Great paint
Huck wrote, " I find most online descriptions are designed as a selling tool not really for conveying information accurately ", that is perhaps the most polite way that I have ever heard anyone call what we all know as bullshit .
Thanks gbzausa, but I really wasn’t trying to say it was all bullsh!t, while some of it is clearly hype, there is also truth to what is being said.
For example, most surfers understand the intended message in those comments, i.e. we know aging guys who still like to lay a board on rail that don’t want to go to a longboard style of riding, we know guys who could probably “rip” a little better with the proper board (maybe that’s all of us!), we know a board with flat rocker and parallel rails doesn’t “fit” the face of a wave as well as a board with some rocker and curve to the plan shape.
Its just that the wording of the sales commentary is designed to serve a different purpose than the analytical approach required for our purposes here on swaylocks. Just trying to sort out in my own mind what are the real facts of midlength surfboard design, since as the o.p. pointed out, it is the most “hated” category of surfboards, so there are I think a lot of negative myths and misconceptions attached to the subject, and the natural reaction is to counter with hype and hyperbole.
I honestly think its a great tragedy of our sport that there is so much polarity among the different camps, rather than a more open-minded approach to having fun on a breaking wave. I wish everyone would step outside their comfort zone and try riding something completely different. I suspect even those standup rowboats could be fun, in their place (just not a crowded surfing lineup haha). OK, maybe I’m a little guilty too 
I dominated on my 8’ board yesterday. People were floundering around on shortboards and I was just sitting far out getting nice long rides all the way to the beach. The initial wave was really flat and slow, which is where the length came into play. Then it’d get steeper and faster and I got a lot of cheater five-ing done. I initially paddled out on my 5’4" and was like lol no way am I sitting here on this.
Mine’s more of a longboard shape. But I agree on movement about the deck being needed for midlengths, unless you’re really tall and big. I’m short and light. There’s no way I could ride mine without moving all over. I was anywhere from all the way at the nose to way back on the tail to do turns going frontside. Or I’d stall it, then move up a bit to force it to go again. There’s no other way for me to ride this board. If I wanted to do it all from one spot I’d be on my 5’4". Walking around on it is so fun though, not a negative.
That’s the board, but not yesterday. Also got to surf without gloves for the first time in months. That was nice. Paddling this thing in a 3mm suit is so fast.
And for the record, I’m 23 and in shape. This board choice was a matter of squeezing the most fun out of the conditions. It defintiely doubled possible ride length, at minimum. Midlengths aren’t only for the older crowd. And I like riding it, which is all that should count. I’m actually pleasantly surprised it goes as well as it does. It’s my fourth shape, hence the 04 label.
Well, there you go. Since (as you state), despite being under 9’, your board is closer in size and mostly in shape to a longboard than to what is typically considered a midlength, the arguments in favor of longboarding would apply more in this case.
And my comments about walking the board weren’t intended as a negative, only a response to the comment on ChrisP’s blog link “With the larger area in the tail and the further forward fin positions it can be turned from the same spot that you drive and trim from.” I was just noting that in my experience, riding a typical midlength involves walking the board some, as also with a mini-mal like yours.
Having fun is what its all about!
This is a 7’4" x 21 1/2" x 2 7/8" Rocket Twin fin I made in 2005
These custom made fins are placed where the board and fins work as one , creating a state of controlled lift that enables you to go anywhere at any angle without needing to move on the board .
Wow Greg. I love the look of that board. Can you explain your thinking on the fin placement?
Its what I learned around 1969 -70 with single fins .
I sought this in every fin set up since .
There is a fin shape , sized and placed perfectly for the board that gathers and releases the forces in riding waves constantly - lifting and releasing simultaineously , accelerating constantly .
If you are a good sized guy(and I don’t mean a couch surfer fat guy) with better than average ability swinging an 8’2 or even a 9 footer around from the tail like a short board can easily be done. Check out some old footage of BK and you’ll start to get the idea. Lowel
I love the mid length boards, anything from 6’8" up to 8’. Even though I ride boards as short as 5’10", I consider 6’4" to 6’6" my short board size. But I’m getting closer to 60 and the crowds aren’t getting smaller, so the mid length is a great way to get waves and still have a lot of maneuverability. I didn’t surf much in April, and just started getting back into the water mid May after finishing an 8’5". That 8’5" has helped me get my arms stronger and allowed me to get waves when I wouldn’t have riding a shorter board. I know because I took out a 6’ board and it was tough.
We’ve had good surf on the south shore for a week now and my friends are ribbing me for using the 8’5" because I can get as many waves as I want. The key is to not be an ass and do that. Catch a few and make sure others catch a few too. Always better when everyone is having a good time.
Supposed to get up to 10’ faces tomorrow. Getting the 6’8" ready for some serious fun.
Great looking board Tj…! Honestly I was a little let down when I saw it wasn’t the thinned out pintail I thought when seeing the blanks lined up though Looks like a smooth ride, wish I had 2+1 on my eggy midlength!
Cool! How do you go about determining the best size, shape and placement for your fins relative to the board’s shape?
Previous experiences and riding them .
Countless hours in glass on days adding and removing glass adjusting sizes and placements .
FCS makes this much better .
Oh I see, just a matter of trial and error. I thought you had a method or a system
Do you think there is just one ideal fin setup for every board, or just that any board can be improved by tinkering with the fin(s)?
YES !
thanks Bill, this has got me thinking - this is one area I have invested very little time / effort in improving my quiver. I’m making a mental note to try more fin options in the future. I know so little about fin selection, but you gotta start somewhere!
I’ve really fallen in love with the simplicity and functionality of a properly designed “mid-length”. There is something satisfying about a surfboard that just works. This is my latest, a 7’4 diamond tail that I finished up a couple of weeks back. No ride report as of yet… things in my neck of the woods have been slow to say the least. New board curse.
WOW!