Ok so firstly I'm sure this topic has been done to death but I have tried searching and found nothing - don't shoot me!!

So as per dripping wet thread when I bought my first short(er) board I walked into a shop and bought what they told me to. It's ok and I'm learning to deal with it but its probably not the ideal board

I'm 6'3 90 kilos, reasonably fit and just at the point where I'm getting up on unbroken waves and starting those first few glorious feeling turns, so, what should I be looking for in a short board upgrade size and shape wise and are there any solid recommendations? And yes I would lie to use a local shaper if I can get something of good quality so any sydney / local-ish area recommendations greatly appreciated
Thanks
Craig

6,6 with not much rocker and a wide-ish tail (square)

Try Grant Miller - www.grantmillersurfboards.com.au/

Hi there I've been surfing for about 30 years so ill try to some it up in a quick short way, no doubt not everyone will agree. all these comments will depend on how you surf;ie aggressive right through to passive. Anyway it goes like this a short wide tailed board will go well in small waves that don't break to fast. The reason is the shorter and wider the tail the easier to turn but you will lose speed especially out of sharp turns. also you will end up taking off I bit higher in the wave, if you don't paddle very hard at just the right moment.now a longer board with a narrow tail will paddle into waves easier hold its line without sliding down the face but can be hard to turn. So taking that, your at the stage of getting up on a clean part of the face of a wave. I would suggest not going to small perhaps if your 6'3 then go a 6'8 square tail with a lot of foam. This size board is a good all rounder and will handle bigger waves as you improve, the square tail will still let you throw it around in smaller stuff. ideally you have two boards a short board around your own height maybe a couple of inches taller with wide tail and a longer skinnier board for when its bigger i always go for a litte extra foam so I can surf longer it also helps getting over flat spots in the wave.
ps:a wide tailed long board is no good in ether small or big waves and a thin skinny short board is only good for powerhouse surfers like pro's . I hope this helps cheers drewfish.

Nice first post Drewfish. Welcome.

Green thumbs Dewie. Nice insite. I think a bit of volume up around the nose area on a short board or mid ranger helps a bit. If you take a look at the Hayden Shapes web site here is a lot of info and vids explaining the science behind the way the boards work. I'm sure most of the big brands offer similar info. The info is handy in making a decision. New boards are price heavy these days.

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Buster fin said..

Nice first post Drewfish. Welcome.

Yep + 1. Easy to understand, even for someone of my intellect

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Drewfish said...
Hi there I've been surfing for about 30 years so ill try to some it up in a quick short way, no doubt not everyone will agree. all these comments will depend on how you surf;ie aggressive right through to passive. Anyway it goes like this a short wide tailed board will go well in small waves that don't break to fast. The reason is the shorter and wider the tail the easier to turn but you will lose speed especially out of sharp turns. also you will end up taking off I bit higher in the wave, if you don't paddle very hard at just the right moment.now a longer board with a narrow tail will paddle into waves easier hold its line without sliding down the face but can be hard to turn. So taking that, your at the stage of getting up on a clean part of the face of a wave. I would suggest not going to small perhaps if your 6'3 then go a 6'8 square tail with a lot of foam. This size board is a good all rounder and will handle bigger waves as you improve, the square tail will still let you throw it around in smaller stuff. ideally you have two boards a short board around your own height maybe a couple of inches taller with wide tail and a longer skinnier board for when its bigger i always go for a litte extra foam so I can surf longer it also helps getting over flat spots in the wave.
ps:a wide tailed long board is no good in ether small or big waves and a thin skinny short board is only good for powerhouse surfers like pro's . I hope this helps cheers drewfish.

^^^ this is why I love seabreeze

Was really impressed with the reviews of grants work I found so I Am speaking to him today!!