Discuss

Depends on what waves you ride. You can get by in Perth with one. Two is better, a groveler and a shortboard. If you start to surf anything above about 5-6' and hollow you'll need to start looking at a board designed for those waves. If you want to surf giants you'll need a rhino-chaser. You could get specialty boards too - e.g. there are times I'd love a razor sharp foiled pin tail a few inches shorter than me for days with almost no banks and hollow and 3' or under - take off and pull in.

Realistically I ride one board 99% of the time.

I've got five plus a few other alternatives. One other being built that will replace the 99%er if it works how I hope.

Part of the fun is changing and refining occasionally.

IDEAL QUIVER.

hp shortie
another HP shortie
Fish
Bigger Wider Fish..
Midlength - Single fin
Step up Gun
9Ft LB
10ft Noserider Log.

and i'd throw in a few odd ones two.. twin, bonzer, simmons or something and a couple of old beat up ones and a few old ones you havent got rid of...

and a set of flipper and a hand plane would be good
A paipo would be fun.
maybe even a 666 for flatwater paddling, **** did i just type that or an OC....

but as legion said alot of times youll just end up riding one of them most of the time but hey, if money is no option id have a garage full of toys.

I have 8. I use one of the over 90% of the time.
I don't get rid of boards and sometimes I like riding some of the funkier shaped boards, even if my normal go-to board is better suited.

subasurf said...

I have 8. I use one of the over 90% of the time.
I don't get rid of boards and sometimes I like riding some of the funkier shaped boards, even if my normal go-to board is better suited.

I had nine at one stage

Had too cull them off as I was only using two of them.

Ahh true true, yeah was curious about everyones thoughts on this especially how Perth waves are. Currently have my shortie, a retro fish and a minimal that seems to cover me pretty well. Considering getting rid of the minimal though. Hoping with the fish, I can get a decent trade for sonething like the 7s cog. Liking the look of it and price. Would be my go to board for smaller cobditions before I have to bust out the shortie! Hows everyone finding this winter season? Was hit surprises with the other day with clean offshore, small waves and a very summer - esque feel with the arvo sunset surf.

fozzy said...

I say three:

Groveller

Standard go to shortie

Shortie for waves with a bit more juice - you might not use it often but you'd hate not having it when it's on.

Yep thats about where I am up to these days. I also have a few others but they are not ridden often. I normally take 2 boards to the beach and decide which one when I get there. If I had a bigger garage and could hide a few more from the fiance I would have them

Legion said...

newguy said...

Hows everyone finding this winter season?

Shit. You said it yourself:

newguy said...

... small waves and a very summer - esque feel ...

Winter was on the way then disappeared for all of July. Beaches are huge when they should be empty of sand, forming banks. Watercorp shows how little rainfall we've had, corresponding to only a couple of second rate cold fronts.

Agreed, we have only had two average storms and the back wash is getting worse

Yep, been a shocker of a winter but was to be expected.
I've jut been using my 5'10" mostly these last 6 months. Would be using my 5'8" if I hadn't broken it. More volume, but smaller length and some nice oldschool channels which gave it some funky characteristics in the water. Rails were maybe a bit too thick.

If I was running out of space I could sell all but two of my board but they're all racked up in my kitchen, don't get in the way and add a nice bit of charm. They're not going anywhere.

My 9th board is in Bali still...my mate spray painted it and is using it a sign out front of his warung. Son of a bitch...was a good board too. Bought it off a desperate yank who overcharged his credit card.

LateStarter said...

Legion said...I'd love a razor sharp foiled pin tail a few inches shorter than me for days with almost no banks and hollow and 3' or under - take off and pull in.

This is an interesting concept - does anyone local (Perth)
make or ride something similar?

Rusty do a board similar to that, sort of a wide nose with a round pin tail.

doggie said...

LateStarter said...

Legion said...I'd love a razor sharp foiled pin tail a few inches shorter than me for days with almost no banks and hollow and 3' or under - take off and pull in.

This is an interesting concept - does anyone local (Perth)
make or ride something similar?

Rusty do a board similar to that, sort of a wide nose with a round pin tail.

I love that board, based off Kelly's boards. It's like a 6'6 step up or the like with the nose lopped off and re-shaped.

You get the same rocker and outline from 1/4 down from the nose to the tail but less nose.

Fantastic design.


On a side note for years when ordering any custom I'd always ask the shaper to use a flatter rocker, flatten the deck a little and pull the standard nose width out 1/2 an inch, combined with my narrowest board being 19 wide, 2 1/2 thick and kind of shorter than normal they were much the same as what everyone's riding now. Kind of based on Luke Egans board at the time.

mocha1 said...

Theres a bloke on the QS riding really short boards more like a snow board or wake board - Stuart Kennedy?? saw an article the other day, cant remember where
is doing ok on them too, wonder if they would work on closeout days??

Dave at Katana has a design (got one myself coming soon) short widish quad with skinny rails (as opposed to wide board fat rails to compensate for lack of length so many lines there eh!!)

Yea saw that as well Tracks or ASL, crazy lookin thing!!

I usually keep a 6'2 and sometimes a slightly gunnier 6'4 incase it's less small (although it's never large in Perth). If it's smaller such as summer time I usually keep the 6'2 and put a fat board or a mini mal in the car.

Usually if I've got a spot in mind and I've got the forecast two boards have me covered regardless. As far as a quiver goes though, I have too many.

Good find Zuke....I wonder when that footage of Al was shot - he has been making shorter flatter boards that retain their volume for years ( I own one). I am no mastro when it comes to design but for the last 4 or 5 yrs I have been trying to go shorter whilst retaining the volume. From what I have seen this has been going on for a long time. Maybe not to the same degree re bigger wave boards - but from what I have seen that is not exactly new. Slaters board might be in terms of the size of the waves he tackles - but Curren was riding short fishes on 10 ft + days a long time ago. Now I know that these boards are not fishes but the concept of a shorter board whilst retaining the volume is still the same in my opinion. I recall reading a Nat Young article many moons ago where he had his boards with the noses chopped of square arguing that the last 12 inches of his boards did hardly anything so why not chop it off and increase the volume elsewhere. The DUDE probably has that article in his collection.

Kneeboards have been doing this since time began And the big wave tow in guys have been doing this for years - replacing size with weight as they have petrol power to get them into a board....look at snowboards - you can go nuts on those things and their height does not change too much. In surfing the quest has always been about the volume - no matter what body shape / size you are you need to be able to catch the wave to enjoy your surf. If you can not paddle it you will have a ****e time and catch nothing. If you can its game on. If you have a petrol powered jetski assist then its even more game on. Length has been coming down for a long time. Not just in the last year or so.

I have2 6'1s that are practically identical as my all rounders, a 6'3, 6'5 and 6'8. also have a few old single fins under the decking for **ty little days.

That small red single fin near the centre looks like a ripper.