Used shortboard question

[Guitarandsurf92]

Hey, im 14, i am 5'8", i wieght 117 Lbs., i've been surfing for about 1 summer, and i surf on long island. I have been riding a 5'10" 26 year old surfboard which is obviously too small for me and it is waterlogged. i can stand on it but as i stand on it it just seems to die out and i find it difficult to catch waves unless they are powerful. I recently found a board that is 6'4" x 21 1/2 x 2 5/8 and i wanted to know if this was a good size for me. if not what size is better i know i can ride funboards with ease so dont recomend one.

[essex sucks]

all short boards do that you need too work them on less powerful waves

[Guitarandsurf92]

but will teh length difference make a differnece

[essex sucks]

yes it will but not that much as you are still going to have to work it but on the face of the wave shortboards are not that good on white water i am just under 6 ft and i ride a 6ft and a 6ft 4

[Guitarandsurf92]

another question, are all shortboards supossed to sink into the water when you paddle on them

[tomcat360]

Dude, please, I'm not being mean, but you need to do some searching, this is all been asked so many times before.

Also, doing the same post on different boards doesn't make people happy.

So here's my honest opinon:

Judging by what you said with your other board (which is a 6'0", I keep hearing you say 5'10", but the sig clearly shows 6, anywho) you are not ready for a shortboard. Unless you can drop in, unbroken face, SOLID bottom turn, pump very well, be able to make top turns, bump the lip, and good re-entry's, you aren't ready. And hearing you say that it's too wobbly when you are popping up means you aren't.

So, that doesn't mean give up surfing. And it doesn't mean you will never be a shortboarder. So you need to get some sort of board designed for improving your skills. Just because it's not what the pro's ride, it doesn't mean you can't do some schweet stuff on them, and it doesn't mean you're not cool. Bic's are popular, you can beat the snot out of them and nothing happens. Or talk to a local shaper, and he knows what's best. You should be surfing something above 20 wide, and 7'0" to 7'6" depending on your height and weight. Look on this site, there is a chart.

Fins: It doesn't matter at this point. Once you get very comfortable and start getting a bit bored, just play around with them.

Shortboards: Aren't good for learning, and don't perform correclty until about an 6' barreling wave, due to the small planing area and increased drag, it doesn't reach a full plane in smaller waves. And you need to face it, we don't always surf perfect waves.

Guns (the surfboards): Don't buy them.

Epoxy vs. poly: doesn't matter, really

That should cover you. You've just gotta realize shortboards are commonly completely useless in many waves. I just chuckle when I paddle back out from a great ride whenever I pass a shortboarder that's getting NO waves because he can't catch them.

Just go surfing because it's fun not to do "rad moves"

[Guitarandsurf92]

ok sorry dude but thanks

[Guitarandsurf92]

i did my research and i couldnt find anything. so i'll ask here. would a fish perform well for me if so what kind. i really cant stand big boards like funboards

[tomcat360]

fishes are ultra-loose, which generally translates into wobbly.

Again, I wasn't mad, just clearing things up, because it will eventually make someone quite angry.

[Guitarandsurf92]

ok, but dont wider boards make it more stable

[tomcat360]

yeah but that's not the only thing. the tail design of a fish, plus the lack of a center fin makes it looser.

[rich r]

I don't have any idea why you would post the same question in three different spots on the same message board, but, whatever.

tomcat's right about one thing - it's a 6'-0" board, as you can plainly read under the guy's signature. I don't know why you keep insisting that it's a 5'-10".

Anyway - it looks a bit fat to be a thruster, so I might be disagreeing with kitey here. I think that far back, it was all about the fins, so there were 'twin fins' and 'tri-fins' and 'quads'. Less of a breakdown on shape like we have today, since shortboards were still in their infancy.

I'll also disagree with tomcat here in saying that there's no reason why you shouldn't go with a newer model 6'-4". The board you have, being of an older design is probably looser and more unstable than a modern three-fin thruster shortboard (due to concave design, rails, and so forth).

I'd stay away from fish until you're confident on a decent shortboard.

I tend to go against the conventional suggestions here that people should start surfing on a large funshape, mini-longboard, or longboard. No reason why you can't start on a shortboard, as many of us have. You just have to practice more.

[Driftingalong]

If you go with a shorther board; the key is in Rich's last statement!

You've got to go often and for long periods of time.

[tomcat360]

I just always say a bigger board because I started on a shorboard, and then got a funboard and started screwing around on that, and got much better much quicker.

[rich r]

Me and a mate were on the beach after a session on Thursday, watching these two guys we know who used to run on the pro circuit just going off - one did a 360 under the lip, completely inside the tube.

We stood there for a bit, commenting how it would be amazing to be that good.

Then I said - y'know, if I lived on the beach for two years straight and did nothing but get up and go surfing every day, I *would* be that good, damn it.

[GowerCharger]

Shortboards: Aren't good for learning, and don't perform correclty until about an 6' barreling wave, due to the small planing area and increased drag, it doesn't reach a full plane in smaller waves. And you need to face it, we don't always surf perfect waves.

...

You've just gotta realize shortboards are commonly completely useless in many waves. I just chuckle when I paddle back out from a great ride whenever I pass a shortboarder that's getting NO waves because he can't catch them.

I agree with pretty much everything you said , apart from this bit.
We rarely (if ever) get 6ft waves or barrells here and ive never found that a problem, i see just as many longboarders out getting no waves while im getting wave after wave, that has more to do with wave selection, positioning and just plain old experience, not board size. Although a learner will find it easier to catch waves on something with more volume and therefore progress faster (and have more fun) so your right to suggest he gets something bigger.

you could go for a "big guy shortboard" if your insistant on having something with that shortboard shape so you look the part carrying it down the beach, that will give you a bit more stability and will float you up higher in the water to gfet you through the weaker sections if you cant pump well, drawback of that is that they are designed for heavier guys so you will find it harder to turn with your light weight and probably wont perform any better for you than a funboard or even minimal.

from what youve said your straightlining out in front of the wave onto the flats where you lose all your speed and sink, this is a stage of learning that most people go through and basically you need to turn down the line and learn to stay with the power of the wave. Again a board with more volume will help as wont loe speed as quick so you get mroe time to do your turn before you drop off the plane, a fish however will lose speed even quicker and make your problems worse.

You mention you can ride a funboard with ease, but thats a good reason to go for one, if you can already ride it with ease then youll be able to move onto the next level of learning to pump it down the line and cutback, then once youve got those skills dialled youll find it easier (and less frustrating) to move to sometihng shorter. Getting a decent sized board now will cut a lot of time out of your surfing progression and soon youll be ripping on a titchy littel groms board instead of still struggling along on a board you cant surf.

[tomcat360]

Yeah, I completely agree that you can ride a shortboard in that, but you have to really pump and really work the board in order to keep it going.

Just from what I had heard, this guy doesn't sound like he needs a shortboard.

But whatever, I'm not here to argue with other people who can surf well.

[Guitarandsurf92]

what do you think of a Al Merrick 6'8" x 20 1/2" x 2 7/8" Tuflite Flyer?

[Beachbum]

Isn't that a bit pricy for a beginner board? Just look for a used for that you'll progress on.

[Guitarandsurf92]

i found it used