The waves in my local area are your typical East coast beach break. But a couple hundred yards off shore the swell looks very rideable before it dies in deeper water prior to reforming nearer the beach.
I’m 5’8 150lbs and a 10’ board should be plenty long for me but what would be the best long board shape and bottom for catching and riding unbroken swells?
flat bottom, square tail, full rails
why not go for a full on 12’ paddleboard. that way when its flat you can go for some cool little paddling trips, and even bring a lunch and a fishing pole and have some quality time to yourself and maybe grab dinner while your out there too?
I think 12’ would be a little overkill for someone my size as well as needlessly unwieldy / unstorable. Plus the available material I have is in the 10’ range.
Click here if gliding is your thing.
hey i am a little curios to know where this place is. you dont have to give an exact location but i am curios. we have a place like that called monster whole but it actaully breaks. not very often but last november it was going off.
No special one place. South Jersey in general. There are just days when conditions are right and instead of wrestling with the closeouts in close I’d like to get way outside and ride some swell. My father used to do it as a kid on the football coach / life guard captains tom blake like hollow.
hey i am a little curios to know where this place is. you dont have to give an exact location but i am curios. we have a place like that called monster whole but it actaully breaks. not very often but last november it was going off.
monster hole is only good when it’s big…2x overhead +
for those who don’t know, it’s the inlet side of the famed Sebastian Inlet.
i’ve had two very fun (very scary) days there.
i have surfed it a few times and apparently you can get in trouble with fish and game or the regular police for paddling across the inlet.
i have fished the spot a few times and have pulled up some seriously huge sharks. thats what scares me about surfing the spot.And the long paddle sucks too
Board is fine length for you, maybe make it wide, like 25.
Then you can take a canoe paddle and use it for more power, plus much better vision outside.
yeah, i think that’s why they call it “monster hole”…it’s a breeding ground for bull sharks.
IMHO, Gatordave is correct. I have built and ridden several different craft for open ocean swells. A 12’er is actually a “shortboard” as far as paddle boards go. I suggest you look at outriggers, surfski’s, and paddle boards for ideas. They all have hulls designed for open ocean. Getting the board up to speed and on plane will be the difficult part. You wouldn’t want a “V” hull like these craft as it would cause the board to broach, but you could have some “V” in the nose, above the standing waterline. The rounder the bottom the faster it will be in the open water, but the less stable, and it will not plane as easily if you do catch the wave/swell.
As far as materials are concerned, a piece of EPS 12’x24"x6" shouldn’t cost ya more than $100.00-$125.00, plus a 1 gallon kit from RR for $100.00, plus glass. You gotta board for less than $300.00. If you can transport and store a 10’er, a 12’er won’t pose any significant problem.
i think a hybrid surfboard/kayak would be great…the paddle is a big advantage and it would be very interesting to design, shape and build…I’ve riden entry-level kayaks on wind swells at its super fun and quite a workout…it made me think of the possibilities of what can be done on a real good design/build…I may make one this summer for shits and giggles…
If you are interested in going long, check out Surfer’s Journal Vol. 14 No. 1. A recent issue. It has an article about Tom Wegener. He rides self made wooden boards, and has some in the 12 foot and 16 foot range.
There’s an amazing picture of him about to stand up on one of the big boards. The wave is about a foot high and isn’t even close to breaking: just a swell in the water. But he’s gliding along. Looks like fun. Doug
I’ve checked out his site before. Nice work. I’ll have to look for the Journal.