Thinking of shaping board for significant other to add to quiver. He currently rides an 8ft Doyle Softtop that is ~72L. He loves that board but has cited interest in getting a funboard and something a little smaller for winter. His current board is pretty impossible to turtle roll. We ride at Ocean Beach in San Diego and in North County, San Diego.
He’s 5’ 6" and is 160 lb, so his volume would be about 40 L based on his ability level/guild factor. He prefers a little more volume as someone who’s not quite the best at paddling, so something 50-65 L would be ideal for him. He has ridden a couple of my boards (~30-45L) and they are a little low on the volume side for his personal preferences.
Here’s where the average adult male 1st year noob is in their surfing: They haven’t yet developed the wave judgement or the paddling to get their waves on a 7ft board. They haven’t figured out how to duckdive a board of any size, let alone an 8ft board. They usually don’t have the wave sense to find a channel and time their paddle out in between sets. They don’t have the stance or style to make a thruster or a quad work so it’s actually counterproductive to use those fin setups. They don’t have the skill to safely surf overhead waves in a crowd, let alone dumping wave conditions like you’d find at a beach break. They don’t have the footwork to move back and forth on a board between putting it into trim vs turning it. They’re normally going to pop up in one position and stay there, and they won’t be making any agressive turns.
Their skill level puts some limitations on which design features they can use. The kindest thing you could do for a new surfer in this region is put them on either a singlefin and keep them surfing in longboard spots; or if you’re going to subject them to the pack that hangs out on the peak of a beachbreak maybe do a moderate 2+1 that will be a little quicker off the line and have a have more range than a singlefin. More similar to a smaller longboard than an oversized shortboard. Stable, simple, easy to surf in the manner a noob would normally surf. There’s no point in adding concaves or complicated bottoms, or using flat rockers - using any of those features requires additional skills. Your rider is doing point-and-go, not double pumping into the bottom turn to snap off the lip. The board is going to be doing most of the work, not the rider.
I can go through the lengthy explanation, but for the conditions that prevail in the spots you’re referring to I wouldn’t even let him go out in overhead OB under any circumstances. So really, a classic singlefin or 2+1 egg will be plenty. It’ll be at least a couple years before he’s able to actually outsurf an egg.
Lovelace’s Thick Lizzy is more a speciality board for the longboarders who can already walk their boards between trimming and turning. It’s not going to be that forgiving a design for a novice. Firewire doesn’t make a midlength that’s worth buying; that’s not their target market.
There are shapers who are known for their egg designs, so look there. As for volumes, that’s not a factor for what you’re trying to do. Fretting about volumes is what people do who already have the skill to get their waves on a shortboard and are trying to dial in their ideal float between chest deep vs belly deep when they sit. Your rider is far away from that. What’s important to your rider is retaining enough width/length to compensate for his lack of skill and wave judgement, but not too much to get in his way when surfing in smaller/softer conditions.
Responding to this and the links: thank you, and yes I agree. this was the kind of insight I needed and those links you posted look great. I could not have asked for a better response!
The best advice and lots of people should heed it, but won’t. I live in the NW these days and rarely see people out that are more advanced than begginer/intermediate up here. And ever since our wacky Governor Kate (flush her down) Brown opened up the parking lots, I have never seen so many of them. It’s like a graduation party for a surf school. Some have very expensive boards, like Firewires, Surftechs, Mid level $$ Southpoints and every car or Sprinter van has at least two Wavestorms on top purchased at Costco last weekend. They never ask how long a board is these days. First thing they want to know is “What’s the volumne in that board? The classic is; " Can you make me one smaller with more volumne just like that one”. And a longboard is anything over 7’6". But I got to say I saw some pics of the best left standup barrel probably on the West Coast yesterday and it aint Seaside. Now I’ve got a reason for living. Up here anyway.
Hello McDing; I am having trouble with the millennials and this volume thingy but seems that others are following this situation too. I have been having problems with the length too due to I do not put that measurement because actually do not work like the volume to try to express what in reality do not do.
Couple of days ago the surf shop here calls me if I can go to do the math in some boards that they order but I did not stamped the volume!
I mentioned there, facts etc and some surfboards design history from the last decades but these millennials did not wanted to listen anything; they wanted the volume number; so I mentioned some stuff about the volume (like distribution and ratio between weight/volume and skills)
Today also a guy sent an email asking to possible order a 7 longboard…
Talk to Ace of Ace Surfboards in OB. He has some interesting shapes that work very well for Beginers right on up to Full on Guns for man eating monster waves. Best advice Would be take a shipping lesson from him. The Bosrd will come out so much better.
Sometimes paddling is not affected by volume, but by the bottom rocker. A lower entry rocker will paddle better than a board with a bad nose rocker.
I really like the mid length speed egg or traditional egg, something between 7’ and 8’ and about 21" to 22" wide. The single fin with sidebites allows for several fin setups that should cover a wide range of waves. Keep the rails thin for better performance.
Here’s a few shapes I like. The Harbour would be more of a cruising, fun board, and the Takayama boards would make a great board for performance waves. I added the Downing board because I’ve had these in the 8’ range and they are a great “old guys” thruster.
I have had an 8’ BZ Doyle since around 1992. It is not a soft top. I also have a 7’ BZ, it is not a soft top. The boards on that website are also not soft tops.
I don’t know how or why people started calling soft boards a “soft top”, but it is incorrect. it’s as bad as those who talk about “epoxy vs fiberglass” boards.
An actual soft top is constructed about the same as a Surftech or a Bic, with a layer of softer rubber material on the deck. Someone posted about repairing one just a few days ago.
BZs, Wavestorms, Odyseas, Grecos, and the like are not soft tops.
OK Sammy, you got me on that one. I don’t know what the new boards are like, but the older one is a big boogey board. Those newer Doyles look like over priced Wavestorms.
In my opinion, the older “soft top” boards I’ve used are too heavy. Haven’t tried the newer versions I’ve seen. The Surflight boards we have are also heavier.
funny you mention the ‘softtop’ conundrum… a buddy of mine just got both a beastly doyle board that looks like a sup and one of those boards you posted that say “soft top” (surftech?) in 9’6. the skin of the doyle is peeling off and last time he took it out it in some terrible surf…it probably left a bunch of foam in the ocean. the fins are so flexy and dinky i imagine the board would probably ride better finless… the surftech actually surfs really well though. has a real box for a single fin. has a solid hard bottom. the doyle is like sharkcountry says…just a giant boogie board…he got both boards and a portable AC unit for 70$ at a garage sale. to be honest i have been calling wavestorms and odysseas softtops…i now know better…
