Hybrid vs shortboard
Gday mate. I prefer hybrid over HPSB for 99% of my surfs. For your references
- get vertical - 7/10
- surf progressive 10/10 Hybrid give you more speed without trying
-link turns smoothly 10/10 personally I prefer hybrid
- maintain speed and flow 10/10 personally I prefer hybrid
Try and do a roundhouse cutback on Mick Fanning's board on a beachie.. Now add slightly more tail width and a boxier rail and voila I'm figure 8ing and gliding over sections. The only drawback for me has been every once in a while you are in the exact spot to hit the lip right in the pocket(thanks to the width and boxier rail getting you there) and you cant get that critical critical "snap" due to more nose it feels. Its there but not as good as it could've been.
So it depend what you surf and what you define as "hybrid". High performance hybrids are the best think for non pro's IMO.
Lost Rocket vs Driver
CI Rocket Wide vs Happy
JS, etc etc.
HPSB in uncrowded good waves only.
Agree with @Doubems111. IMHO you can’t beat a HPSB thruster in quality waves over 4 or 5 feet and when it’s not like that a good hybrid is the way to go. By good hybrid I mean one who’s design is a little more SB than fish or groveller.
Thanks Doublems, awesome answer
Follow up question- I'm 76kgs and find medium sized fins rated for 60-80kgs give me too much hold unless its over 4ft
Have you found anything similar in the sense of feeling like you need smaller fins than rated, or could it be I'm just not leaning in hard enough and putting the board on enough of an angle on the rail?
Funny about the link here. I have surfed a range of hybrid shortboards and some HPSB. In South Australia, especially the Adelaide and nearby waves, very few surfers can surf high performance shortboards, the waves are generally too fat, slow. Trips to Yoke Peninsular and the West Coast means more a more HPSB,
or a at least longer, finer rails, narrower noses and tails. I have used Simon Facedancer, Lost Crowdkiller, Lost V3, JS Blackbox and a couple of others i can't remember around SA and find the hybrids are fine in most waves up to 5 ft and very few of us surf that size all that often, but i do have a step up for serious waves.
I am 75 kg, but always allow a bit more for a 4/3 wetty and have always used medium fins. My new 6'4" Crowdkiller with a small swallow was bough for a Telos trip in August and it's too still stiff with Mediums Am's, and Performers but perfect with Reactors which are the smallest, even at good size. It has made me think about whether I have been surfing too big a fin and maybe should try smalls on some of the fins I surf a lot like the AM's and Performers. Interestingly many of the FCS2 fins are not available in Small. Most surf shops will have fins you can try and that's what I'll be doing.
yeah I have AM mediums and I tend to take the centre fin out if its under 4ft the board slips a bit but its way more fun. I'll check out reactors.
Interested on people's thoughts on hybrid vs shortboard. To surf progressive, get vertical, link turns smoothly, maintain speed and flow, is there any point to considering a hybrid? Or for this kind of surfing is a shortboard really the only way to go. No political bullshit please, just the technicals of hybrid vs shortboard for high performance surfing - pros and cons would be awesome.; Thanks!