How do you size your mini-guns and guns?

[Aruka]

my 6-10 Blackbird is 19.5 which is very slightly wider than my normal 19.38 shortboard width but a bit narrower than the stock dims for that length.

I don't have any regrets going narrower for the waves I got the board for. It's pretty versatile. Not completely overkill if the waves aren't gigantic. It turns really well.

If I was going like 7-6" for chasing open ocean peaks I'd probably go 20" or wider.

I think 19.63 is a perfectly reasonable width for a 7-0 blackbird.

Nice guns BTW!

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

19 5/8

 

[GromsDad]

Two boards. Identical in length, rocker and volume. All features of the two boards are kept the same except for width. One is narrower than the other. What will the performance differences be between the two boards?

My thinking is that the narrower board would paddle better, catch waves easier, be easier to control at high rates of speed and deal better with bumps and chop in the face.

 

[thekadvang]

My experience is very similar to kool-aid and cheeeeeeeeetooo --- up here, width is your friend as long as you're not going crazy with it. Most people who surf here need more board (see paddling, not being in the spot all the time), not less board unless you are talking about the like 10 guys who are good/gnarly enough to take off under the lip on 6'8"s when it's properly working.

I have three boards for the actual outer bar (and my daily driver boards are fish or shortboards 19.25"+, I am 5'9" 155)

1. 6'9" x 19.75" x 2.7" Stretch 2x4 <- specifically ordered for OB and told Stretch "make it as wide/thick as you think it will still work"
2. 7'6" x 19.5" x 2.75" brewer
3. 8'0" x 20.5" x 3.25" Stretch Buzz Gun <- got off the rack 3 years ago when my gun snapped, never would have ordered that wide and is an incredible board

I have found that before it's macking, I would rather have a shorter/wider board (the 6'8") that goes in a wider variety of conditions and that I can actually do turns on. This board was an experiment to see how much paddle power could be packed in a shorter board and it definitely works. Much more forgiving to ride than the Brewer, which is a toob shooter only -- I ride it like 2-3x a year when I know it's on but not huge.

The Buzz Gun for its size goes insane and is very nimble in terms of pumping, setting a rail, etc. Best big board I have ever owned.

I think for boards in the 7' range you can definitely go up to 19.75" -- IMO the rail is way more important in terms of the board still feeling nimble. Trust your shaper!!!

 

[Aruka]

Two boards. Identical in length, rocker and volume. All features of the two boards are kept the same except for width. One is narrower than the other. What will the performance differences be between the two boards?

My thinking is that the narrower board would paddle better, catch waves easier, be easier to control at high rates of speed and deal better with bumps and chop in the face.

Why would do you think a narrower board would paddle and catch waves easier?


That has been the opposite of my experience.

 

[doc_flavonoid]

Why would do you think a narrower board would paddle and catch waves easier?


That has been the opposite of my experience.

same. Wider guns are better for open water breaks. Think of it like this... when obsf is huffing, your not catching waves... your just getting yourself into the spot where the wave can catch you.

as for rusty, friend had to press to have his 10-6 rhino chaser pushed out to like 22ish. Turned out insane, man knows his sh!t. Just a little old school is all.

would never fuss over a 1/4 inch width with any shaper. Maybe if your a team rider refining design. But as joe wannabe? you just come off as a kook.

 

[bluengreen]

Great advice, everyone. This is what I get for quitting for 12 years and then starting again at a place like OBSF.

The kook in me comes out. Growing up in Socal, I used to just buy whatever shortboard off the rack and ride it in everything.

Now that I'm back in the water and building a quiver, there's a lot to learn.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

one thing I've learned over the years. a good shaper knows what the f they're doing. listen

 

[Mr Doof]

8'6" and 20.5 Not sure how thick. Three fins. Country Surfboard by Roger Hinds:





Local shaper, Mr. Schultz. 7 ft and 20 inches wide, before I removed the Bonzer keel side runners and put in Future side boxes:




Stretch 7'1" and 20 inches, and 2.75 thick (might be 3). Legacy construction:



Am a fan of 7 to 7'6" range for most everything from 6 ft at 17 seconds to 10 ft at 14 seconds, but I also spend a lot of time behind a desk and am past the dreaded age of 40.

Small days I'll take out the porky 6 footer:



PS
Anyone seen Bruce Topp taking photos any more? I need to update my tired old repertoire of free vanity photos.

 

[kool-aid]

Not to throw a wrench in the mix but you should also ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish with this board.

You already have a 6'8 and a 7'6. I don't think I'd really consider not having a 7'0 a major gap. If you're aiming to slide a 7'0 in the mix that is meant to be more of a performant semi-gun shape (these are dogs at OB by the way) then a 7'0 x 19.5 x 2.9 or something like that is a completely reasonable dimension range.

But I can pretty much guarantee you'll never grab it over your 6'8 with dims like that.

 

[bluengreen]

That top photo is fire, Doof!

kool-aid - I definitely paddled out on the 6'8 a few times this winter feeling a little undergunned (late drops!) or on the 7'6 feeling like I could wave-hawk but once I got on the wave I didn't have the maneuverability I wanted. A maneuverable 7'0 is going to be a very useful board for me.

Anyway, the order has been placed. 7'0 x 19.63 x 2.88!

 

[kool-aid]

That top photo is fire, Doof!

kool-aid - I definitely paddled out on the 6'8 a few times this winter feeling a little undergunned (late drops!) or on the 7'6 feeling like I could wave-hawk but once I got on the wave I didn't have the maneuverability I wanted. A maneuverable 7'0 is going to be a very useful board for me.

Anyway, the order has been placed. 7'0 x 19.63 x 2.88!

What model did you order? Make sure to give us a full review once you've had a chance to put it through its paces!

 

[bluengreen]

Blackbird. All my Rusty guns are Blackbirds. 6'8 was shaped by Rick Hammon and the others were shaped by Rusty. Judging by the files, Rusty seems to customize every board quite a bit in terms of rocker, bottom contours, and outline.

Here's what Rusty told my about the 8'3 he shaped me compared to the 7'6:

"Over the last few years I have reduced the nose rocker a little and increased the tail rocker a little. The template is slightly fuller than the old-school guns. Although with your eight footer I pulled the nose in about a half inch. It has a slight bit of release in the midsection and I made the vee about .05 of an inch deeper about a third of the way up from the tail. I think it looks quite nice. And, it’s very similar to the guns I’ve been making for my team riders."

The 7'6 has 5.75' of nose rocker and 2.7 inches of tail rocker compared to 5.9' nose rocker and 2.9' tail rocker on the 8'3. The nose and tail are narrower on the 8'3, too.

I don't really have anything to compare them to because they are my first guns, but they paddle extremely well (especially the 7'6) and offer tons of control at high speed. On big drops, I feel like I'm moving in slow motion because they are so smooth and controlled. I've laid down some big carves on the 6'8 and 7'6 but only bottom turned and raced to the shoulder on the 8'3. These are my favorite boards in the quiver, and I can't wait until next winter when I can do some more R&D.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

Not to throw a wrench in the mix but you should also ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish with this board.

You already have a 6'8 and a 7'6. I don't think I'd really consider not having a 7'0 a major gap. If you're aiming to slide a 7'0 in the mix that is meant to be more of a performant semi-gun shape (these are dogs at OB by the way) then a 7'0 x 19.5 x 2.9 or something like that is a completely reasonable dimension range.

But I can pretty much guarantee you'll never grab it over your 6'8 with dims like that.

Yeah, I go from 6’8 straight to 8’6.

If it’s too big for my 6’8 it’s no longer a “performance“ situation, it’s a get in early, point and shoot situation.

Above DOH +/- I’m not hitting the lip, not on purpose.

 

[Chee-to]

Yeah, I go from 6’8 straight to 8’6.

If it’s too big for my 6’8 it’s no longer a “performance“ situation, it’s a get in early, point and shoot situation.

Above DOH +/- I’m not hitting the lip, not on purpose.

The day I fell in love with my 8'0" Ed Barbera is the day I got cocky on one DOH+ outer bar wave and did a frontside snap off the lip. The board pulled it off better than most of the shortboards I've ridden. It was a special place and time though. There are many, many more waves that size and at that peak that made my asshole involuntarily pucker as set a straight line and prayed.

 

[Woke AF]

There is nothing quite like dropping into a big wave on a big board never making it to the bottom, but just standing in the pocket angeling 'that way' hearing nothing and feeling nothing eventually sliding off the shoulder in amazement.

 

[bluengreen]

If I could do it again, I'd probably go a little longer than 8'3, although that's purely speculative because I didn't surf a day this season when it was so big that I felt undergunned on the 8'3. I may have been conveniently occupied on a couple of the absolute biggest days. A lot of guys seem to have an 8'6 and a 9'6 in their quiver.

OB guys, what's your biggest board?

 

[kool-aid]

I have a 9'6 that I never really ride. The biggest boards I regularly ride (for guns that is) is an 8'6 Stretch Comp Gun followed by a 8'4 Christenson Carerra. Anything beyond that is too difficult to duck dive and push through waves and just makes it harder IMO.

I am thinking about getting an 8'6 - 9'0 paddle machine like a Christenson Sicario or Lyle Carlson Turbo though. I have also always wanted to try an Sean Ordonez Sprocket.

 

[Chee-to]

I have a 9'6 that I never really ride. The biggest boards I regularly ride (for guns that is) is an 8'6 Stretch Comp Gun followed by a 8'4 Christenson Carerra. Anything beyond that is too difficult to duck dive and push through waves and just makes it harder IMO.

I am thinking about getting an 8'6 - 9'0 paddle machine like a Christenson Sicario or Lyle Carlson Turbo though. I have also always wanted to try an Sean Ordonez Sprocket.

Cosigned. I got my 8'0" after my 9'0" for this exact reason. When you're trying to punch through big beachbreak, you need to be quicker and more nimble than a 9'0"+ board provides. At that size you're ditching and climbing back each time - you're not going to get it under the whitewater - and the bigger guns don't accelerate paddling as well as is necessary to avoid losing ground in that situation.

 

[SharkBoy]

two step-ups
Lost Tube pig at 6'0 x 18.75 x 2 3/8 (28 liters)
and a 6'6 18 1/4x 2 1/4 from Spider (seth efrica) old , 2010ish

choose the tube pig for steep stuff, and the 6'6 if there is more water moving around or in a bigger playing field

I ride tomos for the most part, but i'd say my HPSB dims are 5'9 x 18 3/4 x 2 3/8 at 26ish liters (i weigh 165-170)