Contact Resinhead…
You, dude!
Yep - you’re gonna struggle big time on that board…get a larger, more generously framed shaper and work with him.
I see lots of people under volumed for their size…I think I remember reading that G loehr’s shortboard is 7 6 X 20" ish - He’s a few pounds heavier than you … but an awesome surfer…unconcerned with conventional choices.
Watch Youtube stuff and see how the top guys work the face and pump the board. Get someone to video you and compare, I think you will be dismayed at the difference but it will give you something to work on !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1UglsgFG_s&feature=related [2:55 to 3:00] EDIT ** April 2009 This link is down now - vid removed by user - but you can see pumping of the board in many surf vids**
I rode an old Tiki that had a dire single plastic fin and a veetop – I rock and rolled either side of the stringer. My mate said it was a bag of crap – I thought it was ace once standing !
I have an old 9’ Biarritz gun (who is cristos ?)– couldn’t’ do a thing on it for weeks, but suddenly I was getting good cutbacks and verts finishing each wave with a nice big floater.
My shorty is 6’2” along the rocker and I was about 185 when I rode that well (eventually), looking to get back in this summer at 196 with no concerns with an aim to accomplish ariel 360’s !
Your board isn’t bogging because you say you can link turns.
Have an advanced surfer critique you and ask for pointers, this may be all you need.
Oh, and have someone try your board to see what they think if you need reassurance, after all a new board will mean getting used to it again, and who’s to say others would have made those sections anyway.
Besides, you are probably better than I am !
I have realised that i am a mostly front foot surfer, and that i just cant get the shortboard style boards to work. I always got over on the front foot, expecting serious drive, but they stop dead. I cant really get used to being heavy on the backfoot. Maybe this is happening for you as well??. I note you came from a longboard, to an egg to a fish, thats why i ask.
Like most people say maybe a longer wider thicker one to get the hang of, then drop down. I think if you were to progress to a shortboard, a longer one with maybe a widepoint dead on centre would help.
JBJ, you have some good advice here concerning the equpment, I’d like to offer some advice about improving your game. (Free advice is almost always worth the money)
San Diego has some classic waves. But it is also pretty weak a lot of the time. My surfing improved drastically every time I spent some time in Hawaii. The North Shore of Oahu’s waves are faster and more powerful than San Diego, forcing you to speed up their own game if you want to surf. Springtime is an ideal time to visit there, as a most of the pros will have moved on, and the huge winter swells are winding down. The locals will call it flat, but for a San Diegan who doesn’t want huge waves, it’s a blast. And when you go back home, somehow your surfing will have magically improved.
My .02
Cosmo
I agree, buy a skateboard, build a ramp that goes up to about 80 degrees. Spend 30 mins everyday turning off the top forehand and backhand.
Agree 100% with getting a skateboard. Go hit the local ditches and parks. Pumping the pockets in a park will help you get more speed in the water. Speed is the foundation for everything…
Thought I would check back in after getting all this great input. Since first posting I’ve found a great local shaper, I picked up a skateboard & I’ve been having a blast! My first board (since selling the 6’5 thruster) is very close to what was recommended to me in the first posts- a 6’8-20.25-2.6 quad shortboard. The board is insane. Since this board is getting me into MANY more waves and has more built in speed I’ve really been working on generating speed and learning how to use it. I’m Starting to get the pumping thing down- Taking the high line, pumping for speed while making sections, coming of the bottom and hearing the thud of the lip hitting the board and doing it again is one of the best feelings on earth. Holy shit! I’m actually shortboarding! I was not sure that I would be able to get the hang of it, but it’s coming along for sure. Back side is a little more difficult but I’m having more success. BS off the lips are tricky, but BS roundhouse cutbacks to foam bounce seem to come pretty easy. Any way, this is so much fun. I’m currently having a 6’4-20.65-2.75 hybrid fish shaped for the smaller days,I can’t wait! So thanks again all!
Keep making them bigger. Bigger doesn’t mean a loss of performance. Big guys need big boards. Most small guys can’t understand that. It’s equalized volume. Johnny pump & squirt with a 6’2’ thruster weighing in at 135-160lbs can’t begin to sink the rails of a 7’8" high performance thruster. But a guy weighing in at 195-220 sure as shit can.
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Thought I would check back in after getting all this great input. Since first posting I’ve found a great local shaper, I picked up a skateboard & I’ve been having a blast! My first board (since selling the 6’5 thruster) is very close to what was recommended to me in the first posts- a 6’8-20.25-2.6 quad shortboard. The board is insane. Since this board is getting me into MANY more waves and has more built in speed I’ve really been working on generating speed and learning how to use it. I’m Starting to get the pumping thing down- Taking the high line, pumping for speed while making sections, coming of the bottom and hearing the thud of the lip hitting the board and doing it again is one of the best feelings on earth. Holy shit! I’m actually shortboarding! I was not sure that I would be able to get the hang of it, but it’s coming along for sure. Back side is a little more difficult but I’m having more success. BS off the lips are tricky, but BS roundhouse cutbacks to foam bounce seem to come pretty easy. Any way, this is so much fun. I’m currently having a 6’4-20.65-2.75 hybrid fish shaped for the smaller days,I can’t wait! So thanks again all!
That’s awesome. Stay stoked.
Just remember, it’s better to surf like a skater than to skate like a surfer.
C
Im 6’3" 218 an dropping. I started skating pools and ramps as a kid and I have to concur that those same “pumping” mechanics in skating will help your surfing by leaps and bounds. On quality waves I can get by on a 6’8" thruster that is 18.75 x 14" tail at 2 5/8 thick but it is still work paddling. I’d still like to get more drive right off of the drop so I have been looking at bigger fins like the futures AM-479. They are Al Merrick templates and they are some of the largest thruster fin sets made by futures. This thread has generated a lot of great feedback but I was hoping someone would address fin size as well. Does anyone have any experience on swapping in a larger fin set like the AM-479s? What type of waves were you surfing and what changes did you notice?
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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.
Good advice and I would go a full 21 wide as well.
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Im 6’3" 218 an dropping. I started skating pools and ramps as a kid and I have to concur that those same “pumping” mechanics in skating will help your surfing by leaps and bounds. On quality waves I can get by on a 6’8" thruster that is 18.75 x 14" tail at 2 5/8 thick but it is still work paddling. I’d still like to get more drive right off of the drop so I have been looking at bigger fins like the futures AM-479. They are Al Merrick templates and they are some of the largest thruster fin sets made by futures. This thread has generated a lot of great feedback but I was hoping someone would address fin size as well. Does anyone have any experience on swapping in a larger fin set like the AM-479s? What type of waves were you surfing and what changes did you notice?
Yes…we are about the same size, but your about 2’’ taller. I like large fins for thrusters. Larger at the base but with a smaller tip. Then there are wide tailed singles. I still think those work great for Big boys.
For some of you heavier guys try bigger less flexy fins, they can totally change the way your board rides. Pay the money for them they are well worth it.
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For some of you heavier guys try bigger less flexy fins, they can totally change the way your board rides. Pay the money for them they are well worth it.
i’ve got a 7’6" fun fish that’s 21 1/4 wide tri-fin FCS setup - i’m 6’3" 220. what kind of fins do you recommend? could i also benefit from taking the middle fin out? i’m still learning and standing up on a 9’0" and a 7’11" fun shape but not regularly on the funfish yet.
i still have trouble catching non-breakers with the funfish and the 7’11"
I’ll add to the what the others said, you don’t have enough volume for your weight on that thruster. Also you need to keep in mind that at your weight, anything under 8 feet you’re going to have to pump, regardless of thickness. On board selection, there are a few big guys that can and do ride thrusters and fish that are way out of proportion for their weight. However, these are pretty good surfers and it only works for them in faster waves.
On getting a custom made, you need be careful with what you ask for and then wind up with. A so-called big-guy thruster will in reality handle more like the egg shape you had but with a bit more manuoverability from the reduce volume nose. There are probably lots of rack fun boards in the 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 foot range which will do the same thing for you if 2-7/8 to 3+ inches thick. EPS/epoxy will allow you to go thinner and get the same float, but it is a different ride than what you’re used to.
I would recommend that you check out Infinity (www.infinitysurf.com), they make a lot of standard boards for big and heavy guys. On thick boards, the rails and rockers need special attention, and Infinity does this pretty good.
On progressing after 35, it often becomes a challenge to just maintain a certain skill level. Have a goal but be realistic about your capabilities.
Not to be a bert nut swinger… but I followed some of his advice I read here and am just loving the board I made for my 3 months on maui
I was torn between making a quad/quin or sticking to a thruster and following his advice.
But I did and dont regret it at all. The board I made is 6’5" 20.5" and 2 3/8" with barely 2 inches of tail rocker and probably 6 inches of nose rocker… has a rounded pin with the nose entry starting early at the front foot and man do I love this thing. It has so much drive and is so loose… with the nose high and free and the loose outline and I can throw the nose anywhere I please. So far it has done amazing in the hawaiian swells up to a few feet overhead… have yet to pearl and make a bad drop and can take off pretty much as late as I please without eating it. I wouldnt recommend the width if your not heavier and taller, as im about 190 and maybe 6’2", but for bigger guys I think this is the way to go…
I’ve surfed some other thrusters with more drawn out outlines with tail flipped rockers and its just not my style… more long drawn out turning but seems to move a little quicker when the waves are super shitty.
When I return to FL I plan to go the opposite route with a quin, narrower board with a smoother outline and a minor tail flipped rocker thanks to the advice from mr craftee, but right now im having trouble faulting this board… this is my 3rd attempt at pinning this outline/rocker harmonization and this time I got it right.
“I would recommend that you check out Infinity (www.infinitysurf.com), they make a lot of standard boards for big and heavy guys. On thick boards, the rails and rockers need special attention, and Infinity does this pretty good.”
Hey Pete, can you elaborate on rails and rocker on thick boards?