Hey guys, I'm 15 and i've grown a bunch since last year. Last summer I was roughly 5'9 135 lbs. I rode a Webber SLX 5'10 18 1/8 2 1/8. Now I'm almost 6' 145 lbs. I liked this board a lot but i've outgrown it. Im gonna try to trade it in towards a new board in April during spring break. I surf at Emerald Isle so the waves are usually knee-waist maybe chest+ on a good day. What size shortboard would fit me well?
Damn, you grew 3 inches in a year? Ahh to be young again... If you were real comfortable with the board you were riding but you feel it doesnt float you properly now, you could shop around for something with a similar outline and scale up the dimensions a little. An 1/8" on width and/or thickness and inch or two in length. But if all you are surfing is knee-waist, and occasional chest maybe look for something more fishy that will perform better in smaller surf. Check out something like a fishcuit/biscuit, you can ride those reallly short.
I was always taught growing up to stay around your actual height. I maxed out at 5'9. But my shortest SB is 5'10. As I got older and started surfing bigger surf, I realized that having a couple to a few extra inches on your SB is beneficial in most circumstances. So, since you are at 6'0 already, I would recommend getting a 6'1 or a 6'2. Even a 6'3 eventually. Having a few extra inches actually helps in the small guttless stuff that you will encounter in the summer, and really gives you some added speed and drive when confitions are good... I can't really find a valid argument as to why you would keep your SBs really short... One of the local pros that I surf with is about my height 5'9, and when I surf with him, in any conditions, his smallest shortboard is a 6'2... And he boosts ridiculously. for a 5'9 guy, he gets so much speed and just flies off the lip. So that is the biggest thing Ive taken from him, is that more foam is SOOOO much better in most situations... I used to ride the little 5'9, 5'10 potato chips for the sole purpose of doing airs... And while that is fun and stuff, those little thin boards lack a lot of speed and drive unless you are in the right conditions... So, overall, if you are all about an aerial attack everyday, you can continue riding really tiny boards, but your overall surfing would probably be best suited for a 6'1 (at least) if not up to a 6'3.... That way if you keep growing, you will have a little more foam to grow into... But the whole time you will be dialing in the same board.... it takes a lot of time to get boards wired in, especially if you are growing with them... Your center of gravity and all kinds of stuff changes with each inch you grow... Some local groms that I know were throwing giant 360 helicopter airs at age 16 (cause they were 5'5, 125 lbs) , now they are 18 and 19, grew 6 inches and gained 30 pounds and now they are more slashing, only semi-aerial kind of guys.... It all depends on how your body finished growing... I would go up a few inches to prepare for that.
Some good advice there...I'm sure you got plenty more growing to do so don't be afraid to go a little bigger. FOAM IS YOUR FRIEND!
I am 5'11", 179lbs and I ride a 6'4". Some people might say go smaller, but I am very comfortable with that size. Holds well in larger surf as well as small. It all depends on you and what feels comfortable for your style / break. I agree with Shacked, a fish would be fun for you
Definitely add a little more foam! I'm 6'0 165 and I started to ride 6'3 this winter. I was riding a 6'2 for awhile but I talked to a local shaper who suggested I add an extra inch and it made a huge difference. Best of luck!
