Author Topic: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?  (Read 5451 times)

scrooner

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What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« on: September 06, 2021, 03:55:03 PM »
Hey all,

I'm a beginner/intermediate SUP surfer, pretty comfortable in up to shoulder-height waves, and after having come back from an awesome surfing trip in Maui I feel like I'm ready to drop down a board size.  I'm 155lbs (70kg) and my first board is a 11' x 29.5" (165L) Laird Pearson Arrow.  I enjoy riding it, walking up & down the stringer and making little carves in the waves, but it's really not fun to lug around, and it's hard for me to turn it with any authority.  I'm looking to go shorter & lighter, but still be comfortable standing in the lineup and getting through the PNW breaks. 

I found a used Jimmy Lewis World Wide at 8'9" x 31" (141L), which I know is technically 'TOO BIG FOR ME', but how much of a problem would that be?  Is it going to make it really hard for me to sink the rails and turn it, or what?  Or is the only negative that I'll want to upgrade it at some point when I get better?  I've seen people complain about boards they've bought that were too large volume-wise and 'corky', but I don't know how that affects their surfing in a practical way, and whether I'll mind.  If 141L is a bad idea I can wait around for something else to pop up.

PonoBill

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2021, 05:05:26 PM »
The length is probably fine but the width and thickness yield more than double the amount of displacement you need to float, a guild factor of about 2. That's what most people would specify for a rank beginner in poor shape and crap waves. A more reasonable GF would be something around 1.7, which is about 119L, and more advanced surfers are comfortable with a guild factor or 1.3, or 91 liters. You don't HAVE to choose something low volume, but you'll find it easy to advance. Since you enjoy your longboard shape, you might stick with that and just go a little shorter, a little narrower, a little thinner and a lot lighter. Maybe 10' X 27" and 120L.

Maybe it's time to bite the bullet, step away from the used market and either get something in a production board that's ideal for you, or better yet, talk to a local shaper and tell him what you're looking for. Any good shaper will help you understand what they would do for you and why. The difference between a board that is OK for you and one that is perfect for you is transformational--one of the few times you can buy a big step up in performance. After that, the increments get smaller.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

scrooner

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2021, 06:21:36 PM »
Ooh, so maybe something like the Fanatic Stylemaster, 10' x 28.5" 130L, or NSP DC Surf X Pro 10' x 27" 132L.  Gorge Performance has both in stock.
« Last Edit: September 06, 2021, 06:24:41 PM by scrooner »

gone_foiling

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2021, 06:53:54 PM »
If you can find 8.0 narrow jimmy lewis superfrank I would jump on that. The most fun board I rode. I own supertech and kwad from jimmy but superfrank is way more fun. World wide is going to be a hog at your weight. Also infinity blur2 or b-line are great too.
Addicted to foiling at the moment.
My shenanigans on insta @gone_foiling

sflinux

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2021, 07:56:35 PM »
I agree with PonoBill, for your second SUP, try to keep the guild factor between 1.5-1.7.  I'd do 1.7 (119L) for the occasional rider (couple times a month) and 1.5 (105L)  if you are going several times a week.  A guild factor of 1.3 is for clean glassy conditions (91L).
Besides volume, you may want to consider length.  For me, I like to have two a board quiver of longboard and shortboard SUP.  The longboard is ideal for softer waves and when I am hunting down peaks.  The shortboard SUP is ideal for pitching waves, when getting to the tail on a longboard takes too long.  I have the 11' Laird SUP, there is a lot of real estate to that board, the volume feels smaller than the published figure.  Nothing wrong with keeping the 11' Laird for longboard style, and picking up a shorter SUP for more of a mid-length style (<9').  But if you want even more performance on your longboard sup, you could step down to 10'6" or 10'.  6" makes a big difference in the real estate to get to the tail for turns.
So you may want a shortboard like:
Genration Kanga 8’6” x 30” 120L
Genration Kanga 8’3” x 29 1/8” 109.8L
Superfrank 8’ x 30” 115L
Superfrank 7’6” x 31” 115L

But looking at GorgePerformance, you may want to check out the:
Fanatic Stubby 8'6" x 29.5" 120L
Rogue 8'10" x 29" 115L
SIC 8'2" x 28" 110L
Fanatic Stubby 8'2" x 29" 105L
Quiver Shaped by: Joe Blair, Blane Chambers, Jimmy Lewis, Kirk McGinty, and Bob Pearson.
Me: 200#, 6'2"

supthecreek

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2021, 03:29:33 AM »
Hi scrooner, welcome to the Zone!

There are a lot of factors that go into selecting a board that is a good match for you, like age, fitness, previous surf experience, what type of riding you see yourself doing.

There are a lot of good options out there, so getting into specifics is important.

I pretty much spend all day consulting the next board, for people of all abilities.
To help me, I have developed a questionnaire that helps me to better understand a surfer,  so I can offer them some shapes and sizes to consider.

If you are interested in discussing further, please email me at:
supthecreek@gmail.com

That way, I can send you the questionnaire and give you my thoughts, if you are interested.

dietlin

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2021, 09:18:11 AM »
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, 8'5 Jimmy Lewis Striker.  Best small to medium wave, or small to large non-hollow wave, SUP out there. 

scrooner

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2021, 10:37:29 AM »
sflinux, at this point I'm planning on doing what you suggest:  going for a smaller longboard to raise the performance for me, and then potentially looking at adding a short/medium board in the future when I'm ready for more aggressive surfing and less glide. 

Thinking about my current setup again, I realized that my only real beef with the Laird is that it's so heavy (27+lbs) and the handle doesn't allow me to wrap my fingers inward, so it's hard to get it from the parking lot to the waves, which can be quite a distance on most Oregon beaches.  It's also overkill for a rider of my size.  So the first board I'm looking at is the Stylemaster, and I'd say I'm pretty likely to come home with it -- at 19lbs and a with a nicer handle it will be a game changer, to say nothing of the other dimensions, ha ha.

Thanks all for your knowledge and help!

sflinux

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2021, 12:33:37 PM »
The Laird Peason Arrow Sups are classic, no fault in them imo.  My 11' x 29 1/8" comes in at 29.5#.
Make one of these, you will love it (Thank you beasho):
Check out “Simple SUP Shoulder Strap for $1.50” from Beasho Free on Vimeo.
 
I like to watch this now and then for inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcuw4xGLaNk
« Last Edit: September 07, 2021, 12:38:48 PM by sflinux »
Quiver Shaped by: Joe Blair, Blane Chambers, Jimmy Lewis, Kirk McGinty, and Bob Pearson.
Me: 200#, 6'2"

ospreysup

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2021, 02:10:31 PM »
Dropping volume/board size is a right of passage. As is looking for the perfect board. I would try the World Wide. If it is too big or when it is too big, sell it, it will hold its value. What Creek said is very true, different shapes have different stability even at the same volume. How you surf matters too. But you may like or hate the shape.

I have 3 boards all the same liters. The stability of each is a mile apart.

I don't disagree with the guild factor notions but the Arrow and the World Wide are different shapes. Your board progression is just beginning. Buy used!

The best sup surfer I personally know gave me this advice once... "Volume is your friend!" and "too big is 1000 times better than too small."



805StandUp

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2021, 02:26:37 PM »
...
Thinking about my current setup again, I realized that my only real beef with the Laird is that it's so heavy (27+lbs) and the handle doesn't allow me to wrap my fingers inward, so it's hard to get it from the parking lot to the waves, which can be quite a distance on most Oregon beaches.  It's also overkill for a rider of my size.  So the first board I'm looking at is the Stylemaster, and I'd say I'm pretty likely to come home with it -- at 19lbs and a with a nicer handle it will be a game changer, to say nothing of the other dimensions, ha ha.

Thanks all for your knowledge and help!

The Pearson Arrows are great boards!  I had a 10'6.  The 9'6x30x122 and 9'0x29.5x113L Terry Chung shaped Lairds that came after the Pearsons are amazing (I think mine weighs ~13.5 lbs)... but alas, Laird doesn't make them anymore.   

toolate

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2021, 08:08:30 PM »
i am the same size as you and dropped down to a 110 litre board for #2. Now on a 90Litre board except in large waves or high wind/chop. 60 yo

PonoBill

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2021, 07:23:52 PM »
I didn't realize you have access to Gorge Performance or I would have never bothered blathering. Problem solved. Just go talk to Bob, tell him everything that's on your mind, and do what he says. Bob has more experience at fitting people to boards than anyone I know.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

scrooner

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2021, 02:24:26 PM »
I did end up getting the 2020 Fanatic Stylemaster from Bob, 10 x 28.5, and surfed some 5-footers at Otter Rock on Saturday.  It's quite a bit tippier side-to-side when I'm just standing on it and waiting around because the rails are thinner, but once I get moving on it in the waves it's far easier for me to turn, and if feels like the perfect board #2 for me.  It's going to take me some time and patience to progress into it, but I can't wait to get back out again.  I don't understand why they don't put any traction on the front 1/3rd of a longboard SUP, but I fixed it with clear RSPro HexaTraction so I can walk towards the nose without sliding off.

Dusk Patrol

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Re: What if I don't size down (volume) enough?
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2021, 07:26:55 PM »
Hey great choice.  Post some impressions as you get used to the board. I think there's a bunch of longboard souls here on the zone that would like to hear. 
RS 14x26; JL Destroyers 9'8 & 8'10; BluePlanet 9'4; JL Super Frank 8'6

 


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