Flexor,
What is normal, to me it's all personal choice, this was my favorite long board till I snapped it in half here in Jersey, the rocker really helps me especially in steeper surf and I can throw it around better, The boards dims are 9'2" x 3 1/4 " x 23" you can see a few more like this on my website
Tom
A flat, heavy, 50/50-railed log with a single fin (deep, long base, lots of area) is going to plow through soup like a champ: better than a thin, fly-weight, 2+1, banana-rockered PLB. It’s also going to do slow, pivot-type turns, not snappy rail carves like a PLB. It’s all about trade-offs and how you, personally, want to surf. Neither way is better or worse, per se, it’s just a matter of personal choice.
While it’s true (as stated above) that riding a log in big, heavy conditions “takes a lot more skill” (or maybe finesse) than riding a PLB, there’s no denying that said log simply won’t do certain things or hang certain places that a PLB can when the size is up and the juice is flowing. I like riding both kinds of boards but think of my approach to picking what to use on a given day as being “picking the right tool for the job at hand”. But how you decide what constitutes the “right tool” is, again, a matter of personal preference.
In Florida, we are not blessed with pointbreaks, nor 3 to 4 foot waves with any consistent frequency, so we ride what we want and hopefully what works. I encourage you to do the same. You normally won’t find us commenting on style or wave quality because we are just so stoked to actually have waves that everything else falls to the wayside. I ride all sorts of different boards in all sorts of different conditions. I have done the bad style hp longboard thing as mentioned. Ride what you like, you only have so much time to enjoy it.
HPLB is for people that want to surf a longboard like most guys rip on their shortboards. I saw that design come about becasue the alpha male types wanted to get more waves, and not hassle with the crowds. They could get in earlier and paddle back out faster.
Lance Hookano was one of the first guys I remember riding 9’ boards that looked like a cross between a shortboard, a gun and a longboard and ripping. I think most of them were shaped by J. Richardson back then. He was riding them in contests at sunset in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
These boards work better in waves head high or bigger, and they are not meant to be ridden like older style longboards. I basically categorize them as wave hog boards. Now the wavehogs have moved up to SUPs, and some guys don’t even use the paddles, they paddle them like a surfboard.
I don’t ride longboards all the time but sometimes they can be fun to do big turns on as well as get to the nose.
This is one of my HP’s , hope it don’t look too ugly for ya.
Cheers
Mooneemick
The Mammoth you linked to looks like a good option; I think you owe it to yourself not to get another longboard at the moment, you seem to be progressing, can surf a log in 3-4 ft waves, I think you will find trying something like the mammoth will turn the light on even brighter... had to convert kgs to lbs... your roughly 200 lbs; you could easily ride anything from 7 ft to 8 ft in many shapes that will be more easily "duck divable" have plenty float and paddle power for earlier entry combined with nose/tail rocker to handle steeper drops and what you are seeking from the board
blackandwhite is a very reputable board builder, I'm sure if you talk to the shaper you're going to be amazed at the end product...let the shaper give you his guidance after you describe what you are looking for, this alone will get you a better board than one you might pull off the rack retail...maybe the shaper even knows your waves/beaches
I figured I was going to get skewered a little harder for that curt and generalizing comment.
preface all my bullshit with the understanding that I surf marginal southern california beach breaks.
these waves are great for logs and contemporary longboards at chest and below, but anything bigger than that and it’s not more rocker that I need (on a 9’ board), it’s less board!
you need to be able to duck 15 wave windswell sets and be reactive to shifty sections.
when I see guys roll out on their rockered LBs on big days it never ends well for them…lots of paddling inside, lots of beatings all with no real paddle advantage for early wave catching and stuck with the same problem that the guys who are riding boards that are TOO SMALL are stuck with…positioned in such a way that you can manage to catch a wave, but at a point where you’ve only got a bottom turn and maybe a lip smack left.
hawaii dudes, no disrespect, but you guys are corner case relative to what most of us are dealing with, condition-wise…I get that an HPLB is good for outer reef conditions where you have to factor in 1/2 mile paddles and tight takeoffs, plus you all rip hard, granted.
for the OP…less board!
If you are looking for and easier paddle out get a boad that is around 7' Ican duck dive an hp longboard but sometimes you will not get deep enough and will get sucked over, but a 7' or smaller board should be able to get under no problem
[quote="$1"]
The Mammoth you linked to looks like a good option; I think you owe it to yourself not to get another longboard at the moment, you seem to be progressing, can surf a log in 3-4 ft waves, I think you will find trying something like the mammoth will turn the light on even brighter... had to convert kgs to lbs... your roughly 200 lbs; you could easily ride anything from 7 ft to 8 ft in many shapes that will be more easily "duck divable" have plenty float and paddle power for earlier entry combined with nose/tail rocker to handle steeper drops and what you are seeking from the board
blackandwhite is a very reputable board builder, I'm sure if you talk to the shaper you're going to be amazed at the end product...let the shaper give you his guidance after you describe what you are looking for, this alone will get you a better board than one you might pull off the rack retail...maybe the shaper even knows your waves/beaches
[/quote]
'Thanks Ian for having a look at the link and your email reply. I'm hoping the board will turn well, have plenty float and be a good paddling machine and be a step up but without being too much for me. This board looks like it might fit the bill if I get one big enough. Really like my longboard but would like to have a board that will get me into bigger stuff now and again and will give me something a bit different. Was also thinking of a 8ft nugget too as those boards look like they might do the job..
Was also thinking of a 8ft nugget too as those boards look like they might do the job..
I have a 7'10'' hybrid/egg/nugget type shape. Nose and tail are around 15 each, 22 in the middle, but the back half of the board has a bit more area. Surfs great off the back foot, but still trims really well up front. Im 5'9'' x 77kg, and its almost a longboard for me, i can catch knee high windswell, and trim from near the nose, but its good in bigger, hollower waves too. Though i don't surf "big" waves, maybe 1/2 OH, and then, not often.
Also, HP longboards are great, if you're not a dedicated nose rider, but just want a bit of both manouverability, and still have the option of nose riding when small/fat IMHO.
http://www.blackandwhitesurfcoltd.co.uk/shortboards.php
if you have made your mind up on the Mammoth, then my suggestion would be to go for the double concave option. My experience with a wide single concave (only 20" wide, but was quite short) was that it was unstable in heavy waves which had chop or texture on the surface. But narrow single concaves (about 19" or less) are stable. I’ve had several double concaves of 20" and they were stable. So at 22"+ the Mammoth is in the wide category.
On the subject of HP longboards for non-experts - I am not a longboarder but do own one so not an expert. To me the HP longboard is easier than the noseride type - it will turn and I’m not good enough to noseride anyway. HP longboards can be used in quite solid waves and a couple of my mates do this, but only at a point break with a good channel to paddle out in. There is nothing wrong with HP longboarding.
Thanks Beerfan for the pic - nice looking template - and Mr J for the advice. Cheers!
After reading all the answers it looks like there is only 3 options:
-Logs
-Hplb
-others shorter boards of differents kind
To stay with the longboards idea i can see a whole world of shape between this two opposite.
I stayed in Morocco this winter for 6 weeks surfing a lot with a full longboard quiver, and i was very happy on every day.(perfect pointbbreak waves from 2 two 10 feet, malibu long without the crowd)
here's a pic of the quiver i took up there.
From left to right
9'8 log Nuuhiwa style step deck noserider for small and perfect days.
9'5 x 22 7/8 X 3 pinched rails, low in the tail.Bottom: blended nose concave to belly to V double concave.
A little more nose rocker.
i wanted to try different fin configurations but finally I like more the single fin.Can hold very well to 10 foot.
Very good in head high for those days where you have to be faster to make some closing sections.
( you don't want to loose the wave when it's more than 600m long)That was also a favorite board for a buddy who is 220lbs(i'm 140lbs)
9'2 x 22 1/2 X 3 50/50 half pinched rails but edge in the tail.Low rocker.A little more classic than the 9'5 but with a little more drive of the tail.
8'4 x 22 x 2 3/4 Kind of small longboard ,streched egg,60/40 rails, tucked under edge in the last third.
Very good in bigger surf.One of the reasons of surfing 9'0 hplb is because of the contests where you have to ride a 9'0 minimum.
Otherwise a little smaller can be very good.I like it also when you go to places with a lot of shortboarders staying in a small area(slabs for exemples) you can more easily late take off and you don't have to paddle to much from outside.
7'9 x22/1/4x 3 a kind of hullish egg.
6'2 twinzer (that was a come back for me to ride smaller boards)
And on the floor a 10'4 big fish simmons very good after 5 hours in the water for the days "it's perfect, you still want to surf but you're a bit tired".
Or for any average days you want some unique glide.
So as you can see differents longboards between heavy logs and "ugly" hplb.
i also shaped a 8'9 pig (with tucked under rails), a 9'2 down rails(no edge)
Both very good in bigger surf but not HP style.
As you can see in the picture the 9'2, witch is all about glide and curves, seemed to hold well in medium sized waves.
I was thinking also about a 9' big fish, a 9' bonzer .I also shaped a single fin hplb but didn't had the time to try it yet.
Well there's a lot of differents shapes to surf in faster or bigger waves.I don't like the feeling of the 1+2 or trifins hplb.
I don't like neither to log when you need a little more juice...
But if "you" like the feel of the hplb,go hp.
Hope to help you a little.
Franck
I gather you did not fly over if you took all those boards with you,did you take a ferry,and drive?Or ship your boards over?afriend of mine just came back from Morocco,he loved the surf.
Franck - thanks for the reply and to see all the boards....your 8 4 looks the ticket!
Kava,
I took the ferry and drived, the idea was to share the quiver with friends(old and new).
That was really cool to see one day four of my boards in the line up.
And so good to have immediate feedback on the shape.
Most of the rides where over 1min. to more than 2min. so you can really feel the board.
Franck
Flexor,
I love that shape 8’4,i shaped it first for my daughter,but often ask her to take the board!!!
I took it one day at a powerfull Anchor point and really had a blast.
Only two longboards that day,one log standing on the shoulder,and me in the middle of the shortboarders feeling very confortable.
Agur
Tu t’es gavé la bas apparemment,mon Salaud.
quand est-ce qu’on te revois sur la CB?
Flexor, my vote is for the HPLB provided there is a channel or rip to paddle out in. The HPLB can certainly handle reasonable size coz I’ve seen it done and I used to surf an egg (Takayama design) which I couldn’t duckdive in that sort of wave too.
my reasoning is that you are happy with your LB in the smaller milder waves, so your strategy might be to keep using the LB in the smaller stuff then break out your bigger wave tool when needed. The problem with the Mammoth style hybrid is that although it is much bigger than a HBSB its still very different from a LB. Its therefore going to be difficult to get that “connected to the board” feeling due to unfamiliarity.
I used to switch between an egg (which to me is a bit like a HPLB due to my size) and a shortboard. Stepping up to the egg was never a problem once I had it wired but going down the other way after say 3 sessions in a row on the egg made the shortboard feel very squirrely and unfamiliar. It used to take me about 2 long rides before the shortboard feeling came back and I was doing a lot of surfing then. But these are just my experiences and everyone is different.
Mr J - think I have ruled out the Mammoth....probably for the sort of reasons you mention.....just doubt I'll ever get used to such a board as I don't surf enough. Might go down the HPLB route or most likely some sort of big egg shaped board. Could also consider a big, wide and long fish (6ft 8) if my surfing progresses enough and there's also mini longboards which look a possibility.