Are Quivers overrated

interesting as i just sold 2 boards and i'm now down to 2. my main board is for knee to head high, maybe a little overhead (not so sure yet as i haven't had the opportunity to push it). the other is strictly for overhead days. for me, i surf better when i have one board dialed rather than switching up too much.

 

Grovel, Shorty, and Fun shape.

 

no , not at all..i have over 10 and they all have there place. he best thing you can do is have a diverse quiver

 

Depends. I typically ride the same 2-3 boards about 80 percent of the time, but if I didn't have a large quiver, I would be on the beach the other 20%. If you surf as much as you can, or everyday, you are going to encounter all kinds of conditions...

So, if you have the time to be in the water a lot and get on every swell, a diverse quvier is great because you will have enough time to get accustomed to each board...

If you have 10 different boards, and only ride a certain board for a day or two every few months, you will never get the board dialed in...

So in most cases, you really only need a couple boards, but if you are serious about it, and make sure to crack every swell, a good quiver is a must...

But for most surfers, I would say utilized a larger quiver will only restrict your development and output. Keep it simple, and learn a few boards really well, so you can rip on them in a wider array of conditions, and then when the time comes, step up to your mini gun or move back down to your fish/lb...

But getting too creative and riding weird sh** is bad for most surfers. Fun, but bad. Which is why my quiver is larger than ever, but each board is getting more and more similar... An inch in length here, slightly different tail (thumb instead of round)... So, even with a large quiver, I try and keep all my board as similar in performance as possible, so each day I take a different board out, im not like WTF, this thing is turning funny and I can't get my rails dug in... blah blah...

I just think less can be more unless you are out charging pretty hard...

 

me too... now days got lots of boards but most of them are the similar with only with minor differences. Before moving overseas my standard VB quiver was a longboard for crappy summer waves, a retro fish for mushy waves, rocket fish for fun waves, and a travel board for the goods or for travel. VB doesn't through a lot of curve balls your way as far as waves or conditions. Spent some serious time on the retro fish over the years.

 

i'm with you, retro fish in the quiver is key. Out of my quiver of 7, i really only ride a few regularly. Retro for anything less than stomach high or so and iv got short boards from there on. Iv got a couple larger short boards / step ups for cr trips but i havnt had much luck traveling with boards lately, even with my new soma airbag, so i'll likely just rent on my next trip. I also have 3 boards identical in length, width, thickness, and shape - just different tails. Why? even i dont know lol. quivers are fun; they are wall art, conversation topic, its nice to have boards around for traveling friends, plus... surfboards are really cool. I fully support your quiver building efforts.

 

0 foot - longboard
1-2-3 foot mush - egg
2-3-4 foot ok- fish
waves/swell - shortboard

4 boards

 

If you are not building one just for the sake of having one...yes.

As I pointed out in another thread, mine came from the limitation of the previous board or boards. Admittedly, I have two that I plan on selling, but the rest have specific purpose.

In Va Beach, the Bull Fish is my 80% board. It has enough float for the weak waves we get and can go from thigh to head high. The McCoy Nugget will quickly be replacing this one, however.

The longboard is for summer desperation in everything below the thigh...when I should be doing something else but need surf therapy.

The Speed Dialer is for head-high and above hurricane swell, when deep duck diving is required. This one doesn't get used very much, but when it's epic, it keeps me from being stuck on the beach.

The Desert Island was my travel board, but it will be replaced by the Nugget, as well.

Oddly...when I was 8 - 28 years old, one board did it all!

 

4 boards get most of the action.

log
fish
shortboard
big wave board (used the least, sadly)

Everything else gets broken out only on occasion, and usually only if there's been a good stretch of waves and I'm in the mood for "something different."

So no... I don't agree with the "pros" (and wannabe pros) who say quivers are not overrated.

 

I tend to ride different stuff frequently keeps things interesting. Plus I have a beater or two I ride in shorebreak when I get bored.

 

9'10 step deck

9'6 NR2

6'2 Quad

6'8 single fin

I use them all

 

depends where you surf. if you surf 1 ft. anke biters everyday, a semi gun or regular shortboard is gonna be pointless

 

Why not?

I really don't think you "need" a big quiver on the East Coast. Generally, you have hollow bigger waves, clean middle waves, mushy middle waves, and little waves. I could easily get by with just my 6'4'' round pin, and 6'0'' squash. For me personally, it's fun to change it up and ride a thick single fin every now and again. I just took out my latest acquisition yesterday evening- 6'2'' single fin (circa 78?) and had a blast getting pitched but finally cruising on some longer waves and even getting a little nose ride in. You gotta keep it fun, why else are we out there? I also have a 6'9'' pintail that I brought home from HI, haven't waxed it since. Additionally, I picked up a "used" (brand new) 7'8'' gun that has never been ridden. Sure looks great in the garage though.

The biggest thing to avoid in surfing is doing the same thing on the same board on every wave. It conditions your body to keep doing that, thus preventing you from throwing a new turn. This makes the whole experience boring. Surfing is exciting because each wave is a whole new experience, different (at least slightly) from any other one you've ridden. For me, riding different kinds of boards gives me a fresher approach to the waves, especially if the variety isn't there.

 

So.....4 boards aren't a quiver?

 

I buy way too many boards but I love to try new shapes. Started trying to reduce the quiver. I seem to use the same 3 boards the most:
8'0 Ricky Carroll quad hp mini-log eps/epoxy
6'10 Walden Magic Fish/Quad eps/epoxy
6'6 Joe Bauguess mini-simmons twin eps/epoxy

 

a quiver would be great to have if you travel a lot and get to surf different styles of breaks (reef, sandbar, points, etc.) then i can see it being necessary, but for the majority of the east coast its not necessary at all its more of a luxury and a lot of the boards probably dont get used very much.

most people swear that you have to have a longboard in your quiver for the east coast, but in my opinion any day thats good enough to ride a longboard you can ride a fish or other fat small wave board and have just as much fun. i currently have:

6' swallowtail (gets the most use, great on small days)
5'9" Merrick Flyer (also good on smaller days and when it gets big)
6'1" standard shortboard (doesnt really get used, sometimes when its big)

i used to have a 9' log but recently sold it cause I rarely used it after i got more into riding shortboards

 

i totally missed this thread, but it's funny b/c i've recently started paring down my quiver to what i use most. there was a point when i was up to about 10 boards or so, now i'm down to about 5 or so that all get used at every opportunity:

5'9" wynn channel bottom twin w/ trailer
5'10" wynn bonzer stubby (probably going to get sold)
6'0" wynn bonzer egg (my 90% board)
6'0" jamie kelly alia (on loan from the man himself)
6'4" ci fort knox (if we got should-head high surf every day, this would be my go-to board)
6'6" wynn bonzer
9'6" wynn log
size large original duckfeet fins

i think that having a longboard is essential to every surfer, unless they live in indo or something...it's just so vastly different from what most people ride that it forces you to slow down & really look at how you surf...it smooths your style out, too, which i think is great...having a good style has been lost in modern surfing, i think.
quivers are great if you're into that idea & can afford them, but not necessary. i just happen to really like the idea of throwing a couple different boards in the back of the jeep & going to a spot & just switching off & on all day...toss the 5'9", the 6'0", the 6'4", & the fins in the back & you've got a wide array of boards that surf completely different from each other. it's fun, & that's what surfing's all about.

 

6'10" Chris Birch Quad
8'o" In The Eye Thruster
9'6" Driftwood Longboard