I've read various postings lately where guys have knocked light boards and claimed they don't make good noseriders. I've ridden everything over the years from Tom Wegener's Paulownia boards through countless volan battleships to Surftechs. Personally I find the only advantage to weight (coupled with sensible design) is more stability when walking and added momentum, everything else about heavy boards suck. I have owned lots of heavy noseriders and I've found they're one trick ponies, hard to paddle, hard to catch waves on ( those upturned tail rails and sucky back end) and work in one critical part of the wave. Some of the best noseriding boards I've ever had have been Surftechs. I can do everything on a light board I can on a heavier board, only better.
I personally feel you would only want weight as a crutch to help you...dito with concave.... sure it can help you if you're not too adept at walking and noseriding but I personally feel it's a restriction.
Not much of a noserider, but i do like the ST longboards. The shortboards im not a fan of, but i do like the lightness and strength of the ST longboards. They gilde great too, though you're not allowed to admit it :).
You're spot-on Beerfan, it's like a dirty word to most of the 'purists'. Think I tried riding a shortie once when I was younger...couldn't get on with it. I have total respect for you guys that can ride those little boards. It's all good...we're in it for the same reason huh?
No problem roseriding a 9’2 EPS HP longboard. Acclerates faster. Turns faster and easier, too. Easier to catch waves? Maybe… I don’t have a problem either way. Definetly easier to carry down the beach!
In NO WAY does it have the same smooth glide, however, as a log, and is much less stable in the soup.
For me noseriding is a very quick move to the front. Setting the board out of the bottom turn for the walk is a large part of it. IMHO lighter boards get this done best. There was an intense focus on lighter weights throughout the noseride era (60’s) … there was a very significant reason why.
my 10 ftr is epoxy, and thicker than normal, 18 lbs with fins, 2 +1 but it works better as a single (less drag)
paddles great, but it takes a bump with my chest to get it to slide into smaller waves cause its a little corky
it doesnt maintain speed unless I drive it a little (kind of swishing it back and forth)
it woll nose ride just fine but I dont go there often, I like to carve
allways have to adjust your style for each board, their all good! (well most of them)
that all I got
Thanks for that Greg, honoured to hear your opinion. I guess for me it's more of a speed five deal, the front foot is right on the nose and my back foot is placed in the speed zone roughly two thirds up the board. It's easy to bring up that back foot for a full ten but as I say mine are more fives.You can set them up while trimming down the line and steer with your ankles. I actualy prefer the lightness, and like you so rightly pointed out Greg, why did so many shapers in the mid sixties pursue lighter boards for noseriding? The Harbour Cheater, the Steve Bigler step-deck ( was that one with Con?) the famous Da Cat (that might have been more to lower the centre of gravity that lowering weight) but nearly everyone had a step deck and tried dropping weight. There must have been a reason. If you entered a race would you want to drive a state of the art race car or take out a '49 Merc ? ( ok..unfair question..who wouldn't want a '49 Mercury??!!!) but you get my point yes? If someone offered you a board that made you surf better, catch waves easier, and manouver better than you ever dreamed possible are you going to say no? Well those boards are with us now. Right now. If you're going out tomorrow for a round of golf are you going to take a heavy old set of irons from back in the day? Of course not, so why do it with surfing?
I honestly believe if those guys back in the 'golden era' of the 50s and 60s could have got hold of an Aviso or a Surftech they would have ridden them.
So what’s light – what’s heavy?
9’0" --18lbs + or what?
It’s all relative of course.
Seems to me too light doesn’t carry speed as well but accelerates quickly and is has better momentary maneuverability. Off shore winds and chop ask for a little more substance.
No Worries, Rich
I know what you're saying Rich, off-shores on an epoxy composite longboard can be troublesome. Yes they don't have the built -in momentum but everything else about them is (for me) better. Especially the flex characteristics. Riding a PU board after a Surftech is like riding a soggy mattress, as if the memory has fallen out of it...which of course is how it will feel in time.
I guess I'm talking anything over 15/17lbs. on a ten footer. Of course it is relavent. My old Wegener Model A weighed in at 17kilos ( 35/40lbs?) so going to a 20lb volan board after that did feel light.
This isn't just about epoxy sandwich constructed boards of course. Guys like Greg have been working with hand shaped EPS blanks and epoxy resins for years. I'm really into the Surftechs but would love to try a hand shaped EPS/epoxy board, trouble is the only shapers over here building them are not making shapes i want to ride.