I really enjoy longboarding when the surf is waist high or smaller and mellow. When I'm riding I find myself riding just front of center most of the time. I only get back to the tail if im trying to do a serious pivot type turn. With ur walden I think u would be better off initiating turns by shifting your weight from somewhere near the center of the board. At least until the surf gets bigger and more powerful. As u get comfortable start inching forward ull find the sweet spot. I've heard nothing but good things about wardens so I'm sure ull get it dialed.
Problem solved! you were 3 miles from the break. It doesn't break up there like it used to. Surf Beach Dr.
Thanks Les. I did not know that! Would be interested to know why, but maybe that's another post. Had the board out twice since my first post, and I love it. Removed the side fins, started paddling earlier, walking front to back to adjust speed, and generally staying forward on the board for everything. Last time out I was catching and riding waves at will. I'm still having trouble getting it to bite when I want to trim into the face; it wants to go straight to the beach rather than across. I switched from the 7" fin it came with to an 8" and moved it a little more forward in the box. We'll see. Thanks again for all the help. Great forum.
When you're riding the single fin, try angling yourself down the line before takeoff or watch some youtube videos on the "drop knee" and/or "pivot turning." It may require more finesse, but it's definitely worth it in the long run. If your still having trouble, put the side-bites back and the 7" back in. You will increase your hold and you will be able to generate tighter turns. You may lose some speed, so get ready to pump. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your Walden. It's a great shape.
I did the same thing recently and it made all the difference. Makes turning easy, I had a blast on my LB last time out
Lots of good info here. Remember a lot of groms and beginner adults start out on foam longboards with thruster set ups, and can catch waves. So technique is always more important. On my all-around 9'2'' board, I use a 8'' Rainbow rake when going 2+1. I use this most of the time in average NJ beach breaks. The occasional point break or when the waves are small and mellow and peeling nicely, I'll use the 9'' Wingnut cutaway without the side bites, mainly to go faster.
Sounds tidal? If it was dying on you after luring you onto it. Check those tide tables before you decide to turn the stick into a wallhanger. And whatever you do, don't succumb to the allure of the $500k Gnome Stickpile. Hint: no one looks good in a pile of kindling with a smidge of orange accent.
look at all these helpful ppl. AMAZING! If you cant get good speed when paddling adjust your body wieght. it is nice to figure paddling longboards out on glassy days when there wont be any water flying off the nose into your face and you can really get a sense of gliding- when im paddling well my nose is almost diving into the water but its not it is trimmed just so, as others have suggested. when you have the board right so that it is not dragging or bogging you can really glide on it with lots of momentum- and the more momentum you have when paddling for weak waves makes a big difference. also if your all forward like this when your paddling for the wave, make sure your ready to shift your weight much further back when you pop up or start to drop down the face while still paddling- otherwise your basically garanteed to pearl!
Watch video. Joel Tudor, bonga Perkins, wingnut, Justin quintal. I benefit a lot from "mind surfing" in between sessions. Kinda like watching tape like other athletes do.
That's definitely a nice flick. Have you checked out Wingnut? He's the style master. [video=youtube;hSkn1cp01tA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSkn1cp01tA[/video]
How much the board turns also depends on your fin setup. A single fin setup will let you make more long drawn out turns while a tri fin setup will give you more turning ability so you could just mess around with that and see how you like it.
After much reading, advice here, and shopping, I bought myself a Rainbow Rake 9" Longboard fin to replace the 8". Installed it toward the front of the box and took it to Surfside on Saturday. Turns are better; I can trim into and across the face now, and take-off is still much better than the thruster set up. When the board stalls, and I walk forward, it's a little to wobbly, so think I will move it back in the box next time, but overall I think this is the ticket. Loving the longboard now and anticipating more long rides as skills improve. Thanks again for all the input and encouragement.
