Why the irresistible quest for shorter boards?

[Katsura]

One thing I've noticed, is that people's (a lot are learners) unyielding desire to move onto a short board as soon as possible (sometimes way too early).

Peer pressure? Cool factor? Want to be 'seen' with a potato chip?

Since I'm mainly a log rider (fish, bonzrs on more powerful days), I can't really comment on how much fun the shortie riders are having. But if anything I would think it's just a different *kind* of fun, not necessarily better or worse.

So why this phenomenon of seeing short boarding as the pinnacle of surfing and everything else is 2nd rate?

[billie_morini]

1. cuz you can do more tricks with short and shorter board (doesn't appeal to me because I'm an old guy)
2. cuz it is easier to transport and carry short and shorter board (does appeal to me because I'm an old guy)

[JoshSurf]

^^^2nd one^^^^

[drowningbitbybit]

A good question, and one to do over a couple of

I'm a shortboarder, and I can't longboard... but thats because I joined in with the whole shorter shorter shorter thing at the beginning
I have now got to a point of experience/age/frustration where my bigger boards (6'6 x 21 x 2 3/4) come out with me rather than my shorter boards (6'3 x 19.5 x 2 1/4) because catching the waves has priority over everything else now.

The simple reason - at the beginning - is fashion and macho bull. My perception at the time was that young guys ride shortboards and fat old guys ride longboards. My perception these days is that the fat old guys on longboards get far more waves than me, spend an awful lot more time surfing, get worked by the waves less, and are generally better than me

Why I stick at shortboarding is harder to explain and much more subjective... I don't like the feeling of being 'on' a longboard. As it starts to move, it feels - to me - that the board is in control and Im on it for the ride (I realise that once you can handle a longboard properly that perception would change). A shortboard, on the other hand, feels like all the momentum is in my bodyweight and the board just happens to be beneath my feet to allow me to not sink.

I wouldnt go as far as saying that longboarding and shortboarding are different sports (is surfing a sport? Thats another thread maybe), but to me they are as different as riding a surfboard versus a bodyboard. Perhaps if I was a lot better than I am, it wouldnt feel that way

[Katsura]

Why I stick at shortboarding is harder to explain and much more subjective... I don't like the feeling of being 'on' a longboard. As it starts to move, it feels - to me - that the board is in control and Im on it for the ride (I realise that once you can handle a longboard properly that perception would change). A shortboard, on the other hand, feels like all the momentum is in my bodyweight and the board just happens to be beneath my feet to allow me to not sink.

I like this part very much.
Sometimes I out it this way:
You 'attack' the wave on a short board, whist you flow with it on a long.

[surferdude_scarborough]

I'm in a similar position to dbbb. I surf shortboards because I cant work a longboard. I learned on a shortboard when i was still small enough to get away without the volume.

What I like about about shortboarding is the sensation of speed, doing big turns and taking steeper more critical waves. Im not saying you cant do this on a longboard but it is much more difficult and I'm big enough to admit that i cant do it.

As for catching enough waves. I have never really struggled to catch waves (as a few on here will vouch for). I Still ride the same 5'11 shortboard as when i was 17 and much skinnier. Its a bit tough now when I haven't surfed for a while but ok when I'm fit enough. If I struggle I break out the fish so I can still have fun while keeping up with the longboards.

I guess in essence it is much easier to learn turns and such on a smaller board as well as the "cool" factor.

I wonder how long until Mr Stewart shows up and tells us we're all doing it wrong anyway?

[jaffa1949]

I wonder how long until Mr Stewart shows up and tells us we're all doing it wrong anyway?

In reply to the last line of your last post!

There was a young man from Leeds
Who planted a couple of seeds
he said, if you please
They'll grow into trees,
just right for Roy Stewart's needs

[Surf Hound]

Toting a shortboard is a whole lot easier than hauling a longboard around but I dont think that's the reason people want to go shorter. Going shorter for me means more speed and the ability to turn sharper etc. I think both type of boards are equally as fun but in different ways. I personally ride my longboard more often but look forward to the days I get to ride my short and vice versa after a couple days of short I look forward to my long.

[dizzeeP]

As stated above, mobility is a huge issue for a lot of people that don't have their own car or live in walking distance to the beach. I don't think it's a conscious decision to ride the smallest board possible to look cool or anything like that, plus, a lot of boards these days are designed shorter with way more volume packed into them, so going shorter and thicker/wider is how a lot of designs are going these days!

[Toj]

I think the main thing is that a lot of people do ride shortboards, and it does look cool. but i tthink its more the inexperience of the beginners. they can ride a longboard or a big floaty board and stand up. so they think that the next step is is to get a shortboard and do cut backs and top/bottom turns etc. its the same with anything though. the less experienced go for the things that are deigned for the experienced. its cool if you can actually use the shortboard for what its designed. but when i see beginner/intermediates riding shortboards in small swell in a straight line perpendicular to the wave it makes me smile and chuckle a bit inside.

[travelzomg]

for me it realy is a question of the feel of the ride...

long boards are huuge and heavy and need so much momentum to get them around a corner.. in addition, you ride a longboard totally different than a shortboard.. even on the same wave... this whole laying back getting the nose in the air and shift your board around-thing doesnt appeal to me at all...

i am used to having a small board below my feet which i can turn only by shifting my weight.. i am used to ride a 146cm snowboard (which is like 40cm shorter than me) and have a small but flexible curve board for running through the city...

so when i want to turn my surfboard i "automatically" shift my bodys weight into the turn.... a shortboard will react immediately and do that, what i want it to do instinctivily... i can/want to carve through a turn with it... whilst on a longboard, i will have to walk around, replace my feet, get the nose in the air, turn, get the nose down, replace my feet, shift forward and then keep on riding...
this simply is not the way, i am used to ride... longboarding is simply not the way i like to ride a board..

[Katsura]

zmog, a longboard will never out turn a short, but board shape and fin has a lot to do with it.
My new Bing nose rider came with a big 12" hatchet skeg, and I was not able to 'get a feel' of a that board until I changed out the fin to a very narrow profile flex fin.
And then it changed personality completely, it turns on a whim (for a longboard), I can thrash it around. I should never be as quick to turn as a shoartboard, but it's also not like a pig bogged down in a mud pit.

Besides, I kinda like the feel of turns on a longboard, I also lean and shift weight into a turn and the momentum (not the snapping/spinning kinda feel as a shortboard turn) is quite enjoyable.

[oc mackdaddy]

As a surfer I ride both long and short and started riding long then progressed to short, thinking i'd outgrown long but have since learned that certain situations require certain tools. I was out at Gunnamatta, Victoria recently with my bodyboarder friend (am I allowed to say bodyboarder in this forum?!) And was battling the usual outgoing tide sweep and thought 'fleshin' this, im getting the mal'..Got the mal, walked down the beach and noticed this funny little bank creating a wave that crummbled distinctly in one spot then gently pushed this wall forward tha held its shape for around 30 seconds!!! I got out there and got the smoothest, trimmies, noseriding, gliding waves, meanwhile three shortboarders were trying and getting jack xxxxx! I asked one guy how he was going and he reply 'xxxxx, i'd be going a lot better if I had one of those!'....proof is in the pudding....but I totally love short boarding for different reasons....

[Brunop]

Today I was listening to some surfers chatting, and they were talking exactly about that. They said that the new surfers ("Kelly Slather generation", as they named them) was moving to small and short boards way to early... Young surfers see these surfers on tv and on the internet and try to be like them, but they don't have the technique or the strength necessary to use this kind of boards.

I have a 6'2'' board, kinda like a fish (very large at the middle) and I really like it. It's very easy to catch the waves and to paddle. The only problem is that it's not very good to do tricks... Maybe I will move on to a smaller one after some time, but for now I will keep using my board.

[surf doc]

Very interesting thread. My motivation to move to a shorter board, although probably misguided at the time, was that I thought I needed to be able to duck dive in order to paddle out into bigger surf and continue to progress. I now realize that had I stuck with longer boards I'd have probably developed other skills for getting out back. But at the time, having a smaller board and being able to duck gave me a huge boost of confidence in bigger surf even if it was a bit more difficult to catch waves.

[Roy Stewart]

It's just marketing, people think that they are more hard core for having shortboards, and they like being grumpy with and sneering at people who have longboards as it makes them feel socially secure and part of a group while they sit there catching nothing.

Present company excepted of course...

(This message has been approved by Roy as having a truth content of 51% )

[Roy Stewart]

I wonder how long until Mr Stewart shows up and tells us we're all doing it wrong anyway?

In reply to the last line of your last post!

There was a young man from Leeds
Who planted a couple of seeds
he said, if you please
They'll grow into trees,
just right for Roy Stewart's needs

[surf patrol]

This message has been approved by Roy as having a truth content of 51%

[oc mackdaddy]

I thought I needed to be able to duck dive in order to paddle out into bigger surf and continue to progress. I now realize that had I stuck with longer boards I'd have probably developed other skills for getting out back.

In regards to this I thought the exact same thing...I mucked around with a few different shapes and finally settled for a 6'5" Al Merrick..i'm a fairly tall guy so for me this is small enough to duck - but...the board is wont paddle into bigger waves now im talking 5-6 and up unless they are steep! This was a problem for me so I went out and added a 7'2" semi gun to my quiver - haven't had a chance to use it yet but i'm hoping it will provide that extra push and stability coming down the face - dunno how its gonna go ducking tho!!!!!

[Toj]

i know everybody thinks that duckdiving can only be done on a shortboard, and i wouldnt say that this is duck diving to its full potential, but i am 6ft2 weigh a good 92Kg (202pounds) i currently surf an 8ft bilbo torpedo minimal. and i either have the option of arching my back and pushing all of my weight to the rear to lift the nose out of the water to throw myself over a wave(mostly unbroken) but when the waves are breaking and i try to get out the back i can throw my weight forward and basically hang onto the end of my surfboard and sink the nose, which raises the tail of the board passing me under the wave. this doesnt work on every occasion, but on most. I am considering getting a fish, maybe a Venon 6ft retro fish, or the rusty mod fish.but im still umming and ahring about getting one. i dont want to overstep my experience level.