Why don’t surfboard board manufactures give a better detailed information on the basic shape of their boards? I’m really talking longboards here. This to me is frustrating. Researching shapes is a major pain in the ass. Like looking at rocker. Noone list the amount of rocker in the standard shape. Or the width of the tail. Here’s my out look on the surfindustry. Well, basicly this is a 9’6" x 22" x 2 7/8" Robert August WII looks cool doesn’t it? Robert August is a great company {not kicking that} that makes great surfboards {which they can} that surf great. When in reality it has no place in the market which I bought it in. Why, because of the rocker. But, is there any place you can read about the REAL SHAPE of the boards? No!!! I can’t even go to Natural Art and compair the Fla. shaped LB to a Cali shaped LB. It just seams really stupid that one can’t learn about a product. I’m about ready to sell this guy my WII. I almost feel bad about it. Not that it doesn’t surf, but because it’s not a good buy for anyone living here. So, what’s a fair price for a one yr old August WII with minor damage?
Hey Most surfers, like you, are really too lazy to find out what works how, why, and in combo with what anyways. They, like skateboarders, just wanna go surf. Surfing, being as subjective…oh what the heck, just read the post above. Everyone wants instant gratification. Just buy this CD, peruse once, and voile’ …instant surfboard expert. Try putting in the years, riding different boards, and gaining the experience yourself.
If you don’t have 10 years to spare, buy someone else’s 10 years…go to a LOCAL, respected shaper and order up a custom. The shaper will know what goes and what doesn’t…
LeeD. I think your missing my point. You can not research boards on the market. I can’t even get a reference point from my RA WingNutII without taking it to a shaper. You have a valid point about taking the time to find what works. But, why sell a board designed for point breaks to a surfshop in Fla. ??? Perfect example of what I’m talking about. Kiteboarding. What if kiteboarding kite didn’t have any recommended wind conditions on it? And to top it off they offer you 1000’s of diferents shapes and sizes when you live in a place the wind only blows 10-15 knots. That is exactly what surfboard anufactures are doing… See my point, now?
Hey First of all, you’re talking to a kiter since ‘00. No, I don’t get it. When you walk into your friendly shop, you did not specify exactly what kind of wave you have in mind. And if you drive somewhere, that wave changes. Surfing is a personal, subjective sport, and for one guy, a given 10’ gun board is perfect for point rights, another is OK for 20’ Mavs, yet another sees it as a easy riding, turn from anywhere cruiser board. All surfboards have some amount of “allaround” ability, it’s just flavors and tendencies. As for the kiting brochures…what a crock of shiiiiite! All marketeering, all hype. Believe it, when Naish touted the Boxer, then knocked it down two years later. Total false ad men oriented bull crap, designed to sell you the lastest and greatest, then next year a “new, better, more range, easier to use” is launched for us to rebuy. Kiting is an example of a market driven sport!
To add to all of this. Surfshops order what sells, and thats really what looks good on the rack and the particular trend or whats in at the time.
LeeV, yeah that is exactly what I’m doing. At least this way I’ll get a decent starting point. Good thing about the R.A.WII is now I know what not to get with no thanks to Robert August Surfboards.
a) its very hard to reduce a surfboard to just numbers. A single number such as tail rocker is not all that helpful, because the rocker at the end of the board is only one data point when really what matters is the CURVE that it follows to get there. Same goes for templates, rail shape, foil, etc. Most surfers don’t know and don’t care about the specs of their boards, either, so they just don’t get provided. b) why sell an “inappropriate” board in a place with one kind of surf? Well, why not, most surfers travel, you could be buying a board in Florida to take to Mundaka or South Africa for all anybody knows… c) the value of a used board is whatever you can get for it. Name brands such as RA tend to hold their value pretty well, so you should be able to get back most of your money for it. Just chalk it up to experience and move on. Not only that but the next guy who buys it may love the thing… (did you even try changing the fin???) You may go through dozens or even hundreds of boards in a lifetime…learn a little from each one…
I’m on here looking to learn about shapes and rockers. Not looking to beat on board manufactures. You mention driving somewhere else gives you a different wave. You mention all great Cali breaks with diferent wave types. I’M IN FLA. the waves are basicly the same. Small when it’s crapy and just bigger when it’s bigger. Not a ton of different shaped waves here. But a ton of boards shaped for great breaks on the west coast and nothing for person to help them chose between them. That’s my complant. Also, marketing games or not. You wouldn’t buy a 25-30+ kite without knowing it even if the sales guy did tell you it’s a great kite. In my case longboard.
Thanks Keith that seams like the info I was kinda looking for. Other than. I’m too lazy to take the time to learn. No, I didn’t change the fin. Turning has never been the problem. Getting it to catch waves has been the problem. Having guys, decent surfers try it. Some even guys that have ridden “pro” say close to the same thing. " IT doesn’t like these waves" “it really doesn’t catch waves easily” “it’s defently doing you no favors” " wow it kinda turns like a single fin short board" yeah, bottom line is. I am selling it. I’m working with local guys and a local shaper that knows about our crap waves and designs that work good in them. This tiem i’ll have something to work off of that was suposed to work well for where I surf.
Hey Sorry to be harsh, but reality usually hits us right in the kisser, and knocks us for a loop. Dude, you can’t surf, how can you expect a 9’6" surfboard to NOT catch waves easily? That’s a tanker log! Then one guy says…“it turns like a single fin shortboard” or whatever…you have a 9’6"er that turns like a short single fin and your are complaining? Dude, how long have you been surfing…one year at most, I’d say. The board doesn’t do everything! YOU still have to tell it what to do. That was harsh, but T R U E !!
My argument makes three assumptions (ODave was looking for help in this forum - not to be bashed for asking a question): 1.) The surfboard buyer has a vast amount of surfboard design knowledge but does not shape his own surfboards (play with me here) 2.) The buyer doesn’t have much money, therefore he wants to pick the right board the first time (within reason) without having to “Try putting in the years, riding different boards, and gaining the experience [himself].” (why? is that soul? dedication? or stupidity?) 3.) The buyer doesn’t want to wait in line for months just to get a custom board What I think ODave was suggesting, is that it would be nice to be able to walk into a shop and have all the details of the board laid out before him. (I’ve been in one shop where they actually had stands and tools set out for you to dimension out any board to your hearts content, but most aren’t like that.) ODave could then use his own knowledge of board design along with his personal preferences and experience with local wave shapes to decide which board would be best for him. How is that asking for too much?
so many have been frustrated by this board informatio dilemathat have gone on to write volumes explaining to the neophytes just how to understand and order a board.read a couple then write one after realizing the it simply cannot be explainedin mere words…the guys that make mass consumable boards are frustrated to tears ( hear lee crying out loud) trying to explain that FEELING is beyond words and dimensional cryptography…atlas from rand and mc Nally don’t reveal the sounds and smells of the highlands of new guinea just as the guy that buys that robert August from you will ride it to levels beyond your present comprehension…in florida…by simply riding it…the clue is in your hands you dont have to be a forensic pathologist to know that if you hold M&M’s in your hand long enough they will melt all over your sweaty hand try it or just sell it to the guy that will love it…ambrose…
Hey Wow! And I thought I typed as I thought. So true, so true.
First off, rocker is the “secret” ingredient in most shapes. A lot of manufacturers are hush about their rockers. Rocker can be misleading to someone that doesn’t intimately know all aspects of surfboard design. If a board doesn’t have a lot of rocker, it may have V or roll to compensate or maybe the widepoint is farther forward or farther back. If all the rocker is in the back 18 inches it will perform totally diffrent than a board with the same tail rocker measurement but with a smoother curve. Now you’re measuring rocker in 5 or 6 points along the bottom. Lots of variables! Too many numbers get confusing to most surfers. Best to get a board that was simply designed for your waves and your style. Get a good shaper and trust his judgement. Hope you are all getting some waves!
well spoken ambrose…the real truth he talks…just ride it you will learn to love it…and thats what its all about…
What I think ODave was suggesting, is that it would be nice to be able to walk into a shop and have all the details of the board laid out before him Aah, hells bells, I was going to respond nicely but I think I need to take a break. Raining again in Southern California, everybody around here is getting cranky again. So let me spit it out… If a board in a shop rack had pertinent details on it, the halfway informed buyer could read it and make some decisions. Asking the shop stooge is about as enlightening as asking a monkey at a zoo - the general attitude is if you are so freaking stupid you have to ask a salesperson anything you deserve whatever answer you get. The kicker is the halfway informed buyer might check detailed boards out, make his or her own decisions, and buy a board…without the stooge having to do any work at all. But too often the Bros and Hos behind the locked counter are so interested in their own body art or place in the local pyramid that the customer walks out and down the road until a better place is found…which is good for the better place but costs the other shop owner a sale. And face it, there are so many types of shapes and sizes out there now that nobody who isn’t making or selling a variety of boards on a daily basis can really be an expert in all designs. Blah blah blah, enough from me. The small shop shaper-owner gets to bypass this scenario, but the fact is that a shop which provides the most board info will do a better business than if they don’t, and the customer will be happier and better off.