Going from a 9'6 to a 7'10 questions..

[mako25]

I have gotten pretty good on my long-board with single fin so now I am thinking of going to a 7'10". I would just like to try to do a bit more this spring and figured going to a smaller board would do the trick . So going from a 9'6" to a 7"10" will it be like learning all over again just trying to catch a wave?...My other option is adding the two side fins to my long-board, will this alone give me enough flexibility?

[skimmer2]

IMHO adding the two sidebite fins ain't going to give you the different feel that I think you are after. A 7ft 10 will. If you have got good on the longboard then a 7ft 10 will feel very different but I doubt you will struggle with it as much as you think. Why don't you try renting a board around the 8ft size first and see what you think? You'll get plenty off ebay if you decide to buy.

[bombie]

Depending on what your objective is you may want to try a shorter board than a 7'10. A 7'10" is still fucking huge and will surf more like a mal than a shortboard - and, unless you've to supernatural powers, you won't be able to duckdive it. You won't need to relearn how to surf by going to a shorter board - you may blow the first few waves and get a bit frustrated initially but you'll figure it out fairly quickly. I'd have a go on something like a 6'5" (for at least 2 days): see how it feels and then decide whether you want more or less volume. What you may need to do, if you aren't doing so already, is take off a bit closer to the peak with the board angled along the face (rather than perpendicular to the wave, as is possilble from further out with the greater speed that a 9'6" permits).

For the removal of doubt - I'm not attempting to suggest that longboard style surfing is bad but that if you are going to have a second board you may as well get a craft that surfs differently and allows you to surf different waves or gives you a different experience to the 9'6". eg. you can sometimes have a lot of fun in a crunching shorebreak on a shortboard but would get eaten for breakfast on a mal in the same waves.

[skimmer2]

Depending on what your objective is you may want to try a shorter board than a 7'10. A 7'10" is still fucking huge and will surf more like a mal than a shortboard - and, unless you've to supernatural powers, you won't be able to duckdive it. You won't need to relearn how to surf by going to a shorter board - you may blow the first few waves and get a bit frustrated initially but you'll figure it out fairly quickly. I'd have a go on something like a 6'5" (for at least 2 days): see how it feels and then decide whether you want more or less volume. What you may need to do, if you aren't doing so already, is take off a bit closer to the peak with the board angled along the face (rather than perpendicular to the wave, as is possilble from further out with the greater speed that a 9'6" permits).

For the removal of doubt - I'm not attempting to suggest that longboard style surfing is bad but that if you are going to have a second board you may as well get a craft that surfs differently and allows you to surf different waves or gives you a different experience to the 9'6". eg. you can sometimes have a lot of fun in a crunching shorebreak on a shortboard but would get eaten for breakfast on a mal in the same waves.

a 9ft 6 to a 6ft 5 .........reckon he may flail around for a long time....I would go midway first and try that...if you are fine go smaller IF you want to. We are talking a reduction of 3ft in one go which is a big step for most mortals.

[Finster]

I hear what bombie is saying, in that buying a 7'10" board is still going to feel like riding a longer board. If you are going to spend the money on a new surfboard, maybe go down a little more in size. Like a mini mal around 7'2" to 7'6".
A smaller mini mal (funboard) is going to be less of a leap than dropping down to a shortboard at 6 1/2 feet.

[mako25]

Thanks for all the feed back, I think I am going to rent a 7'6" and give it a try..

[skimmer2]

Thanks for all the feed back, I think I am going to rent a 7'6" and give it a try..

good call

[Finster]

That's a good decision. I think you will be surprised at how much easier a 7 to 7 1/2 foot surfboard is to turn and position as the wave is approaching. It's also going to be easier to get through the whitewater, less board to have to handle.