Come september im gonna pick up a new board to add to my quiver, something for when the surf picks up. Ive been doing my research and I really like the DFR by CI, the stock dimensions for the board suggested for my weight are 5’6 x 18 1/4 x 2 1/16 x 21.7 L. I only weigh 120pds, im 5’6" and im done growing. I have a 5’6" potatonator for grovely days and I love it but I feel kindve cramped on the board when im paddling out. Idk. I also know Dane is 6’0 and he rides his height but is superhuman, obviously. I’m thinking about custom ordering one with the normal 5’6" dimensions but adding 2" to the length, not for the volume (i dont mind sinking alittle bit when stationary) but more so that i fit on it better when paddling and so i can stand back further on the board but have more surface area to plane on. This makes sense in my head, but id really appreciate some second and third opinions. I’m also mildly concerned about the quality of CI boards. It seems like everyones got one, but in researching it seems like there are alot of problems with the strength of the board these days. Should i ask for a few extra layers of glass or more dense foam? Should I forgoe CI and get a local shaper to make the same board for me? I’m not in a rush to buy this board because summer is coming and its not gonna be big enough to ride it anyway, which is okay because I’ll get a bunch of chances to talk to some of my local shops what they think. Thanks in advance.
get a shaper, a LOCAL HANDSHAPER to make your board.
No CNC shit, no big company popped out crap. Find your local shaper and talk with them about what you want, they will hook you up with a better then any website could.
The human touch in any board adds its soul and will ride better then anything you’ve ever owned. A board made just for you by somebody who actually cares about you and what you want in the ride.
as for some of the questions you ask about strength and foam and fiberglass, its a complex question with a pretty easy answer. Any performance oriented board is going to try and shave weight off which is both in the foam and fiberglass. mostly the fiberglass specifically the resin within the fiberglass. Most performance short boards will have 2x 4oz on top, and 1x 4oz on the bottom. At 120lbs that is plenty of strength for you. Im 5’11" 175lbs and i run the same setup on a 6’8" round tail, and have had 0 problems with it. The density of the foam is nothing to really worry about. That’s the shapers choice really. Denser foam will weigh SLIGHTLY more, but not enough to really make a difference.
As for the 2 extra inches in length, it seems everything is getting shorter and shorter for whatever reason. Adding the 2 inches wont make a dramatic difference in the boards feeling but will make your deck space slightly larger. What will make planing easier is the tail shape and thickness of the board. If the board already sits high in the water in the tail and along the rail line, you need less speed for the thing to rise up onto the surface of the water to reach a plane.
In the end talk to your shaper. We all do things differently and what i have stated above is how i would design and do things. I can promise you somebody on here will disagree with what i have said here and say something different then my opinion. In the end the person to decide what’s right and wrong is you. Educate yourself on some things related to surf design. checkout this webpage http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfboard-design/ the more you know about your ride, the better your ride will be.
Angus-
Somebody that’s my size for once… I’m 5’5" and 120lbs. Interesting that you want a longer board. Anyway, I totally suggest going to talk to a local shaper, perhaps in person. They’ll be able to put your words into foam.
If you want to ride from the back, an increase in tail area and perhaps a flatter tail rocker is in order, or maybe a different concave to generate lift. Talk to the shaper, he’ll know what’s up. I ride my good wave board at my height, 19" wide and a flatter rocker. I prefer wide, sort and flat boards to mimic a skateboard type feel. Longer boards feel out of control to me.
I’ve never felt cramped when paddling on my 5’5" or 5’4", and that’s a different problem than tail lift. A while ago, a friend asked me if I kicked my feet a lot when I paddled while I was on my 6’4". My answer was that my feet don’t really hang of the back of that one. Hooray for short people… Perhaps a different distribution of volume to change the location you sit on when paddling? Ask the shaper.
The glass thing… When people get boards from CI or other big names, a lot of those companies push the super light weight thing. A bit more glass won’t kill you, and it’ll help your board not look like the surface of the moon after ten waves. That’s my opinion though. When the board is very short, the weight isn’t so obvious. My 5’4" has a decent amount of glass, and it feels very light and free when riding. It’s 2lb eps, 6oz bottom, 6, 4 and 4oz patch under my feet on the top. Over doing it? Perhaps. Is the board similar to a golf ball after a whole summer? Not at all. Could it be lighter? Yeah, but, it’s fine how it is.
Not just a local shaper, a local shaper who knows what he is doing…more to the point!
I’ve always liked my board’s 19 1/4" ,21" and 2" over my height - 8" over on the bigger board’s.
The smallest board I owned for two yrs was a 5’10" x 21" 2.5" thick twin fin - which worked well on waves over two foot - almost double overhead. There was a day when waves were slow and lined up and the board wasn’t great at catching waves. A little xtra length and width can only help for an all around r…
Board’s are getting a bit wider again FYI…I mean, for average waves board. I’d say go a bit wider, and maybe keep length your height or shorter 3-4" if you go wider…
A bit denser on foam I could live with. Get whatever you want -ci island or local guy.
I’d probably go 6/4 deck x 4 bot.
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All boards ride good when it’s good. It’s the boards that ride good when it not so good.
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Great boards are boards that you can just stand up on and surf. I mean you don’t have to worry about where you feet are planted…they just work.
Find these 2 things and you are golden…CNC, hand shape, made by yo mama…whatever.
My last two board from my shaper Gunther who i have known most of my life have been exactly as resinhead just described, stand up and surf,first wave felt like my hundredth, Always have an open mind when your shaper is helping you create your board,when i was younger id say i want what joe shmo is riding, now im listening to what he thinks i need and throwing in a bit of feedback and my boards are the best i have ever ridden. Fuck asking some shop guy what he thinks, he can think what he likes… You need to ask someone who KNOWS!
Phillysurf, Are you surfing NJ and Delaware?
You Might want to consider getting a Coil. I see a few come up on Craigslist. Nice looking boards and they will hold up. The People that ride Coils are ravenous diehards. Check out the Coil report thread. Mike Daniels is an easy shaper to work with and one that has some chops. By The way I don’t havea thing to do with Coil In fact they don’t make boards in the size I want I simply see a very good product