Hey guys, I’m needing some advice on where to start in selecting my next board… and hopefully a new era for my surfing life.
I’m 35, live in Santa Cruz, and surf mainly a 9’6" nose rider or a 9’4" modern longboard, both boards are single fins. I mostly surf point breaks in town (crowded!) in the waist to a couple of feet overhead range. I have quite a bit of ocean knowledge and been would consider myself an intermediate surfer- surfing for well over 10 years.
I’m about 5’11", 185 lbs. Surf about once every couple of weeks to 3-4 times a week.
I’m pretty burnt on the crowds at the points in town and feel that they have kept my surfing from progressing to the next level, so I want to start surfing the beaches (manresa) or north coast. I’ll pretty much be surfing waist hight to slightly overhead waves the vast majority of the time.
I’m beyond ready to get stoked on surfing again and transition to a shorter board. I’m interested in a fish, but not sure if that’s a route to consider. So I’m loking to get an idea of what I should be looking for in moving down to a smaller board. I occasionally ride a 7’10" fun board 2 7/8 thick and there is definately room for me to improve on that, but it just feels too big overall (though I definately apprecate the paddling power).
Any advice for a starting point for a next board is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
How about just going straight to the 5’10"? i am no expert but transitioned first to a 6’6 fish and then, 6’1 and 6’. the board that i find works the best for me is 5’8" at 6’/170lbs. it takes some getting used to, but at the end of the day, i agree with teh point that fishes shouldnt be more than 6’.
been there and can give my experience.I am soon 55,163lbs,surf 2 to 5 days/week,from ankle slappers to double overhead to triple, crowded,(but nothing like Malibu!!!)and I like long sessions,so I can outlast the crowds.Mostly longboard cuz I love to noseride,even if for a real short cheater five!For me,twinzer 6.3 x 21 works,shorter than that,and I can’t last as long in the water,or I have to paddle in after an hour and grab the longboard.For an egg,as short as 7.0 x 21 is all I like.For a hybrid shape,21 to 21&1/2 wide,7 to 7.6.So you can compare to you,you are much younger,so stronger and more paddling power,but you are much heavier.Go too short and you won’t be having a good time,and what’s the sense.I have a friend who is your age and weight,he surfs a fish 5.10 x 22 .If you surf crowded spots,you have to make up the advantage you give up by not going out on your longboard,by more wave savvy.Surfing a shorter board will definitely improve your surfing,as it is a different style than longboarding(should be),but you can also switch to a 9.0 or 9.1 longboard with a 2+1 set up or a thruster or quad,so you maintain the longboard style(only cross step!!!).Enjoy the search!
My suggestion would be to see if you can borrow or rent shorter boards and see how you like them. Since you've already ridden a 7'10", maybe drop to a 7'6" or 7'0" and take it from there. I think a lot depends if you rode shortboards before you rode the longboards mentioned earlier. If you did, the transition back down to shorter boards won't be as drastic compared to having ridden longboards most of the time.
yep, ride some diff boards and suss out what feels right but if you asked me, I'd say ride the fun board for a bit and see how you go on that, then you'll know how much smaller you might wanna go....perhaps down to a 7fter or a big fish would be the go... I have been doing my Fat-Bats ( my semi-fish quad fin designs ) for guys in similar situations, doin them around 6'8" x 21 1/4" x 2 3/4" ...feedback has been great...plenty of options out there these days but you probably want stability and volume mostly....have fun with the new stage of your surfing...good on you, stoked....
i made the same transition about 5 yrs ago. i’m a couple years older and about 20 pounds lighter than you. i had the same idea about manresa and spots up north. not to be a party pooper or anything, but be prepared for your wave count (and fun factor) to go way down during your transition. transitional boards are a double edged sword in that you can’t race outside when a big set rolls through, like on a longboard, and you also can’t stay put and duck dive like a low/medium volumed shortboard and you’ll end up wearing yourself out and causing shoulder problems.
the spots up the coast all have their crews too. when the spots are working the crews are there and they have the spots wired. 3 - 5 guys who have a reef wired can make it frustrating for a guy transitioning. the same kind of goes for manresa but sometimes you can find your own peak.
i’d suggest getting a board that is the appropriate volume for a good surfer (not pro, just average competent surfer) of your height and weight and commit to learing on it. you’re going to really struggle for awhile but once you get the hang of it…
if you can manage to stay in town during your transition, a funboard might be the way to go.
Great advice from Tommy. He's knows the spots and the scene. Fish and eggs are good small wave boards. Great for P. Pt. The hybrid will work well in waist to double overhead(depending). The bottom line is you are going to have to commit to the new board. I would figure it out in town. I know the crowds are brutal, but find those little seams in the lineup and work them. Get up early, check the gotta go to work transition times, etc. It's like knowing when to get off and on the freeway in Los Angeles. Once you get confidence on the new board then start working the more challenging spots up north. Mike