Question for you guys: I am on a Sunova Steeze 8'10" 125 liter which is an all around fun board shape. I am intermediate plus surfer 90kg and 5'10 and 54yo. I am very comfortable on it turning coming off the lip and walking up the board when I can, but I'm looking for a more progressive shorter board. A 8'3" 30" 135 liters starboard pocket rocket has come up for sale, and I was wondering if it would be too corky for me, as I was looking at a sub 125 liter board. any thoughts?

this is from them:
"The wave-ripper for real-world riders. This surf paddle board is Floaty, fun, and the king of catching waves. You'll make any kind of mush highly surf-able with this shape.Wide Ride has a size for all rider weight and abilities; the bigger models produce the easiest glide and stability, while the smaller sizes deliver more control and maneuverability"

Surfing beach break in northeast US.

thanks for your thoughts....

For steeper small to medium waves a shorter board might be a lot of fun to change things up. The added float will have some advantages in weaker waves but you will lose some rail feel and yes it can be corky feeling in chop. But since you are in beach break you probably favor the glassy days anyway. I don't think the volume here is too extreme, to really gain stability from lower volume in chop you would probably have to drop closer to 1.2 or water over the rails which then usually comes with less stable outlines and slower paddling speed. I do find the lower volumes less reactive to the chop though. The worst is an unstable narrow nose and tail outline with high volume. That doesn't sound like the pocket rocket, with its big nose but I never tried it.

It'd be fine at 90kgs. If you were 65kg then i'd say lets talk...

I ride boards from 125-160L at 110kg and all work.. I've had super corky boards at 140L and super stable ones at both 125L and 160L. It really comes down to the rail shape and outline.

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slsurf said..
For steeper small to medium waves a shorter board might be a lot of fun to change things up. The added float will have some advantages in weaker waves but you will lose some rail feel and yes it can be corky feeling in chop. But since you are in beach break you probably favor the glassy days anyway. I don't think the volume here is too extreme, to really gain stability from lower volume in chop you would probably have to drop closer to 1.2 or water over the rails which then usually comes with less stable outlines and slower paddling speed. I do find the lower volumes less reactive to the chop though. The worst is an unstable narrow nose and tail outline with high volume. That doesn't sound like the pocket rocket, with its big nose but I never tried it.

thanks a lot. That is Interesting about the narrow nose and tail outline with high volume. Yeah, the pocket rocket is one of their wide rides, so not narrow. As far as conditions, I go out in chop and whatever, so I am thinking I will hold off and wait till I find the right volume / shape. I am looking at the starboard pro 8'0", some of the L41 boards and the Sunova SP25 8'5" all in the 115-125liter range. But I have to wait for the funds for those... The pocket rocket just came up for sale for cheap, and I was excited about the size (8'3" and 30" wide) but not the 1.5 volume to weight ratio...

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Hoppo3228 said..
It'd be fine at 90kgs. If you were 65kg then i'd say lets talk...

I ride boards from 125-160L at 110kg and all work.. I've had super corky boards at 140L and super stable ones at both 125L and 160L. It really comes down to the rail shape and outline.

ah thanks Hoppo. Well, I have a week to consider it, as I cannot get there before then, so if it sells, then oops. If it doesn't, then I have to make a decision. I cannot really find much info on the rail shape. I have a fanatic all wave as well, and really enjoyed it, but thought it a bit corky at my weight (145 liters I think) and at 8'9", it was alot to bring around. The 8'3" is the length that I really want. hmmmmm.....

Its nice to try different boards, a cheap used board can be a good way to experiment if you don't have access otherwise. Then you can make a better decision when its time to pony up the big bucks.

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slsurf said..
Its nice to try different boards, a cheap used board can be a good way to experiment if you don't have access otherwise. Then you can make a better decision when its time to pony up the big bucks.

Agreed. Takes the pressure off.

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supsean said..

Hoppo3228 said..
It'd be fine at 90kgs. If you were 65kg then i'd say lets talk...

I ride boards from 125-160L at 110kg and all work.. I've had super corky boards at 140L and super stable ones at both 125L and 160L. It really comes down to the rail shape and outline.

ah thanks Hoppo. Well, I have a week to consider it, as I cannot get there before then, so if it sells, then oops. If it doesn't, then I have to make a decision. I cannot really find much info on the rail shape. I have a fanatic all wave as well, and really enjoyed it, but thought it a bit corky at my weight (145 liters I think) and at 8'9", it was alot to bring around. The 8'3" is the length that I really want. hmmmmm.....

IMO an Allwave feels corky due to the rail shape. That's what I felt anyway...