I was looking to get a midrange board to bridge the gap between my longboard 9’2’’ and my shortboards 6’6’’ (biggest shortboard). I was contemplating a liddle inbetweener in the 7’6’’ range. I live on Long Island and surf mostly beachbreak. Im 5ft6 155 lbs and been surfing for 14 years. Any suggestions, and how do the liddle hulls ride compared to other boards in that range.
Thanks
Enter “Liddle” into the Archive search and read away (especially the “Gross Period”) Usually, they like a lined up wall best but I’ve seen Mr. Putman do the deed on beachbreak from perfect A- Frame to crossed up storm dump. They just need a little getting used to…
They’re very front-foot driven. Wide point well forward, 4-10 (!) inches. Dropping into beachbreak waves, with everything else that can be going on, can often demand some back foot focus…so it’s really hard to get your giddy-up going to the front. The design is for clean point waves, but that doesn’t mean beaches are impossible. But the midlength shapes that are meant for beachbreaks tend to be more of the wide back/hipped/double-ender shape. Like Takayama flo egg, Hobie retro egg, Tudor diamond tail in the 7-8’ range, even the famous Nuggets in the larger ranges…all with pretty flat planing bottoms or concaves, not deep-vee displacement hulls.
Thanks for the info Benny. I was intrigued by the liddle displacement hull but maybe I’ll look into something with more of a flat bottom.
Benny, I wouldnt say the Liddles have a deep V .
kirk would you recommend a liddle for beachbreak?
SurfLI, Greg can shape any type of board you want . He just sent me a nice 7’7’’ 21.25 wide , nose 16’’ tail 15’’ 3’'thick it was a old beachbreak template I had that he updated. His standard point shapes are better for down the line surf, but not limited to it .It just depends on what you want .If you want rip the lip off every wave or ride the glide and FEEL the trim.
I surf Long Island beach break on a very front foot orientated board, once you get the hang of it, its not that bad
I can add a few insights here- I surf a 7’1" smoothie, with a really wide nose (18-1/2")- You get a lot of extra paddling speed out of the wider template- It’s pretty easy to get into waves with, so a lot of late takeoffs has not been a problem (even with a 44 year old motor!). It’s not the type of board that one would want to take of late, and take a really straight line to the bottom of the wave with. Your best served to get a little angle in your drop- Mabe check the outside edge a bit if the wave is really flat … Then drive the thing through the initial bottom turn- The Board is surfed more forward than a thruster (back foot stays about foot and a half more forward, Id say)but you still involve the back foot in the turn. Your Just more centered, rather than pivoting off the tail- These boards are really smooth- If your looking for a longer, smoother line, on whatever type of wave your going to put it in, I think you be stoked with the Liddle! Maybe keep a little width out of the nose of the board, for a more beach break friendly craft. I should add that I have not put much time into small Junky surf with My smoothie- (which is a good thing!)-
i would say the in betweener should work just fine-it’s template, 2plus 1 fin set-up, and little extra rocker-compared to a point break model-is definitley made with beach break and reef surf in mind.believe me, it will feel way different than a flat bottom board and if you are not careful, you might get hooked on the hull bottom neutral rail type board.i wouldn’t hesitate to get one, and if it doesn’t work you could always sell it at a reasonably good price, as liddles are a sought after board…
Hey guys, sorry 'bout the late jump on this thread, but I’ve been wanting to educate myself on these type boards for awhile. I have a 7’6" Cooperfish Comet (which I love for my area’s waves). Is this board considered somewhat similar to what Liddle is doing with his midrange displacement boards? The bottom of my Comet DOES look pretty “displacement-y” or “hullish”…
Matt,
If its the board you had the last time I saw you then it is pretty much a hull…If you cut a bunch of sections through your board, I think that they would have pretty much the same shape; the width and thickness would change but the outline of the section would look the same. With Liddle-school (Anderson, Bojorquez, Andeini, Kellogg, Gross) hull, the shape would change as you went from nose to tail. In other words the deepest part of the hull changes from nose to tail. Your Cooperfish looked like pretty much the same depth of hull from tip to tail.
Maybe the best way to classify (if that’s what you want to do) a board might be the way it turns…If it drives and rail turns from one place on the deck, it’s a hull. If it pivots then you step up to trim, it’s something else.
I’m picking up a new Liddle this week…Let’s get together and we’ll swap…one wave and you’ll know.
Just out of curiosity does G Liddle put color in any of his boards. All of the Liddles I ever saw were clear. Not that it matters I was just curious.
Lee given your “drive and rail turns from one place on the deck vs pivot/trim”
criteria, how long do you think a hull can be?
Is a LONGboard with substantial belly not a hull because you need to
step back and pivot inorder to make a sharp turn?
My 10’6" will rail turn but not if you expect it to do so quickly.
4est,
I’m only speaking from personal experience so that is with 6’-7’6" “hull’s”. Kirk Putnam, Matt, and Spence ride longer versions so maybe they’ll jump in…
Oh yeah Lee, that’d be sweet. I’d LOVE to check that thing out. Let me know when you get it. I can’t surf 'til the weekend, however. I hit my self in the face with my fish (right, right… while surfing - not self-flagellation), while surfing Beacons on Sunday - had to get a few sutures on the eyebrow. Anyway, back in the water by Saturday…
SurfLI, Liddle will do color, but Ill ask just to make sure. msacht,Gene Cooper rode Liddles boards before he started shaping. Hulls can be made longer but I have had best results in the 6’’ to 9’’ foot range. I just checked and I have 18 hulls from 6’0’’ to 9’0’’ in around 2’’ to 4’’ increments any ? on a board size let me know. Also have 2 new Liddles left a 7’7’’ double ender and a 7’6’’ smoothie.Shamless plug.
Kirk, I’d like to check out your 9’ liddle that you had up at SA-04.
I want to build one similar out of the 9’1"Y blank I got in the raffle.
Do you think the rockers (your liddle vs the 9’1"Y) will be compatable?
May be we could hook up so I could ride it and get another good look at it before I start moing foam.
Sorry to jump in but the 9’1"Y is not the best blank with which to shape a hull unless you have the custom rocker glued into the blank prior to shaping. The stock rocker will not allow for an s-deck. There are crowns in the bottom and bows in the deck where you need flat spots and humps. Works great for more contemporary designs. Shape a modern longboard, sell it, go buy a 10’3", then shape a hull.
Hey Spence , Forest already did a nice first board I forget what blank he used but it was a great first effort, glassed him self also. I think it was the Velzy plug. Forest, Spence KNOWS ! what blank to use . Spence he is into 9’0’’ roundtail ala Roger PG.