Custom board order musing

[shaheeb]

interested in hearing what seems to work best when working with shapers or the managers to get the best boarz possible for YOU.

i've heard a board and body profiles should be similiar? Ie: if you are short and stubby, (short-n-wide/thick)go well for you,
or
tall and skinny ( gravitate to longer narrower boards) any merit to this?

seems like your stance could be factored as well.

plenty of sessions have gone by where its been difficult to find the sweet spot on the board( too narrow stance problem) -blame it on sk8ing as a yout? also wondering if by going shorter in length will generally help with narrow knock knee stance wanking ? ; o

i'm avg size / avg surfer 5'10 165lbs trying to wean myself off riding stndrd shorties (28ish liters atm after having two kids recenctly)

or maybe dont worryy abou tit and just have fun

 

[SlicedFeet]

The biggest thing that no one really talks about anymore is what type of waves or where you usually surf.

Millions of board models...so good for mind surfing.

Talk to a shaper...not saying Rusty, but dang best advice out there.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

The biggest thing that no one really talks about anymore is what type of waves or where you usually surf.

Yes

 

[casa_mugrienta]

( too narrow stance problem) -blame it on sk8ing as a yout?

I think lots of skateboarding as a ute, mainly street skating, lends itself to a narrower stance and more backfootedness

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

i've heard a board and body profiles should be similiar? Ie: if you are short and stubby, (short-n-wide/thick)go well for you,
or
tall and skinny ( gravitate to longer narrower boards) any merit to this?

seems like your stance could be factored as well.

Stance. Board should be made for your stance.

That doesn’t always mean tall guy = longer board.

I’m 6’2. I have a 6’3 HPSB that fits my stance and I have three 5’8s that also fit my stance.

Here’s what you don’t do...I see guys who are about 5’9 and weigh 250lbs, so so surfers, who will buy say a 6’10 Fever off the rack.

A 6’10 Fever might be good for someone who is a basketball player but not so much for and obese wannabe Kelly Slater.

 

[Aruka]

interested in hearing what seems to work best when working with shapers or the managers to get the best boarz possible for YOU.

i've heard a board and body profiles should be similiar? Ie: if you are short and stubby, (short-n-wide/thick)go well for you,
or
tall and skinny ( gravitate to longer narrower boards) any merit to this?

seems like your stance could be factored as well.

plenty of sessions have gone by where its been difficult to find the sweet spot on the board( too narrow stance problem) -blame it on sk8ing as a yout? also wondering if by going shorter in length will generally help with narrow knock knee stance wanking ? ; o

i'm avg size / avg surfer 5'10 165lbs trying to wean myself off riding stndrd shorties (28ish liters atm after having two kids recenctly)

or maybe dont worryy abou tit and just have fun

I think often going with something shorter will help you find the sweet spot. There are advantages to the shorter/wider hybrids vs. standard shorties. There are also disadvantages. If the waves are head high and juicy a "normal" shortboard is hard to beat. In low power waves there is a lot to be gained for the average surfer by riding something with a little more glide.

When you say you are having trouble finding the sweet spot do you mean you are having trouble finding the tail kick with your back foot?

Lucky for you being avg size fellow finding something suitable in stock dims will be easy.

 

[Havoc]

Try shredding every turn ur back foot auto goes back. If u want trim down line only back foot over front fins and cannot shed tiger

 

[oeste858]

As Aruka says, there's tradeoffs with the shorter, stubbier boards, but I prefer them for most of my breaks in typical SoCal conditions, up to head-high. Like others said, being realistic about the type of waves you surf will really help board choice. For me, after years of riding fishy boards, my feet tend to drift up the board, when trying to generate planning speed going down the line. I have to consciously step back to the tail when I want to crank a turn. When I get the sizing right on the shorter/stubbier boards, I never need to move my feet around and it feels so much more intuitive. For me, this means as short as I can realistically paddle/catch waves: 5'5 Evo, 5'6 Superchunk, 5'6-5'8 twin keel fish, 5'9 quad fish, 5'9 GremlinXL. When boards get to 5'10-5'11+, then I move my feet around more and have to "find" the sweet spot. I'm 6'1, 175-180lbs, not short n stubby. I just like how easy they are to whip around. YMMV

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

interested in hearing what seems to work best when working with shapers or the managers to get the best boarz possible for YOU.

Being up front and insistent about what you want without micromanaging too many things, or really more than one or two key elements. Don't go haywire on exact volume and exact other dims. Pick a rough L x W x T and Volume zone.

After that, I recommend referencing previous boards/files from that shaper on future orders, maybe compare/contrast the target surf with the other shape, and the difference you want in feel, if any.

Ideally, after you've ordered something grovelly, something regularish DD HPSB, and something step-uppy, you should be getting straight gems based on that refined feedback.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

First time someone shapes your board I think he should see one of yours in person. foot wells, wax, pad will tell him a lot.

long time ago one of my scrapers told me I had a semi narrow stance when he was feeling up my board. adjusted the wide point accordingly on the next custom.