Is it possible to rip on a mid-length?

BrownFish

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From reading this thread I’ve learned that this is not ripping. Not vertical surfing, doesn’t do a vertical rebound, etc.

Wow! You just put us all to shame. Bravo! One of the most iconic pics of all time. Hard to argue that he's not ripping. Just shows that there is an exception to most things. When you think about it, that is what I envision doing on a midlength at some of the unnamed reefs around my area. Just laying into a big carve on a midlength. There is also a video of Dan Malloy riding a Pavel Fish on a right in the Mentawais from maybe 2008, that is ingrained into my mind. Not ripping, but laying down the most incredible turns. Maybe it was in Shelter, not sure.
 
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BrownFish

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I have this great 80's 6'4 Jobson Twinzer, that I used to ride a lot in bigger surf when I was younger. It's pretty thick and beefy, as most 80's boards were. Thing paddles incredible and once into waves, was super manueverable. I have never ridden it unless the surf was well overhead. Haven't ridden it in about 6 years. Thinks I'm going to take it to someone and have them modernize it a bit, and stretch it out to a 6'8. Then I might have another one made but shortened it up a bit for kicks.
IMG_4021.jpg
 
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GDaddy

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I have this great 80's 6'4 Jobson Twinzer, that I used to ride a lot in bigger surf when I was younger. It's pretty thick and beefy, as most 80's boards were. Thing paddles incredible and once into waves, was super manueverable. I never have never ridden it unless the surf was well overhead. Haven't ridden it in about 6 years. Thinks I'm going to take it to someone and have them modernize it a bit, and stretch it out to a 6'8. Then I might have antoher one made but shortened it up a bit for kicks.
View attachment 91608
6-4 and 6-8 lengths used to be typical daily driver and step up lengths.
 
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tacos

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Wow! You just put us all to shame. Bravo! One of the most iconic pics of all time. Hard to argue that he's not ripping. Just shows that there is an exception to most things. When you think about it, that is what I envision doing on a midlength at some of the unnamed reefs around my area. Just laying into a big carve on a midlength. There is also a video of Dan Malloy riding a Pavel Fish on a right in the Mentawais from maybe 2008, that is ingrained into my mind. Not ripping, but laying down the most incredible turns. Maybe it was in Shelter, not sure.
Not sure how much of this is sarcasm (not that my post wasn’t sarcastic) but I’ll give a serious reply anyways.

I guess the exception is my point.
Also, this turn—okay, not this exact turn, being that it’s at pumping Backdoor, powerful, and maybe the most iconic of all time—or rather a line like this does not require a HPSB. If Curren was riding a mid length and did a powerful carve/drew a line like that at an unnamed SD county reef break, I’d still call it “ripping” despite him not being on a HPSB at pumping Backdoor.

But I’ll also recognize that everyone has a different definition of ripping, I just happen to put more weight on flow, style, lines drawn, position on the wave over forcing vertical/radical/ripping turns for the sake of “ripping”— in a similar idea as GWS’s post about riding the wave efficiently (can’t remember the exact wording). I can hardly hold interest on most videos on Stab (for example), I can watch someone do a 100 flowy carves but a 100 air reverses I’d rather not.
 
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BrownFish

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6-4 and 6-8 lengths used to be typical daily driver and step up lengths.
Yup, this board was definately a DD for a bigger guy in the 80's. At 150# and 5'7, I rode a 6'1 x 18 1/4" x 2 1/4" board from about 86 to 98. Those were my standard dimensions. This twinzer above is definately a differnt monster though. I've never took the dims, other than length, but it's a boxy 3" thick, and probably 20.5" wide. For me, it was huge, but works really good in bigger North County waves.
 

BrownFish

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Not sure how much of this is sarcasm (not that my post wasn’t sarcastic) but I’ll give a serious reply anyways.

I guess the exception is my point.
Also, this turn—okay, not this exact turn, being that it’s at pumping Backdoor, powerful, and maybe the most iconic of all time—or rather a line like this does not require a HPSB. If Curren was riding a mid length and did a powerful carve/drew a line like that at an unnamed SD county reef break, I’d still call it “ripping” despite him not being on a HPSB at pumping Backdoor.

But I’ll also recognize that everyone has a different definition of ripping, I just happen to put more weight on flow, style, lines drawn, position on the wave over forcing vertical/radical/ripping turns for the sake of “ripping”— in a similar idea as GWS’s post about riding the wave efficiently (can’t remember the exact wording). I can hardly hold interest on most videos on Stab (for example), I can watch someone do a 100 flowy carves but a 100 air reverses I’d rather not.
Good take. It wasn't sarcasm at all! In the land of Curren, he does no wrong. He rips on everything.
 
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tacos

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I used to be in a position where I could surf good waves entirely alone for weeks. No one else in sight for weeks at a time. The longer I was alone, the more my surfing would change. Waves were plentiful. You start paddling through perfect waves just limping along out on the shoulder because you want the view of the tube and there's another one behind it. And another one behind that one. And something happens to your surfing. As you get more tired, more satiated and lulled into complacency you start leaving your more effort filled "ripping" maneuvers behind. You want to go fast, hit big turns, enjoy that pressure, that flow, let the wave dictate the most efficient path, look for that tube, kick out of the wave on the inside, turn the board towards the outside and stand there feeling the speed bleed off as you look at the oncoming empty waves.

And at the time, the above is SO not what I was into. In a crowded aggressive pack of good surfers I would more than rise to the occasion. But net net, during those periods of isolation I developed this theory. We all have the fantasy of being alone on a desert island with a few boards and endless perfect/empty surf. My theory was that eventually your surfing would change. It would be less about "performance" and more about finding the speed and flow with as little effort as possible. Surfing without an audience changed your surfing. And how fvcked up is that really?

I'm not sure where I was going with all that. I was going to relate the above to midsize surfing and the modern surfer feeling anonymous enough in the midst of crushing crowds to just be honest with himself about what he wants out of a wave. Part of this is IMO, a rejection of pro surfing and endless air reverses. A rebellion almost. It won't go far, it will probably die out with the virus. Whatever. I should probably delete this. But screw it.
This is a great post and I had to go back and read it again.

“My theory was that eventually your surfing would change. It would be less about "performance" and more about finding the speed and flow with as little effort as possible.” This is what I want out of surfing lately, and I don’t even surf good waves, nor do I surf well.
 

Lowqi2

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Mar 17, 2013
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I have this great 80's 6'4 Jobson Twinzer, that I used to ride a lot in bigger surf when I was younger. It's pretty thick and beefy, as most 80's boards were. Thing paddles incredible and once into waves, was super manueverable. I never have never ridden it unless the surf was well overhead. Haven't ridden it in about 6 years. Thinks I'm going to take it to someone and have them modernize it a bit, and stretch it out to a 6'8. Then I might have antoher one made but shortened it up a bit for kicks.
View attachment 91608
did Jobson shape under the "Dynamic Balance" label? Surprise this Jobson doesn't have his trademark channels.
 

20W-50 and blood

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Yup, this board was definately a DD for a bigger guy in the 80's. At 150# and 5'7, I rode a 6'1 x 18 1/4" x 2 1/4" board from about 86 to 98. Those were my standard dimensions. This twinzer above is definately a differnt monster though. I've never took the dims, other than length, but it's a boxy 3" thick, and probably 20.5" wide. For me, it was huge, but works really good in bigger North County waves.
If you are ever going to sell that thing as a rider and not a collector's item...please remember me
 
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BrownFish

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did Jobson shape under the "Dynamic Balance" label? Surprise this Jobson doesn't have his trademark channels.
Yea, he used to shape under that label, it has his signature on the bottom. I have permenently borrowed this board from a coworker for a long time now. She is from Huntington and used to surf a lot of contests back in the day. She had a lot of Jobson twinzers growing up. One day she told me to take it and try it out. Me, being young and dumb, let it sit for a few years in the garage. Then one day, decided to give it a go. Prior to that, I always rode short board stepups or mini-guns with the surf got bigger. This board changed my whole outlook on boards. We will both be retiring around the same time in about 10 or so years. Maybe I'll give it back to her then. She's not sweating it though, I think all the boards she rides these days came from me. Including a mini-sims I shaped for my wife about 10 years ago, that she pretty much rides as her DD.
 
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Lowqi2

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Yea, he used to shape under that label, it has his signature on the bottom. I have permenently borrowed this board from a coworker for a long time now. She was from Huntington and used to surf a lot of contests back in the day. She had a lot of Jobson twinzers growing up. One day she told me to take it and try it out. Me, being young and dumb, let it sit for a few years in the garage. Then one day, decided to give it a go. Prior to that, I always rode short board stepups or mini-guns with the surf got bigger. This board changed my whole outlook on boards. We will both be retiring around the same time in about 10 or so years. Maybe I'll give it back to her then. She's not sweating it though, I think all the boards she rides these days came from me. Including a mini-sims I shaped for my wife about 10 years ago, that she pretty much rides as her DD.
would love to see more shots of this board. rocker, foam dist, ...what bottom contours does it have? always wanted to try a twinzer from Jobson, they are so hard to find. Lucky you.
 

freeride76

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Dec 31, 2009
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I used to be in a position where I could surf good waves entirely alone for weeks. No one else in sight for weeks at a time. The longer I was alone, the more my surfing would change. Waves were plentiful. You start paddling through perfect waves just limping along out on the shoulder because you want the view of the tube and there's another one behind it. And another one behind that one. And something happens to your surfing. As you get more tired, more satiated and lulled into complacency you start leaving your more effort filled "ripping" maneuvers behind. You want to go fast, hit big turns, enjoy that pressure, that flow, let the wave dictate the most efficient path, look for that tube, kick out of the wave on the inside, turn the board towards the outside and stand there feeling the speed bleed off as you look at the oncoming empty waves.

And at the time, the above is SO not what I was into. In a crowded aggressive pack of good surfers I would more than rise to the occasion. But net net, during those periods of isolation I developed this theory. We all have the fantasy of being alone on a desert island with a few boards and endless perfect/empty surf. My theory was that eventually your surfing would change. It would be less about "performance" and more about finding the speed and flow with as little effort as possible. Surfing without an audience changed your surfing. And how fvcked up is that really?

I'm not sure where I was going with all that. I was going to relate the above to midsize surfing and the modern surfer feeling anonymous enough in the midst of crushing crowds to just be honest with himself about what he wants out of a wave. Part of this is IMO, a rejection of pro surfing and endless air reverses. A rebellion almost. It won't go far, it will probably die out with the virus. Whatever. I should probably delete this. But screw it.
Yes, except in the era of Torryn, Rasta, etc etc riding mid lengths has become so much of a "performance" complete with all the look at me body English.

it almost feels more wanky now than someone just doing honest shortboard surfing, even if they can't rip.
 

silentbutdeadly

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Sep 26, 2005
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I have this great 80's 6'4 Jobson Twinzer, that I used to ride a lot in bigger surf when I was younger. It's pretty thick and beefy, as most 80's boards were. Thing paddles incredible and once into waves, was super manueverable. I never have never ridden it unless the surf was well overhead. Haven't ridden it in about 6 years. Thinks I'm going to take it to someone and have them modernize it a bit, and stretch it out to a 6'8. Then I might have antoher one made but shortened it up a bit for kicks.
View attachment 91608
I love this board
 

Retropete

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Jan 20, 2006
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Yes, except in the era of Torryn, Rasta, etc etc riding mid lengths has become so much of a "performance" complete with all the look at me body English.

it almost feels more wanky now than someone just doing honest shortboard surfing, even if they can't rip.
Reckon Byron may just have a much higher proportion due to the immediate influence of Torryn and Rasta? Sunny coast much less so, though Nooooosa has become the hipster central must visit and hang location of late.
Been out with Pridmore plenty lately and he's still loving his semi-finless ol' faithfull while I've been riding mids.