There are a good number of surfers out there that have 2 boards: A longboard for most days and a “better wave board” for when the surf’s lit up. This better wave board is typically 6’6 up to 8’0 long. For these surfers, it’s not about the hack of the day or landing an air, it’s about wave count and making the most of their precious sessions. While there’s plenty to get excited about with today’s longboards, the “better wave board” that compliments a longboard (and its surfer) has been a category that has needed a good jolt of modernization.
The Ricky Carroll TMM is new for this year and is already one of Ricky’s most popular boards ever. The TMM fits the bill perfectly for this two board quiver and even Ricky himself travels the world with only two boards: his trusty 9’0 PLB and his 7’0 TMM. The TMM can handle anything from crumbly thigh high wind swell to well overhead bombing outer bars. The wide point forward design puts a solid dose of foam under your chest for added paddle power. The TMM can be ridden with a variety of fin set ups to dial into your preferences and local waves. In the past there were just super sized shortboards and the random plastic pop outs. The new Ricky Carroll TMM puts a mega dose of adrenaline into a board category that had all but fallen asleep. Well needed and incredibly well received.
You may not think longboards have their place in a bigger wave write up, but the fact is that the right longboard is a very functional board in larger surf, as long as it’s not sucking out below sea level. Additionally, if you solely ride longboards, the last thing you should do is switch to a “shortboard” when the waves are firing. You’re far better off sticking with the type of board you’re most familiar with and then just tweaking the design for better waves.
The Ricky Carroll PLB is a great all around high performance longboard with a serious yearning for bigger surf when the swell map lights up. Talk to anyone that owns one of these boards and they will tell you how many epic bigger wave sessions they’ve had on theirs when most shortboards couldn’t reach the peak or paddle into the size.
The Takayama DT2 retains the noseriding performance that Donald Takayama is known for, but blends it into a much more foiled out shape with thinner rails, a narrower nose and a more rockered out, rounded pintail. All of these tweaks create a great all around high performance longboard that can noseride, even in solid surf, as well as gouging into high performance longboard turns off the tail at high speeds in bigger surf.
As you can see from reading this article, surfboards have evolved and so have their step up quiver builders. When choosing a step up, honestly think about the waves you will actually be surfing in, as well as where you may be traveling to in the short term where you can use the same board. This will help you pick the right board and size that compliments the rest of your quiver and gets you tons of good waves during that next epic swell.
The choice of surfboard determines whether you will have fun in the water and improve your surfing or whether you will be frustrated! If the surfboard is too small, you will make a good figure on the beach, but in the water you will get too few waves. If the board is too big or the shape of the board does not fit your riding style, your surfing development will not be helped.
With the help of the self-assessment of your surfing level, your surfing ability, your weight and our volume calculator you should get a very good selection of suitable surfboards. Just follow the instructions and you will get a good idea which surfboard suits you best!
This short overview of the different surfboard shapes and surfboard categories will help you to choose your board. A detailed description of the individual surfboard shapes follows below.
Essential for the selection of the surfboard shape or surfboard category is your surf level. Here you should be honest with yourself and make a healthy self-assessment:
For beginners we recommend a Mini Malibu or Funshape/Funboard with enough volume or for the first days even a pure Softboard. These boards ensure that you have a good wave yield and sufficient stability on the board!
You already have the first surfing starts behind you and now it's finally time for the first surfboard! We recommend a slightly shorter Mini Malibu or Funshape.
Now it's time for a shorter board! As a step to the shorter board away from the Mini Malibu or Funshape we recommend a Fish Shape, Hybrid Shape oder Egg Shape. The boards combine a lot of volume in a short board! With the shorter board, you can practice duck dives and learn easy turns on the waves without losing too much stability and wave yield!
Do you already have a shortboard and are looking for a second board for your Surf Qiver to choose from a selection in different surfing conditions?
Now it's time to fine-tune your next Shortboards! With the help of our volume calculator you should find a shortboard, fish or hybrid to take your surf skills to the next level!
A surfboard must provide enough buoyancy for you to paddle comfortably, launch waves and land safely on the board during take-off. A surfboard which is too small won't be fun if you suddenly only get two waves per surf session. Conversely, the surfboard shouldn't be too big for you. After all, you want to reach the next surf level, practice turns or learn the duck dive.
A very good indicator which board matches your surfing level, your weight, your surfing experience and your surfing fitness is the volume of the board measured in liters.
You go surfing once or twice a year and spend a total of two to three weeks in the water. In general you have a good fitness and are also active in sports at home. Sport alone, however, does not completely fill your life and you enjoy spending an afternoon on the beach in the sun.
You regularly go on surf trips and spend several weeks in the water. Surfing is absolutely in the foreground on the trips. At home you do sports several times a week and the sport serves as a balance in your life. You go swimming or paddling to prepare for your next surf trip.
Spyder Surfboard reviewsYou live by the sea and surf regularly. Surfing is an integral part of your life. If there are no waves, you can train in the gym or swimming pool.
For beginners the Mini Malibu and Funboards are the right choice. The surfboards are very easy to paddle and glide well when paddling a wave. The boards offer a lot of stability when taking off and surfing the first waves - perfect for beginners!
For advanced surfers the Hybrid Surfboards, Fish or Egg Shapes fit very well! The boards with a length between 5.2 and 6.9 are much shorter than a Mini Malibu or Funshape. The shape is characterized by relatively wide boards and a nose with a lot of volume. Thus the Hybrids, Fish and Egg Shapes combine a lot of volume in a relatively short surfboard. This makes the boards very attractive for advanced surfers who want a shorter board, but don't want to forego the paddle advantages of a large board. Conversely, fish and egg shapes are a great alternative for good surfers on days with small and weak waves.
The boards are ideal as a step from the Mini Malibu to the next shorter board or as a step-up on days with smaller, weak waves. The surfboards are therefore suitable for advanced surfers as well as for professionals!
Shortboards are the surfboards for experienced and very good surfers. The boards are relatively light and have a small volume. This makes the boards very manoeuvrable and agile - for radical turns on the wave the shortboards are the right choice!
However, the short boards require a lot of surfing experience, paddle power and fitness. No surfer gets past funboards and fish shapes during his surfing career before he can surf a shortboard.
Longboards represent a different side of surfing: Smoother Surfstyle of a longboard with round movements and other manoeuvres like cross-steps or slope-fives or hang-tens!
Longboards represent a different side of surfing: Smoother Surfstyle of a longboard with round movements and other manoeuvres like cross-steps or slope-fives or hang-tens!
With a length of 9 feet or more, the longboards have a lot of volume. However, this does not mean that the boards are also suitable for beginners. The boards are difficult to move because of the large mass and paddling out to the line up is a big challenge, which makes longboards not beginners friendly.
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