I beg to differ. Understanding the volume that works for you is the key to getting the right board under your feet. If you understand the volume you need/want that works for you, you can do what you want to the shape/length, rails etc...etc...The reason you are seeing a lot of bad surfing on these 'volume' boards, whatever that means, is because of the surfers riding them....just jumping on trends without understanding how surfboards work, how all elements of surfboard design come together. Just my two cents homies....
seriously. an 8 6 is NOT a thruster. you really don't need that much more volume for the winter if at all. I bit on that for years but lately Ive just been riding my normal board (6 2) straight through and don't notice a difference
What would you call this board? It's got a medium amount of rocker. Is there even a name for it or should I just call it the board?
Aren't they all fun boards? Mine are at least, never caught a wave I didn't have fun on, is that weird?
I believe you would call this board a "mid-length." As others have said, if you must go shorter, you're best off beginning the search in the groveler aisle. While you're at it, be sure to check out some single fin eggs in the 6'-7' range. With an egg, you will get the volume/float you're looking to maintain, while increasing your overall maneuverability. You can almost think of an egg as a trimmed-up mid-length, with a little more pizzazz. You're going to haul so much ass, especially with the classic single fin. The single fin may require a little more finesse and grace, but it will only make you a more well-rounded surfer. I'm sure your dad would approve.
There really is no defined category that I know of for higher performance boards in the 7'+ range. Calling them funboards doesn't do them justice. When I think of funboard I think of a white plastic popout in the rental section at your local shop
Untrue. You have your dumbed down NSP floating tailgates and then you have boards like my 7'6 swallowtail thruster which is very high performance
honestly your selling your self short by trying to accomplish everything in one board, your gona buy more boards in the near future and riding different styles an shapes helps your surfing big time. A brief historic run down, I'm 5'8'' an 160lbs, i started surfing on an 8' fun board when i was 13, it rides in anything but limits your surfing big time. From there i dialed down to a 6'4'' fun board and the difference was huge, i'm not a high performance surfer, i value big turns, carving and cut backs and i wanted a board that would accommodate that. I went with a 5'6'' twin fish with a pulled in tail an some modern features....this turned into my go to board for head high waves and under, i can do anything on this thing its so super responsive and allows my surfing to develop. I found in overhead faster stuff it was to corky so i had my guy build a 5'11'' round pin thruster. I now use my 6'4'' fun shape in knee to over head in the winter, my fish in knee to head high all year and my round pin in big summer an hurricane swells. the best advice i could offer is to go for a board that complements your surfing style but still give you the freedom to develop.....that's what's fun about surfing for everyone.
Fun to surf? I'm sure. High performance? Nope. To the general question of "Why so short?": Smaller boards fit in the pocket and conform to the contour of small (under head-high) waves much better than longer boards when you're "high performance surfing." ie--full rail open face gouges (not cutbacks), tight radius snaps, get'n pitted.... so pitted, etc. Plus there is less swing weight in the nose (less inertia to overcome) so you can snap it around much more quickly with less effort. My go-to daily driver is 5'10" and I'm 6'3".
7'6" high-performance,wayne lynch,1967-69 or so.or this annoying little snot knost is high-performance on a 7'6",too.rips.that was my point,of course volume,and little fat boards are fun,i have a bunch,but i like longer ones,too,and i do see kooks on the wrong boards on good waves because they wanna be dame reynolds instead of just surf the wave that's out there.someone in some shop or on some website probably told them it's all about the volume and make it really short.there's a hpsb wave,a fish wave,a longboard wave,a semi-gun wave,a gun wave(not here),an egg wave, a mid-length wave, a mini-mal wave, etc.,etc.,etc..i was not discounting the volume does allow us to possibly go a lot shorter,but a lot of ignorant people are claiming these dumpster divers are the cats meow,and they are actually very limiting.
I ride a 7'6" egg when the brothers in town (my neighbors board) and I don't feel much of a difference when catching the wave, but I don't like the way the rails hold the wave in hard turns. Shorter egg is def an option.
I'm just looking to progress my surfing, which is just like you said big turns, carving, and cutbacks, but to do them better and on a smaller board, while maintaining the size to float me through the winter. So I'm pretty set on a 6'8"-6'10" thruster for now. And eventually in the future I will pick up more boards for certain wave types, but I won't be missing out on any waves with a 6.8 and a 8.6.
as others have said though, a lot more than volume should be considered....if i were you i would go with a modern retro quad fish in the 510-6'2'' range. somewhere around 22'' width and 2-1/2-2-3/4'' thick with a slight single concave maybe a slightly pulled in tail section; fish shapes are super fun....
Bru, you don't wear mitts in low 40s water? I'm as minimalist as it gets with neoprene on the bod but that's redonk.
