Board Suggestion

i'm about your size, a little taller, and rode a 5'6 lost rnf and absolutely hated it. felt like a gimmick.

just bought a 5'8 lost rocket and it's so sick. i'd look into those.

 

anything from 5'6" to 5'8" might be a little small unless its in the fish/small wave board category. Id say around 5'10" might be good. Make sure that if you go with something small you get it really wide

 

I'm about your size (a little lighter), age, and ability. I think you'll probably be fine on a 5'10 RNF. I just got a Solid DisFish that's 5'10 x 20.5 x2.5. It's got the volume and outline of a fish, but with a thumbtail and more tail rocker. I had a retro fish shape that I think was a little too loose in the tail for me, but the tail (and center fin option) on this board help that. I haven't had any problem catching waves on it and it's much easier to turn than my fish was. I probably could have gone smaller, but I wanted to make sure I'd be able to catch everything with it.

The nice thing about buying a used board is you don't really have to worry too much about getting the "wrong" board - so you can experiment a little bit. If you are surfing that well on your board now, you'll probably be surprised how easy it is to transition to something smaller.

 

for the winter you're not going to want to be riding a fish. the waves are much bigger and heavier. maybe a 6'4" step-up? You can probably go shorter (around 6'2") but the 6'4 will offer more paddle power and stability especially if your skill level isnt high enough just yet

 

I've heard a lot of positive reviews of the RNF. Actually, unlike a lot of fish style boards, I've heard it's good for better waves.

I know of someone selling a 5'10", I'll PM you the details. Don't know the guy, just saw he was selling the board. At your size I think that would be plenty of board for you.

 

i don't think you need a gimmicky board. you're not that big of a dude. also, why not learn on a basic shape and then start experimenting

6'0, 18.25 2.25 standard shortboard is good.

 

A 5'10" RNF is probably good for you (a lot of people don't consider it gimmicky at all because it works)

Also, for a standard shortboard IMO 6'2" x 18.88" x 2.38" or there about would suit you pretty good as well.

either would probably meet your needs year round

 

i think a 6'2 for a standard board is too big for a guy that's 5'8. maybe a 6'2 for overhead surf, but that's a different topic.

6'0, 18 1/4, 2 1/4. is more than fine. once you learn how to really get down the line and line up turns, then i'd say start experimenting. what happens when it's big and you're on some 5'8 fish? you're never going to make any drops and when you do the board is going to be very twitchy. not the best choice for a beginner. that is, unless, you don't plan on paddling out in anything bigger than waist/chest high waves. if tha'ts the case, then go play around on a fish

 

Maybe so, maybe not
He's coming off a fairly large board with not a lot of experience.

 

that's true. imagine going from a 6'8 to a 5'8? it's be like riding a bodyboard. it sounds like he's shooting for a good, standard, all around board to be used in waist to overhead surf

 

For the RNF I suggested 5'10" (not 5'8"). Yes, it will be a little weird at first, but with the extra width and what not it's probably not too bad.
He also said knee to shoulder/head (not overhead)

Granted the RNF will be "better" at the lower end of the range, and a standard shortboard will be "better" at the upper end of the range.
You could use either for the full range, but (again just my opion) you'd probably struggle more with the shortboard in knee high then the RNF in shoulder/head high.

 

Since you are looking to improve surfing and doing more turns, maybe it would make sense to not worry about getting a board for knee high junk. I see guys rip small waves on regular shortboards, but they are really good at generating their own speed, where I need to rely on my board for that.

A rocket fish type board could be a good compromise. I borrowed one in waves up to chest high and it worked well and can also get you going a little bit in waves under waist high. It's going to allow you to do turns a lot easier than a standard fish.

I've seen a formula on these forums for determining surfboard size:

[length x width x thickness] / your weight.

A regular shortboard is "supposed" to come out to about 20. As a less experienced surfer, my boards fall in the 22-23 range. Bear in mind it's a pretty rough formula and it's not set in stone, but it should help give you an idea of what kind of volume you are getting with certain boards.

 

go to a shop and talk to someone there who can put boards under your arm and explain characteristics. There is a lot more that goes into a board besides height, width, and thickness ect. Things like concave, foil, and rocker can make or break a board.

That is the difference between a forum, and people who actually understand board dynamics. get your hands on a board, and talk to a real person.

 

Rocket type board is a good call. Just don't go too short it is a big step.. I went from a twin fin 22 1/4 wide board that I surfed for years when I knew I needed a more high performance board for bigger surf that the twinny wouldn't hold in I went to a wider thruster 20" felt great at that point in my surfing I could pull off cut backs where my fish would slid out with the thruster set up I had more stability in my turns and able to surf more vertical it was a great step until I needed more performance about 2 years later then I still was hesitant to go to narrow and went to a quad 19.5" wide floated me great handles awesome, now I have that as my step up and I have a standard high performance thruster 18 3/4 x 2 5/8. I am on the money with this board is was A long process but I never felt that a board wouldn't float me which was my main concern you need to catch waves before you can surf them was my thought process. You see way too many guys mostly young paddling like a mad man kicking like crazy to get into a wave just to pump make a few really aweful turns just to sink once the wave looses it energy..
Oh yea and my first board ever was a 6'8 thruster not sure how wide then I went to a longboard then the fish,wider thruster,quad,rocket,hpsb .
If you decide to go with the rocket type board that would replace my step where I had the 20"wider board but dont go too small a 6'0 would be out of question since you still have a lot to learn then you could go smaller you arent going to get a magic board at your stage so just know itsa process and you will be trading selling and buying boards probably as long as you surf and once you find a great board for a certain condition you will want a great board for another condition.
Dont be afraid to ask someone in the line up to swap board say I was thinking of getting a board like that can a try it for a wave or two?? I know I would let you try my Rocket for a few waves.
Later