Just wondering how many of you have explored the 11’+ board designs in bigger waves… I have been absolutely hooked on this 12’ Munoz Surftech model. So much that I’m buying 3 more of them. I have a feeling I will break a couple this year and they are sooo hard to get…
Have any of you pushed the limits in larger surf with large boards? I’ve found a fin combination that works extremely well in juicy waves. When I first surfed this board design I used it as a single. It was a dog. I thought that was as good as it could get. I have since tried all kinds of fin set ups and found this one works great in bigger waves.
I found that the stiffer thruster sides wth the Cutaway 8" center works awesome when you have a wave with lots of speed. You can really lay into your bottom turns and actually gain speed. With the single or the regular 2+1 setup you would actually slow down right after the turn. This set up will allow you to go out on bigger days and scare the sh*t out of yourself!! Haha!!!
On my woody 12 footer
I found that the pros of being able to paddle quickly (I use a canoe paddle) will put you into some fantastic places! But at the same time, all that length will put you into some pretty scary situations too…Hehe… But all worth it… Nothing like streaking down a sucking, double overhead Hawaiian wave on a 12’ board dragging your canoe paddle in the face as you race down the line then pull in the barrel… YEAH!!! Also nothing like getting clipped by the lip on a same type wave then paying by cartwheeling with your beloved 12 footer!!! AHWOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Man these big boards are fun!! Soooooo anyone else enjoying the benifits of largeness???
anyone you know gutsy/ crazy enough to get some water footage of you riding that wood one with the canoe paddle ??
…I would love to see THAT on the swalocks video , for sure !
I have only used a friend’s 12’ Munoz model surftech in TINY waves here in summer . Glide plus , for sure !! [ but I enjoyed it]
cheers !
ben
Funny you ask… I just got off the phone with Mike Latronic who owns a production company here in Hawaii. Its not cheap to produce a super high quality movie but we may venture into a low budget effort and still have some great footage of longboarding awesome waves here including some extreme canoe paddle surfing. Worse case scenario we will shoot all our own stuff and edit it ourselves… It won’t be just me in it as I will bore everyone to death! I’d like to get some of the really good guys in it to…
i admire all your work espicelly on your 12’ veener board. thanks for posting great shots and please continue to share your stoke on the board and paddle surfing. i assure you i’m not getting board.
Biggest board i’ve rode was in the 10’ range with a single fin by bic. i rode it in some 4’ waves which was fun but i didn’t like the plastic feel of the board in comparison to my poly 9’1" one board i was riding in the same surf.
I REALLY enjoy my 9’1 Log in big waves too. when it gets over 6’ i just love the extra paddling power that i cant get on my other boards under 6’2". you don’t even need duckdivability.
of cource i like my spoon in big hollow waves but with shifty big sydney waves the mal does exceptionally well.
It’s coming along Carve, just finishing the paint job on the “Matchstick”. At 12.6 I have left it pretty long I know, also have left in the nose kick as don’t fancy pearling it 2 up. See you have put Vectors on the side. I’ve got 512’s on the outside, then going for a 8" in the centre box, but like the cutaway setup you have there. What toe in have you got on the sidebites, have put mine on with about 2 degrees only.
Where do you get your paddles or do you make them? The more I hear you talk about using a paddle the more I am beginning to like it, certainly would be usefull for fending off marauding kayakers!
Actually these big boards are from Surftech. Not the ones I made. I’m currently trying to learn about EPS and epoxy. The 10-6, 11’ and 12’ poly boards I shaped were just to heavy to work the way I wanted. These are the Mickey Munoz models from Surftech which are my current boards I ride everyday lately. I found out the fin setup is crucial in waves of consequence.
12-6 is cool! There are a lot of paddle makers out there but for what I do I found the best one is from Kialoa. Its called the Dave’s Hybrid. It gives the power when you need it to take off and get over the ledge. When I’m paddling out casually I sit and take nice even strokes. One paddle blade is equal to 6 hands. 1 paddle stroke is like 6 or more arm strokes so you are moving very quickly with very little effort. When I go to catch the wave I kneel. This gives you even more power and speed. Once on the wave just grip the paddle in one hand and using your knuckles on that side, stand up. Its effortless. Standing from your knees is easier than from your belly. Once on the wave the paddle becomes a great tool to really lay into certain turns and especially when pulling into the tube.
Just a couple quick pics but these do not show anything special about it… I’ll try get much better ones in real waves soon.
In small surf its actually fun to play on the paddle by leaning on it. You’d be surprised how much weight you can lay on that paddle…
Does that mean that you drop the paddle so that you can hang on to the board or does it mean that you abandon your board and your paddle ?
Not my kettle of fish anyway, I think that it’s important for riders of really big boards to surf safely but I suppose that if you are the only one out it’s cool enough.
Does that mean that you drop the paddle so that you can hang on to the board or does it mean that you abandon your board and your paddle ?
Not my kettle of fish anyway, I think that it’s important for riders of really big boards to surf safely but I suppose that if you are the only one out it’s cool enough.
I never intentionally let go of my paddle. It usually gets blown out of my hand. I can go through entire sessions without losing it once. I don’t bail in front of anyone either. If its small and a lot of people I go elsewhere… When it gets bigger I notice there are less people around anyway. I agree with you about safety. Today at Haleiwa I saw some very dangerous people running into each other… One guy had a helmet. I felt he should give everyone around him a helmet!!!
Hello again CarveNalu, not trying to bug you, just interested because the bailing issue has stopped me trying a paddle with my big boards. . . I just can’t figure out how to roll under effectively with a paddle, a board, and only two hands. . . if you are caught inside with surfers inside of you what are your choices ?. . . is bail the only option or do you have another technique?
It certainly looks like a very attractive experience and I’m with Josh, beautiful pictures !
BTW in answer to your question "Is anyone else enjoying the benefits of largeness? " :
My dad has made many many boards in the 11 and 12 foot range and we are working on an epoxy one now. The glide is just unbelievable. If you think the Surftec is cool, try riding a 12’2" triple stringer singlefin, SUPERGLIDE!
