Is a high
performance board anything like what professional surfers use in competition anymore?
There are
so many very unique and exiting styles of surfing around now and the amazing surfboards that have evolved out of them one
starts to wonder how much longer the A typical thruster can hold the honor of
the term [high performance].
I have
noticed that if some one tares the shit out of a wave gracefully n stylish on a
board that doesn’t resemble the modern 3 fin surfboard the board is not considered
high performance.
Derek Hynd finless at J Bay was absolutely amazing but I haven’t heard anyone call his surfboard a
high performance board, one can only hope!
The performance of a surfboard is only as high as that of the surfer. Surfboards do not compete in competitions, surfers do. TBH, I think the 3 fin boards in comp provide a level playing field so to speak. Everyone has similar equipment, what they can do with that equipment is based on the skill and performance of the rider. I know its not a written regulation, but i think is a self imposing one.
Motorsports is a very good example of what happence when everyone is on the same equipment like in NASCAR where mostly random f**kers win or different equipment engeneered to fit regulations like F1 where Vettel wins......BOOOOO
With regards to DH, it could be argued that he would perform each of those turns better if he had fins...but thats BS. I think the question should be "Who can perform better that DH on that board in those conditions?"
Simple answer: A high performance surfboard is a board that requires the rider to be of above average skill in order to ride it. The average surfer when placed on this board will be reduced to flailing and sinking. When a competent rider is placed on a high performence board he can do amazing things on it. When a less than competant rider is placed on that same board he looks like a flailing kook.
The moral of my definition is be realistic with yourself when choosing your boards. What the local pro is riding and killing it on is not the right board for the average surfer even if he is of the same size and build as that local pro. Don't be suckered into buying a board you don't have the skills to ride.
I agree
that you do have to have certain competency levels to surf well on any board.
My point is that a lot of people think you can only ride one particular style
of board to be considered to be high performance surfing.
I am not convinced that the thruster is the
holy grail for every surfer to aspire to master.
By you definition a NSP funboard is a high performance board.
Sorry to burst your bubble but there really are surfboards that **REQUIRE **that the surfer be a very good surfer in order to ride. Hell, I wish I still had the skill and fitness to ride them. At 42 those days are almost over for me unless the waves are real good.
Your topic here is “What is a high performance surfboard?”, not What Is a High Performance Surfer?
LOL, I guess you're not a big fan of Adrian Newey?
There are so many good surfers nowadays that can ride what the pros ride, and I think that's a great thing. The status quo part of the industry sells them the same shape, but with a heavier glass job that doesn't give the same feel as the pro's single 4oz both sides boards. But they don't want anybody to talk about that...
I am still young
and fit and still surf my thruster very competently along with lots of other styles
of craft. NSP boards probably go ok but I wouldn’t rate them as high
performance but don’t knock there durability
factor.
Quote [mako224]: " A high performance surfboard is a board that requires the rider to be of above average skill in order to ride it. The average surfer when placed on this board will be reduced to flailing and sinking. When a competent rider is placed on a high performence board he can do amazing things on it. When a less than competant rider is placed on that same board he looks like a flailing kook."----- …then an alaia is a high performance board…
I’m not
interested in trying to convert people to rigidly surf one fine surf craft or
all of them but there is a number of boards that are today considered high
performance, and I don’t think it all stopped or started with Simon Anderson’s
contribution’s however valuable.
Funny how this topic is beginning to strike nerves… Unless you’re talking about comptetive surfing, “skill” is relative. And professional surfing is a miniscule fraction of what surfing is about. I ride a high performance surfboard and I don’t have much skill at all!
To me the answer is as simple as this: the term “high performance” is just a term in the vernacular of shapers so they can communicate to each other. Use the term to describe a shortboard and everybody knows what it means.
The funny thing to me is, depending on how you see things, the purpose of the hp design is to make modern surfing manuvers/tricks/whatever you want to call them… easier.
I’ll even go as far as to say it really doesn’t matter what kinds of tricks you can do if they feel forced and look ugly. Smooth and effortless is what I’m after.
The high performance board in modern surfing seems like, to me, sort of a step back from the ‘requires a skilled surfer to ride it’ boards with ultra low rails and tight tail lines are not condusive to airs and progressive surfing. Look at what the younger generation are riding… the same thing that everyone is riding now. sub-6’ boards with wide squash tails and alittle width. the 6’2 ultra rocker, low rail, narrow board that makes for good railwork in serious waves is the type of board that requires a fit, experienced surfer, but doesnt play into the ‘modcol’ perfomance. heck just look at the board named after it, the js ‘modcol’ could be ridden by most competent surfers. imo performance board = one that makes it easier to show off your fins to the lineup