Anything out there similar to the Hammer?

[Old School 213]

Funny, I still have a 10'5" widepoint and the board that I went to after that was an L41 S4, probably very similar to the one Bill stabbed a foil mount into but mine is 32" wide.  I liked the S4 a lot and not seeing that on the L41 menu anymore I'd give them a call or see who you can beg, borrow or steal a ride from.

We've got similar dimensions (except for my Covid-19#).

[miker]

Thanks to everyone so far for your comments and advice.  I'd almost given up on anyone responding and then remembered today that I'd posted here and thought I'd check.  Much information to absorb and research now.  Thanks everyone for your assistance.

[Billekrub]

PonoBill,

You mentioned the L41 was fast and good for fast waves.  How about for slow mushy waves where it is more difficult to get speed?  As it is short, does it require a much later takeoff, or, can one accelerate enough to compensate?

Nice shower design!

[TallDude]

I surf my L41 just about every other day. It works in the small mushy stuff too. The thing about a Simmons design is very straight rails and wide tails. The straight rails allow it to glide almost like a longboard, and the wide tail gives you lift to keep you going on the small mushy stuff. I would say that my custom 9' green machine with a pulled in tail which I shaped, is easier to handle in the overhead stuff. But it's not good in the small mushy stuff. I can control the L41 on OH waves, but it's crazy fast and can get squirrelly. 

[surfcowboy]

Simmons tail is made to make speed out of nothing.

[Billekrub]

Thanks for the invaluable insight.  That leaves ease of catching waves.  Usually the short, wide-tail Simmons needs a later takeoff, or, a more precise positioning and wave selection.

How does one get the best of both:  mush speed, and early takeoff?  Make it longer like a Sunova Speed or ask for a custom "stretch"?  Learn to accelerate the board while paddling?  Find that the wider tail needs less speed for the wave to "grab" it.  ?

[Mmac]

Simmons shape boards are definitely fast but those wide tails remind me of "one turn wonders".  After owning and riding a few, I found they like to make one turn then race down the line.  Cool if that's what you're into.  However, I prefer continuous turns and quick cutbacks that narrower tail boards provide.

[PonoBill]

I consider my L41 to be the quickest turning board I've ridden. That's probably because I generally ride larger SUPs that don't exactly rip. It's not the board I'd choose to be on in mushy junk, but it works in those conditions, it works in anything, it just doesn't shine. In a steeper wave it's just great, and as long as you move your back foot to the rail you're turning on, it cranks turns with authority.

I've never noticed that it takes a later drop. It can certainly handle late drops better than my bigger boards, but it's not necessary. My biggest problem with the board is how small the sweet spot is and how easy it is to pitch forward or back when you're angling for a wave, But once I'm aimed the right way and paddling for the wave it's an easy board to catch whatever you want. I found early on that I could kind of kick it into a wave with a big reach, hard pull and shoving forward with my feet. Almost foolproof. I got the idea from a friend who rides little sinkers--he does that all the time.

Mine is set up as a quad using Futures Controllers, which radically changed the way the board turns. Previously, with normal plastic quad dolphins it turned kind of deliberately. With the Controllers it whips.  But even still, you can't ride it from a fixed position and get the best out of it, you have to move your back foot decisively to the turning rail. In overhead stuff it's a bit spooky. I probably wouldn't think so now, since i'm used to foiling speeds, but it feels like 95 percent of the board is out of the water when it's really flying, and it gets nervous--or maybe that's just me. There have been times when I really didn't want to fall--I thought i'd be leaving pieces of me everywhere. I go faster than that on a foil now and I've fallen plenty of times, so I've got a lot of practice at not losing bits.

[jpeter]

I ordered one of these yesterday (8'6 130L) : https://shop.foilandco.com/en/product/sealion-wings-board/

I love them,  and have owned 9' 150L traditional model and surf the 8'3 135L traditional model now.  "WINGS" adds foil slot is carbon and supposed to be faster and more turny.   I paddlesurf and windsup them about equally.

Board bag I bought for the 8'3 was a Supsports and supposed to be for the hammer.  Turns out the board bag is a POS,  zipper failed and handles have ripped off.  Any Ideas of a new board bag that fits a wide tail?
JP

[dietlin]

Get a 9’5″x31″x4.15″ (147L) Jimmy Lewis Striker.  Extremely stable for its size.  Fast and easy to turn.  Works great in small to medium sized waves - the conditions a self-described beginner to intermediate will mostly find himself in. 

[miker]

Funny, I still have a 10'5" widepoint and the board that I went to after that was an L41 S4, probably very similar to the one Bill stabbed a foil mount into but mine is 32" wide.  I liked the S4 a lot and not seeing that on the L41 menu anymore I'd give them a call or see who you can beg, borrow or steal a ride from.

We've got similar dimensions (except for my Covid-19#).

Looking at their web site (such as it is) I suspect the S4 has been replaced by the S5?

[miker]

Get a 9’5″x31″x4.15″ (147L) Jimmy Lewis Striker.  Extremely stable for its size.  Fast and easy to turn.  Works great in small to medium sized waves - the conditions a self-described beginner to intermediate will mostly find himself in.

Interesting.  I surf more than half the time in Tofino (closest surf break to my house - 2.5 hr drive).  Conditions there are usually waist to huge, although I tend to stick to head high max.  It's almost always choppy, noticable primary and secondary swells with up to 2' chop on top of that.  I'm thinking 147L might be a bit of a stretch for me right now coming down from 178 on my current board.  Of course maybe it would just last longer before I need to upgrade and be a bit of work to get used to at the start.  My brother kind of regrets going under 160L when he upgraded last (and I bought his old board).

[dietlin]

It's tempting to get fixated on volume, but wetted area, which the Striker has plenty of, is prolly more important.

[BigZ]

Get a 9’5″x31″x4.15″ (147L) Jimmy Lewis Striker.  Extremely stable for its size.  Fast and easy to turn.  Works great in small to medium sized waves - the conditions a self-described beginner to intermediate will mostly find himself in.

Interesting.  I surf more than half the time in Tofino (closest surf break to my house - 2.5 hr drive).  Conditions there are usually waist to huge, although I tend to stick to head high max.  It's almost always choppy, noticable primary and secondary swells with up to 2' chop on top of that.  I'm thinking 147L might be a bit of a stretch for me right now coming down from 178 on my current board.  Of course maybe it would just last longer before I need to upgrade and be a bit of work to get used to at the start.  My brother kind of regrets going under 160L when he upgraded last (and I bought his old board).

I would argue that unnecessary volume is in fact detrimental to stability in chop. A voluminous  board (with exposed deck and rails) will be affected by chop much more than lower volume board where rails are submerged. I find that the volume to weight ratio of around 1.1 (including the weight of a board and fins)  is the most optimal. My 130l JL Destroyer is my most stable board in rough, choppy and windy conditions. Much more stable that my higher volume (and wider) SUP Sports Stoke board. For reference I am 240 pounds and 6'4.

[miker]

I would argue that unnecessary volume is in fact detrimental to stability in chop. A voluminous  board (with exposed deck and rails) will be affected by chop much more than lower volume board where rails are submerged. I find that the volume to weight ratio of around 1.1 (including the weight of a board and fins)  is the most optimal. My 130l JL Destroyer is my most stable board in rough, choppy and windy conditions. Much more stable that my higher volume (and wider) SUP Sports Stoke board. For reference I am 240 pounds and 6'4.

This is an interesting take and as I read more it seems to be a popular opinion.  Our very limited experience has been that we've lost stability as we've gone down in volume.  Perhaps it's a result of our early stages of skill building.  Maybe I'll try my brother's 8'11" AllWave a bit and see how it goes.

Also, in my internet searching of various forums, the Sunova Shroom came up.  They have a dealer not too far from here.  I wonder how it paddles out through a beach break and handles head high waves.  I've had a tab open with the Destroyer on it for about a month now.  Shipping to Vancouver Island is likely a bit of an issue.  We have a cottage on the Big Island, but it's rented out currently.  If I ordered a board at a time when we are there it would be so easy with JL on Oahu.  A local shop here carries Starboard which makes the Whopper Jr. attractive (I found the whopper very easy to tail turn).