I’m a shortboarder (155 pounds). I love turning hard. When the waves come up and the beaches close out the easiest place for me to hit is the Cove- a big mushburger, long board spot, that holds to double overhead and is never top to bottom. I’ve gone up from a 6’-10" to a 7’-8" but I’m still sitting inside the 9’-0" s and missing the best waves.
I’m wondering how big do I have to go to equalize the paddle battle and what can I do then to keep the board as loose as possible? Maybe a quad gun?
How you gonna compete with someone sitting outside of you on a way bigger board?
Your gonna have to drop in in front or in back of the guys but since they’re outside they get in first…
You’ll need a smaller board that will let you sit outside or equal to them.
A low entry rocker parmenter stubb-vector or turbo quad fish would help equalize the situation but if you take a 155lber on a fish or 7’0 vector versus a 155 lber on a 9’0 your still gonna lose… Another fun and hyper paddler is the McCoy Nugget design. Real stubby and thick but real loose and “pocket” friendly.
Bottomline if you listen to some of the guys here is a low entry rocker and width with some kick in the tail or with a bump or reverse curve so you can whip it in the hook. Thinner sensitive rails will also let you bury them deeper to get more drive off your first turn…
10-15 years ago when I was 165 (190 now) I was riding my 6’2" Bushman Rocketfish and outskanking the longboarders at whiteplains (mush heaven) and if they dropped in you can play around slashing carves behind them scaring the poop out of them if you are good enough. Or just pick your slot and blow by them by pulling in tight behind them… If you’re good enough this is a pretty common move… Pull in hard and tight as they are making their long slow drop down and you’ll just blow by them every single time… I see kaipo do this all the time to all the blue crush honeys dropping in on him at whiteplains. You better know your board inside out though.
I consider myself in really good shape and (fortunately or unfortunately) the longboarders at the Cove when it’s 1 1/2 to double overhead are generally very competent. Some of them are downright good surfers. There seems like there’s always 2-3 that are on it and rarely let a good outsider slip by. But then they get up and trim. I want to rock and roll, climb and drop and do a big roundhouse when the wave backs off a little.
If you know the guys, maybe you could just drop in behind them while they do there thing out on the shoulder. That way you could ride the shorter board. Otherwise get a bigger board. The desert islanders turn pretty well if you get on the tail.
I know the Cove very well and ran into the same problem many moons ago. Some of those characters are so damned good you feel you might as well call up Wingnut and Bonga and ask them to surf with you also. A few years back, Pat Ryan (ET Surfboards) made me the perfect board to solve the problem. It was a 7’10" double ender with glass-on tri fin setup. It had a slightly lower rocker with just enough kick in the nose and tail. Problem solved instantly! I was then able to sit just inside of those guys and that was a HUGE advantage for me. That board traveled with me from San Quintin to Hanalei.
Believe it or not, I still have the template in my garage. I can post the dims tonight if you like. I’d also suggest talking to him about what you’re looking for.
We have the similar problem at OBSF. Guns too narrow, funboards too wide to handle the offshores or sketch late drops.
So a compromise, length to paddle, slightly narrow nose to angle down, not too gunny tail to ride the mush.
Something not carried in most surf shops…
I’d settle on sizing around 9’ minimum. You might as well have the advantage and the float for visibility, fighting currents, and you could take off late with a 9’ semi full templated gun. As for S turns and such, just apply DOH and you’re fine.
I’ve given some thought to this as well, although for a different break: Swamis. Most of the pack at the main peak are on 3" thick 8 footers that a 6’4" just can’t compete with. For me, the bottom line on board choice is that competing with them by sizing up won’t allow the kind of turns I want to be doing.
Anyway these guys have been dropping in on so many people for so long, that the whole lineup resorts to the same freaking thing. Guys who normally surf blacks and don’t go on anyone revert to dropping in and seeing if they are called off.
What dimensions would you then suggest for a 8-6 or 9-0 semi gun? 20" wide or more? 3" thick or more? And what about the bottom? Flat with a slight vee in the tail? Maybe reverse vee in the nose? I want to get a little data base as this board will be my next project.
20" would be almost a normal gun at that length, so 21.5 for sure, maybe 14" nose and 13" tail if single fin.
Tri fin, maybe closer to 12.75 nose and 13.5 tail.
LJC is usually strong offshores when good and slightly bumpy, so belly front to panel V out the back is smoothest and allows you to bank it over onto it’s rails the easiest, a consideration riding such a wide gunny board.
“The Cove” close to Redondo Beach might not be LJC… maybe he means the cove at Palos Verdes?
Measurements on a 9’5" Desert Island I have are 13 1/4" nose, 22.75" WP, 14" tail. It has about 6" nose rocker, 3" tail rocker and is 3" thick. The fin set up is a 2+1.
It seems to be a pretty nice utility board for medium large slopey waves but I could easily use more thickness. I’m 6 feet tall and weigh 200lbs.
PV cove is nothing like the La Jolla Cove. LJC can be a very mean beast on the right conditions. It will break top to bottom, and it will break you. And to add insult to injury, it will push you into a 20 ft cliff with no way out except straight out through the white water. It’s no Mavericks, or Jaws, but it will work.
Attached is a medium size cove day, not exactly a mush ball?
