What's your favorite board between a groveler and a shortboard?

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
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I've had a tough time trying to dial in a board between my stubby groveler's/fish's which are in the 5'8-5'10 range and my shortboards which are around 6-3.

This evening was a perfect example of conditions where I wanted some fishy glide and paddle for chasing the shifty peaks but the fat tail of the Fling was a liability when the chest high lefts really stood up on the inside bar.

I could have done fine on a stubbier shortboard like a GrinderX but I dunno, lately I don't really want to ride a thruster shortboard type board unless the waves are kinda legit.

I have an Album Insanity on order which might fit the bill but I guess I'm just curious what the rest of you guys have been liking.
 

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
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Channel Island Pod. The original, not the Pod Mod.

It‘s exactly what you’re looking for.

im 6’2 190 and ride a 5’8 x 20 x 2 3/8
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
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What about your stubby TP Italo? Still too HP?
Yeah the TP Stoke-ed is really similar to a GX. Not at all "fishy".

I rode an OG pod years ago. I liked it. 5'8" is shorter than I would want but I think that sort of design is in line with what I'm thinking.
 

RTP

Legend (inyourownmind)
Nov 10, 2010
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Get you something like this:



6'1 x 19 1/2 x 2 5/8 flat deck, low rocker throughout. Twinzer or nothing, hackjob traction optional (gets worse the longer you look). Imagine that thruster type board, but with free and easy speed.
 

trifish

Gerry Lopez status
Sep 23, 2009
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Shred City
Sounds like you might already have a few but what fish do you currently own? I've been digging my Xanadu twin wave rocket lately in a pretty good range so it had me looking through his twin catalog earlier today. He has some fun looking high performance fish shapes I never really looked at. Like i dig the blue winged twin here with the smaller tail.
 

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Aruka

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Feb 23, 2010
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Rad ripper or og white diamond?
OG White Diamond was my first ever custom. Really fun board and definitely in the realm of what I'm thinking. It's been a long time but I recall the WD having a bit of nose flip which I felt like hindered it's paddling? I went pretty small on mine which could have been a bigger factor.

Rad Ripper been tempting for a long time. I'm a little concerned about the flattish deck. Both the Gremlin and Rusty Hatchet had fat rails and I didn't love them.

@trifish I currently have a couple fish but my favorite is my 5-7 Stamps Banjo. It grovels well and handles some size but I prefer it in lined up waves. For the open beach breaks I prefer the Fling.
 

claw87

Legend (inyourownmind)
Jan 30, 2017
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If you don't mind something a little fishy: Astro Pop should fit the bill. Has great gilde, but is surprisingly high performance (for me, at least). Likes a variety of fin setups, so plenty of experimentation to be done. I've also got an swallow tail Uber Driver, bit wider than stock, in Carbon Wrap, which I prefer if it's less lined up and/or steeper. As you like your Driver that would probably be a safer bet than the Rad Ripper.
 

daave

Gerry Lopez status
Dec 28, 2002
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Have not ridden it but Astro Pop seems like a good suggestion. I didn't hate the Gremlin but it had a pretty limited range for me. Astro Pop seems more foiled, with thinner/longer dimensions - yet also seems like it would have more glide.

I would also suggest a good HP twin for that wave range. I've had a griffin twin for years that I love. The Pyzel happy twin would also fit the bill. Don't hear a ton about that one but it feels really good. I think you could adjust the dimensions pretty easily to get what you need.
 

emmohl80

Nep status
Oct 17, 2010
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Felt up a stock 5'10 RR over the weekend in my local shop. Def beefy but rails felt pretty good with nicely foiled tail.
Walked out with a new foamie for my littlest grom instead. It may be mine here soon or possibly order a Spam.
So my answer is a 4'10 Wave Bandit BG model. Daughter says it goes!
 
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rgruber

Miki Dora status
May 30, 2004
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I got rid of both my groveler and my HP-ish shortboard when I started riding my Hypto a few years back. Unfortunately I think to make it work the way you want, it would have to be sized shorter than you'd like. Excess volume kills the performance which is why the board is associated with kooks. Ridden at slightly over your shortboard volume they work great in everything from waist high with some push to well overhead. Hayden nailed the rocker on it. The entry rocker is just enough for vertical waves but isn't a hindrance in smaller surf and the flat through the rest of the board combined with the short size and narrow tail let it work in pretty large variety of conditions. With a couple of different fin setups, the range is huge.

Maybe take the idea, wider but not so flat in the nose and a more pulled tail than a groveler and have someone make you something in that vein. I briefly had a Fling (a fling with a Fling?) but found that the wide tail was a liability more often than it was an asset and went back to my Hypto for everything.
 

tedshred5

Michael Peterson status
Aug 5, 2015
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I've had both a CI Neck Beard 2 and a Rocket Wide, and personally I'd give the edge to the Rocket Wide - the tail is wide-ish but definitely not so like the NB2, and it's broken up by the swallow. Plus you can run it as a twin+stabilizer. For myself in what you're describing, I'd be looking at the HS Untitled or Album Bullet. Your Insanity might end up working for you in those conditions, it looks similar to the Bullet.
 
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Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
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Jacksonville Beach
fishy glide
chest high lefts really stood up on the inside bar.

I could have done fine on a stubbier shortboard like a GrinderX but I dunno, lately I don't really want to ride a thruster shortboard type board unless the waves are kinda legit.
Refine revision of Grinder X with Stamps, mayhap 5 boxes?

Fishy glide = flat wide tail.
Chest high really stand up on inside bar = WQS pro model in mortal dims or alt with tail rocker.

Retodd's suggestion sounds good. I've only had the 1st Gen 2006/7 RNFQ and those are a bit stiff for vertical surfing in dumping chest high, but absolutely devour softer chest high and paddle well, so one with a bit narrower tail with more rocker sounds like a safe bet.

I'd pick OG rocket. It's wide all the way through, and if the inside is chest high, there should be enough speed out the back that you're not jumping in mud trying to work that board's tail rocker and get speed/projection in soft thigh-waist log waves. The width and flatness gets in very well, and the tail flip allows pretty vertical surfing in tight chest high insiders. You won't be able to just stand on the finbox doing roundhouses out the back, so that's where you'll kind of have to accommodate, but if you find yourself doing too wide radius of a cutback, you will have a way, way, way easier time tightening the radius and getting the board to climb foam and rebound than you would on a flat keel fish.
 
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jkb

Tom Curren status
Feb 22, 2005
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I'll second the HS Untitled.

Perfect board between groveler and hpsb.

Good paddler with low entry but has a little flip in the nose so that you don't poke when steep drops pop up. More parallel outline for drive. Tail pulled in a bit for hp turns. Available in PU or EPS. Customs available as well.
 
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claw87

Legend (inyourownmind)
Jan 30, 2017
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I'd pick OG rocket. It's wide all the way through, and if the inside is chest high, there should be enough speed out the back that you're not jumping in mud trying to work that board's tail rocker and get speed/projection in soft thigh-waist log waves. The width and flatness gets in very well, and the tail flip allows pretty vertical surfing in tight chest high insiders. You won't be able to just stand on the finbox doing roundhouses out the back, so that's where you'll kind of have to accommodate, but if you find yourself doing too wide radius of a cutback, you will have a way, way, way easier time tightening the radius and getting the board to climb foam and rebound than you would on a flat keel fish.
we unboxed an olatu shipment just this morning (they do all CIs and losts for Europe), rocket redux looked like a good time for sure.
 
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Aruka

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Good stuff my dudes.

I'm not ordering anything right away, just thought it would be an interesting topic.

@retodd has been telling me to get an RNF type forever but I'm stubborn and I like to make a few mistakes before I go with his good recommendations. I think the Timmy Patterson S-Twin is the front runner so far. I like that it's stock dims are already fairly svelte so I wouldn't have to alter a custom drastically. https://www.tpattersonsurfboards.com/s-twin

The Hayden Untitled has always looked tempting. Similar looking to my old Stamps Shadow. I didn't have a great experience with my Germ so I'm a little gun shy with Hayden.

Rocket Wide looks a little too performance-y. I could be wrong, I'd like to try one.

OG Rocket as well? I rode one years ago but didn't get a long enough session to really form an opinion. Waves were pumping and all I can remember is getting pitched a couple times.

I almost Ordered an Astro Pop through Dark Arts when they were having their Covid sale. I need to see if I can figure out how the rocker and foil compare to the Gremlin because the Gremlin was way too chunky @ 2.5" thick but I keep reading the Astro Pop has thinner rails?