Hull sizing

General Discussion
1

I’m getting ready to purchase my first hull. I have a few different options I’m mulling over and I need some good advice on a good first hull. I haven’t ever used one (and only seen one in the water once), so I have no point of reference on how the bladed rails and lack of volume on the edges change the way the board floats. I’m 6’2" 190 lbs. I have 4 boards I surf on a regular basis and 3 are 6’2" or under. my main go-to is a twin keel fish (5’7 x 21 1/4 x 2 7/8), it gets me into an awful lot of waves. i have a 6’2" singlefin pumpkin seed and even at that length, i love forward trim on it. I also have a longboard and love walking the entire deck.

My question is: should i go for a stubbie, something in the low to mid 6 foot range or go bigger like to 7-7’5" range and have some room to move?

I know this question is obtuse and completely relative, but as I said, I have no point of reference. so i thought maybe yall could give me some feedback on how the different lengths are ridden differently. how the displacement ratio changes with the lack of volume on the rails  - i.e. maybe the 7’0" paddles like a 6’0"? with something in the 6’0" range am i going to have a hard time getting into waves? and which hull variants are better for point and beach breaks, since I do have a point or two close by, but generally have more varied breaks/conditions. and lastly, I live in a warm water environment so I rarely wear a wetsuit, not sure if this changes dims.

any advice would be great. thx.

2

where to start?!

im exactly the same size, so heres what i tend to ride as a lazy/glidey paddler:

all around good point wave board is a 7’ x 22 3/4 x 2 3/4, up to 3" thick depending…more than that is nice too.

for beachbreaks im down in the 6’1 range, more a wide tailed, narrower nose style with a very full outline. i rode a 6’8 recently on a really good day at a local point and it went great, no issues in paddling, it was thicker in the rails than my normal board also.

a general rule to keep in mind would be that the longer the board, the faster it will go but the hard it will be to turn, the shorter they are, the more they turn but the less top speed they have. so it’s gonna depend on if you have a wave that will allow you to get to those high speeds…in that case you’d probably want one in the 6’10-7’4 range depending on how much you want to surf it! 7’ is the magic number for me and a lot of other hull guys!

3

I love my round nose 6’10" Fineline diamond tail 2+1 set up at the local beach break because it speeds like a hull should yet turns on a dime. By the way I am 5’8" and around 175lbs but tend to ride boards w/ a little more foam w/ my quiver being a 6’3" twinner, 6’10" hull, 7’2" thruster (step up), and a 9’ pin tail nose rider.