Mid length recommendations
I forgot to mention. I'm 60 years, 5'8" and 85 kgs.
Old board. Don't know if the link will work.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2488244957867248&set=a.10036261…
Reo a Desert Storm or a Simon A Big S style board is what you need around the 7 - 7'6ft x 20 x 3
will paddle like your Mini mal turn like a skateboard
Go see Dylan Longbottom for Custom ..i would have said Jim Banks....But to much $$
or something like the Chilli Mid Strength maybe....
https://www.chillisurfboards.com/surfboards/detail.php?id=7234
Just a FYI: If you do get a DS to use more as a mid length, don't buy off the rack, but specify a lighter glass job.
It's a gun, and it's normally glassed heavily. It'll paddle fast, but takes many more strokes than a light mid length to get up to full paddle speed.
IB....yes , I’m very much enjoying the DS.
It’s nothing like I thought it would be but exactly what it should be. Sounds strange I know. It’s a paddling machine and bottom turning around a long section on it has to be one of the sweetest feelings in surfing.
Webby now has stock sizes of D~Storms - starting at 6'2 -35 litres
I was expecting nice fine rails for tube riding . The rails are very hard in the tail, but the front two thirds of the board are quite boaty. Then I realised it’s not for marginally sized 6 ft Indo tubes , but specifically for big meaty barrels and large waves in general. I haven’t actually ridden it in really hollow waves yet either.
Mine is 7’0” at 45 litres and I think the stock 7’0” is 54 litres ( ! ) , so it’s made to be even boatier.
But then you get it out in a vast lineup with a lot of water moving around, some hectic current and large , fast moving and shifty walls and it comes into its own. I can paddle virtually twice the speed of others in the lineup which is very nice when cleanup sets are on the menu and you always seem to need to be ten metres away from where you are when the wave of the morning pumps in.
Who knows, maybe it will go well in more technical tubes ? But as it stands so far , it’s worth it’s weight in gold for how much ground it covers and it hits top gear really quickly. Chews through impossible sections like they’re standing still.
And it’s fun on really small days too.
One other thing....people are surprised when I tell them the litreage and usually remark that it’d be a mission to duck dive , though it actually pushes under quite easily and then when you start to push back up to the surface it literally spears you through the foam and you’ve already got momentum when you start paddling. This can be a huge advantage in spots where it’s a mission getting back out.
Thruster.
And there’s a 6’2” Pyzel Ghost for sale in Bali if anyone is keen. FCS setup.
Only surfed a few times.
But then you get it out in a vast lineup with a lot of water moving around, some hectic current and large , fast moving and shifty walls and it comes into its own. I can paddle virtually twice the speed of others in the lineup which is very nice when cleanup sets are on the menu and you always seem to need to be ten metres away from where you are when the wave of the morning pumps in.
Blowin. Sounds like Nusa Dua to a T.
Was good a couple of weeks ago, but back to mediocrity now.
Was a couple out there an hour ago on the middle peak. Nothing amazing, but ok. 4-5 feet and glassy. The DS is perfect for out there.
5 of us out , no current . Standing up nicely on the reef out back. Love the way it jacks like it does.
Perservere with the Ghost ...Fin changes and lots of them..quality Fins not Balinese copys..
Is Serangan def off limits or surfable by boat ?
Sounds exactly right, Blowin.
Some of my best surfs on mine (6'10, 44.5L) were at 8ft Impossibles. Lots of ground to cover, massive sections to clear. Pelican surfing.
I’ve got AM2 large in at the moment and it still feels skittish and lacks drive off the bottom. The back end feels too “busy”. I’m fucked at articulating what’s going on with a board , but I think it’s got too much tail rocker for me .
You enter into turns slow and then it kicks hard at the end of the turn and seems to stall or get caught. I will try with a smaller back fin ( little Outer Islands Switchblade fin ) but i reckon it’ll result in even less drive.
The strange thing is that crew I surf with reckon it looks like it’s working well.....but it feels shithouse. Who cares how it looks if it’s not enjoyable to ride.
Best way to explain it :You know how the best boards are an extension of your body and you forget it’s even there ? Well I’ve been more than aware of the presence of the board on every wave I’ve rode on it. Perhaps 60/80 waves.
It feels awkward. It also feels a few inches longer than what it actually is. 6’2” feels like a 6’6”.
Paddles really well and gets into waves like a dream but that’s where the love affair ends.
The tail is getting that many depressions it’s equating to about $10 loss of resale value with every turn.
Have you tried driving a little more off the front foot? That's definitely where the gas pedal is on that board.
The Ghost , IB ?
I think I’m already a pretty front footed surfer ....until I’m turning then it’s all back foot.
Fucked if I know.
Hey Blowin, try (assuming your height/weight) 2+1ing it: smaller side fins, larger rear fin. Maybe that will get rid of the skittish feeling.
Equivalent sizes: I might go M7 in tail and M5 sides if I were bigger
M5 in tail and M3 on sides if I were smaller
Or mix it up: M3 sides and M7 tail
I suspect it might help in a WP forward board with long rail and pin. Quality glass fins
I knew on wave one.
Smaller side fins and large tail fin ? Sounds a bit strange but I’ll give it a go. Every other board I like needs bigger side fins and smaller tail fin.
It doesn’t feel skittish as much as too lively ( same thing ? ) .
Blowin, next time you're out there, I'm the grey haired guy on the triple stringer.
udo. Serangan is a 100k trip from Serangan harbour now. Many of us are mourning riding in , with the beachfront warungs. It's progress (I guess).
Hi Reo
What colour is your board ? We’ve probably seen each other.
Blowin.
All my boards are white.
I pay more for colour.
And, I'm Terry Tightarse
I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a white 8’4 triple stringer mini mal with a round nose ?
I’ll try ....I usually just paddle past people *
*Jokes !**
**Sort of jokes
I’ve got a white shirt with a black squiggle , beige hat , grey boardies and now I’m wearing a knee brace. Did something else to my knee this morning. Might be out of commission for a couple of days . Fingers crossed that’s all . But I might just take the Desert Storm out for a paddle anyway just to keep myself busy .
Desert Storm is white with black rails .
Stiff fins also..some of those AMs flex more than others
I have 2 sets of blue AM large -Diff flex patterns between the two with the oldest Set being the Stiffest ..the flexier ones on the same board feel like your driving your car with ultra low tyre pressures .
And head Nth and rest your knee @Villa Selina
I might go and check that joint out if my knee stays rooted , Udo.
Nice one. I’ve never been that far North.
Go have look its still early 80s vibe up there .....but changing quickly
2hr drive approx ..i usually leave at 4.30 am its an ok cruise
Not sure if the new international airport up there is going ahead but that wiill destroy the place try and drive back coast rd to Amed...cupla sneaky waves around that coast too..
Agree with VJ on the larger center fin thing. Got a couple of Byrning Spears 6 channels and the fin sets for those have a larger fin in the middle. At first, I thought it would make a channel bottom stiff, but now I've ridden them, if the center fin was smaller or even the same size, I reckon it would be all over the place and way too hard to control.
Worth a try, but at the same time if you know, you know
Who can recommend a bigger fin than the ones I’m using ? I bought those cause they’re the biggest thruster fins I could find.
I found the ghost wanted less fin to light up. I couldn't get it going at all my first few surfs while cycling through large fins. Extremely humbling experience. Kolohe Meds in FCS & JJF Meds in Futures both feel good to me.
Thanks for the advice , crew.
I will persevere for the present time ....knee allowing.
The alternative...
Just to fcuk things up, mine went OK with AM mediums, and lit up like crazy with AM2s. Go figger...
Hey Blowin,not sure if youv'e seen these reviews but ol Noel knows his stuff and if you haven't seen it you should get something out of it cause he talks about fins in this review.
https://surfnshow.com/collections/pyzel-surfboards/products/pyzel-surfb…
Hey Blowie; here's my two bobs worth. Futures T1s. They're a Twin set, but nicely proportioned and a really versatile fin. Check the dimensions against your current set, all will make sense. You'll probably want to run a larger rear fin than they supply with this set though. NEED essentials also selling some awesome fins at the moment, solid glass, stiff as! If drive is what your lacking, then these might be what your after? Personally find the AM 1s & 2s a little bit fine and flexy in the tip, possibly why you're not generating the drive your looking for?
Didnt you opt for heavier glassing on your Ghost
I dont think Blowin is gonna buy Needs fins....Anyway do they do them in FCS ?
love it, the latest midlength thread has become a ghost fins discussion
That review was great, tbh this is the first modern hi po shortboard in a looong time I'd have any interest in. That reviewer was carving it really well! To my eye, here's a bit of the rail carving of the late 70's short single fins (WP forward) in a contemporary board. Very interested to hear everyone's take on them.
Further on fins: we once did a design a bit like a HK, only with a more neutral 50/50 foam balance (not all up front). It was a great board, very loose, but lacked drive (you compensated by drawing highlines into big carves). Improved with the rear fin bigger. The most extreme variation of this was something big like an M7 (or a large, rear TC redline) in the back and those small grey H2 fins in the side. Just sayin...
this is getting me so psyched to get my Ghost back out there.
just need some good waves now.
I also found with the narrow tail block I needed less fin area. and I like large fins.
got JJF M in there at the moment. really stiff.
Udo....didn’t have time again. Lucky to get one from stock before I left.
I’ll play around with the fins. Bigger , smaller. Keep on trying.
Didn’t surf. Nursing my knee ( possible ACL tear ... ) and had to go experience a delightful slice of Indo bureaucracy at immigration which actually went pretty smoothly.
Day is amazing though. Surf looks incredibly inviting. Glassy and blue skies.
Seabiscuit wrote:
Anyone ridden the Channel Islands Mid Twin and have some feedback?
The standard thruster CI Mid is a great board (and they seem to be everywhere).
Mate I use this as my daily driver around here on the Sunny Coast.
I use it along with BMTs.
Basically it handles anything from knee high to double over. Its sweet spot is 4-6 and is a pretty handy paddler
Mitch Surman glassed mine, so it's held up well over the last few years. Off the rack they can seem a bit fragile.
I ride a 6'7", I'm 6'1" @ 86/7 kgs.
Hello all, I'm currently riding a locally shaped 8'4" x 22" x 2 7/8" mini mal loosely based on a McTavish Fireball. It's got fairly parallel 50/50 rails that i find good for speed but bad for maneuverability..
I'm getting a new one made up. Shorter, 7'8" x 21" x 3" (possible dimensions). I want it to be more maneuverable than the 8'4", but with the same paddle power and easy wave catching. Can anyone offer some advice about rails, bottom shape, etc?
It appears that I can't post a pic of my old board for reference.
I live in Bali and prefer reef breaks (Nusa Dua, Kuta Reef, Balangan, etc)
Thanks.