Having some trouble adjusting to a new board. It's a Chemistry 5'9" Beaker Comp. Just can't get it to loosen up. Can't even get the board to react to my efforts to pump down the line. I have boards that just go wherever I want them to, it's like they are glued to my feet. Don't even have to think how to get the board from point A to B, if I want to do it, the board just follows... Not this board, I have trouble getting that first pump in after the bottom turn... I've surfed it in small waves, good waves (overhead Costa), mushy waves, steep faces... I've also put the WCT TechFlex fins in, and the AM1 Blackstix. Neither helped. I got some advice that you really have to surf off your back foot with small boards like these, and I'm more of a front foot surfer. Should I put bigger fins in (Pancho's or AM2's), trying to build speed which will hopefully loosen it up, or should I go with smaller fins (F4's) and hope that loosens it up? Any advice is appreciated.
idk maybe its just you, i felt the same way on my 5 fin board but after a while i was able to get it down and had a blast.
Think I just need to realize that a board with very little rocker, and one as wide with thicker rails isn't gonna be as responsive as my HPSB.... Just looking for advice for fin suggestions though to make this even just a little better. And yeah, hoping that I have that one wave where I get a rhythm going on it and it just clicks... but right now, what I'm able to do on a typical wave with this board is very limited compared to other boards, and its pissing me off...
i have a 5,8 and put some median k2s on it and it had small fins on it. the median find help. but with the waves being so small here if im not right on the peak i wont get enough speed to head down the line. i know what your saying when its hard to pump down the line. the back foot plays a big role on those small hpsb. i never get to ride it and when i do the board is crazy responsive and feels like a 2x4.
Try smaller fins all around. Chances are it still won't do what you want it to do, but it will loosen it up a little. I'm not a big fan of Chemistry boards, despite their popularity. Maybe with the focus of the design being "small waves," a lot of the performance features were compromised. A lot of flat, thick, wide-tailed boards feel stiff to people used to standard hpsbs.
hard to say….. this just a guess …. is your boards' thickness adequate for your size/weight/experience? also u using 4fins? try 3.
To answer the question of volume, yes, it's actually a little higher. My HPSB is 28.6 liters, this board is 31.6. If anything, that should let it ride higher in the water and be more responsive (in theory).
ok - in spirit of cooperation heres' three more tries... 1) is your (heavy, wet, thick) wetsuit an issue? 2) are you too big to be riding a 5/9? 3) do you use and believe in fishes? could be a 'bumpy transition' thing….assuming your board is basically a standard s/board. if not, well, i too am stumped.
Try putting a tailpad way back so you put more weight on your back foot. That and try a real small center fin. If that don't work, sell it.
i have a 5'8 and put the futures T1 (two bigger side bites and a small trailer fin) Give it a twin fin feel with drive but loosy goosy with that smaller fin in the center but still provides enough grip.
Gonna try both smaller and larger fins this weekend (hopefully), and continue to work on shifting my weight to my back foot.
that back foot is key, its so werid but give it some time and dont give up on that short shape. id save it for bigger waves if your on the east coast, don't waste your wave count trying to catch them with no volume if you know what i mean.
I have the same problem since buying 3 new boards...all three boards posses similar problems. Have since gotten rid of one of them, what I thought was a volume problem more then anything, but not so sure now. I bought all three in december...I have also ordered the wct's in rasta's in hoping it will help. I was using the am2's and f4's, which I did ok with the f4's...the f4 felt easier to pump and get vertical quick, tho, much smaller fin and found myself sliding out taking off on an angle, rather then straight, so I had to concentrate taking off straight....but still lost that pumping action Iam use to it. IMO, the winter makes it very difficult for me to move my feet around (booties). Some times I find myself stuck in the front which bogs me down and cant leverage the board up and down to get that pumping action...and if there is one thing I was good at, and really only thing good at cause I suck at everything else, was pumping down the line creating fast speed. So when I slap my new the wct's, Iam not sure its gonna help. Hoping with the less rake will help. I really think its a matter of footing because of the rubber. I have had a ton of boards and dont recall having any problems...but when i think back, I really just suck in the winter...sometimes looking like an idiot. I do that in the summer, but not to the extent I do in the winter.
Love the honesty and humble attitude Coop, many people on this site could use some of that... First time i rode the board was in Costa last April. It was very hard getting used to such a small board, and despite surfing the best I ever had that week (which isn't saying much), I couldn't get anything working on the board. Since then, I haven't had it in good surf where I was also in shape and in sync with surfing. I've had it out in good surf this winter, and the board does float me fine. But maybe I do just need to get it in good surf again, when I'm in shape in in sync, and give it another try... But that starts the question, if these little groveler boards only work in good surf, why do you need them? Cause in good surf, I'm riding my HPSB...
Just wanted to say that I put the F4 Honeycomb fins in the board today. Was waist to stomach high, clean, fast waves, and the board responded great. Definitely changed the board for the better.
Glad you found some fins man. I had a board I struggled with as well. I actually posted a thread on here too. I actually ended up getting a new board but I'm glad you found a cheaper solution.
The F4 has a significantly smaller surface area than the other two. So that's the takeaway, at least for today's surf. Usually you want to reduce surface area when you want to surf smaller waves, or if you want to loosen up your board, or if you're a lighter rider. Thanks for reporting back...
