Category: thinking about surfing

Went back to Wise. Stared at boards.

Kept staring at boards.

I found one that has the same feel to it as that Arrow I liked, but in a styling I really like. It’s a Stewart Hydro Hull. Squashtail, little bit of v on the bottom. Medium rocker. Like this one:

Here’s Sherm’s board chilling in his yard:

But in this style:

It’s a blue green all the way through, no fade, with a slight white pinline around the rails and a wood stringer.

This board is versatile (I could learn to nose-ride or I could learn to turn, the board won’t dictate my style like more specialized boards would), good in a variety of conditions, with beveled rails and a thinner tail it should be good for my height/weight. It feels good to hold. I like the color and the styling. Dave at Wise says his wife has one and loves it. All her boards are Stewart and they are smooth, easy rides.

The cons: It’s fiberglass. I’m nervous about dinging and mangling a nice board because I’m clumsy and new. It’s also $850. I was hoping if I spent that much, it would be on an epoxy since they are stronger. The epoxys just haven’t felt as good in my hands as the fiberglass. They’ve felt bulky. But then I’m afraid I’ll be so nervous about hurting a fiberglass board that I’ll whack it on something. That adds up to $$ on ding repairs and time out in the shop instead of in the water.

My other, rather silly fear, is getting a top of the line board while being a beginner surfer. I feel like I haven’t earned it. That it will seem ostentatious to be out on a high end board and falling left and right.

While I want to scrape around craigslist looking for a $400 board I can whack into rocks and things, I’m worried a board that’s not right for my build and the things I want to do will just frustrate me in the end and I’ll wind up having spent $400-$600 on a board while pining away for something I like more, or worse, not getting any better at catching waves.

I know whatever board I get, I’ll keep forever. I’ll try to be as good to it as I can. I’ll ride it as much as I can. It’s still hard as anything to commit.

I have a lull between projects this week so I’ve been board shopping. It’s a lot of work.
I’ve visited five surf shops and a few dozen web sites comparing boards.

In addition to the three I was considering in this post, I’ve added two more models I’m considering plus I’m trying to decide between epoxy and fiberglass.

As far as the models:
Tony over at Cowell’s Surf Shop recommended an epoxy Santa Cruz Squashtail longboard shaped by Doug Haut. She gets bonus points for agreeing that flowery pink surfboards = yuck. She said if she were shooting for a first board, she’d pick this. Supposedly it’s fun, durable, and decent for the beach break I surf. $600.

Jeff at Arrow was willing to bet I’d be happier with the Arrow Formula 1 (teardrop) than with any other board out there. He said this board would be flexible enough for me to ride in a variety of conditions and it’s thinner around the rails which would be better for someone my weight. I could use this board for learning turns or for learning to noseride. $720 for fiberglass, $840 for tuflite.

One of the guys over at NorCal (who graciously spent about 2 hours pulling boards and talking with me) also recommended this board in the tuflite. I think it runs about $900 there. He pulled a few other boards more in the $700 range for me, but I can’t remember their names now. I looked at a LOT of boards that day. He was mixed on the Magic model. He and I are the same height and weight and he said he felt like it was a tougher board for a lighter, taller person and preferred the Arrow.

Here’s the write up on the Arrow from surftech: 9’0″ FORMULA 1 PEARSON ARROW – The Formula One model has it all. Great maneuverability, noseriding and wave entry. It’s for the surfer that wants to do everything on a wave.

The write up on Arrow’s site: This board is one of our most popular longboards. It is a great all around surfboard. A perfect compromise between a noserider and a performance board. A slight concave helps trim the board when you are on the nose, while the slightly pulled in tail, tri-fin set up harder rails allow the board to perform from the tail.

The board I still LOVE looking at, but haven’t seen in stores is this one, the Robert August What I Ride, tuflite in a wood veneer and also in the blue/yellow/white:

Write up: 9’0″ RA WIR – It makes sense to ride a board that maximizes your fun regardless of the conditions. “What I Ride” utilizes a 60/40 rail configuration which, in combination with a nifty tear drop concave conveniently placed under the 18″ wide nose, greatly enhances your style of nose riding.

These boards are supposed to be all around good boards and pretty solidly high end. Flexible as far as conditions it can handle, durable, can do both turns and noseriding well. It’s also durable with the tuflite epoxy. So far everyone showing me boards has said “yeah, that’s a nice board”. I haven’t seen this one in stores, so I don’t know how much it runs. It’s sister boards (there’s a red/yellow/white too) run about $800-840, over $900 for the length I want in the surf shops around here. That’s compared to over a grand online. Downside is it is a little thicker than I’d like, 3 inches. I was hoping for less.

So looking at price, if I could get that kind of board for the same price as one I’m a little hesitant about, maybe that’s the one I should pick? Crap this is hard.

The fiberglass vs epoxy/tuflite decision is throwing me too. According to Jeff, fiberglass absorbs more shock and is a smoother ride especially on choppy days when a stiffer epoxy board would tend to clang around. They are more flexible and have more give in the runs which translates to more momentum. BUT fiberglass is delicate. Bump into a wall even gently and you’ll be out $30-50 on ding repair plus 5-10+ days with your board in the shop getting fixed. The tuflite on the other hand, will chip after banging it or dropping it pretty hard, but not ding. It will stay watertight after chipping.

I’m clumsy. I dropped my watch while trying to get my wetsuit on and scraped the finish pretty good. I’m expecting to mangle a fiberglass board. I guess that’s fine if it’s cheap and I don’t care about reselling it. If I buy a board hoping to only use it for a year and shelve it or sell it then I don’t have to worry, however…

…I tend to keep things FOREVER, until they are absolutely unusable. I just sold the skiis I’ve had for 12 years! They are the only pair I’ve ever owned. I’m hoping to find a board I love and ride it for as long as I can in whatever conditions I can. I’m not worried about resale value so much as love. I want to love how it looks and how it rides. I want something that will help me learn and stick with me once I’ve got the hang of things.

I’m still looking at used boards. I haven’t ruled that out and would, in fact, prefer a used board. It’s hard to find them in the exact size I want and often I don’t know anything about the boards which makes me nervous. As you can tell, I like research.

Gotta think on it some more!

I went shopping for boards today. Dave over as Wise spent about 40 minutes talking to me. He gave me a pretty good idea of what I should be looking for and what kind of level of board I have to choose from for the size I want.

Now I’m down to the tough part, choosing.

I can go for a super durable NSP Board. It’s 9’2 and I was hoping for something 9 even, but it will take substantial abuse. I like the styling on this one better than option 2, but this is also the same type of board NorCal rents out so I’ll still look like I’m renting. Having ridden this board, I’m a little meh on how it feels. Not a huge deal. Looking at around $500-550 for this board.

The Walden Magic Model is the size I want, it’s a better quality board, but more fragile. Way more likely to get dinged up. Normally this board retails for $750, it’s currently on sale for $550. It’s lighter, more flexible and pretty versatile. I thought the styling was a little bland, but the rest of the performance features seemed nice. Reviews put this board as a staple.

Both boards are around the same price and supposedly good for someone in my skill level in the conditions I surf.

If I want to go all out, there’s this one:

Running at about $850, this board would be on the higher end. Pretty sleek, responsive and the stlyes Wise had in stock were pretty nice looking. A Stewart Hydrohull is on craigslist right now for $450. It’s longer than I want (9’4″) but I’m staring at it anyway. It’s decent looking and the styling I prefer. Hmmm.

I know I definitely want a board. Having the same board to surf whenever I want will make getting better a lot easier. Plus I’ve already spent about $300 renting. I’ve got $600 set aside and I think this is pretty doable. The big decisions are used or new, price, and personal preference. At my skill level I’m not going to notice performance as sharply as someone who’s been surfing a long time.

I’d kinda like a nice board, but I know I’ll mostly be falling down in junky surf and probably dinging it here and there. Any time I try to buy the top of the line anything I wind up talking myself into the more sensible buy. I keep thinking I should get a more durable board and surf the crap out of it for a year, then someday get a better board. Or shop around. I spend too much time agonizing and weighing my options, but usually once I’m done I’m good.

I can’t make up my mind just yet. I’ll sleep on it and hope no one snatches up the sale board in the mean time.