What is a better shape for an older surfer that rides mushy knee high to 12 foot beachbreak and would like to switch from a longboard to a shorter board? Hybrid or Egg? Tri-fin or single?
SF
While I wouln’t consider “12’ beachbreak” one of the realistic goals of a fun/hybrid/egg, certainly you can ride up to arms reach overhead with some success, but you’ll find equipement limitations hindering your performance in anything bigger.
I’ve seen it done, but the surfer was pure “expert to better” level, his eyes dropping in at 10’ were bigger than saucers, and his gun board was out of service at the repair shop.
Notice I lump hybrid/egg/fun as the SAME thing.
If you like to experiment with specific turning styles, go 3 big strong boxes, with the side boxes needing to handle 7" fins.
If you adhere to the KISS theory, then a single 9" fin can do it all.
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While I wouln’t consider “12’ beachbreak” one of the realistic goals of a fun/hybrid/egg, certainly you can ride up to arms reach overhead with some success, but you’ll find equipement limitations hindering your performance in anything bigger.
Arms overhead is good enough. !2 feet is about the maximum wave we get around here and it is tough to paddle through when there. I’m more interested in a board that can ride everyday head high waves with a looser feel than my 9ft LB. That said, I still want it to paddle well and not require constant pumping to keep speed. You feel that eggs, funboards and hybrids are all equal? I was hoping to gather opinion to determine if one design would be more appropriate for my situation.
A lot would depend on what type of fin set up you use. Eggs generally use a single or 2 plus one set up, whereas a hybrid would usually have a thruster set up. I have both, a 2+1 egg and a bonzer bottomed thruster hybrid, both seven footers. I love both boards. The egg surfs better using a smoother style, the hybrid I pump more and can get more vertical.
I tend to agree with Foamdust, but I did it with ONE board.
the same 7’9" x 22 works best for me as a twin with 6x6"ers, does fine with less snap with 3, 4.75"ers, and most surfers use that shape with a 9" single…anything smaller just spins out or drops off the wall of a decent wave.
You can shove the widepoint forwards, shove it back, widen or narrow the nose and tail, but it’s still a “funboard”…something that works all around with ease for small to medium waves.
a egg or a funboard would ride more like a LB than a “hybrid”. My main board this winter was a 7’-2" x 20.75" hybrid type board that I made. It had all the bottom contures and rails of a modern day short board but had a fuller nose and mid section. It worked great in overhead surf. eggs or funboards work better in smaller stuff where my hybrid board wouldn’t work that great in slow waves under 3’
http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=241;
I think I’m leaning toward the egg shape. The hybrids are cool but my opportunity to ride it up here would be limited. Waves average 2-8ft and often choppy and mushy. Any suggestions on board length for a 39 year old, 6ft 170lb guy wrapped in rubber surfing these conditions? 7’6"? 7"10"?
just my opinion but I would not surf a 7’10" egg in 8 foot surf. Too hard to duck dive, for one thing. Sounds to me like you should have a couple of boards, an 8’ egg for the smaller mushier days, and a 7’0 thruster/hybrid for when it’s 6-12 foot. Plus or minus some length depending on how good of a surfer you are, how hard you can paddle, how thin you like your boards, etc.
This board might not be right for most, but it serves me well in a lot of situations. It’s good for waist high to 2 -3x overhead. It’s a modified version of Rustys Desert Island series. I put a concave through the entire bottom, to flat out the tail. C-5 fin set up for when it gets small, and take them out when it gets thumping. It’s realtively easy to duck dive with the thinned out nose. Yes, it can be duck dived. 9’0" x 21 x 2 7/8. Takes a bigger guy to make it work 200 lbs or so, but a smaller version at 8ft would work well for a 170 lber.
-Jay
That’s kinda what I was thinking… especially if you’re looking and transitioning from long to short.
I have something similar, a hybrid, thruster setup, 8 feet long around 21" wide and 2.5 thick (I’m a 160 lb-er and I barely scratch the water surface on it - thin rails a must). I’ve paddled into 12-15 on it, it works great (actually that’s about all I ride it in anymore)… I can also ride it in mushy waste high crap. It turns real well, and I can kinda whip it around… It’s a bit boring for anything in the chest to overhead range, but I’m a shortboarder, and that’s prime for a 6’2. I would definately say it’s an all around board.
Thanks for all of the advice. Although I’m still not sure what I’m going to get in the end, you all helped me trim down the list a bit. The short, round eggs are out as well as the short, narrow hybrids. Something in the middle sees the most versatile. Here’s what I’m considering;
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Becker Speed Shape
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Desert Island C-5
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Takayama Surttech Egg
All between 7’6" to 8’. If anyone has any thoughts on these, let me here it.
What a great website. I’ve learned a lot here.
a guy named greg Liddle rides 7’8" eggs at well overhead surf in Hawaii with no problem.Check his boards at liddlesurfboards.com, if for anything, to get some ideas of wht is possible…
No doubt!
But that same board would SUCK at 2’ Trestles at high tide!
Heck, Bonga P rides a 9’2" longboard at 8’ Pipe! Would YOU want to try that?