Alright Guys, I'll make this quick. I'm a big guy; 6'3" 275lbs. I'm currently on a 9'0/23/3 and I feel like it's enough board. I was out in Santa Cruz this morning and the guy I was with suggested I should be on something more like a 10'6?? Any thoughts on what size board a guy of my body size should be on?
Whatever size you can surf on. I was told to surf on a 9 foot board. I'm 6'2 215. I ride a 6'4 fish for summer just fine.
You just need to know your volume range. The Firewire website has a volume calculator that will give you your min. and max volume. Go with the max and any board with at least that volume rating will float you correctly. Hope that helps.
Interesting topic. Everyone has an opinion, right? One look at 'a big guy' & it's almost a knee jerk reaction: longboard! And the bigger the better. That's still the reaction I get when I rent in, say, CR. But, I know what I want to ride depending on the conditions. And it usually isn't a longboard that I get handed. (Nothing wrong with big boards, at all, btw.) I'm just speaking from experience; I can relate on the big guy front, being 6'2 & 215. (Lee, don't get excited now that you know my specs. OK, that was a JOKE; try not to go nuclear.) My boards range from 6'6 to 9'2. And that's part of the fun of it, right? Just figuring out what stick to grab, given the ocean conditions, & giving it a shot. Try different size boards. Just mess around. Have fun & see what feels good to you. I will say that if you find a shaper who takes the time to get to know you, your body specs, where your weight is, and all of that, get boards from that guy! So, for example, you may be a big guy in the upper body, so you'll need volume in the center-to-slightly front of center on your board; then again, maybe your legs are kegs, just sayin', it just means that there's a different volume equation specific to you that your shaper will work with. Have fun, it's one of life's cool, fun, unique aspects to work with a local shaper to get you the stick that is right for you. And then you go out & have a blast in the water. And, IMHO, functional art. I close with 2 words: Jim Pellegrine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrf93aLQXBE
First off Yankee, this is your nicest post ever. Secondly, OP, the best thing you can do for your surfing career is to lose some weight. Like 50lbs at least. Please don't take this as fat bashing. I'm on a constant quest to drop weight. I'm 6'1" 217. I was 218 last week. I was surfing my best at 200 lbs. Being a chef could definitely make this more difficult. Keep at it though. The answer to every newcomer's question on this site is spend more time in the water.
Point taken, gents! BTW, vry good call by swellinfo for AI today. Had a blast! Chest high on sets. The elements....wow, still nippy out there. Is it really almost June? Water temp was ay caramba...several guys got out to go get booties & came back......I know, I know.... shredmachine, we're all southern fruitcakes who can't handle 23' popsicle bombs............ The ocean had a bite to it today....many guys without gloves were burying hands in pits for warmth; the air temp dropped 17 degrees in 30 minutes in the afternoon; SUP's were blown out, literally; the rains came in the form of downpours; but the wave faces were clean & green & fun all day long & the people in the water at AI are always cool heads and good to talk with and get to know.
Yankee, no doubt many of us share your excitement at approaching the lifetime achievement of 1000 posts. Posting the exact same AI report in two different threads isn't the way you want to get there. You're better than that and the satisfaction just won't be the same. On the other hand, I'm sure the guy from Santa Cruz asking for board advice fount the surf conditions in Maryland helpful. Glad you scored, by the way. OP: there is no need for you to be on a board that is over 10 feet long if you are already having success on a 9-0. There are a ton of very high volume long boards in the 9-6 range that will float you, and be a whole lot easier to unload when you are ready to try a new one.
Scottino, Scottino, Scottino....you really grind that axe doncha pally? Are you still mad at me? Awwww, man, can't we all just get along? Yah, I posted the AI stuff on two threads 'cause I rambled to it here, stream-of-consciousness mode (which you'd know all about 'cause you're so conscious of all the crap that I post that you're keeping a count for me) Yet, that ramble really has no relationship to this thread, so I tossed it onto another thread where it seemed more suitable. Was that too sensible for your tastes? As for the postings, do I detect a whiff of envy on your part Scottino? Actually, I hadn't noticed the 1k thing. That sorta thing doesn't get me in a lather, Scottino, although it does seem to be a factor for others, ahem.
