Looks to me like a decent board to learn on in small, EC beach break. It won’t be fast, compared to modern 8’ hybrids, but it will turn easier. It looks/sounds like it will plow a bit and be not-too-great out in the flats (it will probably decelerate very quickly as soon as it leaves the power of the wave, whatever power the waves has), but the same features that make it plow will make it easier to turn for a beginner/noob.
You will probably get some flack if you surf it with skilled people, but it will have nothing to do with the board. If you surfed the sh** out of it, nobody would have anything to say to you, and would probably find how you ride it interesting, as opposed to really annoying just to look at. It’s just not fun to surf with beginners on a crowded peak for most long time surfers, regardless of the board. When I first started surfing again after 20 years away (and a weight gain of like 70 lbs), I first pulled out my 20+ years old Ocean Rhythms (Santa Barbara label) chippy 6-3 when I moved back to CA. I got heckled – not often, and by dicks (fair minded people probably felt the same as the dicks, but just didn’t say anything) – but, frankly I deserved it because the inappropriate board was definitely an expression and proof of my kookdom at the time.
I have no idea how it feels. It’ll probably be a while before I even get past the foamie learning stage.
I just got to wondering that if this 8’er won’t be great for my 2nd board then maybe I should move it along before it sits around here too long and gets damaged.
I think it’s a good choice for a novice surfer. It’s long enough to catch the kinds of waves you should be working on but will be easy to control. The singlefin +narrow tail setup will hold on any turn you’re capable of making and the position of the fin is far anough forward to give you a little leeway with your rear foot placement.
Anyone who tells you the board would go faster with a thruster is only half-right. Pay them no mind. A thruster setup will generate more drive, but only if you have the skill to first get a really good thruster type stance ith your rear foot over the fin cluster, and then actively pump the board. Which is almost nobody who would buy an 8ft board with a lot of rocker. A single will probably be faster for the folks who surf the board more passively, which is almost everyone who would buy an 8ft board with a lot of rocker.
In broad terms and with respect to the smaller and weaker conditions, singles go with the wave and make the most of the energy at hand. Thrusters and quads are more about making more energy on your own.
As for the look-at-me airbrush (the color), I wouldn’t put a novice on that because most noobs want to be invisible. A lot of us geezers do, too. But that’s okay - if anyone cracks wise about it just tell them you bought the board used off of Craigslist for $100 and you’re trying to progress beyond the CostCo foamie you were surfing. See if that cracks the smug factor they’re carrying because they spent $1500 on a shop board from one of the hipster shops.
The main thing is to have fun and to work on your progression, not someone else’s. ,
The rocker does have me concerned about paddling and I'm thinking maybe I should be looking for a flatter 9'er when I want to get off the foamie.
From your description you are still at the stage where getting your waves is the thing. If so, then just stick with this board. You need to learn how to read the spot your surfing so you can tell where you need to start from to take 6 or 8 srokes to get up. From there, the shorter length and increased rocker will be easier to control.
One you get your wave judgement and timing down then going longer and flatter will help you run down more waves from longer distances. By that time you’ll be better equipped to deal with the flatter rockers.
Learn to surf what you have, first. Milk it for everything you can get out of it until you get to the point where it’s the board that’s failing you instead of the other way around. Just about every board design has some lessons to teach. Then expand your quiver to fill in the holes. Don’t start selling boards until you’re actually replacing what you’ve been using this board for. It’s painful to watch people cycle through a bunch of different board designs without learning how to actually surf what they have to its optimum potential. That’s a tremendous waste of time and money.
The Ron Jon should be fine if you feel like moving to a shorter board. A 9’ ‘foamie’, if I’m reading that right, likely has more volume than you might expect for it’s size. For that reason, stepping down to a conventionally shaped shorter board will feel like a big step.
FWIW… ‘foamies’ seem to have found a place in the lineup - at least around here on US west coast. I see experienced surfers riding them mostly for the novelty of it. They may also be thumbing their noses at the surfing establishment(?) I’ve even heard the foamie boards referred to as the new “Cult” favorite, whatever that means…
I’ll be keeping my 9’ CBC foamie of course. And my daughter has an 8’ Greco I can always try. But I’m sure most newbs like me hope to ride a glassed board some day.
Everyone has to start somewhere. And there’s nothing wrong with an 8ft board so long as you use it in the conditions I was designed for. I have a 7-10 that I surf quite a bit in soft/slow conditions - it’s a lot of fun.
We have your spots working - Thanks for the coordinates - They seem to very close to the land - I can fix that. Can you tell me somethings about the break - Topography, best swell period, best tide, best swell direction
You can also make spots near by as Secret Spots - That only you can see - Let me know if you need help
