The next step

[Millsy82]

I have been out as often as I can on my longboard and feel that I have improved loads even over the last month or so.

I want to try and get out a bit more but not being able to fit my board in the van means having to pick it up then go which could lose an hour of surf time.

I did a search about what to go for next after a longboard and I found a few websites saying I should be looking 45-55 litres so was wondering if this is the thing I should be looking at.

http://fourthsurfboards.com/portfolio-i ... bean-2016/

I was looking at the 6'9 so still has plenty of volume in it.

[oldmansurfer]

I would look for a board around 8 foot since I think that is what you said would fit in your van. Dropping down from a 9 plus foot board to a 6'9" board is going to be quite a change. You may find it too much of a challenge. That board you are looking at sounds ok except it will be a huge change and may be difficult to get used to. I have a similar board but it is a 7'6" board and thicker than that one (I weigh 210 pounds). It was custom made for me. You might consider getting a custom made board at this point. It's seems pretty certain you will be surfing for a while yet to come and you are back working? You might go talk to a local shaper and get him/her to make a board that will fit in your car and do what you want it to do. I used to surf long ago and quit and when I restarted I ended up going to a 9'6" longboard. After I became proficient enough to feel the weight of the board as I made cutbacks I got a local shaper to make me an 8 foot board. The first time I used it I thought "uh oh I made a mistake". Initially when I tried to lay on it I slipped off the side. It was so unstable as compared to the longboard. I immediately ordered another board a, 9'6" board but before it came I was used to the 8 foot board. I only surfed for 30 minutes once a week so it was a slow learning curve and took me about 3 outings to where I felt relatively comfortable laying and sitting on the board. But now I really love that board. It is totally awesome and can't imagine I ever felt like it wasn't.

[waikikikichan]

Agreed with OMS, if you sorta got the hang of a board 3 feet over your head and have limitations for transport, then find out the max length you can fit inside your van, of which a 8 footer should fit. If I can fit two 9'0" longboards in my tiny Scion xB, you should be able to fit a pretty big board in yours. A 2 foot+ jump down to a 6'9" is way way too much. Don't rely only on one component of the board, ie VOLUME. What if two people weighed exactly the same at 100 lbs. , but one was 6 feet tall and one was 4 feet tall. The outline of their bodies would look totally different.
By the way, why don't you ask here first ? There's websites out there recommending beginners start on Hybrid Fish tails, which doesn't make sense to me. Volume is NOT the answer.

[RobSF]

I got tired of my old 9' Stewart, which was waterlogged, and went down to a 7'. I stood up, kind of, once, and was sure I'd made the right decision. It wasn't until I took my wife's 8' soft-top out a couple months later that I decided I hadn't. I was back to surfing instead of occasionally being able to stand (then immediately fall off). I'm actually back now to a 9' fiberglass board (one that floats this time) and love it . . . and can just fit it in my Toyota Matrix with all the seats down. Definitely get the longest board you can fit in your vehicle.

[Onelove]

I went from 9-9 (1 year) to 7-6 wide funshape ( 4 years and still when it's small) , to current 6-8 thruster. I think your middle board if you want to eventually ride a short board is your most important step, and where you will learn the most. I got my thruster 2 years after my fun shape, and only dabbled with it for 2 years. Once I had done all I could do on funshape the shortboard transition was easier. It took about 1 year dedicated to being on my 6-8 to get it wired. That 7-6 kept surfing fun while I learned enough about surfing to enjoy the thruster. Wide and thick are your friend I believe in the very early stages. I should have indented somewhere.

[Millsy82]

Thanks for the answers to be fair I have thought about buying a new van but that is just too expensive at the moment.

An 8ft I can get in from Corner to Corner but makes it difficult to work from so I think a 7'9 i can fit it to the roof meaning I can pretty much leave it in there so I would be able to get out more.

What gets me is all the different shapes etc and I was ideally looking for 2nd hand this board but majority of the boards that come up are short but fat and the one that I linked to is one of the longer ones that has come up.

Should I be looking at a mini mal style again? Because they don't usually get a good write up from people on here, so what shape should I be looking at?

[Millsy82]

http://www.adamssurfboards.co.uk/the-co ... 9e3-2664-7

Like this?

[Millsy82]

Sorry for the barrage of replies.

Is length more important than volume? Or do I find a happy medium? Is there a magic formula.

[waikikikichan]

Should I be looking at a mini mal style again? Because they don't usually get a good write up from people on here, so what shape should I be looking at?

Could you point out a post where Mini-Mals get a bad write up ? Mini-Mals are just short longboards, so it would be a nice 2nd board or if you have storage/transportations problems like yourself. Maybe Mini-Mals dont get much write ups at all since beginners are too anxious to jump on a Fish or Hybrid too soon.

Like this?

7'0" is still too small for you if you currently are okay with a 9'0". Try stay as close to 8'0" as possible. My wife uses a 7'10" Funboard if we can't fit her longboard in our friend's car. Plus the tail on the Adams is too narrow and the nose too wide.

Is length more important than volume? Or do I find a happy medium? Is there a magic formula.

Again you have to consider the board as a whole. Not only one thing ( like VOLUME ) determines how it'll ride ( or paddle, or turn, or ......... ). There is NO magic formula. What works for you might not work for your buddy. You can get 10 boards from 10 different shapers all the exact length and exact volume, and they can all end up looking totally different and ride totally different.

[Big H]

Try putting the front seat all the way reclined and the seat behind it as well....I have a mini van sort of car and used to fit a 9'6" with room to spare this way.

Mini mals are great....I have one in my rack and will never get rid of it. When I go over to other people's house around here (everyone has a board rack) there is nearly always a mini mal in there somewhere. Much easier to ride than a pointy nose fun board and are very manoeuvrable....it was on my stable, easy paddling mini mal that I learned to pop up on more critical waves without staring at the board...that board made that process easier. I learned how to pump, top turn and cutback on that board. I love that mini mal.

I didn't like an 8ft board that I had at all....8' x 23" x 3" it was shaped like a longboard and handled like a longboard only without glide or enough flotation for my size to move around on it like a bigger board....I like my smaller, lighter 7' mini mal or a longboard that is 9'+ that paddles fast and is large enough to handle me moving around on it at not terribly high speeds across the water. That's for me my "tweener" zone....if I was a different size then my tweener zone would be a different length and volume probably. My 8'2" fungun that is as thick as a child's mattress has been super fun; it has enough flotation to glide at what I'd guess to be more than 3" thick and 23" wide but with pulled in nose and tail it turns really well and can handle big waves really well.

A shaper can help you navigate these decisions and cut down/out the trial and error process length that I went through/ am going through figuring out what works for me and what I like and why. Like WKK said, go see one and they can design a board for your needs.......all of them.

[RinkyDink]

Wide and thick are your friend I believe in the very early stages. I should have indented somewhere.

I agree. If you're determined to get off a longboard, but don't know what kind of in-betweener board will work for the conditions you're surfing in, then just buy an in-betweener that you like the looks of and is wide and thick. In my opinion, the more you decrease the size of your board, the more wave specific/skill specific your board becomes. In other words, if you don't really have any specific needs for the board other than it being shorter, then just go wide and thick with whatever length you're set on. The next step is to practice and have fun.

[YungGrom]

Should I be looking at a mini mal style again? Because they don't usually get a good write up from people on here, so what shape should I be looking at?

Could you point out a post where Mini-Mals get a bad write up ? Mini-Mals are just short longboards, so it would be a nice 2nd board or if you have storage/transportations problems like yourself. Maybe Mini-Mals dont get much write ups at all since beginners are too anxious to jump on a Fish or Hybrid too soon.


Why are fish boards so popular it seems like everyone wants a fish for some small wave or mushy wave I just don't understand why they are hot topic when you have to ride them on their rails the whole time?

[Millsy82]

Big H reply being the worst of both worlds

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=27425

After having another measure the longest board I can fit in the top would be 6'8", I can't move seats etc around as I have a bulk head (steel wall separating the drivers compartment to storage area) on it and with the amount of van break ins around in this country I don't want to cut that out.

I didn't really want to put one on the floor but I will look at building a false floor so I can get up to 7'10" in there.

[waikikikichan]

Big H reply being the worst of both worlds
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=27425

Millsy are you 6' tall and weigh 90kg. like Wedwo is ? Your situation and Wedwo's are a bit different, so taking Big H comment is out of context.
But since you've research advice about Mini-Mals and shorter than Longboards, how about listening to this:

When they say go for a longer board listen.

Like you I wanted something that I could fit inside my van (8'3" would be the longest at a squeeze) and I was worried about manoeuvrability.

After another few sessions on my 8ft foam mini mal either catapulting or dropping off the backs of waves I was watching a couple of long boarders and they seemed to be able to catch the waves that bit earlier so I decided to go for it.

I now paddle a 9'2 board and I have to strap it onto the top of the van and it is a pain to walk down the beach with it but once I'm in the water it's awesome for my level.

I have found paddling out the back a lot easier and now I can even make it out in between sets when my timing is right, if I do get caught out I have found I don't mess up my turtle roll as much as I did with my foamie.

Now I'm catching more I have found that I am trying to turn a lot more but I'm already doing more with it in 5/6 sessions than I have with my foamie in over 6 months.

That's some good advice you should listen to.

[Millsy82]

6ft 2 and 88kg so not too far away.

I am in no means thinking of getting rid of my longboard, I love going out on it and intend to keep using it as often as I can.

All I am after is. On certain days I am out working and and am working close to a beach and by the time it would take me to get home and get my board I won't be able to go out. Instead of having 4-6 hours surfing a week I could have another 2-3 hours surfing which would improve my fitness and possibly help on my paddling technique (which has drastically improved over the last month as I have Altered it slightly)

I have got the basics and am now working to refine those skills which I will be doing everytime I can get out on my longboard.

[Millsy82]

An example is 2 weeks ago I was working in gwithian (which is near where I surf usually) and my next job was in hayle. These jobs were about 10 minutes apart and I had a spare hour and a half. To go and get my board would of been a 45 minute round trip which would of left 45 minutes so by the time I'm kitted up ran to the sea I would of had 20 minutes max but I could of had a quick hour.

[waikikikichan]

Okay so you know the board that fits in your van will not be good for your level. You know you should be on your longboard, but there's limitations for transport. So the board will not be optimum. But at lest you can go surf. It will not be your "Go To" board ( like your longboard ). It will be your "Make Do" board. Knowing that, don't stress too much, just get the biggest , widest and thickest board that will fit inside your van and go surf.

[Millsy82]

That was my sort of thinking. If I have time I would get my longboard or if it was too challenging I would get my longboard.

It will be more of a mess around and keep fit type of thing when I just get a chance.

[dtc]

Even at 6'8 you can get mal shaped boards - was looking at the FireWire 'greedy beaver' the other day; while Torq does a 6'8 mod fun board that would be a reasonable choice (fairly cheap, epoxy so tough as your 'in the car' board, not terrible shape for your needs). Walden mini Mega is 6'10 but enormous (72L!!).

Anyway, as wkk says, it's a board to get you into the water rather than one to provide an easy transition. You will probably find that it's not an overly difficult thing on easy waves (fat slow) after a while, but you will struggle a lot and for a long time on harder waves (steep or fast). But it's all learning