Pyzel Ghost?

Duffy LaCoronilla

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Apr 27, 2016
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This type of measuring is also how we end up with "100" foot waves at that mushburger show off picture spot in Portugal. Where a "100" foot wave realistically has 150 feet of face, because the wave is slanted and you're taking measurements from the front as if it were one dimensional, but only has 20 feet of rideable wave, because the rest is nearly flat water.
I think of this because of one day when a person i was talking to claimed that the waves were over ten feet, and they had proof, because they had a ten foot canoe and paddling over a wave the face of the wave was longer than their entire canoe. I remember thinking "yeah, but the wave is not standing straight up at 90 degrees from the bottom when your canoe was going over it. So what are we measuring?

Oh no, we've all done this one to death...

"Increments of fear" works better for me. Then I know "two feet" means small, "six feet" means solid, and "seven to nine feet" means get off surfline kook.
Nazare looks taller because of the angle of view. The actual bottom of that wave is (when viewed from the cliff) is about 2/3 - 3/5 of the way down from the top as it appears.

We end up with the “100 foot wave” because people aren’t measuring it right.

Or in the case of Makua you just invert the Hawaiian scale and claim a wave that was 40 feet high to be 100.

I don’t use feet when describing waves.

knee
waist
shoulder/chest
head
over head
double over head
triple over head
big.
 

Swallow Tail

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 6, 2017
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Your Mom’s House
knee
waist
shoulder/chest
head
over head
double over head
triple over head
big.
This is what I do when talking to friends etc about conditions. & they know what that means relative to the spot we’re talking about.

As an example- one of my favorite places to surf is an extremely powerful barrel and when conditions are described as “solid overhead” there - people that surf it know exactly what that means.

Any time you hear someone around here calling feet, it’s Hawaiian scale typically, but whatever.
 
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Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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Back with the best.

Always loved my Pyzalien, and my old round pin Ghost was sorely missed. Took the opportunity to do some age-appropriate dims updating, so here are my new 6'3 Pyzalien 2, and 6'4 Ghost.

Had my first surf on the Pyzalien two hours ago, and it feels like being home again, even though the conditions weren't great.

Well done, Jon. With these two you're pretty much covered from d!ck high to proper 2xOH.

 
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Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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Can't argue with that. If you ride 'shortboardable' waves, it could be all you need. But disregard that unscientific statement :)
 

frontsidegrab

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 4, 2014
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I love the AM2s-thruster. It went well as a quad on the small days as well but i prefer thruster. Keep in mind, I like the AM2s in most every thruster, tho. I love that set.
 

Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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I'm not sure yet!

My fave fins in my old Pyz1 were FCS2 Accelerator mediums. They were perfect, and that why I asked about the Futures equivalent of those in the fin thread. Still very curious to hear good suggestions.

I've got a set of Futures AM2s, but they're back in the old town. Will try those out asap.

Yesterday was my first surf on it, and the waves were only shoulder high, so I used my beloved Captain Fin McCallum Quads.

Finally, in more solid waves, I bet my old Futures Pyzel control med glass fins would go real good.

 
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Pyzelsurfboards

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Jul 14, 2015
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Back with the best.

Always loved my Pyzalien, and my old round pin Ghost was sorely missed. Took the opportunity to do some age-appropriate dims updating, so here are my new 6'3 Pyzalien 2, and 6'4 Ghost.

Had my first surf on the Pyzalien two hours ago, and it feels like being home again, even though the conditions weren't great.

Well done, Jon. With these two you're pretty much covered from d!ck high to proper 2xOH.

Epic! Stoked you are happy with those babies. Those 2 models plus my new Mini Ghost squash keep me happy for almost all the surfing I do here on Oahu! Thanks for the nice words and support too!
 
Jan 19, 2018
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Finally have enough surfs under my belt on the 6'2 Swallow Ghost to form an honest opinion. Comparisons between my old 6'3 x 20 x 2 3/4 round pin and new 6'2 x 19 3/4 x 2 3/4 (plus a bee's d!ck) baby swallow.

The new swallow Ghost has significantly more low end. It's much more spritzy than the old one, and it feels like an HPSB with a little extra. Just had two days (8-9 hours, maybe?) in uncrowded point surf, HH to OH+. Not barrelling but bowly and good juice.

I never wished for more board, and even on shoulder high inside runners it felt full of life and energy.

No hairy takeoffs on 2 OH ledgy lefts yet, but will take it to that spot as soon as it breaks.

More later.

Edit: Later :) Another thing that stood out is that it was so so easy to get into waves. Quite a few no paddle dunk takeoffs, and otherwise just a few strokes. Got really lazy - in a good way.

2nd edit: Same fins used. Trusty AM2s.
Hey Maz! I'm thinking of getting a Ghost for good conditions (punchy head-high to significantly overhead) at SFOB and was looking into swallow tail options.

I had a 6'2 Ghost back in 2019 that I ended up selling a while back since it occupied a weird place in my quiver. I'm 5'11, 165-170 lbs and it was way too long to surf as a normal HBSB, but it was still too under-volumed/under-gunned as a proper step-up for OB. I ended up getting a 7'6 Pyzel Padillac which has been amazing for anything 8-12' at OB instead.

I'm looking for a good-wave fall/winter HPSB that has some step-up qualities, and I've done a full circle back to the Ghost. Based off some comments here, I was thinking of shrinking it down to my height (5'11) with a little extra volume (~30 liters), which happens to be the Ghost XL dims. I was also thinking of getting it in a swallow tail, since I love my swallow tail on my Rocket 9 DD - hopefully it'll add some lower end range and general playfulness than the tight pin (which I felt was a little too stiff on the 6'2).

How have you liked your swallow tail Ghost over the past year? What wave range seems to work best for your ghost?

For anyone else who may have felt up the Ghost XL - how does it feel overall compared to the standard Ghost dims? Is it a super thick/fat version of the Ghost or more nuanced?
 

bluengreen

Michael Peterson status
Oct 22, 2018
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I've ridden Ghosts at OB. Good inner-bar barrel board. I've had them in different sizes, and preferred shorter, wider, and thicker than stock. It will paddle with the extra beef, but still fit in a bowly wave and turn because of the curvey outline. The dims I ended up liking was (for me at 6'3 195) 6'2, 20.25, 2 3/4. I requested to keep the rails knifey and it came out great. Also ride it with medium fins. Hope this helps!
 
Jan 19, 2018
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I've ridden Ghosts at OB. Good inner-bar barrel board. I've had them in different sizes, and preferred shorter, wider, and thicker than stock. It will paddle with the extra beef, but still fit in a bowly wave and turn because of the curvey outline. The dims I ended up liking was (for me at 6'3 195) 6'2, 20.25, 2 3/4. I requested to keep the rails knifey and it came out great. Also ride it with medium fins. Hope this helps!
Sweet, this is great to hear! Seems like keeping it around your height is the way too go but a little thicker/wider than stock... down for a solid inner-bar HPSB!
 

Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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I'm older and slower, so need more volume :) But otherwise, I'd listen to bluengreen, since he surfs OB too.

Back I my old town I surfed sketchy righthand reefs, mostly. Loved loved loved my 6'2 swallow Ghost there. Up here, I'm mostly surfing long left points, often solid OH to 2xOH, and I like more length, hence my move back to a 6'4 round pin Ghost.

Tldr: can't go wrong with a Ghost.

Btw, I'm jealous of OB. Looks epic.
 
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Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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Not really a Ghost post, but related to the Pyzalien I posted a pic of.

Last three weeks or so I've been only on bigger boards: 6'10 Mid Strength on fatter/smaller days, and 6'10 Desert Storm on many solid and fast days.

This morning was an inbetween kinda day, with yesterday's 8ft swell waning, and a new long-period swell slowly on the rise. Shoulder to just OH and bowly on the better point. Pyzalien went like a dream, and didn't feel like paddling around on a little chip after weeks on 44L.

Very quick and loose off the top, and nice and drivey off the bottom. And this is on my (weak) backhand. Stoked to have one again, and looking forward to some nice rights on it.
 

emmohl80

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Oct 17, 2010
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Not really a Ghost post, but related to the Pyzalien I posted a pic of.

Last three weeks or so I've been only on bigger boards: 6'10 Mid Strength on fatter/smaller days, and 6'10 Desert Storm on many solid and fast days.

This morning was an inbetween kinda day, with yesterday's 8ft swell waning, and a new long-period swell slowly on the rise. Shoulder to just OH and bowly on the better point. Pyzalien went like a dream, and didn't feel like paddling around on a little chip after weeks on 44L.

Very quick and loose off the top, and nice and drivey off the bottom. And this is on my (weak) backhand. Stoked to have one again, and looking forward to some nice rights on it.
Maz how you size the P2? Thinking a stock 6'1 for myself at 6'3x180-5