Help Planning New Board

General Discussion
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Hi to you all, and thank you to the Swaylock community for all the information I have gotten over the years from here. I have a bit of a selfish question about a new board I want to make for myself, but I trust this community over anyone else for advice.

I have made 4 boards over the last couple of years and have owned dozens over the last 20. I have had some fine boards, but I feel the board I want is elusive to me. I live and surf in Del Mar, CA. The waves are usually waist to chest high, and mushy. Occasionally you get a good run of winter surf about head high, bigger than that and it closes out. I grew up on short thrusters, but now tip the scales at 210lbs. I am 5’9" of mostly muscle with a new layer of office pudge.

I made a beautiful thruster/fish hybrid that I am sure would work great in Costa Rica or at Zicatela. But for my size and the conditions here it is not very usable. I have to wait until the wave has practically broken on my head for any hope of catching it. It just doesn’t paddle with me on it (and it is almost 3" thick!) I have a traditional longboard 9’1", and that is good, but I can’t paddle it out on heavier days. It also is just not my style. I may not shred, but I like to be able to do some cut backs.

So… can anyone point me to a shape/size/style that would work for San Diego waves, a 210lb/5’9", wannabe shredder? What I am hoping for is suggestions like, “check out the Channel Islands Model ***, or the Rusty ****.” Or, “try something with low entry rocker and a wide swallow based on the **** blank.” Then I could study boards that should work and try to come up with something. I just feel like I don’t know even what to look for in the shape and I don’t trust some 15 year old sales guy trying to sell me the latest Al Merrek design to steer me in the right direction.

Thanks again for any help.

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McCoy Nugget

3
Quote:
McCoy Nugget

Completely agree.

I’m 215 or so & love mine in conditions much like you describe. Small front for duckdiving easy, big wide tail getting in where the longboards do, hard rails for quick planing, single fin for fast paddling & trimming, round tail & good bottom contours for all the turns you want.

Mine’s 7’1, I’m 6’2. You could probably go anywhere from 6’6" to 7’ and be happy with it, just depends a little on how hard you want to work & what kinds of crowds you have to contend with.

My one gripe is its not the same board backside as it is frontside. Still better than most, but the wide tail is pretty far from the fin & heels just can’t finesse (at least not for me) the same little work between fin & rail that toes can. I’m still trying fins and maybe the magic one (starfin, anyone?) will fix this.

Get the real thing from Ricky Carroll in Florida. Solosurfer on this BB can hook you up.

I am a long-time & committed longboarder, but competent enough to have spent quality time on fish, eggs, big-guy-tris, semiguns, etc. I shortboarded, like you, from Jr. high until a few years after college when my water time just plummeted with work commitments etc. When I got a little time back, I wanted something different from surfing - I get all the competition & adrenaline I need from adult life and go surfing to mellow out in the sea…

This thing is closer to an all-around board than I ever thought existed before I got it.