To anyone who cares to give some advice: I'm a novice surfer and am looking to get a new board. I've been riding a 7'6" mini-magic and have been having a blast learning but I want get a something shorter and more maneuverable, but probably not a shortboard. I'm 5'6" 170lbs and mostly surf long island. I don't see myself getting out in anything much over head high and will likely spend most of my time in thigh to waist high surf. I've been looking through the CI line and kinda keep coming back to a robber, a m13, and a gravy. I like the sound of the gravy and robber for their wave catching ability and wider nose. I also think I can still benefit from the extra foam. The m13 seems interesting because its so damn versatile but I don't know if I want that extra length. The object is to get a board that can still catch waves easily but is more maneuverable and more convenient to travel with. Anybody have any suggestions on board selection and size? thanks bill
there are some good shapers in the area. If i were you i would look around and go talk to one of them. when you get a production board, there is minimal information about it to prevent other shapers from simply copying designs directly. However, this leads to a lack of information for the consumer. things like nose/tail width, rail rocker, and wide point location are rarely given but really important to the way the board ridesI don't think that solid surf is in long island anymore, i would go down to faktion surfboards and get something worked out.the only ci board i've ever ridden was a 6'1 flyer, and i didn't like it
i just started surfing in the northeast within the last year and am still learning about the best equipment for the conditions. in my experience you're usually facing a small to medium sized dumpy beach break so something that helps you get into the wave a little quicker and generates instant speed is helpful. so wider tail, less rocker, more foam in general seems to work well up until the swell gets head high or gets too pitchy. i've seen the gravy or boards like it work really well up here. you may want to check something like the biscuit though as it's thicker and paddles better. depends on your skill level. ci gets bashed a lot but they make good boards that work and you'll rarely get a dud. just keep in mind what's good for a southern california point break won't necessarily translate to a slabby jerzey beach break. just my two cents as someone still learning the ropes up here myself. would love to hear other's opinions on the best boards for our area.
You might want to try out fishes. Maybe a 6 footer or so. I ride a Bing fish, little wider and good float, helps you catch the knee to thigh high waves but is fast down the line and much more maneuverable compared to the fun boards that you are using now.
