Is there anything I should know about sizing hulls before trying a used one? I’m checking out an Andreini 6’0 diamond tail egg/spoon thing with 21.5 at the wide point & a 17.5 nose & 15.5 tail & probably 2.8 or so on thickness with medium rails. I’m 180 lbs. Should I be pedantic about the dimensions or is it all relative to how much length & volume you like in your ride? For instance, could this be shaped for someone who is 220 lbs and be to much volume for my weight to get the feel of the hull effect? Having no experience with hulls I thought it might be a good thing to ask? Any input would be awesome. Thanks!
Personal preference. Some guys your size ride 2.35": thick tri fins. Other's prefer closer to 2.75, while other's funboards and some, longboards.
A shaper can make it 4" thick, but it still catches waves badly for a big guy, and surf horribly for a small guy......unless the big guy likes those dimensions and the small guy likes float.
It is a personal preference thing…what are you used to riding? It may feel corky if you’ve been riding 5’8"X18.5"X2.5" boards. That said, I ride hull-like boards, I weigh 175 and my daily drivers are roughly those dimensions so it should work just fine. Welcome back Mr. D!
Thanks LeeD and LeeV! Lately I’ve been riding midlengths so I’m used to a more corky board. I guess my only concern was that it would be too much volume for this particular design for me. Glad to hear it’s a personal preference thing and others have had those dimensions work for them. The used market has been a good way to check out various designs out there. Think I’ll pull the triger on this one.
if you’re looking for the full-on hull experience as written in articles etc, a 6’ won’t net the same speed and down the line flow as a full on 7’er or close to it; it’s got a different steez thats great but just not the same. think: shorter rail line = shorter interval carves, so you gain maneuverability but lose that full-effect slingshot projection.
Can you make up for the lost projection distance by moving widepoint forwards, fin forwards, parallel the outline more, and surf it from more forwards?
That will certainly help. The only sub 7’er I ever rode that had that magic feeling had the wide point up some 6-8 inches, was 23 inches wide, and had a 17- to 18-inch tail; really parallel rails. It also had a really deep hull, unlike most of those kinds of boards being made today.
The idea of shorter and narrower hulls is to give them a shorter turning radius and allow you to use them in steeper waves where you want the board to react a little quicker. By designing them that way you lose or reduce other performance aspects. Its always a trade off.
I agree with Ryan though…If you want to feel the real deal, I wouldn’t go under 7’.
shorter hulls that I have made seem like you have to add alot more effort to get the board going, whereas the 7’-8’ ones I’ve made seem to do most of the work…they feel much more efficient. The waves you surf have alot to do with it