Hi all!, I looking at a new board soon and am chasing some guidance on a good size for me. I used to surf shortys as a kid/teenager but got a bit lazy as i got older and now surf an 8 footer, 9,1 mal and an 8'2 SUP. Im looking at coming down a fair bit again but am currently struggling like hell on my old fish 6 x 20 1/2 x 2 1/2, im 5'10 weigh around 73kg and am very fit, any recommendations!! Cheers

I reckon your struggle is more related to positioning yourself for waves (on the fish that is), as opposed to board size. I'm a little over 5'10, 84kgs, and not as fit as could be, and ride anything from 6'2/ 30ltrs to 5'10/ 35ltrs (depending on conditions) and manage OK. Try taking off a little deeper and give yourself time to adjust to your shorter fish.

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Loz79 said..
... but am currently struggling like hell on my old fish 6 x 20 1/2 x 2 1/2, im 5'10 weigh around 73kg and am very fit

Define "struggling".

Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Speak to Grant Miller. A Waterskate / Vskate may be just the trick to transition back to a shortboard

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Loz79 said..
Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Could be rocker and volume.

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genuine said...

Loz79 said..
Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Could be rocker and volume.

Could be technique perhaps.

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chrispy said..

genuine said...

Loz79 said..
Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Could be rocker and volume.

Could be technique perhaps.

Maybe, but it sounds like its pushing water or just too small.

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genuine said...

chrispy said..

genuine said...

Loz79 said..
Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Could be rocker and volume.

Could be technique perhaps.

Maybe, but it sounds like its pushing water or just too small.

My thoughts only came from paddles into waves easily. If that's the case I think rocker and what not would be less the issue. I find the same problem at times if I have spent a lot of time on my longboard and get lazy when I'm back on the shorty.

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chrispy said..

genuine said...

chrispy said..

genuine said...

Loz79 said..
Paddles into wave ok but as soon as I stand up it feels like I'm on a tiny stick, I can't generate any speed and just seem bogged down... I know it will take done adjusting as I mainly surf the Mal n sup but feels like I need some more volume under me... Not sure on my fish volume, it's around 10 years old n volume wasn't talked about much back then

Could be rocker and volume.

Could be technique perhaps.

Maybe, but it sounds like its pushing water or just too small.

My thoughts only came from paddles into waves easily. If that's the case I think rocker and what not would be less the issue. I find the same problem at times if I have spent a lot of time on my longboard and get lazy when I'm back on the shorty.

Oh yea missed that

I'm going to say technique. E.g. last summer I surfed with a guy on a skimboard one day (OK, a famous one). When sitting, he was just about up to his neck. When paddling he struggled and had to perfectly position. However when planing, volume comes into play less than when paddling and he was going nuts. Kickflips and stuff. I mean, I can plane without a board (bodysurfing) - zero volume! FWIW I weigh maybe 8kg more than you but my daily board would have way less volume than your fish and I'm old too. Planes fine but you need to work it, it won't trim alone (very well, in comparison to a boat).

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Legion said...
I'm going to say technique. E.g. last summer I surfed with a guy on a skimboard one day (OK, a famous one). When sitting, he was just about up to his neck. When paddling he struggled and had to perfectly position. However when planing, volume comes into play less than when paddling and he was going nuts. Kickflips and stuff. I mean, I can plane without a board (bodysurfing) - zero volume! FWIW I weigh maybe 8kg more than you but my daily board would have way less volume than your fish and I'm old too. Planes fine but you need to work it, it won't trim alone (very well, in comparison to a boat).

Well said.

Thanks guys, I'd say it's probably mostly my technique and maybe too small a board ( for my technique!)...we don't get much power in the surf where I live hence mostly surfing mals n sups, I'd just like a board that I can take out to a beach break down the coast that I can handle while not being too much of a struggle to step down too... The minister of finance has given me permission to get whatever I want, just trying to work out where to start....

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Loz79 said..
The minister of finance has given me permission to get whatever I want,

WOO HOO !!!

If you're not willing to work a board like a grom then maybe you want something with heaps of volume if you'd prefer trimming. Grant Miller's name always seems to come up. So does Bourton I think. I don't know, not my area. FWIW (again), I surfed for 2 hours in 1' wind waves on my low volume board today. I'm used to weak waves, that's for sure. It can be done if you want to flap around and milk it like a kid.

and go for a 5 fin box - use the quads so speed is naturally generated as opposed to needing you to pump down the line. Another technique thing, maybe you're favouring the backfoot too much when you're on the wave? Could cause you to stall as opposed to leaning more on your front foot and pushing the water through.

How does it go when you surf it prone? I'm going through the same issues as you, going back to a 6'6 single fin from a 10ft SUP. The board absolutely flies when I belly surf it, so it's volume can easily support my weight. Just have to work on my technique and positioning when standing. I'm at the point where I "sometimes" get it going. More time in the water this year will hopefully get me to the point where I "mostly" get it going.

Havnt tried it prone, I'll leave that for the bodyboarders, I'd say im struggling mainly due to surfing my 8,2 sup for so long, I find I move my back foot sideways a heap on the sup way back on the board to get the rails engaged to turn, probs need to adapt to leaning forward more on a shorty... I'm heading down the coast on 3 weeks with a licence to buy so I'll see how I go, I'm leaning towards something around 6'6 with at least 2 5/8 thickness n around 21'' wide.. I'll post up what I end up with

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Loz79 said..
Havnt tried it prone, I'll leave that for the bodyboarders, I'd say im struggling mainly due to surfing my 8,2 sup for so long, I find I move my back foot sideways a heap on the sup way back on the board to get the rails engaged to turn, probs need to adapt to leaning forward more on a shorty... I'm heading down the coast on 3 weeks with a licence to buy so I'll see how I go, I'm leaning towards something around 6'6 with at least 2 5/8 thickness n around 21'' wide.. I'll post up what I end up with

Hi all we'll I finally picked up new board yesterday.. Grabbed a 7 foot 7s superfish 3 cv... Surfed today in 3-4 foot beachies and very happy with my choice. Very easy to paddle and handles late drop ins very well due to rocker which is a lot greater than similar length boards. Light as a feather too so feels like a much shorter board under foot. Ticks all the boxes for what I wanted due to where I surf most of the time as a step down board from my Mal and sup.... Thanks for all the responses guys

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Loz79 said...

Loz79 said..
Havnt tried it prone, I'll leave that for the bodyboarders, I'd say im struggling mainly due to surfing my 8,2 sup for so long, I find I move my back foot sideways a heap on the sup way back on the board to get the rails engaged to turn, probs need to adapt to leaning forward more on a shorty... I'm heading down the coast on 3 weeks with a licence to buy so I'll see how I go, I'm leaning towards something around 6'6 with at least 2 5/8 thickness n around 21'' wide.. I'll post up what I end up with

Hi all we'll I finally picked up new board yesterday.. Grabbed a 7 foot 7s superfish 3 cv... Surfed today in 3-4 foot beachies and very happy with my choice. Very easy to paddle and handles late drop ins very well due to rocker which is a lot greater than similar length boards. Light as a feather too so feels like a much shorter board under foot. Ticks all the boxes for what I wanted due to where I surf most of the time as a step down board from my Mal and sup.... Thanks for all the responses guys

Bit late now, but I regularly surf a 5'10" twin fin at home but found Queensland waves to be so gutless it wasn't wirking for me anymore. I went to The Surfboard Warehouse and picked up a 6'10" Fountain of Youth. It surprised the hell out of me and has gone well in waves from waist high to three/four times head high. With a board bag it was $400. They don't have that board anymore but they have a similar shape called the Flume. If you want to step down again, consider their range.

My main board was a 6'0 Firewire Hellfire 31L epoxy when I got my first longboard in November 2013. Rode the LB alot over summer & struggled big time when I hopped back on the SB. Forward/Back weight distribution feels so touchy & where you sit in the water while paddling is so different. Its nice to have something in between to get you out in the water on a SB on smaller days & help with the transition between boards. I've ridden my 34L SB, 9'3 LB & 8'10 SUP over the last 3 days without drama...it helps if you get a summer SB with very little rocker & good width. Mines 6'0 x 21 x 2.5 flat rockered, wide tail & plenty of volume under the chest

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MickPC said..
My main board was a 6'0 Firewire Hellfire 31L epoxy when I got my first longboard in November 2013. Rode the LB alot over summer & struggled big time when I hopped back on the SB. Forward/Back weight distribution feels so touchy & where you sit in the water while paddling is so different. Its nice to have something in between to get you out in the water on a SB on smaller days & help with the transition between boards. I've ridden my 34L SB, 9'3 LB & 8'10 SUP over the last 3 days without drama...it helps if you get a summer SB with very little rocker & good width. Mines 6'0 x 21 x 2.5 flat rockered, wide tail & plenty of volume under the chest

+1 on stuffing up your Sb'ing after surfing a LB for a while. I found the same thing.
In the end I decided it was one or the other, and sold all my LB's kept surfing my SB's and got a a meaty, wide fish. But got one made with nearly no rocker at all. It's nearly as flat as a coffee table. And love it on small days.