I am 378 in dog years and have to say Mcding hit it out of the park with his comment. Weight, ability and height(in that order) are the most important. Your girl friend or wife I assume is the weaker surfer. Make the board optimal for her. If you are too cheap to not buy her a separate board then you need to nut up and use the ideal board for her. When you are enslaved to the available blank widths from the catalog that’s what you get. It has been already shown that 28"+ widths with an SUP can handle jaws,Mavs, 3rd reef pipe, wailua river mouth, Makaha. I would take a inch or two wider, less thickness, same volume long board over what a blank catalog has to offer. Above pics of the talented,fit,fearless,experienced surfer is an example that a well made board can be ripped on. For the other 99% of surfers who have never seen a wave like this, I would take the advice of the local shaper at your break you use most frequently and let them worry about your concerns.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr… These kind of threads always seems to iritate me so sorry I there is some attitude in my post. It is true that a longboard is considered to be three feet over your height. That is usually for surfers that are shorter than average. Any competiton with a “longboard” qualification will require the boards to be 9’ minimum according to the organizations rules. (college, ASP, etc…) An 8’ board (like Sammys) I would call an “inbetweener” but that’s just me. I shape more lbs, than shorts every year for the last 15 years or so. I have shaped lb’s from 24" (anything wider is a supercustom or actually a SUP blank cut down) down to 20" wide. I am 64 years old and my own lb’s range from a 9’ single fin to a 9’10 2 + 1. I surf some of the most crowded waves on the planet, from Santa Barbara to San Diego and I don’t surf just lbs, but they are my main go-tos (unless Newport Point is firing, LOL). All these boards float me. All these boards surf differently and work differently at different spots. I have lb’s that I have ridden in 2X conditions, not just in California. With longboards, there is a lot going on and so many variables you can adjust to the rider and waves they surf. That’s why I think that they will always be around. Mcding is correct, and I must defend Rich & Bill as both these guys know their stuff but approach lbs in a different manner and a lot can be learned from both of them, as I have personally. I have sponsored guys for the last 20 years and even though I have never had an ASP guy, every one of them as they got older wanted a lb. Rails, rocker, swing weight, concave, vee, staged rocker (thanks GG for posting that pic) all make lbs fun to surf, but if you don’t shape 10+ longboards/year, don’t sound like you are an expert from someone asking a question of a shaper who might know something you don’t! Anyway, back to T-rav’s question. No competent shaper will produce a lb that won’t work for your skill level or wave you surf. Asking a theoretical question without specific parameters results in an answer like this diatribe… Just my 2c…
The specific parameters are in the thread just not my initial question. I am talking about two boards not one for two people. Sorry if I wasn’t clear about that bb30. As the shaper, and one who has much still to learn, I don’t have the benefit of hiring a shaper. Though I do look to what has worked for others. I just haven’t been able to pull a design together that feels optimal for my ability and size. Part of the fun for me is to experiment and research to come up with a board design that works on the waves I surf
It sounds like no one recommends a board as long as what Harbour does or nearly as wide as what Stewart does. The pictures have me thinking about more outside of the box rockers and outlines. Thanks for the comments and pictures.
T-rav; I was composing my response to your first question and didn’t see your later post. Here’s what my thinking is that you should be shaping: A 9’2-9’3 narrow nose longboard with a 2 + 1 fin setup. I will post a pic of the type of board I’m talking about. 3" of foam if you carry it out to the rails with a tucked edge will give you plenty of foam to catch waves. The right rocker is really important to producing a lb that works in powerful surf. PM me if you would like specifics as I have made a lot of these types of boards. You don’t want a low entry and kick in the tail on these boards like your Pearson. If you think the pics I post are similar to the Harbour Sol, you might be on to something… Just my 2c…
Beautiful Boards surfteach. If it were me I would be going for something like what you are showing or like what huck posted from Ace. The Pintail would be slightly overkill in my opinion But I still would like to ride it.
By the way; that Mat Tanner Model board can be ridden at Middle Peak in overhead conditions no sweat. I know that model well and it is not considered a “Traditional longboard”, but a “Comp/Pro/Progressive”. Locals ride Bob Pearson’s boards in overhead Santa Cruz conditions all the time. Was watchin a couple of guys at “First Peak” a few weeks ago in double overhead surf. They were picking up waves so far outside that they looked like a fly speck. Having said all this; Ability and strength are your two biggest considerations. So get a board with more volumne in it that is distributed effeciently. All those gunny looking pointy 9’0"s that guys have been posting here aren’t gonna help. Get yourself a nice Junod, Pearson,Haut or Johnny Rice, that isn’t too thin for your size and ability. . Give the Tanner Model to your wife. It sounds perfect for her. Lowel
Love those boards surfteach. Have an older Parmenter that looks very similar. Here is my non tradtional 8’10" x 24" x3". Used it for 8 months and it works in big and small surf. My 130lb daughter catches ripples on the thing and it is snappy in smaller surf for my 100kg body. I have had it in 12-16 faces twice with great results. Also made the same design in a 7’3"x23" x 2 3/4" which worked great also.
below is the 8’10".
The Tanner is pretty great for the center peak at Steamer and Its impossible not to assume it was tested there given Pearsons location. The low volume dosent bother me so much there because the paddle out is so easy compared to up here. I am curious how the pintails surf but a bigger board like that Arrow might be just the thing. So maybe I stick with that rocker, go three inches thick and carry it to the rails, a little over nine feet and 22-23 inches wide, flat panel vee in the tail, tucked to hard down rail, narrow tail and moderate nose width with no concave, and steer away from the charts I find that give me these xxl dimentions for my size.
There are reasons guys like Ace, etc… (& me) shape boards like this. Here’s my basic reasoning for these type of boards. Even though they look like a semi-gun shape they are not, they are modified traditional longboards. The rocker is more of a performance longboard but not a gun rocker like you would need for breaks like Mavs. They turn really well with the back foot in front of the fin cluster and so can handle chop without getting twitchy. The narrow nose is intentional as it doesn’t catch in offshore conditions and it will allow you to duck dive in OH surf if it’s not to big. (Hawaiian technique) You will not be noseriding anyway so why the extra area? Boards are in the 22" range so the rail to rail carve works well. Your rail shape is the most important part in my type of board. You need bite that will allow you to carve & pump when you need to and generate speed. Bottoms are simple in my opinion for these boards as you should stay away from shortboard style designs. A flat bottom with the appropriate belly in the nose (for your waves there, not mine in SoCal) and the right amount of vee through the tail will make it a big wave performer and navigate chop, sideshore wind, etc. that you have up there. The first pic I included was a board I shaped for outside HB (XX) in 1998. The second is a customers board that he ordered for outside XX Reef Road in Florida so the nose is just a bit wider than normal. Modifications led to what I do now with tweaks that make this design work in Hawaii, Europe, Bali & Indo. There are some locales that I haven’t surfed these designs or had customers surf them, but I feel confident that if you make a similar board to mine or Ace’s (GG’s staged bottoms are a different animal) you will have a good surfable board for large overhead surf and can improve on the board after that one! Just my 2c…
T-Ray, live north of you on Devils Lake, have surfed Avalanche at Y-head a handful of times with some size. Whereas not a really critical wave, it is a challenging wave, can get ledgy, lot of water moving, lineup can get crowded, and the growing SUP crowd (why I don’t surf there much) is a challenge in itself. Not to mention Oh Shit rock…lol
Check out this racy high performance longboard that Art Coyler from North Pacific shapes… HH to DOH+,a great board for that wave, have been riding versions of it in outside lineups with size the past 6 years. I’m 6’3 x 190#, and my favorite is 21 3/4" W, and paddles as well as my wider summer longboards, as wider boards tend to start plowing in choppy conditons. the key to a good bigger wave board paddling and catching waves well isn’t adding width, it’s installing the right rocker. Wider boards become problematic in chop and ledgy drops. Comparing SUP width surfboard width is irrelevant, one is paddled in uch further outside, early and safely, the other goes in much steeper and later, and excessive width is just a hinderance.
http://northpacificsurf.com/product/hi-performance/#!prettyPhoto
Thanks LCC, that’s a much better description of the spot than mine. I hadn’t noticed the width in chop factor, so many variables, but now I probably will. I wonder who carries that NP on the central coast? I might go try to look at one.
It keeps coming back to rocker. If anyone has a rocker pick of the pintail longboards surfteach and LCC Are describing I would love to see one, thanks.
It’s just not that complicated.
With temps in the 20’s the last few days; naming names isn’t gonna make it any “more” or “less” crowded up here.
…in most parts of the world do not have the types of waves that you find in South California (longboard mecca) so you barely see those types of longboards, almost do not see longboard/guns hybrids; HP is what you see in most cases or in some surf shops, you see some classic ones.
In my opinion, HP longboards (not talking Hawaii here) are too thin; the Stewars are too thin for example; most Brazilian longboards are way thin…
After the longboards resurgence I decided that I should have couple of outlines (and planshape) that would work better than those HP for the big guys and for riding down the line etc; in first instance I was affraid of those designs; you did not see them in the beach…still do not see em; but now after all these years I have couple of customers that really demand and push those longboards to the limits of these designs but better is that they are normal riders not professionals, so they work, have family, have belly, cannot surf all day, etc; some are good surfers and other are ok.
These boards have more meat than the HPs but not so much nose and an HP rocker.
Here s an example to ride hollow waves. It s a bonzer type. Is not for mushy conditions, Tucked edged all the way; 60/40s full rails flat to concave to 4 bonzer channels; HP rocker; flat deck; pulled in nose (but still a longboard nose dim); straighter tail outline; bulk on the chest. foam/fiber tailblock; gloss/speed finish combo; silver adjustable screw; 9 2. All handcrafted included fins of course.
The rider in this photo is a big MF that plays Basket ball.
This is not a versatile board, is an example of a longboard that is not so big but big enough to hold a big guy and to ride hollow waves that is not a HP and is not one of those S Californian types.
Over complicating the rocker Mcding?
Nice looking board 
This customer has been riding these for 15 years .
He surfs mostly in Honolulu - Pops . So even though its “Hawaii” its working well in top Florida type waves .
In better surf it just keeps getting better
Looks good Greg, what is the function of the nose channels?
You can’t tell they are there .
Slight hold that keeps the nose from slipping out while up there .
Planes really well since the suface is unchanged with no pushing transition 1/3 back like with nose concaves .
Nose concaves are much better for all out noseriding .
Russ K . world champion model from the 90’s
Comes in Reverb Red Too ;-)
Talk to Jeff at Moments surf shop in Pacific City, he carries North Pacific surfboards. What I usually do is exchange emails with Art to dial in the shape, then write it up and give it to Jeff. Usually 3-4 weeks for a new board. Can give you Art’s email address if you would like. Jeff is leaving shortly for a stay at his Kaui house, will be back in a couple of weeks.
Art’s HPLB features continous curve outline, with continous curve rocker. A 9’0 usually comes out around 5 1/2 - 6 N and 3 T.
for my personal rides, I consider a fun gun to be the most user friendly all around board for OH to DOH waves that don’t require a struggle paddle through the inside. At OB in San Francisco, or at most of the breaks in Lincoln City, punching out with any size is always a highly demanding requirement, so less is more. I literally carry two different quivers depending on if I am surfing around LC, or heading up to PC. Considering you can enter the water at Y-head by walking out to the point and jumping off the rocks outside, not an issue.
lot of similarities between Art’s fun gun and HPLB’s, same continous curve outlines and rockers. HPLB wide points are more towards the middle, fun gun up several inches. The HPLB a bit more fun in the lower range, the fun gun has greater high end range, will draw out those long bottom turns a tad more. 9’0 HPLB nose would be around 16", 9’0 fun gun around 14", so little less nose area which is better on steeper drops that you need to set an early rail on.
The key is balance. Balanced outline, balanced rocker, balanced foil. Always thought the best boards for bigger waves, regardless of length, were ones that didn’t have any over riding characteristics, just plenty fast, held well, almost neutral in their handling.
have worked with a couple of dozen shapers over the decades, and the best boards from them all had one common tangible - balance.