I’m looking for an all rounder to surf up north in sloppy beach break with lots of paddling and heavy currents. I’m 6’ 0" 180 pounds and 39 years old ,out of shape and tired of spending 99% of my one day a month I get out in the surf paddling on short boards. Please help. I’m looking into either a McCoy 6’6" Nugget or an Al Merrick 6’8" M13.
I’ve surfed all my life on short boards so it’s frustrating for me to not be able to get into alot of waves .
Nugget for performance just ask Noel
M13 for a “tweener” i,e, funboard
there’s always a 6’2" 5-fin Griff fish too for something different
BTW
5’8", ~200lbs, >50, one a month or two unless it’s summer so I can relate…
The merricks a good board as is a desert island not as fun as the other two…
Another consideration is a real Parmenter Stubb Vector or widowmaker
Paddliing efficiency is not about size it’s about design…
Get a 7’ M13. It’ll do everything you want, no need for smaller.
I rode the 6’6" McCoy Nugget ST for about a year and had a good time with it. (For reference I’m 6’1", 190 lbs. and 41 yrs old.) It paddles very well, and works great in everything from chest to well overhead. The stories are quite true that loves a hollow fast wave. You’d be pleasantly surprised at how well it performs in beefy surf. The drawbacks I found are that it didn’t feel right in smaller surf and had a tendency to bog down in slow/flat sections, and you have to put a little extra effort into duck diving that much foam. However, it doesn’t sound like small surf is an issue for you.
Sorry, don’t know a thing about the M13.
your still a young guy,give you some advice that John Severson gave me when i was in my early twenties and he was in his forties maybe more on Maui i was in awe on this day that he was ripping on a short board i thought he was so old HA… now i am past that a decade or so…basically he said you got to stay on it,sorry to say one day a month will not cut it ,you got to make time…or you will let the dream go.visualize your self surfing everyday trust me when i say work ,life etc… start to get in the way of your passion but no one likes a grumpy husband ,dad etc… so find the time.the board advice in my view is not relevant you got to get the stoke back first,gone thru allot of transitions in my surfing life when on top of it the 6’10 comes out when i am out of it i settle for a long board main thing i am out there {the glide].i have often said that if a time came when my surfing suffers tremendously that i would get a stand up paddle just for the workout, being on the water ,not for catching waves,just the solitude the mental peace the glide.if it means allot to you find the time if not let it go and don’t look back cause the memories can be painful as no one in the lineup will remember you any more and it will be tougher to catch waves,last bit of advice be nice to the young guys cause when your old they will remember that you gave them a wave or two instead of being the wave hog of the day.pay back is a bitch… Aloha…
Thanks for the advice. I wish I had time to go but I don’t. Nobody here can deny that a wider thicker board will aid in wave count.I really don’t have to worry about taking waves from youngsters either as I usually surf alone. cheers
Longboards are just not an option.I like to cutback and these waves I surf just don’t cut it for longboards. After reading archive I think I’ll go with the Merrick. The M13 6’8" will do I hope.
I’m looking for an all rounder to surf up north in sloppy beach break with lots of paddling and heavy currents. I’m 6’ 0" 180 pounds and 39 years old ,out of shape and tired of spending 99% of my one day a month I get out in the surf paddling on short boards. Please help. I’m looking into either a McCoy 6’6" Nugget or an Al Merrick 6’8" M13.
I’ve surfed all my life on short boards so it’s frustrating for me to not be able to get into alot of waves .
Some of the Horans style surfboards I sell are in between the nugget and more pointed nosed type shortboards. Nuggets themselves vary greatly. I have seen some that are almost lazor zaps while others have a wider nose. For me the choice is obvious and easy. Most of the merricks still have shortboard float which is not really all that much and most of the nugget style or zappy style boards have as one of their main characterstics…major floatation. Also Ease of paddling and turning in the pocket.
If you want something that rides similar to other shapers shortboards, but floats just a hair better the Merrick is probably the better choice. The nuggets and Horan style of boards are a complete shift in board thinking. They just don’t ride like much of the other stuff out there. Some love it and others don’t take long enough to get used to it. If your a bigger surfer…I don’t think there is a better board on the market than a wide tailed nugget styled board shaped properly. Then there are Mccoys which are themselves pretty unique. The surftech Mccoys do not ride like the hand shaped variety. Cheyne says he likes them under six feet. I have heard others complain that they lack momentum of their handshaped nuggets.
Not intended to be spam on my part. Just info.
Hey solo.I sent a message to your website. Ok, I’ll take your word for it. I made the decision to buy a merrick only after reading the archives about the surftechs not having single fins. Sell me a single fin nugget!
Who is this McCoy guy? I wonder if we’re cousins … seriously … I’ve heard of his world famous shapes and wondered … I’m from a branch of the McCoys from Eastern Kentucky. (yes, those McCoys …)
Hey solo.I sent a message to your website. Ok, I’ll take your word for it. I made the decision to buy a merrick only after reading the archives about the surftechs not having single fins. Sell me a single fin nugget!
What type of shape are you looking for? Do you like the blunted noses or more pointed. Beach break or point breaks etc? Weight and surfing experience?
Surftech made a major mistake not making the Mccoys available in single fins. The first 7’11’’ did have one, but they changed it. The only Merrick Singles I have seen are the ones like Rob Machado rides. Nice outline, but more old school and in my opinion less performance oriented. The wider tailed type singles like the nuggets are not cruisers…they are made to throw around. I have not got a message from the site yet.
Good luck with your Merrick. It’s always nice to have a new board to try out. I still experiement when something catches my eye. One of those things I love about surfing.
Solo. Who shapes the boards? Where are they made? Where are you? How much.I’ll send another message via your website.
39 Y old .6’0" .180 LBS. Ex 1980-90’s ripper now out of shape Father of
two.Surfing cold Oregon beach break. Summer is 2/3 foot hollow walled
up fast stuff ,and winter is 4/8 steep walls.I’m a front foot surfer
who likes speed and carving so I don’t know if the Nugget will be for
me.
Noel
whats the size of the NEO ZAP BIG BONE on the web site? very cool
is Stamps shaping any of these out west?
hope your good - casey
Ekim,
I have a Horan from Noel (it’s the white with yellow rails on his site) The thing is awesome. Haven’t taken the spitfire fin out since I got one and it’s been fun in every thing from knee to head high surf, mostly dumpy beachbreaks. I’m pretty sold on them for what it’s worth…
Do not know much about Oregon shapers or waves but i would consult a local shaper in your area he knows the conditions better than some Santa Barbara shaper{All respect to Duncan, Fowler,Bradbury RIP, Yater guys that surfed great}then i would go down to Santa Cruz next lots of talented shapers there.Santa Barbara has got allot of lazy man point breaks spoilers and their spoiled, Santa Cruz has got a variety of waves and extreme conditions did i say cold…point conception north ouch ice cream head aches dimensions can be worked out with a shaper templates ,rocker rails etc…i think Cort Gion is up your way ,anyway don’t get caught up in some cookie cutter board good luck…
Noel
whats the size of the NEO ZAP BIG BONE on the web site? very cool
is Stamps shaping any of these out west?
hope your good - casey
Yes…Stamps did those. They will be finished with the gloss next week.
,anyway don’t get caught up in some cookie cutter board good luck…
There is no such thing. Certainly not from my camp.
Anyone have a pic of a Stubb Vector?
WM
I’ve been riding a 7’0" Tuftlite McCoy Nugget for the past three years (actually I’m on my second Nugget in three years). I’m 6’2" and tip the scale at 225 to 230. I love the boards and they work well here in the local beachbreaks of the Newport/Huntington area.
My problem is trying to get a new one. I’m assuming Surftech decided they were one of their least popular boards and limited their production. The local shop ordered me one but they’re telling me three to six months. That’s a long time… I’m thinking about giving the Merrick M13 a try but I love them Nuggets.
Does anybody have an ‘in’ with Surftech and can get the low down?
GET A MAT>
every thing paddles better than a mat
your relativity shift will make all choices
moot.
and the break from the surfboard mundane
will refresh your narrowed perspective.
surfing is way cool.
…ambrose…
hair splitting leads to
splitting atoms.
I’ve been riding a 7’0" Tuftlite McCoy Nugget for the past three years (actually I’m on my second Nugget in three years). I’m 6’2" and tip the scale at 225 to 230. I love the boards and they work well here in the local beachbreaks of the Newport/Huntington area.
My problem is trying to get a new one. I’m assuming Surftech decided they were one of their least popular boards and limited their production. The local shop ordered me one but they’re telling me three to six months. That’s a long time… I’m thinking about giving the Merrick M13 a try but I love them Nuggets.
Does anybody have an ‘in’ with Surftech and can get the low down?
Why don’t you just have Tim Stamps shape you a custom EPS Nugget? It’ll probably cost less than a popout and he can customize it to your specs.