It’s finally happened. I’m working 6-7 days a week on my new business and I’m only getting in the water about once a week. A year ago I was surfing 4-5 a week, riding standard style shortboards. I have to admit that I’m not enjoying my current boards as much as I used to. I think that my current shortboard dims are somewhat standard for a bigger guy- I’m 200+ lbs, riding a 6’4- 20 -2.6 flyer type design. I am also in my late 30’s now and am not getting any younger. I have tried my friends mid- length egg and had a lot of crusy fun. I think I’m going to order an egg type board but my question is this.
From your own experiences do you think I should A - sell the shortboards, and get something with a little more foam?
B- Try to drop like 20 lbs. and see if my current shortboards feel more lively?
C-Get a new board with more volume but hold on the the shortboards just in case?
I don’t like to let boards just sit unused, but maybe over time I might want the challenge of riding them again? I Don’t know. Have any of you had a similar delima?? Thanks for reading this!
I’ve gone through the same thing - I’m about the same age as you, but I’m smaller. Life and work forced me to surf less, then I wasn’t fit enough to have fun on the small boards I liked to surf. Plus, the water where I live can be pretty cold, so it stopped being fun paddling out and not getting waves.
I got a longboard and it started being fun again - increased wave count, and also the waves don’t have to be as good to have fun.
Bottom line: Surfing started being fun again; which, of course, got me surfing more; which, in turn got me fitter again - virtuous cycle. Seeing as I’m fitter again, now I surf shortboards again when the conditions are right. That’s why I say C - you may well want shortboards again.
However, I will say that I’m liking more meat in my shorter boards these days (“modern fish”-style). The fun only starts when you’re catching waves.
I have ''been there, done that'', as they say, and moved on. Option '' C '' is the one to choose right now. While you may not feel it, you are quite young yet, so with increased activity you could ''bounce back.'' On the other hand, you may have so much more fun on a larger floatier board, that you may not wish to go back to shortboards At your size and weight, you should have no problem throwing around a mid size board.