Getting a New Midlength Board - Need Some Help!

I'd go with a Fish or a Fish hybrid that has some volume to it

 

I love the poached egg that Hank Warner does. I have a 6'10 and 7'6, both ride great in a variety of conditions and allow for lots of speed and performance with still a lot of stability/forgiveness.

 

That's a thing you have to work out yourself. I know guys that are your size that ride big guy shorts under 6'6" and shred pretty hard. They know how to set the rail on a steep face and catch the wave with the back end of the board. You are not that heavy so you might want to consider a cue that is not to floaty so you can duck dive a bomb if you have to. Instead of asking SI why don't you ask a shaper instead of all these models you see on the web. Call Rusty and talk to one of the shapers (Rick Hamon? I think Rusty's son is a big guy that shapes also), not the dude in the store. Get in contact with a guy who actually designs and builds boards. Robert Weiner is a big old dude like yourself, he can relate. Probably a hundred old dudes in Santa Cruz, CA that can help. Fact is any board long or short will turn well, you just have to move around on the deck the bigger the are. That's why great log surfers walk the board to ride the whole wave. Seems to me where you are on the deck in relation to where you are on the wave is critical. Get a relationship with a shaper if you want to get better, one that has cues already there so you can put your hands on some of his work and talk to the guy who made them. Chris Christianson? Tim Bessell? One of those Hobie shapers? Good luck

 

^^^ Best advise you'll get

 

Excellent Choice.

 

If I were in your circumstances I'd pick up something used off of CL instead of going custom. You already bailed on a shorter board once because you couldn't get the hang of it, why sink money into a custom, or new board for that matter? The Modern Love Child has a sh*t ton of volume and, like the bean said, you're not that heavy. It may be a bit too much if you are trying to focus on maneuverability.

What's the fin setups on your current boards? Singles or w/sidebites?

 

I built a knock-off for a local guy... EPS/epoxy with 6oz all around... thruster/quad convertible. He rides it in everything, too. Did a shallow single to deep double concave bottom too... deep, but not Bonzer deep. But I'm convinced those doubles are why it works in OH surf. He rode it as a quad first, but never rode a quad before, so he didn't like it and went back to riding it only as a thruster. Said it went too fast!

 

I got nothing for ya in the srf bort arena but how about some medical advise?

 

The best advice I can give you is to take NO advice from this board of morons.
You would be better off going to Kenya and asking Africans what the meaning of life is.

 

Ah c'mon, we all know this topic is right up your alley, you dig mid lengths do you not?

 

At his size , he needs an aircraft carrier, not a mid length.
The USS Midway may be for sale. Call San Diego.

 

HAHAHA Now that's a suggestion

 

Some good advice here. Talking to a shaper and/or getting used and cheap...I agree with both. But I'll offer some advice that wasn't mentioned. Now, don't get offended. I'm not bashing or nothing. But while a smaller board may help, it won't be the key that gets you doing cutbacks and what not. I'd suggest getting the technique down on the 9er you already own. Learning your turns on a LB will most deffinitly help you out in the long run. When you have the skill, THEN get a smaller board to to match and improve that skill.