I’ve been following the discussions for awhile but this is my first time posting. Here is my background-
I’m 6’2 and about 205 lbs without a wetsuit. I Started surfing at 30 ( got in the game late) After moving to central California. My first board was a 9’0 tri-fin longboard. I swam on a team when I was younger so paddeling and poping up came kind of easy.In a year I was able to do slow, drawn out bottom turns, top turns & cutbacks. Next year I moved down to a 7’0 tri-fin egg. I pretty much surfed it the same way, I was just able to make tighter arcs and link turns together better. Next year to move down in length, I Picked a 6’6 retro fish off the rack which rode very differently, but got the hang of it. then my wife got transfered to Southern California & I decided I wanted to try a full on shortboard. I went in to a local shop and ordered a standard thruster in the size recommended to me, a 6’5&19.75&2.5 I was told that If I go too long my feet won’t be in the “sweet spots” making the board not ride as well as it could. I’ve been riding nothing but this board about 3-4 times a week and I can duck dive it pretty well, catch a few waves, make a couple of turns, but I feel like I just can’t seem to generate enough speed to do what I want to do on it. I miss sections & everybody else seems to strugle a lot less than me. I’m 35 now & I broke the board last year so I ordered the next in EPS epoxy to give me a little more float but i still feel like my progression has stopped. I’m surfing mostly Beach breaks and a few reef breaks mixed in. Don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy being in the ocean. I would be happy just swimming, nothing more. But while I’m still young I would like to get the hang of the shortboard thing. So should I just quit whining and stay on the same board? change it up ? any sincere advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank You!
Unless youre a gifted surfer, that board is not adequate for you at 205. You need more lift and volume.
At 205 in avg waves you need more width or thickness or length. It just depends on your style and waves. For all around beach break, I’d go somewhere around 6’8 x 20.5 x 2.75+, wide tailed (~15.5-16") with low rocket fish type rocker, about 2" in the tail.
I have a friend in your size cat and he ordered a custom Stretch EPS from Santa Cruz about the same dims as your 6’5…waited several months…paid the shipping to FL…he tried it a couple times then sold it to his friend cuz there wasnt enough volume. I could make a board that would rock his world but he is very stubborn on brands. His loss.
I’d go find a reputable local shaper who’s shapes appeal to you. He’s going to know the types of waves you surf and what will / won’t work on them. Take your current board with you for him to look at. If you have any preferences let him know (quad, thruster, shape…) Have him make you a custom. I’m assuming that “central CA” means SF or Santa Cruz. There a TON of great shapers in the area, just have a look around. I’m sure a lot of folks here would suggest the same. Have fun and welcome to Swaylocks!
“I went in to a local shop and ordered a standard thruster in the size recommended to me, a 6’5&19.75&2.5 I was told that If I go too long my feet won’t be in the “sweet spots” making the board not ride as well as it could.”
Hi JBJ -
It sounds like you have enough experience under your belt to draw your own conclusions. Your description of what your other boards rode like should be your clue. I.E. what worked for you not what somebody in a shop thinks should work for you. From what you describe, it sounds like you’ve covered the spectrum of sizes and have perhaps gone too short.
Stick with what paddles good and carries your weight, not what Joe Pro rides. Subtle changes in fin set ups can provide a lot of different rides with a single board of suitable size. Keep that board and ride it until you really know what it (and you) can do.
I have to agree… I believe your board’s too small. I’d go longer (6’8 sounds about right) but more like 20" or 20.5 at the wide point, about 4 inches back from center, and 2 5/8 thick with medium full rails. I get the idea of a wide tail, as somebody said here, but I’d stay under 16" if it’s a standard squash thruster. Closer to 16" is OK if you’re going with a swallow, which might not be a bad idea. I’d also go with a single concave and a somewhat relaxed rocker but with a little added kick in the tail. I say this because you may not have the pumping thing down yet, and I think single concaves don’t require the “perfect pump” to make sections like single to doubles do, IMHO.
That sounds like enough foam, and I say this in part because you mentioned you’re able to catch waves. Also, you then said you went with a slightly floatier eps / epoxy board, so you did add a touch of float. Maybe a little more still, but let’s say you go with plenty more. What then?
Well, once you’ve caught the wave, having another liter or 5 of foam isn’t going to help you get any more vertical, or air over any sections, so I’m not sure I can see how that is the answer to your lack of progression.
Maybe the board is just a dog, and you’re Kelly Slater being held back by awful equipment. Have you tried a selection of similar boards to see how that affects things? Rent, borrow, etc. Eliminate that variable. As was mentioned, factors like rocker, bottom and fin config are huge.
Maybe you should take a lesson from a really good surfing coach. Eliminate your technique as a variable, and see if you know how to generate speed, and then channel it.
It also sounds a bit to me like you’re off the steep part of the learning curve, and whinging a little because you aren’t Mick Fanning yet. ;>)
“I went in to a local shop and ordered a standard thruster in the size recommended to me, a 6’5&19.75&2.5 I was told that If I go too long my feet won’t be in the “sweet spots” making the board not ride as well as it could.”
Hey now, maybe you could sue them for making a bad recommendation.
Spud, didn’t they make movies of a serial killer guy wearing a mask and a power tool?
When you first start surfing improvements come quickly, once you hit a certain level it becomes harder to measure. I would definitely ride as many boards as possible, everyone likes something different. I don’t want to burst your bubble, and I am making a general observation not a hard fast rule, but most people who start surfing late in life (after 25) seem to hit a certain point and not improve much more. It might be a time in water thing. When I was in my teens and early twenties I surfed nearly everyday for 2-4 hours. With the responsibilities of adulthood I am lucky to surf 2-4 days a week. I don’t know many 35 year olds who can put in the time it takes to become a really good surfer. I would guess your surfing (standing up) time maybe a minute or less for every hour you our surfing, unless you live at J-bay or Rincon. If you are surfing so cal beach break it might be less than that.
I think you’re too heavy for a board this size. I’m 250 pounds and tried riding a 6’5" and got nowhere on it. Moved to a 7’3" mini mal which was much better. From my experience you would want to be on a 6’10" at least. With your size you should be able to throw it around pretty good.
What size waves are you riding now? Smaller boards need more power, so small waves or weak waves may be the problem. What is it about short board riding you want. Sometimes it’s all about the surfer and not so much about the board. If you go out to a spot that is ridden by locals who’ve surfed there all their lives, they’re going to make things look a lot easier than it may be. Especially if the waves are smaller and weaker.
I’d get me something that will have a nice glide and just have fun. You mentioned a 6’6" fish. That would be a fun, fast board, that should paddle very well, and turn easily.
Did I write this post? I could have. I’m 6’3, 200, and I’m in the pool three times a week. The difference is I’m 32 and moved to San Diego when I was 28. I didn’t put in quite as much board time as you did, but I definitely hit the wall you and everyone else describes for older beginners. (I was riding a 7’3" merrick flyer 2). Here’s my experience:
I went to a local shop (MolluskNYC) where instead of trying to sell me one of the really fine boards they had in stock, they referred me to a very talented local shaper to help me work out my own development with local conditions. So now I have a beautiful 6’8"x 21 x 2 7/8" swallowtail quad with a single concave. I love it, just learning a new board is a challenge, but everything seems to work better than it did with my merrick and its over-sized computer scaled rails. I suspect the computer scale up wasn’t terribly successful in terms of Fin placement either.
MY POINT: GO CUSTOM. 1) FIND A SHAPER. 2) BE HONEST. 3) put your time in. 4) push your boundaries. 5) repeat.
PS: Much love to Brian Wynn in Atlantic City. great advice, great shape, great color, great glass.
Hey JBJ, after seeing literally hundreds of guys in your exact position I think I could add to the excellent advice you have already received.
Dave Parmenter noted in his excellent article on surfboard design that the modern thruster shortboard is a “power-hungry” design. That is unless you have the technique to generate speed through pumping and constantly turning you will be BOGGING and LOSING SPEED.
This sounds like what is happening to you. If you are not sure get someone to video you and have an honest look at it.
The technique to ride a modern shortboard with flow and speed is a WHOLE NEW BALL GAME from riding a longboard, funboard or fish …all of which have some built in glide and trim.
Why do you want to ride a modern shorty ? If it’s just to fulfil some fantasy of being like the hot young kids , you have a frustrating journey in front of you and will most likely quit surfing unless you are independently wealthy and can spend all day every day at the beach surfing.
There are plenty of shortboards that have adequate volume and rocker to take you to the next level…at the moment you are going backwards until you get off that board.
This is way more input than I thought i would recieve-great stuff!! Why do I want to ride a modern shortboard? I guess I wanted to see how good I can get- maybe be able to do a good off the lip someday. Maybe I should be just be happy to cruise on a big fish. You guys gave me lots of food for thought. One thing for sure, The board I’m riding now is not working. I’ll talk to a shaper and get a board with a different rocker and more volume. thanks all!!
I live in north PB, surf usually around the La Jolla reefs and PB beach break. I’m 20 years old, 5’6 and a highly athletic 150lbs. I ride a 6’5x19.5x2.5 Sharp Eye thruster as my step up board a lot at the reefs. There are soo many different types of breaks in SD, wave type and your style play hugely into board choice
My humble advice to you is to get a skateboard. Most people who grew up on the coast spent time on them as kids and got the balance/ moves down on them before they had the ability to do the stuff on a surfboard.
Making that progression from mere survival on a wave to surfing a shortboard well demands some basic skills that you might not even have.
You also need some attitude. Skateboarding is good for that too.
And to be honest, it ain’t the board. Flat out. If the thing floats you and isn’t absolutely horribbly beat to shit, then it’s all on you. A good surfer can surf well on anything.
yeah, so go skate. Push yourself. Then push yourself in the water. The odds are against you though. Good luck!
