1 poly Nugget (with Starfin, Spitfire, or even 9" Greenough 4a) is the one I reach for if I’m not on a 10’ single fin log. Maybe yours, at 6’8" ( 94% the length of my board) is too big if you’re not 94% of my size? Not to say, of course, that someone 110 lbs could ride one 3’ 6.5"… but 6’8" is actually on the large size for the width, thickness, and tail shape of a Nugget. If you’re not a large-size surfer, maybe its not responsive enough for you?
I use the McCoy Gullwing in it… tried moving it around and have slightly ahead of centre of box…
Emailled Geoff too his advice was …
“ If it the feels stiff or is bogging in the front, for sure you are too far forward, nuggets have to be surfed off your back foot with good pressure on the back leg, for best results. This is also reason you are sticking or slow out of the lip, when coming of the top you need a lot of weight on your back foot on the back of the board, and you will be up and out of there like you will not believe.”
Maybe you are right on the size…I played safe when coming down from longboards…the quad has way less volume so I guess I could now easily handle a 6-4 Nugget…I do tend to ride forward and try to turn of the rail when I should probably be stepping back
Yeah, I think you’re on it now. Foot pressure & foot placement seem different to me. I do keep my back foot waaaay back , right over the fin. Since I also came off longboards, I even had to develop the habit of kind of dragging it along / bouncing it off the tail on a pop-up to make sure it was in the right place.
But once the feet are on board, I drive it pretty hard down the face with my front knee.
I’ve never tried the gullwing fin. If your waves are mostly frontside, go ahead & try something with a little flex & rake. And you’re right, maybe 6’4" is plenty.
I’d recommend getting a hold of Grant (Miller) and getting him to do a V-skate for you. If you like the way the waterskate works then you’ll adapt easily to the v-skate shape. I surf off the front foot and simply let Grant know that. I’m 44 and 85 kgs and my 6’8" v-skate is great for waves up to 8’. You’ll find the v-skate has a much more pulled in nose so duckdiving will not be a problem but will still paddle very well and catch waves easily. I get him to do a rounded pin rather than a squash tail.
I’ve also had his Powerglide and he’s just shaped me a newie which is a cross breed of Powerglide and waterskate in a 7’2" X 22" rounded pin with a flip in the nose, 10" single box and FCS side fin plugs. The idea is to have a board which works from 1’ to 8’. He reckons it could be a new model for him.
Much of the information I needed to translate to him over the phone came from reading and looking at board design on Swaylocks.
You say you’ve come off longboards so…
In regards to duckdiving your waterskate maybe you need to adjust your technique as well. The Powerglide I had was 7’ and had a lot more volume through the nose and rails than a waterskate and I could still duckdive it well.
Because it doesn’t have much nose rocker try moving forward on the board and elevating your body more to get more leverage to then push the nose under and go deeper. Don’t be in a hurry to pop back up to the surface as well. You may be coming up too early and copping too much foam which pushes you back? To help get leverage try putting a foot on your tail to control things as you push your nose under.
I know exactly where you’re surfing if you’re living on the west coast and the waterskate would be good there but sometimes the beachbreaks really dredge off the bottom. (My old stamping grounds).
Doesn’t Cobra at Ao Chalong have a good board range these days?
Grant is on holidays in India 1000’s of metres above sea level at the moment but should be back in a few weeks.
Thanks…V Skate is certainly on my list…Not had chance to talk to Grant yet but waterskate is a very user friendly board and has worked well for me.
Enjoying trying new stuff these days so also been looking at Jim Banks Cruisers, DVS Pocket Rockets and Rocket Fish any experience on these
Certainly my duck diving technique is inconsistent…Had some good surf this last week… more people in the water these days but still fun and relaxed. Cobra is full of Surftecs and NSP
I just happen to be the proud owner of a DVS carbon fibre, flex keel rocket fish as well.
For waves in Indo I’d rather be on a v-skate with a rounded pin than the DVS. I like riding mine in beachbreaks which are bowling rather than points.
I might add I live near Noosa and plenty of point waves around here but I prefer other boards I have over the DVS when they are on.
The v-skate is a much more forgiving board and its easier to get the best out of it.
The DVS needs plenty of skill to ride well IMHO because of the extremes in its contours/bottom curves. Look for the rasta interview thread probably a few pages back from this page to see a couple of pics of my board to see what I mean.
Of course Jim Banks knows Indo inside out so if you talked to him he’d be able to make a brilliant Indo board for you. I wouldn’t be looking at one of his cruisers though because you’ll want something which will be narrower and feel solid in the push of the waves you’ll get.
It would be too similar to the waterskate that you already have and the waterskate should be coming to Indo with you as well as any new board you get.
My mate has Banks exclusively and he has a lesser known fin box manufacturer’s plugs in his board and has consequently had trouble with getting fins when he’s broken fins out on rocks. Due to your location I’d advise getting him to put in FCS plugs so that you can then easily order fins over the net.
I’ve used FCS M5’s and M7’s in my v-skate.
All Cobra had when I lived there were sailboards. There was a surfshop opened up in Patong but I’m assuming it has gone. (Tsunami or poor sales).