Do you really need a longboard?

x2 ..........

 

That is funny. Let me just point out that this thread has made it 3 pages without all the useless irrelevant banter that almost every SI thread goes into . It's really cool when an actual discussion of surfing happens on here instead of some wankers mouth vomiting on about Deal or whatever other stupid topic. I hate that stuff. Yeah, I have had the same log for 7 years. It is so beat and I think over 50 people have ridden it but I reckon I get 50+ extra days of surf in a year using that board. and its fun

 

Ya brah, that's good. Go ahead and jinx the sanctity and preservation of a good thread by talking about how it hadn't been hijacked. It's a lot like the NoThanksgiving Swell of 2013.

Great thread though. zach619, you're making good on your pledge to keep posting more. Thanks braddah. There are great points by most all here and it's pushing me to ride the 7'6 I have if there's ever again any waves even mediocre enough to charge. Which won't happen if they are talked about. This thread is well-timed because I've been thinking about riding that board more and more lately as the waves have been less and less.

Question for those riding mid-lengths, what menu of maneuvers do you regularly pull off on those? I know that's relative to the rider but I'm talking about the performance limits of a board that size. I like the notation that a mid-length sits on top of the water instead of slicing in the wave. Good thread braddahs.

 

........kook

 

I appreciate you clearing up where the discussion comes in for you; however, I still don't think your opinion on enjoying surfing tiny surf clarifies the need for a longboard. Going back to if you enjoy longboarding, you should have a longboard. There are people out there that hate long boarding, therefore if you dont enjoy it you don't need it. I would happily miss out on ankle high days and let my quiver collect dust therefore, I don't "need" a longboard. I do enjoy all aspects of surfing, and a longboard is in my quiver.... but, I dont need it there.

So once again how can "needing" a certain shape be discussed?

And here I am discussing needs?

 

I've surfed micro-waves to total stokedness on longboards when others watched. midlength is actually a 7'6" 1967 wayne lynch shortboard. there is video, plus kooks like knost and this total squid Robbie kegel. there is video. they rip. watch and see.
oh, and yeah I wrote it incorrectly. longboards are different/suck because they aren't really in the waves like my 7'6" single fin midlength I thought up based on wayne lynch 1967.longboards sit on top of the water and it's weird to me/I wanna carve. unless it's flat!i looked it up,and eventually they were all on a 7'6".for small mush nj the fish can't rip these midlengths are fun. longboards were temporarily virtually extinct for 20 years for a reason. they suck in comparison,like an sup or sponge but not that bad.you can't jam it into the face and rip.unless you're talking like bonga,which is just really weird.

 

I feel ya. I guess the reason I feel differently is that I moved here a year ago from San Diego, where I would NEVER long board. Simply because if it was ever waist high, at the right tide etc, there were always shortboardable waves, so I never really go into it. Even in the summer, there are 4-5 days per week that are at least 2-3 feet. So I was lucky enough to not have any small wave issues...

Being back east, especially in SC is a horse of a different color. My decision is no longer: "Its waist to chest, do I just not surf today... tomorrow looks way better". Now my decisions is: Its 1-2 feet today and looking to be completely flat for 10 days following, so I must decide if I want to get wet and get a few waves at all, which requires a long board."

I'm not a long board hater. I have a lot more fun on them in the small stuff. I just have a lot more small stuff than I am used to so my paradigm has shifted somewhat... Surfers are always hungry for waves, so even if its just 1-2 foot table scraps, a brother has to eat....

I guess if you surf your whole life and intend to always do so, you will go through "waves" (no pun intended) of feelings on certain boards, on certain spots... I mean, there are plenty of days as I get older that I have to motivate myself to go out when its cold, and small. I don't think any surfer should define their surfing or themselves by the shortboard/longboard thing. It should be a question of what you will have the most fun on on any given day. &^%$ what anyone else thinks about it...

 

I have a 7'6 "Fun shape" that is beaten to hell and was passed on to me in CA by a traveler. Its actually a sick a$$ board. It has so much volume, it floats like a long board. On a solid wave, I can even hang 5.... Not really 10 anymore, but it takes off and rides like a long board, but with my thruster setup, you can still throw pretty sick cutbacks, backside and frontside... It turns well and pivots on the face, and obviously floaters basically land themselves.... So to me, its a hybrid kind of performance. You aint gonna get the thing airborn, but its far more responsive than the 9'0 planks, especially the single fins... So, Fun-Shape really fall in no-mans land, but they are litterally, very "Fun"

 

Just speaking for myself, but none of my boards are really specialized for a specific condition, they can all pretty much be surfed in the small variety of conditions here in FL. The one that gets the most use is the newest board.

 

We need them all..... get the right board for the day. Try bodyboarding was well. only fun

 

You don't "need" a longboard. For 99% of the days around on the east coast you could ride a Simmons style board with no problem. I had 5'6" Bing Dharma and could ride that thing in anything above knee high, I'm 6'1" and 190 pounds. There are always gonna be those days that are either so damn small or weak that the only way to surf them would be on a longboard. For me those are the days I get something done other than surfing.

 

I think you make a good point here, weighing the factors of both the surfer and the location. In the end it's all about enjoyment, and yes **** everyone else.

I am giving myself the present of relocating to san clemente this christmas. After moving from Rhode Island in 2012, ive been landlocked for the past year in the high desert of utah.... its good to know of the consistency, its gonna be a good change.

 

Are you saying you can't rip on a longboard or am I misreading what your saying? Sure a longboard is diffrent then a shortboard but you most deffinitly can rip on a longboard. That's not really my style but if you want to rip on a longboard you sure as hell can

 

Any considerations when using a 7'6 mid-length in lieu of a gun or semigun for OH and up? It's got good entry rocker and moderate tail rocker. Looking to see if there are any changes in approach for takeoff and other aspects compared to something closer to an SB. Angling in as much, being able to take the high line, better or not for a longer sweeping bottom turn, how early or late to take off, etc. If we get the love that some models are showing now for midweek, I may bust the bigger boy out for recess.

 

I love watching classic clips of Mctavish, Nat Young, and Gerry Lopez surf those lengths. The way you shift your feet up and down the board is unique to mid lengths, and similar to a longboard. In the modern era, I enjoy Alex Knost's mid-length surfing:

[video=youtube;e91uJK4vr10]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e91uJK4vr10[/video]

 

well put, but I would revise this to: Meanwhile, guys are on the beach, thumbs in ass. Life is away to short to wait on the beach, especially in nj-with your thumb in your ass - and thruster in hand.

right equipment for right conditions. especially summer when its hot and you want to get wet. i would rather catch 25+ knee-thigh high peelers on my log then battle for a handful of waves on a shorter board. or as aforementioned, wait on beach with your thumb in bum. but thats just preference..to each their own..

c'mon thanksgiving swell!!

 

I got into longboarding a little over a year ago. Totally different style but it's nice to slow your surfing down and focus on walking the board. No need to pump when you can trim. Plus noseriding is such a sick feeling. Now I go back and forth between my log and shortboards regularly. Change is good.

 

If you have all day access 24/7 to the ocean and can be there at every tide etc then you can do without a longboard. If your time in the water is Moore limited it would be a nice addition to avoid being skunked on that one day or two a week that you can go. I forget that most don't have the freedom that I have and aren't always able to get those small swells that jump a little on the incoming tide, mid day mid week. I'll have to admit if my surf time was more limited I might break down and get a longboard as insurance.

 

Don't get rid of your log dude, or if you do, get a 9'er instead, you'll miss having one around

 

i really think that, esp. on the east coast, a log is a necessity. at least for those small, gutless days where it's too small or weak to ride a short, stubby board like a simmons unless it's seriously over-sized (which defeats the purpose of such a board, IMO). it's also nice for a change of pace...my 9'6" doesn't see a lot of action anymore, but the few times a year i do ride it i have a **** load of fun. if the wave has any kind of push or steepness to it, i prefer to ride a smaller board. just b/c it fits the curve of the wave better.