Goodbye, Shortboards - A Personal Manifesto

rgruber

Miki Dora status
May 30, 2004
3,617
1,327
113
I think there is a certain subset of surfers, well represented here, who believe that standard high performance thruster surfing is the only legitimate form of surfing and everything else is a pale imitation or lesser.

You can agree, disagree or ride what you like and disregard those opinions. Personally I've kind of outgrown that attitude and prefer watching and riding longer flow-ier equipment in most situations. At some point I realized the surfers I most liked to watch at my local break were riding various forms of mids (this was before the mid length explosion of a few years ago and the guys I'm thinking of were both in their 20's) and got myself one and haven't looked back.
 

Yewstreet

Legend (inyourownmind)
Nov 8, 2019
422
760
93
I'm still in my 20's and have been getting better at not riding the thruster every time I leave the house. Right now I've got a HPSB, Twin-pin, Fishy-shortboard, Gun, and a few beaters.

Most recently got the CI Twin pin and I've been really enjoying it. The beak nose allows it to paddle really well and surfs great on rail.

I think a lot of guys in my friend group have an ego issue with adding volume to their HPSB's. A lot of my friends ride sub 28L and they're 6'3 and ~200lbs. They definitely get less waves than me at OBSF due to the current and the amount of paddling you have to do. I'm 6'0 ~165lbs riding 30-32L
 

ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,703
3,109
113
S. Redondo
Pacey, Kerr, Burch, Knost, Martyn, Bryce Young ... Who here is surfing better than them on their Fred Rubbles?
That depends on who's watching and where we're surfing. I think shortboard HPSB aficionados would give me the nod on a 5'9 Fred Rubble at let's say head high Macaronis compared to Alex Knost on a 6'8" BMT. Out at waist high Sano, I'm sure the majority of surfers would give Alex the nod. I personally not a fan of Alex's surfing, nor him as a person in my albeit limited time being around him. Surfing style/perceived performance is extremely subjective. Surfers that I admire and try to emulate such as Dane Reynolds, are fans of Alex's surfing.

I'll be 50 in a few weeks and still feel like I can hang performance-wise with the majority of the shortboard crew. CT style surfing is what I still strive to approximate and what I appreciate. My body is still holding together outside of some intermittent lower back pain. I'm not a HPSB devotee, but I do gravitate towards sub 6' boards that can still be high performance (Album Twinsman, Haydenshapes Psychedelic Germ, NB2 in the rotation right now).

I know the day will come that I'll have to change up the boards I ride, but I don't see that happening for hopefully 10-15 years barring injury or health issues. My brother is 61 and he still competes in decathlon competitions, so I'm pretty sure I have some genetic help going on as well.
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,257
19,083
113
Jacksonville Beach
I think there is a certain subset of surfers, well represented here, who believe that standard high performance thruster surfing is the only legitimate form of surfing and everything else is a pale imitation or lesser.

You can agree, disagree or ride what you like and disregard those opinions. Personally I've kind of outgrown that attitude and prefer watching and riding longer flow-ier equipment in most situations. At some point I realized the surfers I most liked to watch at my local break were riding various forms of mids (this was before the mid length explosion of a few years ago and the guys I'm thinking of were both in their 20's) and got myself one and haven't looked back.
Opinion disregard is the height of motions of rippage.

Go find a jacking death box and I'll show you some bodyboarders that think anyone standing up is a donkey on a pussy wave who isn't even doing backflips out of the tube.
Go find some longboarders not catching any waves because they're getting beat out by SUPs and I'll show you some SUPs telling the longboarders they have the wrong board for the conditions.
 

Woke AF

Tom Curren status
Jul 29, 2009
11,437
7,749
113
Southern Tip, Norcal
Pacey and Kerr rip. I have no idea who Bryce Young is.

I think everyone who has ever stood up on a Fred Rubble is surfing better than Alex Knost (when he's on his longer stuff). But I think cruising is wave misuse unless it's shin high point surf, and I don't care how hard it is to approach the lip at 10 degree angle of attack, toss your hands and your head, and then descend the face 10 degrees below flat, on some Nixon-era hideous winged swallow single fin.

IMHO you give Martyn a 6'4"-6'6" relaxed rocker thruster and he'd be surfing better instantly.

Style is hands-down the least important and most overrated aspect of surfing. If you're this worried about style and how you look, take a look at your sun-damaged grill in a mirror sometime, move to Milan, stop eating, and dress like the locals.
There. You're stylish now.
:shameonyou: :shameonyou: :shameonyou:

 

vanrysss

Billy Hamilton status
Mar 25, 2019
1,628
3,666
113
from Oregon, now SD
I'd ride a shortboard more often if my regular spot wasn't full of QS level surfers on shortboards, and old guys on longboards that have been surfing here for forty years. As it stands my 5'10" really only comes out if I decide to surf town or other lesser spots nearby.
 

youcantbeserious

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 29, 2020
1,518
4,579
113
Location location
The trick is to find a shaper who can upsize shortboards to work for you as you age.
Thicker, wider, EPS.

Thanks Jeff Bushman and Bret Marumoto.

I've surfed fishes, longboards, cruisers... but sometimes I want to throw it all up in to the lip, especially backside, and want to put it on a rail frontside with all I can give it. And I probably only have a couple more years to do it.
 
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Clayster

Miki Dora status
Oct 26, 2005
5,646
1,241
113
GG is great at this

Yeah, I'm going to contact Greg and order something with more volume. However, I have been doing that incrementally anyway over the years as I age. Once you know what you can surf, and can express that to a good shaper, they know what to do. Gromsdad is right. And you don't need to go to eight feet. If you were surfing 6'0, you can easily add a few inches in length, some extra width and thickness and still surf at as high level as you are capable of. It's not one extreme to the other; there is a lot of middle ground.