board length vs wave size

[beached]

i'm a newbie to the sport of surfing w/SUP (and have never 'plank' surfed either), and really have no clue about which SUP boards i should use in different wave conditions. i've read thru this forum a bit on the topic, but cannot seem to get the info i'm looking for.

i've read that longer boards are best for small waves...and for bigger waves. hmmm. my 2 boards are 11'6" and 10'. for many those might both be long boards..for me one is long, the other not so much. in my typical conditions, small waves are ankle-waist, medium waves are waist-chest, big waves are head+. not sure if my size is relevant, but i'm 6'3", 210 lbs.

so can anyone tell me if there is a standard answer on what board is best for which type of waves? thanks.

[PonoBill]

I like bigger boards on big waves, mostly because you can get them moving down the face a lot sooner. Shorter boards require a more critical face to get planing. I love big waves, but I don't like wobbling around in front of them and I REALLY hate missing one, because then you're twenty feet further in and the next one is  feathering fifty feet further out.

On the other hand, if you don't know the answer to that question you might not want to be in anything bigger than waist-high. I'm not being mean, if you can't do a bottom turn and a top turn, trim the board down the face, turn out without falling, and catch waves reliably, then you should stay in smaller stuff until you can.

[Menlo SUPr]

I've been more of a bodyboarder vs prone surfer, but I do know that not all big boards are created equal. There's a huge difference between a casual longboard for below-the-waist waves vs. a big gun shape for Mavericks or winter at Waimea.

[Brendon]

Here is a picture of Glen Thompson putting all the theory in the bin and just doing the practical on a 9'6 Nalu. RESPECT

[beached]

On the other hand, if you don't know the answer to that question you might not want to be in anything bigger than waist-high. I'm not being mean, if you can't do a bottom turn and a top turn, trim the board down the face, turn out without falling, and catch waves reliably, then you should stay in smaller stuff until you can.

i agree.  i've been out in over head high, and immediately came back in because i knew it was way beyond my skill level.  but i still want to know the general theories (if there are any) on board size vs wave height. i suspect an expert surfer can do anything on anything, but am more interested in not re-inventing the wheel as to what's best for someone like myself who is learning the ropes. 

[freetobeme]

i consider myself a begginer still with 3 years of experience.  imho this would depend on shape and style of board nota just length.  also the type of surfing your looking to do in the waves.   most any board can be surfed.  width of the board iso important toó.  9-10'6 x 30" is good for beginners int smaller to medium waves .

just get out there and give your current boards a chance then go smaller when u can .

[Absolutetrip]

With skill any board will work. When I first started riding SUPs I have ridden and had fun in 2x overhead on a Laird 11'6" surftech single fin. But I surfed for 25 years before I ever stepped on a SUP.
 Like Bill said if you cannot trim and ride the wave with confidence simply don't go if conditions are beyond your level. Go out in chest high conditions with larger bomb sets coming in sit out and catch those improve your ability get really familiar with your equipment and wave riding, then when your confidence builds charge a bigger day.

For me in large conditions over head to well over head with power I choose a familiar SUP over big or small. I do not want to be figuring a board out when I could F-up and end up inside with a set smashing me to oblivion. Of course that just seems to happen anyway....

[alap]

I am finishing my season #5, I am still a beginner, but I am not complete newb.

IMHO it all depends on what waves are you surfing. is it a point break with nice clean waves or a beach break? more importantly how fast do the wave close?

my first year as I see it now was a complete write off. I was using 11' in the beach break (but the sport was at its infancy then).

the waves are closing very fast, so if you tad too far out you can't catch it, if you couple strokes too close to the beach this is already a late drop. So there is very narrow area where you can catch the wave. Hence the most important skill I gained was how to read the waves. But in the beginning it is very difficult thing to figure out (at least for me). Also with the wave that closes fast (as it does in most places on this planet) long board simply doesn't fit into the bowl.

If after takeoff it is pointing towards the beach and you don't run towards the back you risk pearling with catapult to follow. if you run back too fast the board stalls and then you are too close in and the following wave eats you. Being afraid to pearl resulted in many situations when the nose is sticking out of the water couple feet and the surfer (me) standing on the top of the lip ready to break and frantically paddling to gain speed.

the board is unstable, small adjustments to the feet load (for-aft) result in the nose swinging up and down like a giant pendulum. very unpleasant.

the only solution with the board that is longer than the size of the bowl is immediately after take off to make a "bottom" turn (you are not at the bottom of the wave by no means!) to point it somewhat parallel to the beach. But then one have to learn how to do a bottom turn and this is a skill that can be learned only after learning how to take off. Catch 22. (And if you manage to do this - the nose of your 11 footer is sticking one meter up, and you going down the line like that, Dave Kalama or Robby or Laird certainly know how to do this, but is that attainable for beginner?))

Its all changed when I bought 9'8" and even further improved when I moved to 9'
There was a trip with my son 25 years of age, rock climber, ski patroller, some prone surfing experience and total newb in SUP when we had both boards. When on day #2 I stupidly gave him my 9'0 Mana and took 9'8" Starboard Fish I had trouble getting my Mana back. Hint: Mana 9'0 definitely shoulda be my first and only board, would it be available 5 years ago. Yes it would be a bit harder first couple hours but it would save me 4 seasons in my learning curve, and few grand in cash not wasted on longer equipment.

its a mystery for me what advantage does the length over nine feet brings you (unless you are racing)? How often do you fall sideways and how often do you fall backwards? With nine feet of length the board is still way less stable sideways than in the other direction.

turning the short board is easier.
because the short board fits into the wave better you have several precious moment to delay your bottom turn without of risk pearling it (so important when learning).
nose is not sticking out so much.

finally IMHO glide is absolutely unnecessary feature for surfing (i am talking normal waves and mere mortals, not the picture above in this thread). Way more important is acceleration. When my wave reading skilled improved I completely changed the catching technique. Instead of paddling this log like a madman trying to equalize the speed of the boat and the speed of the wave I just started to use the paddling to position myself in the most appropriate spot and then catching it with as little strokes as possible (ideally one or two) accelerating the board (even from standing still position, or almost standing still).

to sum it up:
shorter board fits into the wave better
shorter board accelerates better
short board turns easier
short board fits inside the car
short board is easy to carry (especially in tight places, like stairs to the beach)

and I almost forgot: when going out short board goes thru the white water easier. one can push it through with your heels and you risk less of the nose smacking your face.

now, don't go too short! I bought Hokua 7'8" and it is definitely a bit too short for my skill level. But I am working on it 

my two cents

[Glider]

More to the equation than length, rocker line, width and type of tail, type of rails and type of waves being charged.  Skill level is the over riding factor.  I've seen the same very skilled waterman  ride a 12' gun then jump on a 9' board and rip.  Longer boards have more glide thus earlier intro into the wave.  As stated above there are lots of reason to go shorter.  Pick your poison, every board has plus and minuses.  Style also impacts the type of board you choose.  Short board pump or old school back foot stylin long carving turns and cutbacks.  All fun.  I myself have settled mid range 10' 3 round pin tail seems to cover 80% of my time on the water. 
Mostly surfing.  I have 2 other board to cover the 20%.  Good reasons to have multiple boards !   Boards are like fin arrangements and sizes.  Lots of different combo's.  Demo as many as you can, you'd be surprised how different boards can feel or how changing fins and fin position can change a board.  Experiment and find what works best for you.

[JC50]

The most "Standard" answer I can think of is that board shape has the most to do with how it will perform in a particular size and shape of wave. Board size is really a distant second. When you mix shape with size all hell breaks loose and there is no standard... However, yes; people like big boards for tiny waves AND big waves, but the shape of each is VERY different.

[andygere]

A 10' board will fit and perform well in waves that are well overhead, if the rocker is right.  Really flat rockered boards are tough to ride in steep, hollow waves.  There are so many design parameters that come into play, so many other aspects of the wave (speed, how hard it breaks, how hollow it is, etc.) that there is no simple answer to this question.

[kneecap]

The only real reason for longer boards in big surf is that they paddle faster, and therefore match the faster speed that larger waves travel.  Once on the wave, they really don't do much for you and can actually be a hindrance depending on how they fit into the shape of the wave. Sure, they tend to hold a line and spin out less than shorter boards, but fin size/configuration and added weight to the board can help counter this. That's why you see tow-in surfers riding short narrow boards with weight added. They surf better and the paddling speed is negated by the jet ski. Also, pro surfers today are really pushing the limits on how small they are going in board size in serious surf. Slater won Pipe a couple years ago on a 5'9" and Chopes this year on a 6'2". When I was a kid, we didn't ride Pipe at any size on anything smaller than 7'.

Also, the shape of guns is seriously different from small wave gear. Guns are very pulled in and usually have quite a bit of rocker. Good small wave boards are fat with very flat rocker so they maintain speed in gutless waves.

As in prone surfing, I expect to see board size continue to drop for SUPs in larger waves. I've ridden my 9'2" in DOH+ waves, and frankly it bounced and flopped around too much. It's also fat and doesn't have much rocker. The same length but better shape for the situation would have been fine. Another guy in the water the same day was killing it on a 7'4" and sure didn't seem to need to go bigger.

[DavidJohn]

I think it's more about board width vs wave size.. I had my big wide Mana out in some pretty big surf today and taking the drop at high speed the board just wanted to bounce and felt like it wanted to take off.. Narrow boards don't tend to do that.. The wider boards work well on smaller waves.

DJ

[bts]

Small waves at a reef break are pretty hard to catch. I end up paddling a lot more on those small days and prefer a flatter, longer board.  Medium sized waves (say chest high to 2x overhead) are much easier to catch. It's mostly about not stuffing the nose on take-off, so I ride something slightly shorter but more rockered. Big wave guns are a different animal. I have no interest in riding waves big enough to need a special board.

It's all relative, my boards are 11-0 and 10-6, both of which most people here would consider "long"

[Piros]

The answer is really no different to tow in surfing , once you are on a big wave you want a small baord . The bigger boards just bounce and buck you off. We still tackle average big stuff around 8 to 10ft on sub 9-0's , it just comes down to your ability to deal with conditions to paddle in on smaller boards. You will still have more paddling speed on a 8-10 Sup compared to crawler on a Mavericks style 9-2 pin pin gun.