If you're going for a longboard, get a true longboard. For the types of days you're talking about riding, a 9'6" performance noserider will get you many more waves, a relatively loose longboard and you will still have the ability to walk the board. Craigslist this time of year can turn up some nuggets.
i got a long board skate board started riding it a few months ago..never ride when wet outside i had my 90pound german sheppard pulling me, while i was carving my board slid out and had a very bad concussion and huge gash on my lid/loose teeth. be careful
I kinda want a carver for the same reasons that OP and emass have explained but I already have a longboard and can't imagine surfing without one. I surf a couple boards that are 6'2"-6'3" but I always love getting back on my 9'0". I'm really looking forward to a 9'6" or larger. I have to add my geography to the "why I love my LB equation", SC<NJ (for waves only). I honestly think you are an incomplete surfer if you haven't embraced a LB yet. Nevertheless, I tend to surf a SB like a LB so I want to train the skills a carver can train. My birthday is October 18. You guys can start a fund if you'd like.
Clemmapalooza no one's saying torch the LB!! Get all these sticks in your quiver!! Sell all your expendable possessions and enter the monastic life of full quiver, full stoke, full heart!!! FREEEEEDOOOMMMMMM!!!!!
I was in the same boat as you a couple of years ago - wanting to improve my shortboarding but I lived inland which lead to not being able to surf as often as I wanted. I got a Carver a couple years ago and was having a blast with that thing. It will definitely improve your muscle memory when it comes to pumping and turning a shortboard. Plus it's a lot of fun when its flat or you can't catch a swell. Don't let Emass fool you, though - these things are super fun down hills also. They have such a short turning radius that you can can lay down a hard carve and actually traverse back uphill slightly to manage your speed. Plus, since they turn so tightly, they are super fun and easy to slide around into reverses and do laybacks with. If you have any drainage ditches in your area that get dried out its like a concrete wave that will be there every day of the week. Constant pumping, carves, cutbacks, and reverses until your legs feel like Jello. On the other hand, though, I got a longboard a little over a year ago and riding a single fin log will really improve your shortboarding as well. It forces you to slow down your movements and think more about weight distribution. Plus, since it isn't as fast to throw around, you really have to read the wave and prepare for oncoming sections sooner than on a shortboard. It has really taught me to surf off of my back foot and now I can crank turns way harder on my shortboard. Now I switch back and forth between my longboard and shorty regularly. If the waves are small then I'm on the longboard or groveler and hop on my shortboard when we get some better swell. Some of my best sessions on a SB are ones where I have been longboarding for a week or so and then hop back on the SB for a session. I surf with way more power and strength since I am pushing harder on the tail due to having to crank a big 9'4" around. All in all, they are both going to improve your shortboarding. The question is whether you want to do that on land or in the water.
