Surfboards for older Surfers

Not too sure about the guy on the mini-mal outsurfing anyone, but I take your point.

I'm young enough to still surf standard shorties (current is 5'9" quad 28 L), but old enough to consider what's gonna happen and how I'm gonna handle it.

My plan is just to go incrementally longer in the same planshape and incrementally thicker but only under the chest. From all reports - and Shaun Tomson said this in the recent article we ran of his - it's the explosive paddling power that holds many older surfers back. If that can be compensated for then hopefully I can still get as many waves.

I have no interest in riding anything over, say, 6'5" as a shortboard. If it comes to that I'll just pack it in, get a longboard and take any wave I want.

"I’m 54, 80kgs and arguably my best surfing days are behind me."

Love the optimism! Most surfers would probably consider their best surfing is behind them once they reach their early 30's. But I agree.. I just turned 41, and I've been more amped on my own surfing these last six months than at any time in the last fifteen years. Just ordered a few new boards for the next surf trip, can't wait to push myself a little harder than last time.

Where's the next surf trip to Ben? NZ tomorrow?

Hawaii, actually *gulp* - but not for a few months, so hopefully it'll be a little more user friendly for my benefit.

I wish I could be in NZ for the next week....

this is yet another area where the genius of the kneeboard comes into play. you get a 5'10" that handles like a shortboard, but given it is 23 3/4" wide has more volume, and so can catch waves easily and paddles well.

although 50 is proably not the time to start dabbling in the dark arts of the cripple.

Got a 50 year old kneelo mate who catches absolutely everything. Bloody flippers!

Not much he can't do except generate his own speed. He kills it in hollow waves and when it's rippy.

He made Surfer Mag for a session he had in Biscay Bay Newfy (would post some pictures of the waves but not sure how to) and got this quote in the article from Rob Gilley the photog...'Just goes to show you that wherever you are in the world, no matter how small the surfing community, there will always be an Australian Kneeboarder'.

We like to refer to the collective as a ward of kneelos (cripples)

oh yeah, i forgot about the flipper/fin advantage...
i just had a look at a map...the biscay bay area looks really exposed out there in the atlantic. it must get some massive swells from a few directions. hurricanes from the carribean must generate some good waves?

i have vague fantasies about moving to dalhousie u. in halifax. at least i'll be in good company. although it's still a fair paddle from newfoundland.

There's a bunch of waves in Newfy and not many surrfers. Biscay bay is the jewel and needs a good hurricane swell. My kneelo mate has video footage of himself riding an 8ft set at Biscay for 2 min 30 secs until he goes around the corner and out of view!

Plenty of waves in Nova Scotia as well by all reports.

Damn cold tho.

Interesting question that. Not revealing my age to you young roosters but I have incrementally gone up in length ("1-2"), and width/ thickness (1/8") and lowered my nose rocker. I have quads but still prefer a thruster. While I totally agree many surfers are under foamed I think its a mistake to give up on the body and fitness as we age. I work harder now than I have ever done at my fitness /diet and it definitely pays off more than getting more foam, but its easier getting a bigger board than stop eating tim tams :)

The other thing I've done is got a bigger board to tackle the local bombie, not many out there and the extra foam is handy.

At 63 my three boards are 6'0, 6'2" and 6'6". For me there are two main considerations in maintaining a reasonable level of performance; 1. Keep size increases to a minimum. The work rate is as important as the wave count. 2. Maintain strength and agility, it's no fun if you don't!
My ultimate plan is to retire before things deteriorate too much but without putting a date on it. All things must pass, so stop before you have to.

54 and 75 kgs or thereabouts, and have found around the 32-33 litre volume suits me nicely. Simon Anderson makes lovely boards to help out the old buggers who can't paddle as well as they used to.

Sometimes I think I'm still going alright, other days I feel like a kook, but console myself to some extent when younger guys come out after I've had a bad session and they say they were having trouble too.

Stu is the opposite end of the spectrum to me. I'll keep riding shortboards as long as I can, and will go up to longer boards to do it. My current boards are Simon 5'11'', Simon 6'3'' and a Sunova 6'6'', but I do have a special cruiser at 6'10'' which I bought off a friend and it's a beautiful cruisy board with a sweet pintail, so effectively a squaretail 6'4'' with a triangle of extra board at the end. I don't surf it often, got it particularly for a south coast wave I like to frequent, which involves quite a paddle. It's a thing of beauty.

I may eventually go a mini-mal, when I'm about 80 and given up on ever finding joy in life again. For me, mals are the line in the sand, and I dare not cross.

I'm with you there Floyd and have crept up incrementally in volume but only over the last few years. I'm not afraid to publish my age and am a sprightly 48 in two months time. I'm a pretty big unit (92 k's on a good day) and should lose a few but have a weakness for ice-cream (shakes fist at the sky). I keep reasonably fit by just surfing but notice i lose my paddling arms pretty quickly when I haven't been surfing. Recently we've had an extended flat spell and to be honest, haven't had even so much as a paddle in three weeks. Also, this time of the year it has to be pretty decent to get in the water with wind chills below freezing and water temps around 8 deg. Anyway, I've been riding an epoxy CI biscuit as my small wave board but am getting bored on it. I was kind of wanting to change up to something more hi-po but still paddles well and is around the 6ft length.

Any suggestions? My best surfing is behind me but not that far in the past. I still surf ok on my day just don't have the arms I used to have. Still can put 2-3 or even 4 hours in if the waves are co-operating though.

PS Don't like quads, thrusters for me.

At 52 and only just surviving a heart attack a couple of years back , i had no choice but to come up in volume for my fitness at 32.5 liters , but kept the length the same or slightly shorter that i had ridden since my 20s 6'3 hotdoggers to 6'6 step ups , i found one board at 34 litres was great for getting in early but to much volume for really sinking a rail and getting vertical , for me Morgs surfing well was more a mental challenge as i aged not just fitness ,after my recovery i felt like a reborn grommie back in the ocean , i was so fucking stoked to even paddle out and catch a wave , i think from watching most people surf the majority could have a few more litres of foam just to improve there flow between turns and catch waves easier , going longer isnt as much of an option were i surf because the waves are hollow with tight pockets with steps etc, extra length for me at some of my local breaks isnt an option , i have now rebuilt my whole quiver from balsa fish, quad fishes ,point boards, barrel boards and a flex tail gun , new boards are keeping my surfing fresh and in good waves i think i surf as good as i did in my 20s or thats what i keep telling myself ha , cheers to Wayne Webster for some quality boards that are crazy good in tubes and real waves ....

Love this topic.

As a mid forties grommet, I've found playing with design and linking boards to conditions is as equally important as volume and length. So, my quiver currently has boards from a 6'0 quad, through 6'2" standard HPSB's, a couple of 6'4" HPSB types for better days, a 7'2" round nose mid length (yep, a mini mal) and even a 9'1" mal

I think the error is trying to surf the same board in all conditions, or expecting the board to perform for you in all conditions. For me, I've found the HPSB types need more curve in the wave face, while on smaller days, it helps to have some length rather than just volume to help get into the waves a fraction earlier. Sheesh, last year, one of the best barrels I had was on the 9'1" mal, while everyone else was struggling to get into the waves, she just cruised in, so I could get to my feet, set a line and enjoy the view. Would I surf that board in peeling point waves breaking a head height, no fucking way ...

So, my $0.02 worth is think about your quiver, the waves you ride and the best board for those waves. Don't limit your thinking due to parameters like length, width, volume or style of board.

As for "retiring" from surfing. Fuck that. I want to be surfing long into the sunset. My personal long term goal is to be able to still paddle out and catch a few waves on my 80th birthday. A few old dudes around here in their late 60's and early 70's are proving it's doable, even with hip and knee reconstructions.

On that note, I'm heading out for the dawn patrol before this fucking northerly kicks. Yew! Stoked.

I'm 54 and weigh in at 93 kg, my boards are 6'4"37L and 6'6"36L which I find Ideal, I also have a Tomo Vanguard 5'8"32L which is great but is a struggle to paddle with any sweep or current around. My mates are always telling me I need a mal but I refuse to go there. It's as much about the physical workout, turns and stoke for me. Move it or lose it I say. Match the board to the conditions and have fun I say

adding to my earlier comments so much about my physical activity (surf, pool & dry land workouts) is about the ability to back it up the next day. so i can and do surf boards up to 5-8 litres smaller than my regular boards but i find that I'm stiffer the next day. its all a balance.

Morgan Caldwell wrote:

Thanks for you thoughts guys. These days, for me it's just about having fun. I just like surfing the waves, and don't actually care what size or sort of board I'm on and as many have said that's having the right board for the conditions and maintaining fitness. I think switching boards around and surfing them how they should be ridden relative to the waves makes me a better surfer. I'm currently having fun on a mini Simons style board. It's ugly, short, fat and flat but so much fun in crappy waves. The Stoke of a new board or surf trip makes me froth and feel like a teenager every time. I'm trying to work out roughly at what dimensions a board stops feeling and surfing like a short board. Its all related, but I'm guessing length wise it's probably in the 6'6" to 6'8" range.

Hi Morgan, yeah I would agree that a board above 6'6 definitely starts to feel a little stiffer (6'5 -6'6 is my fav length in solid waves up to 8 or so feet for turns) 6'8 and above for sure in my opinion.

I think the Maurice metro and pro tows do a real good job of shortening a board without sacrificing paddle power and drive.... you just got to be able to catch him if you want one. Can be tricky haha

I failed to mention I'm riding from a 5'8" up to 7' depending on conditions but my go to small wave board is a 5'11" epoxy round tail, wide and thick (bit like me) and my step up is a 6'5" rounded pin that handles about anything I'm prepared to paddle out in these days.

As I mentioned before I want to go back to something a little more high performance in smaller waves and the MC Metro or ATM is certainly a board I'd like to get on to.

Hey Zenagain ,have found that the pilates machine they flog on late night tv work really well on maintaining and strengthening the shoulders ,if thats all you want to target. I was a bit sceptical when my partner picked one up on ebay for the right price ,but it sure does work without having to spend much time on it Good for the core as well .If your not into it ,start punching out the pushups .Im on the wrong side of 60 and the paddling is not the problem ,trying to beat the crowd is though.

Cool man thankyou. My wife just started pilates, maybe I should join her.

I used to swim every day I wasn't surfing, do 1500 to 2000 metres religiously and smash every second lap then cruise every other to create an oxygen debt, worked well for keeping my fitness up, but where I live now and my schedule just doesn't coincide with the pool opening hours.

Excuses, excuses ha ha!

Always have huge respect for the old fella (or lady) who still rips. As I approach my 40's my surfing desires have shifted from being the best, flashiest surfer (who gets the most birds) to being able to get the most longevity and enjoyment out of my surfing, and still to be able to surf at a decent level with my kids one day. So cheers old dude who still rips - it's inspiring!

Hey less of the old, we're just wrinkly groms ;)

zenagain wrote:

I failed to mention I'm riding from a 5'8" up to 7' depending on conditions but my go to small wave board is a 5'11" epoxy round tail, wide and thick (bit like me) and my step up is a 6'5" rounded pin that handles about anything I'm prepared to paddle out in these days.

As I mentioned before I want to go back to something a little more high performance in smaller waves and the MC Metro or ATM is certainly a board I'd like to get on to.

Hey Zen, I'm 50 and 93kg. As little as 5 years ago was riding 32-33 litres but have gone up to 36 or a bit more in recent times with no loss of performance. Always looking for good boards that work in smallish conditions as my staple diet is 2 to 4 foot local point break with flattish waves. Loved the weirdo ripper CI in a 6'1" and the other one that I currently love is a JS 107 in the square tail not the round tail. Couldn't make a Hypto Krypto work at all. Didn't like JS ghetto cat either but I think Channel Islands have got a new Dane model called Sampler coming out soon which I'm real keen to have one. A bit flatter and volumed up which sounds like me. I'm always looking for performance short boards with a bit more foam for my ageing frame. I've also thought that my best surfing was probably behind me but still go pretty good some days. Funny but have seen some video of myself at 35 and also at 45 and I was actually way better at 45 but have probably declined a bit since then but some of that could be due to a couple of injuries and less time in the water.

'Always have huge respect for the old fella (or lady) who still rips.'

'So cheers old dude who still rips - it's inspiring!'

No worries... its a pleasure maaaayyte. Its just what I faarkin' do... aaayye! Gotta keep performin' !!! Its all about the farkin' performance... playing farkin' performin' surfees is... aaaaye!!!

That's what Dougie Dora reckons... Micky's 'kid'... met I'm up the West North... by the fire... on them rocks... I done. Not many 'ave. Still a few secret places left for them orv us in the know... aaayyee... gidday Dougie... lurv ya maaaayte!!! Just sayin. Ta.

Its all about them litres too (well, the test levels help... always have... justa bit... with the zentensity)!!! I knock off more litres of milk and eggs a day than in the average little surfee bugger's boards!!! But then, its no good struttin' into the gym, and sneakin' past the squat rack and the weights... and sneakin' inta the treadmills and pilates classes and pools an stuff!!! Sneakin' ya high chair in!!! No good loadin' up the bar with them little baby plates... gotta love ya litres... and ya kilos!!! That's if ya love ya back and shoulders... if ya want a back and shoulders... and stuff... not should'as... shoulders. Think of the wives boyz... understandin' as they might be... they deserve better aye... in ya surfeein' performance...s!!! Load up the bar boyz!!! Simple but elegant... ya can't play gymyeeein'... the bar don't lie... the hips don't lie... subtle leopards!!!

puppy likes his milk in the morning.....eggs scrambled too ....like his brain.

Oh, oh, there's a bit of of a racket goin' on down on the treadmills and in the pilates class (again)!!! Make the most of that fleetin' little surge... perform son!!!

Good to see you haven't lost your moxy big fella. That little holiday has done you good.

You're like Donald Trump 2.0 (the dyslexic version) as in you say what nobody else is thinking.

How's the grand-kids?

Now, now, now!!! The treadmills are on fire!!! I've lifted yas up!!! What a racquet... another nano surge... look out... chia seeds spraying everywhere, sprayin' through the bandages, and the braces, and the 'flammatries... and the injexions !!! Zentensity!!! Each to their own zenny, don't worry about ya grandkids, they're old enough to live their own lives now... they don't want to hang around you!!! You've got bigg... well... a little fish to 'fry' anyway!!! You stick to them treadmills, and them grannies son... perform... explode son!!!

But don't go too hard eh!!! Ya wouldn't wanna go too hard... not like some!!! Poor granny... the hips don't lie... she deserves better than that...ows' me surfeeein' performin' stuff... aaaayyee!!!

'Its them farkin, stinkin' lousy somaltypers luv... truuuwwwffe luv... aaaahhh fuck'n 'ell... maybe eight farkin' fins... aye luv???!!!'

'Yes dear... sounds... excitin'... again... dear...'

Sorry mate, I don't speak Swedish.

Maybe you should slow down and quit typing f-o-n-e-t-i-c-a-l-l-y?

By the way, those vids you posted up last year were very helpful, thankyou. But once again, could you get your granddaughter to film in landscape, not portrait. Tell her to hold the phone sideways, not up and down.

Glad they helped zenny. But you gotta pay more attention zenny... with them bloody levels plummitin'... like many did at blax!!! Rust has to sleep maaaayyte!!! Lots a things ya don't do these days zenny... no need to keep on repeatin' though!!! Anyway you an ya boyz are surfeeein' performin' well... having a go... in the net so to speak!!! Rust has to sleep zenny!!! Out of the blue... and inta the blax... sorta works on the web, that surfeeein' performin'. The chicken and the mutt never quite got up on the stage though!!! Just sneakin' and hangin' around the bottom!!! The chicken took off real quick!!! And you can't blame granny, zenny, your surfeein' performin' performance thing... she's had a gut full, got that no, not a fuck'ngain look and bolted!!! You gotta sleep now zenny, you gotta come to attention, come to your senses, remember what I told ya about those level's zenny. Rust never sleeps maaaayyte!!!

I gotta sleep, the bar don't lie, ya can't lie in the gym. Its easy for me, done for ever ya see, ya hips don't lie zenny.

Thanks big fella'.

Nighty night, gotta get up early to go surfboard riding then a big day at the coalface.

Right back atcha!

Wow, that gym candy's a helluva drug. Haha. And 'the mutt' thought this was me?

uplift wrote:

Think of the wives boyz... understandin' as they might be... they deserve better aye...

Ohhh....the irony

haha this uplift bloke is a crack pipe.... I mean crack up

the only racket is in your brain puppy. it must be unbearable.

Here we go, could be promising!!! A little group surge... so to speak. All scurryin' on down to the clinic to get the levels tested!!!

'Hey doc, we reckon we felt somethin' happen... aaaayyyee!!!'

'Yeh, looks like a little nano blip there in the wee hours boyz... nothin' to get excited about but... how many litres ya want... where shall I stick em!!!???'

'Stick em anywhere please doc, it don't matter, fark, many as ya can fit!!!'

See, I've trained heaps of surfeees over the years. Old ones too. Its easy to spot the plumittin' levels. Ya not alone boyz... take solice in that, there's fuck'n tons of yas, its just another 'epidemic'. And true enough... yeh exactly... they always got 'history' aaaaayyee!!!! Ya know what's comin' though... yeh... always does... that mighty farkin' (groan) wipeout.... the greatest injaree ever farkin' well seen orn this planet!!! A injuree like no uvver!!! For fuck sake, gather round folks, here's another wipeout saga!!! Benny tried to warn zenny, out of the blue, inta the blax... 'easy' he reckons... ya can't protect em all but!!! Yep 'history'. Woodsy reckons he's sweet... poor Dave. Its another 'citizenship' racket aye... well... sorta... aaaayeee!!! Who cares if he's frum farkin' vancooova, he aint no local ayyyeee!!!

Whats this got to do with the price of eggs? Hormones. Lack of. There's millions of them, they are responsible for every human function.

'Sorry maaayytee... ya can't spray over rust!!! No matter how many farkin' litres we waste aaayyee!!!'

Ya can fix rust though, easy if you know how. But watch out for that 'history' though. Its a game changer.

https://www.getbig.com/news/2007/08/20070828jones.htm

Bloody Arnie... just a few fibs back then in... 'history'...

I was lucky enough to be around then, and I knew Arthur Jones, he helped me heaps. They called it the golden era too... drug free!!! Like Lance... and his... mmmaaaaayyyyteeess!!! More game changers. Even the leopard got fooled. Fibs. That era still plays out today... it set the scene, hisstree repeatin' orn yas!!!

Its all about the recovery... 'yeh, yeh, we get that'!!!' You can tell they don't. Easy to tell, if you know how. So the 'epidemics' rule.

Nah turk, come on now son, talk the truuuwfe mmmaaaayyte... the mutt weren't juz thinkin'... he wuz all knowing!!! He knows all... still does, ya not foolin him... always right the mutt!!! He knows... deeeeeeeep down... ya mite fool the uvver idyuts... nort the mutt butt!!!

Have another snort groges, and another, its not helping groges... never has.

its like he's having a conversation with himself.

I seriously zone out and go back to what I was doing (work) when I see an uplift post......just an overload of words, punctuation and weblinks and it still makes no sense.....

Well, I reckon he's got the Mutt aka Doggo aka Tinkles the Pomeranian aka Lord Sheeeeepdog well and truly pegged.

Mmmaaaaaayyte, get over to the dislocated shoulder thread and give us all some uplifting stuff.

a grown man with such inferiority complex. and a one topic wonder to boot.

It's like reading the clues from a cryptic crossword puzzle. Any chance we can return to the topic?

Sadly... there's a theme forming here... again. 'Zoning', 'puzzled', 'overloaded,' 'litres', 'gallons', 'puppies', 'scrambled', 'too complex', 'wondering'... 'forgotten topics', old blokes... young blokes... grommets... talking to no one... plummeting 'levels'... where to next?

Here we go again. Thank God for Lifty!!!

Yep, thank god for Lifty.

Pooman, sorry I didn't respond last night, I got kinda sidetracked.

You and I seem pretty similar. Despite the musings of our loveable rogue (see above) I just seem to have more fun and get more waves on boards where I've upped the volume a bit. I've actually come down in length as I used to ride 6'2"s - 6'4"s and now am on sub 6' in normal everyday waves. Having said that, I get pretty bored easily and am looking to find that magic board that has a balance between performance and paddleability if such a word exists. I agree with others in that no one board can suit all condition and I've got pretty much all the bases covered here but I'm currently wanting something that works well when the waves get in the chest to head and half range which is what I probably surf about 80% of the time. The MC Metro really seems to jump out at me and am leaning towards one of those. Also agree, Simon Anderson makes good boards for bigger fellas and I had 6'2" TPF a few years ago that I surfed into the ground. Loved it.

zenagain wrote:

Pooman, sorry I didn't respond last night, I got kinda sidetracked.

You and I seem pretty similar. Despite the musings of our loveable rogue (see above) I just seem to have more fun and get more waves on boards where I've upped the volume a bit. I've actually come down in length as I used to ride 6'2"s - 6'4"s and now am on sub 6' in normal everyday waves. Having said that, I get pretty bored easily and am looking to find that magic board that has a balance between performance and paddleability if such a word exists. I agree with others in that no one board can suit all condition and I've got pretty much all the bases covered here but I'm currently wanting something that works well when the waves get in the chest to head and half range which is what I probably surf about 80% of the time. The MC Metro really seems to jump out at me and am leaning towards one of those. Also agree, Simon Anderson makes good boards for bigger fellas and I had 6'2" TPF a few years ago that I surfed into the ground. Loved it.

ahhh Zen man , there's a perfect solution for you Mr C has a new design called a Dirty Dingo , smaller wave bd works in crap , and tube rides quite nicely , a sushi/fishy kind of shape , just got mine and its rather a blast. He will be seeing you soon says he , bearing underarm gifts in early June!

I'll look forward to seeing him Sharkman.

And when i do, the sarada pizza and the red is on me:)

I stumbled across this old discussion on boards for older surfers and thought I'd ask you guys in Swellnet World for a bit of help. I'm 55 turning 56 in June. I've been a passionate kneelo for 42 years. I currently weigh 87 kgs, but this will change in the next couple of months. I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in January this year, not the new year I was anticipating. My prognosis is positive, I am currently undergoing chemotherapy and in May I will have my entire stomach removed as well as part of the lower end of my oesophagus. It is expected that I will lose 20% of my body weight which will see me tip the scales at about 71kgs. I haven't been that weight since I was 17! I will then undergo more chemo sessions. Doctors are confident I will recover and surprisingly you can live a good quality of life without a stomach. To help keep me positive and give me something to look forward to, I thought that when I recover I would by myself a longboard or mini mal and stand up! That would be two miracles in one year, healed from cancer and being a crip for over 40 years! I like the idea of joining the longboard crew in smaller surf on the points along my stretch of coastline. Riding a kneeboard in under 2ft surf isn't much fun but a longboard would be. If anyone can suggest a board and relevant dimensions I would be very appreciative. I guess my weight will eventually go up a little when I fully recover so I will set my weight at 75kgs for this task. Thanks guys for any help you can offer! Toppa

Hey toppa sorry to hear about your health issues but good to hear your on the mend.

Im 75 kg and ride a 9’4 x 23 single fin on small points and clean tiny beachies. Its a traditional style log with 50/50 rails the whole way which is great for getting up to the nose and trimming down the line. You sacrifice a bit of turning ability with this style of board but in the waist high and below peelers i dont find it to be any issue. You can get boards with a slightly harder edge in the tail which bite into the cutback a bit better something like the oz slasher from south coast is a nice blend https://www.southcoastsurfboards.com/collections/factory-stock/products/.... They are pretty exy new but you can find some bargains on gumtree etc.

Personally i wouldn’t stray into the performance style longboards for those kind of waves. they aren’t as cruisey but comes down to personal preference really.

One thing to consider is that the traditional style longboards can get pretty heavy and be a pain to cart around on land. Hope you heal quick mate your positivity is inspiring.

Interesting thread.... well most of it, but I'm a bit slow to join the conversation. I'm now 56 and have slightly differing view. I think what slows up us older crew is the weight some of us carry. I'm pretty fit, surf most days, down the local, and about 72kg. For older guys carrying extra ballast (15-20kg) more than myself, it's going be harder work irrespective of what surfcraft your on. I'm trying to imaging what it would be like for me to strap on a bag of 20kg Bunnings potting mix and go for a paddle?..... So I think it's often a question about a about the strength or stamina to weight ratio of the surfer and not necessary about the age of the surfer.
Regarding boards, I ride a sub 6' shortboard on better days with a bit of push, but on smaller, typical, grovelling days I ditched the mini mal and embraced the mini Simmons - a revelation.