Midlength Epiphany

i too am a mid-length guy when it comes to the weak,small swell. the expert is Eric at Beach House in Bay Head.He will get you the right board.

a lot of experts on swellinfo are ignorant and say mid-lengths are crap. then we get the weak,small swell and we are stoked just as much or more than them.

i refuse to grovel on a groveler,fish are awesome but they aren't always the answer,and i only longboard ripples.that leaves my mid-lengths, a la 1967 Wayne Lynch, 7'6" single fin.

 

My buddy left me a Herbie Fletcher 8' single fin step deck to store while he went traveling in the desert for a few months. I almost wish he never made it back! The board had lots of rocker and was really thick (over 3") and could ride anything from thigh high to way overhead. It was not a light board, so once it got going it had lots of momentum. It had a round thick nose, and a foiled thin tail with a concave to v bottom contour. Damn I wish he got lost in the desert. It was magic.

 

One of my favorite boards is a 7'10" hull. If I had to go to a 1 board quiver, it would be my choice. I have owned about 50 boards and have found that now as I am older and currently on the East coast, it is a very versatile shape. Not a " funboard" but more like the Bing Raven, or something along those lines.

 

What is your idea of mid length? I guess mine would be any length you pop up or set the rail back foot ahead of the fin or fin cluster on soft sections, maybe 6'4" to 8'? Or any shape not meant to stand back foot over the fins using hips and knees to drive the board top to bottom all the time. Trim, carve and barrel ride w/ minimal flapping of any body parts. But that could even be a shorty like a 5'8" single fin pintail from 1974.

 

there's nothing wrong with NEEDING a little extra foam in the small stuff, just don't try to spin it off as anything else. It's all about having fun and getting as many waves as possible. I ride anything from a 5'8 quad to log that I can barely fit under my arm...

 

Most of my boards have been mid-lengths. I have been using a 7 x 22 x 2-3/4. Round nose and rounded pin tail, very little rocker. 2+1 setup. And it's been perfect for spring and summer in east coast beach break. A little too much float when theres texture and chop but not too bad. Surfs more like a fish than a mini-longboard, and can really glide through flat and mushy sections. Also it's light enough that it's relatively easy to bring it up the lip.

If I were to change some features, it would be to make the rails a little thinner and knifey. Also to pull in the tail a little more.

Look up the "Mctavish Sumo". Looks exactly like it.

 

i repeat dude,go to beach house in bay head and talk to Eric.

 

I have had some great mid lengths, a couple of the best ones have come from Wayne Okamoto. His Dyna-Glyde is a great design, looks kinda like it wouldn't work too good but it is an exceptional performer. Wayne is a great guy to deal with,knowledgable , articulate, returns calls and emails promptly. He makes true customs .Check out some of his stuff on his blog http://oakfoils.blogspot.com/

 

Mid length or just more volume?

Sometimes, to get the stoke back, just some extra volume is all that is necessary.
The current trend is shorter and wider. For some a Mini-Simmons does the trick. For me, they just go fast but do not turn well. Here is an example of a new model I have been building a lot of lately.
Hitchcock Model.
5'4"-6'4"
http://barrysnyderdesigns.com

 

I love my 7' 6" McTavish Carver. It's an older model, been repaired a lot, but it works in most East Coast conditions.

 

mid length boards are like training wheels

 

I would say I agree with this comment. As others said more foam is they key to more fun on small/weak days. Mid length will help you get into a wave and pop up like a long board but does not ride the same a a log and lacks the response of a shortboard. Mid length boards are harder to turn in the critical section of bigger waves and don't trim like a true longbaord so to me they are kind of a "step down" board for guys who learned on a log but can't bond with a shortboard. Mid size boards were a big rage in the early 2000's it seemed but you now see most shapers making short thick baords. Also most of these 70's mid size boards guys are talking about are not liek a modern "fun" board like I think you are talking about. Those 70's modles were shortboards for their time and as such ride a lot different than a fun board. I would go short, wide and thick like a mini sim or fish type board because to me "fun boards" are not fun!

 

those same 'experts' know how to generate speed on small days.

 

My 7'7 hybrid fish is my do all board. catches any size. Its 12 yrs old

 

That's certainly one way to look at midlengths. All in all, I think it really comes down to how the board is being used in order to label it a certain way. In other words, Laird Hamilton rides his SUP differently than most of our usual SUP specimens.

My best advice for choosing a midlength would be to call up a shaper - or the above mentioned expert. There are so many options to choose from, so you really need to know what to look for based on what your looking for. So if you want training wheels, you'll get training wheels and so on. I know all of this may seem obvious, but you'll be surprised what a shop employee may tell you just to get a sale. Midlengths are more susceptible to this since they're essentially a cross between two mediums.

I've had the best luck with pin tail midlengths. Good luck!

 

if you need volume why not go to a performance oriented longboard? or even a classic longboard and learn to ride it proper......grown men hopping on tiny waves makes me die a lil inside