I just completed and test rode a new board where I pushed it as wide and as thick as a 6'10A blank would let me. For the first time since about 1987 I had a shortboard under me that didn't sink up to my armpits when I sat on it. The combination of width, concave and volume made for a board that rides like a skateboard. I am now accelerating thru sections where I used to sink. Now I'm looking back over the last 15 or more years of surfing realizing that much of my water time was wasted riding boards that were too thin, too narrow and too rockered out for the conditions.
As I think about the boards on the racks at the local surfshops I now realize that less than 5% of the shortboards on the racks are suitable for the surfers who buy them and the average day to day conditions we encounter. If every day were well overhead the boards in the shops would be fine but the truth is that most surfers spend the majority of their water time in less than ideal conditions.
How much fun is being missed out on because surfshops don't carry boards suitable for the surfers who buy them and the local conditions they encounter?
This board experiment also has me wondering if board width may actually be the most important dimention for the average surfer. Has anybody explored the limits of width? I think back to my daughter at 8 years old stand up surfing on her Boogie Board. What are the possibilities on a board that's 3" or 3.5" thick and 24" or 26" wide. There is still alot of board exploration to be done.
I've been making boards like that for years, as you know with Jersey conditions and the less than stellar conditions, thicker and wider work really well.
I was very worried when I shaped this board that it would not turn well so I did three things to help it to turn easily. I pushed the fins forward, put V between the fins and put a good bit of curve in the last 16 inches of the tail. It turns very easily. While a board like this might not be ideal for steep pitching waves it is a blast to ride in the typical surf we have here on the East Coast. Everyone should have something like this in their quiver.
Refreshingly honest assessment of your past approach…So many guys stubbornly stuck on inappropriate equipment…I did it too for about 10 years…It is more fun to have fun!
been staring at the board shots since you posted this (yesterday? over the weekend?) not quite sure how to ‘appreciate’ the new board per your positive ride report, and finally i realize, it reminds me of a mini-simmons quad built with shortboard-ish nose & tail profiles. was that your design idea prior to shaping? it’s very compelling, tell us more about it
Adding more width is where its at, and can compensate for length for sure. I just did this board for a guy who traditionally has ridden a 6"1 or 6"2 x 18 1/2 and made this its 5’8 x 20" and its magical. Rides better in small surf, and just as well if not better in bigger surf.
I’ve experimented with my personal limits of width and shortboards, and found that, for me, 23" is too wide. For the widest shortboard designs, I need to stay around 22. For PSB, between 19 and 19 1/2. Thicknesses are thicker than typical off-the-rack stuff too… I like 2 1/2 on a PSB.
Average surf, average surfer… a few more cubic inches of foam translates into more waves, longer rides, and more fun.
been staring at the board shots since you posted this (yesterday? over the weekend?) not quite sure how to 'appreciate' the new board per your positive ride report, and finally i realize, it reminds me of a mini-simmons quad built with shortboard-ish nose & tail profiles. was that your design idea prior to shaping? it's very compelling, tell us more about it
cheers,
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I did start with the idea to mak a Simmons. When I got the blank and started laying down lines it turned into a blend of a bunch of ideas.
This board is a combination if things I've seen an liked in other boards. Fish and shortboard outlines & rocker from the 70s. Exagerated concave under the front foot leading to 1/4" of V in the tail borrowed from some of the Pod type boards I've seen. Rail profiles are modern shortboard.
As I had mentioned earlier my biggest fear was that the big boyant board would be difficult or impossible to turn. I set the fins to make the board as easy as possible to turn. The board is surprisingly easy to turn.
I've experimented with my personal limits of width and shortboards, and found that, for me, 23" is too wide. For the widest shortboard designs, I need to stay around 22. For PSB, between 19 and 19 1/2. Thicknesses are thicker than typical off-the-rack stuff too... I like 2 1/2 on a PSB.
Average surf, average surfer... a few more cubic inches of foam translates into more waves, longer rides, and more fun.
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Have to agree with this 100%. There are spots 1000km's in either direction from me, but with 3 young kids, and a job, early morning is my surf time, and i cant spend hours checking different beaches, so i go to my favourites. Sometimes they're great, but a lot of the time i have to surf what's there, check a few other close spots, or not surf, which means a lot of the time the surf is ok, but not great, and in that case i need something with a bit more foam to milk em for all they've got!!
What you need to do Mark is make yourself a sup (lower case letters so others won’t notice it).
You won’t care when the surf is marginal as you’ll take it for a spin on the lake.
I’ve been around long enough to be choosey about the quality and size of waves I surf and my sup is keeping me paddle fit for the good days without forcing me to surf junk just to keep fit.
Being realistic there’s many, many times I’ve forced myself to go surfing when I didn’t want to just to keep paddle fit for better days. Now I don’t have to. No more frustration with rubbish waves and I’m one less face in the water.
Good for everyone.
I have enough muscle memory stored up that surfing less will have no ill effect on my waveriding though I lay no claims in that department.
to each his own i guess. id rather be sunk to my armpits and be able to bury my entire rail or redirect on a dime.
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I've got a dozen boards from 6'2 to 7'2 that fall into the high performance category. There is a time and a place for everything and now I am of the opinion that the waves need to be at least shoulder high and have some juice for it to be worth my while to break out a traditional high performance shortboard. Perhaps I'm now of an age where I am more interested in having fun than impressing anyone.
My most recent board for Florida slop is a BIG boy quad that was almost exactly like yours except I went even wider with no ill effects for me. 6'8" x 24.5 x 3". As for the comments about being able to sink the entire rail of the board during a turn, if you need a board this big to ride marginal surf, sinking the rail is not an issue. I can sink the entire rail of a 9'2" hplb with little problem. When you are my size 6'1" and 265, and a good athlete, you need planing surface. Wider gets it done best in my opinion. I tried going longer and messed around in the 7' to 8' range with little luck. After shaping a really fat stubby fish with a buddy and watching all the mini simmons stuff I decided to try going wide. Glad I did.
