your age, your board

General Discussion
61

34 yo, 6’2", 185 lbs. Surf an average of 3x a week. Surfing since I was 16 yo.

Ride 8’6" Stewart Hydro Hull. Board specs are at www.stewart.com. Love this board rides good in virtually any conditions. Only draw back is difficulty with quick tight steep drop-ins and riding in big junky surf.

Went from a 6’5" POS to the Stewart and instantly became a longboard fanatic. Have ridden my Stewart 75% of my surfing time since I received it as an Xmas gift. Best gift I’ve ever received.

Other board I ride frequently is a 6’6" Hybrid by John Kies. It’s 2 1/2 x 19 5/8 w/ a very hard double wing swallow, has low nose and tail rocker and is wider from nose to tail than a standard high performance shorty. Ride it with 4.0" center skag and two monster fiberglass outside skags. His insane amount of glide, looseness and off the bottom speed. Lacks a little in controlling speed. Catches waves very easily.

Getting a 6’8" Moss Research shaped now. 2.5 x 19.5. Designed primarily for big, fast, low tide, Cardiff Reefs. Hope it’s a beauty.

62

Very interesting to read about how all of y’all think about surfing and aging. I’m another one who surfed as a kid/young adult here on the Gulf coast. Life, med school, family. After about a 19 year hiatus, I’ve been back into it and - cool thing about getting wiser, I’m 43 now - never have loved it more. In the 70s I was surrounded by AIPA stingers. I had a Caster rounded pin. I see now they were beautiful but NEVER floated me well.

At 43, 5’10, 160, in good shape, I ride a 7’4 so called hybrid, and have a 9ft Becker MIke Gee for approp days here.

Every day I get to surf I am the luckiest man alive.

Treasure it. No matter what your spiritual or philosophical bent, every day you can get out there is a gift.

Oh yeah: aches and pains - my favorite way to get them is pick-up basketball, keeps me in shape.

Health: Read Doc Paskowitz’s book!!

63

Cardiff Reef… Another San Diego Swaylocker, eh?

64

Indeed I am an SD swaylocker.

Turtles, Grandview, Ponto and U-turns. My favs. Swami’s might make the list if there were only 50 guys out usually. !Laughing!…Same with Blacks.

If you surf Turtle’s you have probably seen or met me. Surf there most often. I’m a skinny bugger on a longboad ragged wetsuit, like to sit outside and catch the bombers.

Cheers All, especially my SD friends.

65

  • 33 years old

  • 5’9", 165lbs.

Usually surf mushy beachbreaks, or fast hollow beachbreaks…Don’t get out to the reefs too often…

I’m surfing the 9’8" Cooperfish about 85% of the time, and the other 15% get’s divided between my little boards…

Cooperfish:

Small board:

My fish:

66

Here’s all my favorite spots in one photo. My boards are in there somewhere also. From Jalama to Turtles to Baja.

Sorry, couldn’t find any legit pictures of my boards and I couldn’t resist posting this one.

For you geography geeks here’s the link http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?8386

1017×858 177 KB

67

60 yrs 210 lbs w 2 10’ long boards 1 bruce jones tri

one built by chris kunta a single fin

-had a 8’6" spitzer till i lent it to a friend and he claimed it as his magic board and am now awaiting a 9’spitzer

all rounded pins

now lets get some waves w/o south winds

68

6’2" and 38 yrs old, 218lbs good shape, not much fat, boards from 6’2" to 9’2" and all sizes inbetween.Have been surfing for 28 yrs. Until I made my fish my boards were in the 7’ range, big guy shortboard types. Now that I have a fish I will ride that or the longboard until we get some cane juice then switch to the 7’6" mini gun. Living on the Florida gulf you can’t be choosy(or mind driving east,traveling ect…) and need a full range of surf craft to survive. I have lots of toys and ride whatever moves me at the moment…although I will be riding the fish most…and making an egg soon…peace and waves…

69

gulf coast, id never last.

70

Yeah, sucks for me huh? Would have moved long ago were it not for family ties…no worries though. You would be surprised at how many days are rideable around here…my savior is traveling, and heading East at the drop of a hat which thankfully my job allows me to do…peace and waves…

71

I learned to surf at Newport Beach in 1964 when I was 14 years old on a giant 10 ft Hobie log. I could barely carry it. I stopped board surfing and only did bodysurfing until I was 30. Then I got serious about it. I am now 54 and I’m addicted. Does anyone know where I could find a 12-step group for recovery? Oh well, that’s OK. I can quit anytime I want to.

Meanwhile, I think I’ll continue to surf every spot between Sano and Cardiff reef on my 11’-0" Stewart, 9’-8" Harbour Sano, 10’-0" Clark Custom and my 8’-6" McCoy.

72

I feel quite young, and fat, after reading all these posts.

I’m 28, around the 14.5 - 15.5 stone region and 6’2". I play alot of rugby and grew up in London on pie & mash, which I claim is the reason for my size. Started surfing on a 7’2" single fin in the mid 80’s and have surfed or owned boards ranging from a 6’0" rocket thruster to a 9’6" log.

I don’t thing your age should be reflected by the board you ride, otherwise if you read all stereotypes Joel Tudr should be about 65, and Beau Young should be Nat’ brother, not his son.

The size of your board should reflect your surfing ability, the conditions you aim to go out in and more importantly what you’re gonna have fun riding.

Recently fixed up an old 6’5", 70’s single fin and cannot wait to get this in the water when I head off to France in September.

73

you should obvioulsy have fun on whatever gives you the most of it, but the reason i asked this question is because as you get older you body changes and one becomes less fit. Flexibility changes and strength changes. I wanted to see if people changed their quiver to accomodate these changes. If you have arthritis in your back, are 50, and cant paddle that hard anymore you should be on a longboard because that is probably what you will be having the most fun on with the conditions in your life at that time. that person wouldnt have fun on a shortboard, would they? not if it hurt them to paddle.

74

Okay, appreciate that fact, here’s another question then which may also apply and may need a vote. Do injuries, (or inabilities ie muscle probs, etc) occur more in surfers that frequent mainly colder or warmer water???

75

I am 35 and 190 pounds, in fairly good shape (with about ten pounds too much), but can paddle out in good sized surf (8-10 foot faces) and surf for several hours, summer or winter. I consider myself an advanced intermediate or an intermediate-advanced. In other words, I know that I have the skill to ride double overhead Sunset, but don’t really have the guts it takes because I know it will take me three or four beatings to get my bearings and find the pace.

Regardless, when I was nineteen, I thought that a perfect quiver could be had with three boards: a high performance shortboard, a 7,6 gun, and a longboard.

Then, when I was in my mid twenties, I thought five boards would be perfect for any surfer: a high performance shortboard, a bigger shortboard for bigger surf, a 7,6 gun, a big wave gun (9 foot or so), and a longboard.

Then, in my early thirties I said, “Ten boards could do it.” Of course, I would have a high performance shortboard, a fish, a bigger shortboard, a 7,6 pintail, a nine foot gun, a nine foot performance longboard, a 9,6 noserider, a 10 foot mammoth longboard, a seventies-style single fin in the 7-8 foot range for cruising, and a pair of swim fins (that’s nine plus the fins).

Now, at 35, I am beginning to realize that the only perfect quiver for me is to have every single surfboard at my disposal. Everytime I go into a large surfshop I want every board 6 feet and over, every single one.

This obsession will never end. And obviously it got you too.

When the Surfrider Foundation hosted the auction the other night, I wanted to buy EVERY board there. My eye particularly fell for the Mark Richards twin fin (perfect board) and the Gerry Lopez Lightning Bolt pintail. Yikes! If I didn’t have a family, I swear I would go totally broke and into major debt because of surfing.

I think I’ll start a twelve step program. A twelve cross-step program.

76

it is time to bring this thread back. i need to hear more.

77

I’m 44 and for the first time in my life am riding a small 6’-3" x 18 3/4" x 2 1/4" thruster. I love it. I can’t hassle for waves but since I dawn patrol that’s not an issue. Previously I rode longer gunnnier boards 6’-10" tp 7’-0". I’ve only enjoyed longboards in small Malibu. evven at the 'Bu when it gets a little bigger I want to be on the small board jamming turns.

78

hi “poser” !

this is a good thread , thanks for bringing it back !

Well , I’m 45 now . 5’10 and 155lbs.

My first surfboard was in 1971. After nearly four years inland at high school, I have been consistenly surfing since 1979 , when I left home [a couple of months after high school finished…I had to wait for my 18th birthday ]

Now…

my most recent board additions , this year…

5’8 ‘bushfire fish’ [up to a 5 fin option] …front row , right hand side

and

a 9’ mal . Single fin…in the centre , obviously

I posted this on another thread somewhere in the past , but here again are 5 of the 8 boards I have made in the last five years … “the survivors” …

(the green and the orange boards are both 5’7, the red prawn is 5’11 , and nearing “retirement” , after four straight years of being flogged.)

My next project , for our fast approaching winter , will be ( hopefully ) a 6’4 thruster .

cheers ,

ben



79

43 year old:

The boards currently in the line up

6’6" Tri fin

7’0" Pin tail tri fin

7’4" Fun Board

7’6" Big guy tri fin

7’7" Gun tri fin

7’10 Big Guy tri fin

8’0" Fun Board Hybrid tri fin

8’4" Wing Pin Trifin Fun Gun

8’6" Gun

9’0" Fun Gun

9’6" Hi Pro Long Board

9’8" Full Gun

9’10" 67’ Surfboards Hawaii

10’0" 64 Bing Pig

10’0" Long Board single

11’0" Long Board / Tandem

Then there’s a shed full of kid size boards & useless Challenger Fishes 5’8" to 6’2". Even got a Encinitas Sunset surfboard twin fin shaped by Rusty, back in the day.

And a bunch of old Bing Bonzers, Eaton Bonzers, Lighting Bolts, Hansen 50/50’s, Bing Pintail Lightweights, Jacob barn fins, Hobie Phil Edwards model and a bunch of random single fins that I no longer surf. Whole family surfs, kept all the old boards.

I’m glad it only took me 20 years to finally found out the best board is a 7’6"-7’10" trifin fun gun. Shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

-Jay

80

you guys are kids.

when you pass the half way mark

and you are as wide as you are tall

and you have as many boards as your age

you have a problem…

In prepping for my may excursion to SD

I went to try on my first full suit at xcel today in 13 years

the one I bought last time was an L this one is a XLS I asked if they came bigger.

When I tried them on on looked in the mirror I almost threw up.

To pay as much as a new Bushman fish for rubber for two days or more of attempted surf just doesn’t seem to add up

aside from the blimp feel I know why I never found a reason to do something like this since 93’

but back then I was closer to all your guys ages then anyway.

3/2 Suit $300

3 mil Booties $49

poly pro insert with hood $79

1mm glove $49

kind of adds ups

i can fly to and stay at vegas for the weekend for that much

priorities I guess

hope I don’t scare all the fish and waves away

And since we all seem to be standing around the camp fire unzipping and comparing schlongs

here goes…

I thought I’ve had to go through this embarrasment before somewhere else here?

Here’s the line up until recently (oh yea 5’8" 185-195 going on 51)

PuPe

5’6" 1980’s T&C shortboard

6’0" Downing Slipah Fish thruster(Keone’s mini Nugget)

6’2" 1995 Bushman Fish (Curren Copy)

6’4" Mandala double bump Quad

6’6" HIC Alexander Gemini

6’6" Plumeria Brewer Retro Sting Fish

6’8" Hawaiian Surf (RSleigh) Squash Hawaiian Minigun

6’8" Downing Big Boy Slipah

6’8" Rawson 5-fin mini swallow Bonzer (Davey Millers old board)

6’8" Ricky Carroll Cheyne Horan Replica (from Solosurfer)

6’9" Hawaiian Surf Designs George Ku C5 Disk

6’9" Surflight Squash Hawaiian Minigun

6’10" Alexander Gemini

7’0" BK Hawaii Roundpin Hawaiian Minigun

7’0" Aleutian Juice/Hale Nalu Stubb-Vector

7’0" Hawaii Surf Designs George Ku Swallow Hawaiian Minigun

7’0" Arakawa “Reverse Vee” (maurice copy) Squash Mini-Gun

7’2" Kauai Boys Terry Chung Fat Girl

7’2" 1990 Country Surfboards by Hall Squash Sunset Special

7’2" Pointbanks Mako Bump Swallow

7’4" Aleutian Juice Parmenter Stubb-Vector

7’4" Hawaiian Surf Design George Ku funboard

7’4" SurfnSea Jeff Ho Sunset Beach Designs Big Boy single wing Fish

7’6" Raging Isle George Ku Funboard

8’0" Hawaiian Surf Designs George Ku C5 Hybrid(Desert Island)

8’6" HIC CDR performance tanker

9’0" Aleutian Juice Squash 2+1 Longboard

9’0" Aleutian Juice Rounded Pin FCS Thruster Longboard

9’4" Blue Hawaii Longboard

10’0" 1990 Country Surfboards Jim Turnbull Bonzer Thruster HP Longboard

Epoxies

6’2" No Brand epoxy fish

6’8" Hawaiian Surf Big Boy Swallow (Fred Pattachia Sr’s old board)

6’8" Surftech Merrick Flyer

7’0" Surftech Randy French Big Boy Shortboard

7’0" Boardworks Linden Big Board Thruster

7’11" Surftech McCoy Nugget (Singlefin)

8’0" Surftech Randy French Hybrid

Sandos

5’10" Lowes/Cherry/Balsa Stretch Quad Battail copy

6’0" “The FishExperiment” Fish Lowes/Balsa/Mahogany/Birch copy

6’2" Lowes/Bamboo/Corecel “Bert” Quad Fish

6’2" Lowes/Blue Dow/Bamboo Quad Big Boy Fish

6’2" Bushman Fish Lowes/Balsa copy

6’6" 5-fin Bonzer Lowes/Balsa

6’6" Lowes/Balsa Gemini

6’6" Lowes/Bamboo/Blue Dow Bambucha Boy Gemini

6’8" Flyer Marko/Balsa/Bamboo copy

6’8" Lowes/Bamboo/Corecel Big Boy Quad Flyer

7’0" Vector Lowes/Balsa Bert (Bert=ultra thin ultra wide and a concave deck)

7’0" No Rocker Stub

7’2" 2lb triple stringered Pointblanks/EPS balsa minigun

7’2" Clark/Balsa Big Boy Squash

7’2" Pintail Marko/Balsa/Bamboo Minigun

7’4" Roundpin Lowes/Balsa/Bamboo Bonzer Thruster

7’4" Marko/Purpleheart/Birch/Bamboo Vector

7’6" Marko/Balsa Jeff Johnston Funboard

7’6" Marko/Mahogany/Birch Jeff Johnston Funboard

7’6" Marko/Carbon Fiber/Balsa Jeff Johnston Funboard

8’0" 2lb EPS/Balsa Longboard

8’0" Lowes/Balsa no rocker “Bert” Longboard

8’0" Lowes/Balsa too much rocker Longboard

8’0" HD/Makore/Birch Longboard

10’0" 1lb Longboard

No wonder it seems to be getting kind of crowded out back and in the garage…