Saturday, May 9, 2009
How much foam is 'just right' for you?
Picked up another (yes, I know) board from Jacob Bullock the other day and
took it out for the first time today. When I first had it in my hands, I thought
the rails were WAY too beefy and that the board might possibly feel clunky
because of it. Dims are 6'4" x 21 1/4" x 2 5/8" with the volume completely
pulled out to the rails and a very flat deck. Well, guess what? I was wrong.
The board paddles really, really well, picks up waves with ease, and is
absolutely BUTTER on carves. After one session in fun reef waves, I think
the extra volume actually helped with gliding through the flats and keeping
momentum in soft, mushy waves. Did I mention butter?
I actually remembered a comment Bullock made about seeing me on my fish
the last time we surfed together....that it looked like I might not have enough
volume. Guess he was right. To be continued...
The board in question:
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And you're still looking for a fish? :-)
ReplyDeleteCool blog. I know exactly where you're coming from as far as thickness and volume is concerned. I've been known to shape an occasional board or two for myself and a few adventurous friends and have always gone with the philosophy of riding the widest, thickest board that you feel comfortable with. Even though I'm quite short and light, 138 lbs., 5'5" in height, I too have a board similar to the one you described and have copped a lot of flack for how wide and thick it is for my size, but one disadvantage is my age, 54 yrs old. Although I'm in decent shape, it's very unlikely I'm gonna out paddle someone 20 yrs younger. Not to knock anyone riding narrow thin, boards, it's just that you have to be honest with yourself, and I think a lot of guys out there would be better off riding something a little thicker and maybe even wider too, but hey, better for us, as we can catch the ones they miss.
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