Board sizes for Overseas Trips
Depends where, how long, what time of year etc. Got any specifics?
I guess mainly Indo, Maldives type trips. Are 7ft Rhino chasers an outlier or are there more people than I realise surfing boards that big in surf trips overseas.
7 ft = a Rhino Chaser...he he..
Carrying a bigger board around is a total drama.
95 percent of the time it’ll sit propped against the wall in your accommodation, a silent yet continuous reminder of every time you’ve had to drag it up stairs , around an airport , had to locate roof straps or alternative transport cause it won’t fit in a standard vehicle, every extra dollar you’ve forked out when the airlines blackmail you over its size and when your boards get rerouted on a different flight cause they didn’t fit in the plane.
The other 5 percent of the time it’ll be delivering you into the best waves of your trip and perhaps even into the waves of your life , whilst all those who didn’t pack a bigger board are scurrying for the shoulder and set dodging the plume breathing freight trains that you are gliding into and driving through.
Then it’ll take pride of place in your board rack , catching your eye at odd times and triggering irreplaceable and career defining memories , the likes of which will never be matched by any amount of shortboard performance sessions.
If I’m ever at home having a beer there’s a very , very good chance that at some stage I will pick out one of my bigger boards , wipe off the dust , hold it under my arm and be temporarily transported back to one of my life’s peak surfing moments .
Bigger boards loom in power over time whilst the vast majority of shortboards diminish in status as board progression moves forward.
The traveling gun is the Amex of surfboards.....don’t leave home without it.
nice Blowin.
I've kept all my big waves boards. unless they break then there dust.
they are stashed at locations in each hemisphere though.
So i can not really walk to the shed and pick them all up.
i am half way through shaping a new 8'0" ive been waiting for the weather to cool...well i have kinda been whats the word, ah procrastinating .
thanks for the inspiration .
Neggy ned, check what board size your airline will allow, talk to your local shaper.
or shop around for a second hand step up.
you want to be able ?familiar with surfing bigger boards.
my tip is a nice 7'6" then maybe 7'0"or 6'8".
virgin doesn't take boards over 7'6" , ive been stuck taking boats and buses, trains just to get my boards to the location.
Nice one, Blowin. Inspired me to visit the shed and say g'day to the troops. Keep up morale and whatnot.
Thanks Legends
Appreciate the feedback. Sizeable HT’s last year and the biggest board anyone had out here was 6’8.. majority was 6’4.... but yeah would have definitely appreciated a few extra inches that day.
I’m looking at a surfboard protection system for travelling, and just trying to figure out maximum sizes I’d potentially need to factor in
Any indo (besides G-land) or Maldives trip I take 3 boards - A 5'9, 6'0 and 6'2 or 6'3. I'm 5'11 and 79kg. I'll ride the 5'9 up to 4 feet, the 6'0 when it's 4-6 feet and the 6'2 when it's up to 8 feet.
Fiji i will sub out the 5'9 for something in the 6'3 range.
Cheers Eel
2 boards for me. 6'0 and 6'6. Looking at bigger boards though now and have been thinking about the logistics of transporting a big board around Indo etc.
Minimum 3 boards and dependant on location and forecast. Shorty (5'9 - 5'11), step up (6'0 - 6'3), and gun (6'6 - 8'0). Bigger wave location I'll either add an extra gun or drop the shorty and add another step up. I've always taken the approach to have too much rather than too little. I reckon the memory of not having the right board in standard small waves fades pretty quick in comparison to having the perfect board on the day of days when everyone else is scratching around undergunned out on the shoulder. I mean, that's why you travel isn't it?
amen
blue corner dive insta 4-5 m GWS nusa lombongan
Seems legit
I once had to leave most of my boards in Jakarta to get a bus to Krui, they would only allow me to bring one board. a 5'10 twin keel fish.
Luckily i could surf it in sizey surf up to 6- 8 feet but when it got bigger luckily there were protected spots that pumped like Krui left and rights.
Had a ball but did miss my other boards sometimes. but jeez its a pain in the arse to travel with a lot of boards especially when you're getting buses around.
Pro tip- buy 5 back seats on the bus. it will only cost around 50 bucks and you have extra room for your legs to sleep on.
Anyone used the new Susi Air Bandar Lampung to Krui flight....big time saver of about 5 hrs car travel ?
Thanks Crg and bnkref
Hi gang
Just wondering as to what board sizes you all take as a quiver for an overseas surf trip.
Most of my mates (including me) rarely seem to need anything bigger than a 6’6 as a step up, then a normal board around the 6’2 mark and either a back up 6’2 or a fun board for smaller days.
I’m a touch over 6ft and weigh around 82.5kg as a base
Trying to do some research for a project I’m working on. Trying to establish whether most people are similar in board sizes, or whether there is a significant portion of surfers taking larger boards either for those bigger days, or just personal preference
Cheers
Matt