I’m not getting the design reason for making boards 2 1/4 inches thick (or less). We’re talking 6’0" high performance thrusters. With the position of the rider’s feet and the short moment arms on a board that length and shape, it can’t be flex. I ride hulls so I understand the thin rail thing but you can keep those thin and still have a board that floats. Is it fashion?
I swapped my fishysimmons twinny with a guy on a nice Plus One hp thruster in some really nice surf. I just don’t get it. It didn’t seem to work any better than thicker boards (2 3/4+) of a similar shape. But it took 5 times the effort to paddle. Do you have to change your paddling technique?
More waves for me I guess. But, there’s going to be a whole generation of guys with blown out rotators by the time they are 35.
hey Lee, I bought in to the whole anorexic shortboard thing for a long time (too long). I thought it was a crutch when my last off-the-shelf 6’2" was 2 3/8" thick =D… But, I’m liking my thicker shortboards now. My latest is 6’0" and about 2 1/2" thick… That being said, I admit that I may not have the ability to really feel the benefits of the thin boards. Oh well, the thick boards are helping ME to surf better than ever.
I surf my boards in 2’’ and my newest will be 1 3/4 but the reason for this is that I don’t have a planer so I go for a flat deck and they are river boards, so no paddling needed. But I can’t feel a significant difference to another board that is 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 with a crowned deck if the rails are equally thin.
It’s like a stepdeck if you foil it nice you won’t feel a difference riding it. I guess it’s just like allways: the pros do it and feel a slight difference, but 95% of the hobby guys would be better done going for a 1/4 thicker board.
Well, thinner boards are easier to duck dive. Once they're up and planing, they're easier to get on a rail and whip around and get air bourne.
I think I remember George from PlusOne saying that his shortboards are more like swimming through the water than like paddling over it. I've definitely felt this on short, thinner boards: later drops through the wave.
But I'd like George's take on it. Has he posted on Sway's in a while? The guy makes tons of boards for some of the best surfers around here. But I totally agree. You lose more than you gain, in my book, especially in wave count. (Just don't tell anyone else, all right?)
After talking to some folks, a couple of things come to mind now:
Sensitivity (whatever that means). I think it is connected to 2.
Reduced mass for “throwability”. That one makes some sense except you could use epoxy/styro and get the same reduced mass with some more volume giving you some float. However, the compsands and epoxy/styros I’ve seen are just as thin…
I heard the “swim” thing too. Does that mean you roll from side to side like a swimmer when you paddle?
I was too tall for the board so the paddling trim was off. Not sure I buy that but maybe.
I was too heavy. Wha? Me?!? (probably)
Easier to go up on a rail. No, that is more a function of the board’s width.
Duck diving. An unintended benifit I’m sure. Since when did we design a board to go underwater. That’s like designing a Formula One race car to parallel park…
Glass slippah. This is really the only one that makes sense. When you finally catch a wave and get to your feet, the board really seems to disappear. You are surfing the fins and it is a really cool feeling Being a hull guy, the whole “feel” deal is something I know and love. but at what cost? Ask Steve Krajewski the cost of minimizing foam.
You’ll find with age; you pay with intrest the misadventures of youth…oh and; Get Off My Lawn!!!
my 2 cents worth: in powerful waves, or in waves that break predictably in the same spot (with zero-paddle takeoffs), thin boards (and/or narrow boards) are fine. E.g, Rasta video of alaia barrel riding, doesn’t get much thinner than that…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_roLpQ__xA
Also, if you are a super strong sprint-paddler, thinner (or narrower) boards are not a problem.
But, if you have to chase the dang wave around because it shifts 30 yards, or if its a bit of a mushball takeoff, and/or you don’t happen to paddle as fast as Michael Phelps swims – I find that a little extra float (or a little extra width) helps a lot.
Then again, at some point on that spectrum, boards that are TOO thick ride high in the water and become difficult to handle. Too thick can be a hindrance, although that too can be overcome by some degree with thinner rails, domed or stepped decks, bottom contours, narrow tails, or other design tweaks.
Same thing (I believe) with boards that are too wide… they get awful hard to put up on a rail, etc.
lots of currents,shifting sandbars,,,,,,,slow,inconsistant, incoming waves ...........that is until it hits an ankle deep bar............then it's, "getting the carpet pulled out from under your feet", type wave.
couple this with low salt levels in the drink and walla....................a thicker board.
I prefer a bit of foam ( understatement! ), but i can see why some like thin boards. Different strokes and all. I did have a shortboard for a short while, and i did notice that while it was thin ( for me anyway, it was 2 1/2 ) it did paddle pretty well, as you seemed to be just under the surface. I notice on my chunky flat 5'8'', that if you push the nose just under, if you're in the right position, it seems a little easier to paddle.
I prefer a bit of foam ( understatement! ), but i can see why some like thin boards. Different strokes and all. I did have a shortboard for a short while, and i did notice that while it was thin ( for me anyway, it was 2 1/2 ) it did paddle pretty well, as you seemed to be just under the surface. I notice on my chunky flat 5'8'', that if you push the nose just under, if you're in the right position, it seems a little easier to paddle.
Edit:, when i say it paddled well, i mean that while i didn't get very far with each paddle, it was very easy to keep paddling. I hope that makes sense!
I have ridden 6’3" by 2 3/8" thick shortboards for 25 years now. I’ve tried thicker boards, but for me they don’t improve paddling too much. Paddling for waves is a lot about technique and being in the right place as far as I can tell. If it gets to the size where I need paddling power then I’ll take out something longer.
What I find with thicker boards is that in hollow waves it’s a lot harder to set your rail with your bottom turn. They are also harder to stall.
For me one of the benefits of a thin board is in roundhouse cutbacks. Thick boards tend to float on top of the foam and seem to take an age to get back to the trough for the next bottom turn. Thin boards sink into the foam and seem to remain in contact with the “hard” face so I can feel the control and drive to the bottom. Thin boards also seem to return me deeper back in the foam, so I’m set up better for my next turn to the pitching lip.
It took me a while to learn to handle thin railed boards. When the lip smashed down on my inside rail, it really destabilised me. Now I’m used to it I have the opposite problem in thicker railed boards. When the lip smashes down the thicker rails tend to pop out of the water easier.
Overall I find thicker boards (in particular thicker rails) more easy to control, but more likely to induce in me a cruising attitude (like horizontal floaters as opposed to air or reverse slides). Paddling flat water is easier, but thin boards are better through the lineup and paddling in, especially when it is hollow.
PS I’m talking 1/4" difference between thin and thick rails, 3/8" in overall thickness. I’m 51 and my shoulders are stuffed after 40 years of surfing, but I still prefer thinner boards.