im 20, most of my boards are below 6’5, 2.5 inches thick and single fins. i do have a log though, which i love. what i the transition like as you get older, into your 30’s and more importantly into your 40’s and 50’s. do your boards get bigger? a lot of older guys ride longboards very well, but every so often you see a man in what appears to be his 50’s riding a 6’4 and ripping. just really smooth cutbacks and a real flow and knowledge to his style. so, what are you riding and how did it change with your age?
33 years old
my boards range from 5’8 to 10’2
recently obtained the 5’8, I’m riding it all the time
Personally, I see no reason to tie board size to age as long as I continue eat right and stay in shape
I just turned 28… I’m 6’ and around 190 lbs.
My boards go from 5’8’’ twin fin to 9’8’’ single fin, including short and long singlefins and trifins. I also have a pair of swim fins around 17’'.
I try to choose a board that suits the wave style and my personal preferences at the moment more than trying to suit my age or shape and so do my 40+ year old friends.
Good waves!
53 years old. I’m currently riding a 6’4" swallow tail trifin eggy thing. Also ride a 6’4" edge bottom stubby and a 4’ Neumatic. My longboard is a 7’5" Liddle 'tweener. Age is a state of mind (at least so far)…if you can catch waves and have fun, who cares what ya ride…
I am 49 years young,5’10’‘,200lbs,surfing since I was 12 years young.My boards range from 8ft. to 10’2’‘.I am thinking about getting a 7’0’’ again for shits and giggles.I enjoy the longer boards now at my age but can still jump onto a short board if the mood hits me. The important thing is that I still enjoy surfing on whatever is under my feet.P.S. I am the younger guy in the group that i surf with.the oldest just turned 61 last sat.
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if you can catch waves and have fun, who cares what ya ride...
i agree. thats not the point of my post. thanks for your answer though.
41 here. my current quiver is 5’-6"to 9-2" I rode mostly longboards in my 30’s but that got boring after about 5 years. I don’t ride a longboard much these day unless I go out on a crowded Sunday just to snake kooks. I weigh 155 lbs and like my boards 2-3/8" to 2-5/8" thick anything thicker and they are to corky. rode my 7"-2" Rhino speed egg all winter. petty much ride boards under 7’-6" and like to think I shred. 
Old guy (48)
Started surfing on a 9’ longboard at age 11 right during the “shortboard Revolution”. I have boards running from a 5’10" Fish to a 7’6" semi gun which include twins , twinzers, single fins, and thrusters.
I think as I’ve aged I tend to ride what I have fun on, rather than the current trend. The volume has not increased all that much, but I have to work much harder to stay in shape. The problem with staying on a shortboard as you age, as Dubstar indicates, is you really have to stay in shape. I actually think that is a good thing, as overall I feel much better. Staying on a shortboard has always been my motivation for staying in shape.
what do you do to stay in shape jeffD? i used to go to the gym typically 4 or 5 days a week to stay strong. a few weeks ago i started doing yoga instead and it has benefited me greatly with my flexibility and balance. i think im sold.
Poser,
You should do things that you really enjoy doing to stay in shape. That way its not such a chore to stay in shape. I have never really been a gym guy, but fortunately living in S. Calif., I am able to do outdoor sports year round. I mountain bike with a group of buddies twice a week, which is a blast. I also swim a mile at a local olympic sized pool 2-3 times a week, depending on if there are waves or not. I add in situps, and pushups, and this keeps me in good surf shape., along with watching what I eat. No empty calories, re: fast food!
34 years old All high performance type boards
summertime board 6’6" 2 1/2 x 19 x 11 x 14
Winter board 6’8" - 7’0" 2 1/2 x 19 x 11 x 13 3/4
9’0" longboard that i use to surf with my 3 year old son
Poorly worded, mea culpa…I meant to say, “You should ride anything that you can catch waves and have fun with regardless of your age. Right tool for the job.”
Hey - I think I feel where you may be going - at least my observation, maybe not ease of paddling etc. But, I think people often go back to what they had there best time on. On this forum though lot’s of progressive people = less going back. I still love an 8’ round pin, @ 40 years, but I have gone through lot’s of bottom changes, channles, hulls, wings, fins, etc… Right now I am learning the art of the tri-plane edge board.
Taylor Olson
Interesting subject.
My boards got shorter as I got older because when I started surfing there was no such thing as a shortboard. Now I’m 55 , 185lbs, 6’1" and ride 6’10" round-pin thruster,7"10" hybrid, 5’ 6" Romo kneeboard, Solomonson Matt.
The toughest thing about getting older is staying in shape while maintaining a busy career(engineer) and avoiding injury. The unfortunate fact of life is as you age the old bod just isn’t flexible as it use to be and things start to get sore and injured and take a long time to heal. The number one complaint I hear from guys is about shoulder problems. The second would be arthritis. All those injuries you had when you were younger (skateboarding, surfing,etc), that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time .i.e, twisted a knee, torgue a shoulder, sprain an ankle come back to haunt you as you get older in the form of arthritis and restricts your movement making it difficult to surf necessitating using a board that’s easier paddling, gets into wave earlier, etc.
Fortunately for me I’m still able to surf on anything I want because I swim 2-3 times a week and surf regularly but I have knee arthritis from mountain bike crashes when I was younger that will probably stop me from stand-up surfing eventually.
Im 49 and ride either 9 foot longboards of different designs and 6’4"-6’6" fishes. I have a few 7 ft. funboards which I occasionally use but prefer either the fishes or longboards. I went thru a phase from my late 20’s-late 30’s where I rode only mini tanks and longboards, then started to dabble with 7 ft. bonzer funboards then finally down to mid 6 ft. fishes. As of now its about 50/50 long and shortboard usage.
40 years young, surfing 25 years, 6ft x 175lb, and like to surf about 4+ hours when the waves are on. Ride mostly big guy short boards in the 6’5 to 6’11 range.
Epoxy’s make it easier to ride smaller boards due to their better bouyancy. They also allow one to ride a slightly bigger board because of their livelier/lighter nature.
Keep stretchin and paddlin…
I wanted to ad this earlier, but the site wouldn’t load…
I am also lucky, in that I have actually lost weight since high school, no matter how much food I eat. Also, I am semi vegetarian, only eating seafood, no meat, chicken, limited dairy, etc, so this may play a role, as well.
And I want to ride shorter boards, as I think it rounds out my longboarding.
I’m 46 and have been surfing since 1972. I ride a 6’4" fish most days or a 7’2 to 7’6" rounded pin if the surf warents it. The key is keeping fit and not getting hurt. Recovery takes longer the older you get. I’m 5’9" and 172 lbs. Teach martial arts 3 times per week. If I don’t surf I go to the pool for laps. I found weight lifting ( light wts.) help with the tendonitis in the shoulders and sore knees. Watch what you eat and I don’t drink as much beer as I would like to keep the fat off. Age is just an adjustment. Mike
Iam 49 and have been riding a 5ft 6 fish kneeboard for 32 yrs. I am 6ft and 180 lbs and have to surf or swim or play tennis to stay in shape . I also have a solomonson mat but am a total beginner so far. I also have a 13 yr old and a 5month old ( keeps me busy :)!! ) I find it kinda funny these days when kids see my kneeboard and they surf almost the same board and don’t even know that a fish started as a kneeboard.Riding a small fish in gnarly beachbreak where I live is a serious workout!
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Epoxy’s make it easier to ride smaller boards due to their better bouyancy. They also allow one to ride a slightly bigger board because of their livelier/lighter nature.
Here we go again… let me have it… again: Do you really think 2 or 3 pounds less makes that much of a difference, IN PADDLING, for a 180 lbs. man? Your talking a little over a 1% difference. In terms of float it’s insignificant in how much higher you’ll be floating. I can eat 2 or 3 pounds for breakfast… litterally. Sure, I might give it to you in performance, but once you’re up and planning it’s a whole different situation - but I’d argue that board size, or how big, is driven by your paddle ability. If we were all towing in, there’d be 200 lbs + out there on 5’6’s providing you had decent waves. I don’t need to hear the Mario Andretti analogy again.