Surfboard vocabulary

[Nords]

I'm starting up this surfing thread from the other longboarding (skateboard) thread at:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/cost-of-longboarding/msg248805/#msg248805

What are the dims on that pintail? Looks fun

It's a weird one.  10'0", only 22" wide, 3 1/8" thick.  8" single fin.  The nose has a huge rocker and it's almost impossible to pearl.

I bought off Craigslist from a desperate seller who's getting divorced.  He claims he wanted a longboard that rides like a gun so that he could take it into 20 feet at Waimea Bay.  He'd had it custom-shaped by Cippy Cabato (who usually doesn't make pintails) and he'd never even had it in the water.  The quality of the shaping and the finish is extraordinary, and I feel nervous about dinging it just walking it through the parking lot.  Cippy retired and closed his shop last year, so I guess his boards are going up in value.  I paid $400, and it's probably worth $1000-$1200. 

It's a challenge.  On one hand it's the jumpiest longboard I've ever ridden, and I'm still scrambling around on it to keep it trimmed.  OTOH it takes off like a rocket and really carves.  My days of Waimea 20-footers are behind me but I've had it in 10-footers at Chun's Reef and I'll be back for 14-16 this winter.  It's also a nice smooth ride in two-footers, and it starts a lot of talk story on the beach.

It's like owning a Maserati:  fast, fun to drive, looks great, chick magnet.  But I hardly feel mature or responsible enough to take care of it...

I understood none of that!

Some day...

:)

Heh.  Good point-- you have to have your own secret vocabulary or everyone might start surfing!
We're talking about the green surfboard in the second photo below.

"Pintail" refers to the tail narrowing to a point-- I guess like the tail of a pintail duck. 

Tails have all sorts of different shapes and surfers regularly get into fistfights over which is "better".  Professional surfers will have "quivers" of 20-30 boards (usually free from their sponsor company) and each board has a slightly different shape for slightly better performance over slightly different conditions.  I'm skeptical about how much the average surfer can tell a difference, but it sure gives me a lot of used boards to choose from on Craigslist.

It's a weird one.  10'0", only 22" wide, 3 1/8" thick. 
Longboards (generally anything longer than nine feet) are usually 26-29" wide and 3 1/2 inches or thicker.

8" single fin. 
One large fin at the back projecting 8" down below the tail of the board, and with no smaller side fins.  This big rudder generally makes the board more stable (especially in choppy surf or the foam of the wave) but harder to turn.

The nose has a huge rocker and it's almost impossible to pearl.
The amount of curve in the board from nose to tail.  Most of the curve ends up rising at the nose (because the surfer is standing closer to the tail) which elevates the nose above the water.  That keeps the nose from digging into the wave, which would force the whole board to dive down or "pearl" into the water like a pearl diver.  When you're moving 20 MPH and the board pearls, you're catapulted airborne (briefly) before a hard landing... and then the board pops back up from the wave and drops down to smack you on the head.

A board with a pointed nose is even harder to pearl because the point has less surface area digging into the water.  (A rounded nose is like sticking a shovel in the water.)  The board's overall buoyancy (and big rocker) can elevate the nose back up above the surface before the whole board pearls. 

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfboard-anatomy/nose/the-nose-knows

I bought off Craigslist from a desperate seller who's getting divorced. 
Everybody on Craigslist has a story, but I seem to buy most of my boards from divorcing middle-aged surfers.  Not that correlation is causation.

He claims he wanted a longboard that rides like a gun so that he could take it into 20 feet at Waimea Bay. 
In the 1950s, big-wave surfers were going in search of "elephant" surf so they needed elephant "guns".  Big waves are over 20 feet (peak to trough).  Guns are generally nine feet long amd as narrow as 18"-20".  They're harder to steer but they ride very fast in a straight line.  In surf that big it's more important to point downwave and run like hell instead of carving up & down the face.

So this board is a hybrid between a classic 10'0" longboard and a big-wave gun. 

He'd had it custom-shaped by Cippy Cabato (who usually doesn't make pintails) and he'd never even had it in the water. 
Cippy is a legendary local shaper who's had a shop for over 35 years, and he retired last year.  Most of his boards are "classic" longboards of 10'-11' with a rounded nose and a squashed/rounded tail.  This pintail design is signed by Cippy-- it's not a fake-- but people are still surprised to see it.

The quality of the shaping and the finish is extraordinary, and I feel nervous about dinging it just walking it through the parking lot. 
The centerline of the board has a very thick stringer (the plywood spine running from nose to tail) and the color is two shades of green, not just one.  The color is a glaze, not solid pigment, so you can see the weave of the fiberglas that's in the resin.  It also has white pinstriping on the deck for a little color contrast.  All of these little details take a lot of extra labor and attention to detail, so it drives up the price at least as fast as it drives up the beauty.

Cippy retired and closed his shop last year, so I guess his boards are going up in value.  I paid $400, and it's probably worth $1000-$1200. 
Shapers (and aerospace engineers, and naval architects) ruled surfing for nearly a century but they're being kicked to the curb by computer design and automated manufacturing.  Many of today's boards are made from a styrofoam template that's punched out on a CNC lathe before being wrapped in fiberglas cloth and soaked in resin to give them the hard shell.  Some boards are even (*gasp*) made of injection-molded plastic. 

A custom board is easily $100-$150/foot, but this might be one of the last Cippys.

It's a challenge.  On one hand it's the jumpiest longboard I've ever ridden, and I'm still scrambling around on it to keep it trimmed. 
It's narrow, so when I paddle into a wave and pop up it rocks from side to side a little until I settle down.  It doesn't take much to tilt it left/right like a skateboard with my feet, but on a surfboard you have to have your weight back toward the tail to keep from digging the whole port or starboard rail into the water and tipping the board too far.

The big rocker means that it looks like the nose is riding too high out of the water, and I reflexively start walking up toward the nose to trim the board.  That's a mistake because the nose starts to sink into the water and the tail comes up out of the water... and the narrow nose doesn't have enough buoyant surface to keep the board afloat.  Hilarity ensues unless I quickly scamper back toward the tail and try to get a foot planted there.  I'm finally remembering to do that.

OTOH it takes off like a rocket and really carves.
It goes faster than a typical longboard, and it turns faster than one with long, beautifully steady arcs across the wave.  But it's still 10' long, so I can't do abrupt turns or 180s or other shredding tricks.

My days of Waimea 20-footers are behind me but I've had it in 10-footers at Chun's Reef and I'll be back for 14-16 this winter.
Waimea Bay is an extremely popular big-wave break on Oahu's North Shore.  It's regularly 20-35 feet in winter, and occasionally bigger.  Surfing a 20-foot wave is like jumping out of the window of a two-story brick building... and then having it fall on you unless you surf it exactly right.

Below is a photo of pro surfer Flea Virostko about to get pounded by a 35-footer during a competition:
http://i1.wp.com/the-military-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/flea-virostko-free-fall-aikau-2004.jpg
He was instantly submerged deeper than 20 feet in the water and thrashed around like a washing machine for literally 90-120 seconds-- before he could figure out which way is up and claw up through the foam to the surface to grab a breath... just in time to get hammered by the next wave.  This assumes that he hasn't hit his head on the reef or been dragged across it or caught a foot in it.

Chun's Reef is a (slightly) more predictable & safe break on the North Shore.  I've reluctantly concluded that my circle of competence has a radius of 15 feet.  (Above that height the penalty for failure is just too severe and I start to run out of air.)  I've ridden Chun's at 15 feet before (on another board) but so far I've only had this Cippy in 10-foot waves.

It's also a nice smooth ride in two-footers, and it starts a lot of talk story on the beach.
To my surprise, I can get the board up in the tiny waves on the south shore during winter.  I can't do much with it-- just get it up and ride it in gentle curves-- but it's a very smooth paddle and a smooth ride.  It's turned out to be a great board to teach someone how to surf.

The surf geezers can tell that the board is different, and when they find out that it's a Cippy then a small crowd gathers to debate the merits of the design.

It's like owning a Maserati:  fast, fun to drive, looks great, chick magnet.  But I hardly feel mature or responsible enough to take care of it...
No interpretation required!

[arebelspy]

And much enlightenment was had.  Thanks Nords!

You even answered questions I hadn't thought to ask yet.

One question on the 8" fin. What's a normal size for that, and what/where is the "small side"?

[Jamesqf]

I understood none of that!

I'm pretty sure I grasp the concept of water :-)

[arebelspy]

I understood none of that!

I'm pretty sure I grasp the concept of water :-)

Good point.  Though sometimes it still stuns me, and I just have to pause and be impressed by it.

[Nords]

And much enlightenment was had.  Thanks Nords!
You even answered questions I hadn't thought to ask yet.
One question on the 8" fin. What's a normal size for that, and what/where is the "small side"?

That's probably even more controversial than paying off the mortgage.

8" is a "typical" longboard fin.  Big, stable, stays in the water for almost all turns, widely available in a variety of colors & styles.  Higher drag, easily broken in shallow water, on the beach, and in parking lots.  Capable of causing severe injuries to other boards and other surfers, although collisions are rare.

4"-4.5" is a "typical" shortboard or thruster fin.  I can't recall seeing anything smaller, although I'm sure someone's tinkering with it.  Much less drag, much more maneuverable.  Usually 3-5 of them are sprinkled across the tail of the board.  The idea is minimal disruption of the board's hydrodynamics while ensuring that a fin stays in the water no matter how sharp the turn may be.  They're also popular with surfers who want to do helicopters or flips or other moves that need to pop the tail of the board out of the water.  They can still hurt in a collision but they're more likely to bounce up & over instead of scything through.

The most typical fin arrangement is one large single fin (usually on a longboard) or a 2+1 (one large center fin with two smaller fins on each side) or thrusters (3-5 fins of the same size across the tail). 

Some stand-up boards (and a few larger surfers) will go for 9"-9.5" fins.  There are also fringe designs like Bonzers (http://bonzer5.com/boards/bonzer-mechanics/), TurboTunnels (http://www.turbotunnel.com/), and ProTecks (http://www.surfcohawaii.com/Super-Flex-Pro-Teck-Fins-s/62.htm).  I like the Protecks because their edges are flexible and much less likely to cause injury if there's a collision.

[aglassman]

Those 20+ footers look insane.  I'll take hitting the snow or asphalt over that any day. At least I can take a breath after taking a hard fall! 

[$200k]

Nice quiver Nords.  I always wondered if there were any other mustachian surfers here. 

[Nords]

Nice quiver Nords.  I always wondered if there were any other mustachian surfers here.

Thanks.  There's a huge inventory of boards on the island, so I don't see any reason to buy new. 

I sold the red Trident last week for $250. 

I bought it used in 2011 for $400 from a guy who said he'd owned it for 4-5 years.  (This is as much pedigree as you usually get from Craigslist.)  It had been dinged in a parking lot and professionally repaired/repainted, but was otherwise in perfect shape. 

The buyer said she wanted to get her boyfriend back in the water for his birthday, so maybe I was suckered by a good Craigslist story.  I'll probably still see it at White Plains Beach once in a while.

My remaining boards... well, that's like deciding which of your children you love the most.

[bikebum]

Nice quiver Nords.  I always wondered if there were any other mustachian surfers here.

Another mustachian surfer here. Although I have to drive 4 hours to the ocean to do it, so maybe I should say I'm mustachian and a surfer but not at the same time.

[$200k]

Nice quiver Nords.  I always wondered if there were any other mustachian surfers here.

Another mustachian surfer here. Although I have to drive 4 hours to the ocean to do it, so maybe I should say I'm mustachian and a surfer but not at the same time.

I'd make that drive for waves.  Just means you'll be stoked no matter what when you get to the water!

[bikebum]

Nice quiver Nords.  I always wondered if there were any other mustachian surfers here.

Another mustachian surfer here. Although I have to drive 4 hours to the ocean to do it, so maybe I should say I'm mustachian and a surfer but not at the same time.

I'd make that drive for waves.  Just means you'll be stoked no matter what when you get to the water!

That's right, I'm always excited to paddle out!

[bikebum]

8" is a "typical" longboard fin.  Big, stable, stays in the water for almost all turns, widely available in a variety of colors & styles.  Higher drag, easily broken in shallow water, on the beach, and in parking lots.  Capable of causing severe injuries to other boards and other surfers, although collisions are rare.

I surfed right into a guy's board once. He was paddling out as I was riding in. The wave was peeling fast and I was trying to make the section* (more surf lingo see below). I was locked in, and by the time I saw him I couldn't react fast enough. He turned turtle** (this is fun) and I surfed right over him; one of my fins sliced into his board. His board looked as if someone had swung a hatchet to it. No damage to my board. I apologized and he said something like "It's cool, I got a spare in my truck."

*Good waves don't break all at once. A good wave will break first in one spot and then peel down the length of the wave. Noob surfers will ride straight in towards shore, but a good surfer will turn and ride right in front of the whitewater as it peels down the wave. Sometimes a section of wave will start to break in front of the surfer, and if the surfer can get around it and retake the desired spot on the wave, s/he has made the section.

**Turning turtle is when a surfer, starting from lying prone on the board, flips over 180 degrees to either side so they are under water upside down and their board is above them (also upside down) right about at the water surface. This maneuver is performed to allow waves to pass over the top of rather than crash into the surfer (although it doesn't work that well because the surfer is not deep enough to fully get under the wave), and protect the surfer from other, lunatic surfers.

[Nords]

8" is a "typical" longboard fin.  Big, stable, stays in the water for almost all turns, widely available in a variety of colors & styles.  Higher drag, easily broken in shallow water, on the beach, and in parking lots.  Capable of causing severe injuries to other boards and other surfers, although collisions are rare.

I surfed right into a guy's board once. He was paddling out as I was riding in. The wave was peeling fast and I was trying to make the section* (more surf lingo see below). I was locked in, and by the time I saw him I couldn't react fast enough. He turned turtle** (this is fun) and I surfed right over him; one of my fins sliced into his board. His board looked as if someone had swung a hatchet to it. No damage to my board. I apologized and he said something like "It's cool, I got a spare in my truck."

That's what I enjoy about surfing White Plains-- our group of about 20 of us has been together for a decade.  All I know about them personally is first names and maybe a little bit of talk story about their family or where they work (or used to work), but we all know everything about each other's surfing styles.  We know who likes to turn right or left, and whose bad knees keep them from making hard turns, and whether they're comfortable surfing really close to each other.  We can get six of us up on a party wave and everyone shares.  Of course this has nothing to do with general surfer etiquette, but it makes us very comfortable surfing with each other.

You can really tell when someone's not a member of the group.  They're surprised (and maybe even offended) when they end up sharing a wave, or they get a little territorial, or they just generally surf without aloha.  They might be displaying excruciatingly correct surfer etiquette, but they're still a PITA to surf with.  I paddle about 50 yards in the opposite direction and just stay away from them.

It's the same way when I'm up on the North Shore, only this time I'm the guy who's not a member of the group.  During the big winter season (December-January), hardcore surfers fly thousands of miles for the experience.  They're paying high-season airfare, thousands of dollars a week to sleep in a 10x10 concrete-block bedroom with a shared bathroom, and taking precious vacation time (even family time) to surf.  If a wave turns into a right-of-way duel then they're going to go at me like it's the final heat of the Triple Crown, and they'll even forget how much damage they could do if we collided.  Not fun. 

At least I'm now recognized by more of the locals up there and we're getting better acquainted.

The surf is dangerous enough without having to worry about the people you're surfing with.  When I was driving home on Monday, I passed by a guy who had just paddled in from Jock's Break.  I haven't surfed there so I don't know how shallow the water is on that reef but he was carrying the front half of his longboard under one arm, and the back half under the other arm.  No easy way to put that back together.  His rash guard wasn't torn up and he looked all right, but he was not happy.

[bikebum]

8" is a "typical" longboard fin.  Big, stable, stays in the water for almost all turns, widely available in a variety of colors & styles.  Higher drag, easily broken in shallow water, on the beach, and in parking lots.  Capable of causing severe injuries to other boards and other surfers, although collisions are rare.

I surfed right into a guy's board once. He was paddling out as I was riding in. The wave was peeling fast and I was trying to make the section* (more surf lingo see below). I was locked in, and by the time I saw him I couldn't react fast enough. He turned turtle** (this is fun) and I surfed right over him; one of my fins sliced into his board. His board looked as if someone had swung a hatchet to it. No damage to my board. I apologized and he said something like "It's cool, I got a spare in my truck."

That's what I enjoy about surfing White Plains-- our group of about 20 of us has been together for a decade.  All I know about them personally is first names and maybe a little bit of talk story about their family or where they work (or used to work), but we all know everything about each other's surfing styles.  We know who likes to turn right or left, and whose bad knees keep them from making hard turns, and whether they're comfortable surfing really close to each other.  We can get six of us up on a party wave and everyone shares.  Of course this has nothing to do with general surfer etiquette, but it makes us very comfortable surfing with each other.

You can really tell when someone's not a member of the group.  They're surprised (and maybe even offended) when they end up sharing a wave, or they get a little territorial, or they just generally surf without aloha.  They might be displaying excruciatingly correct surfer etiquette, but they're still a PITA to surf with.  I paddle about 50 yards in the opposite direction and just stay away from them.

It's the same way when I'm up on the North Shore, only this time I'm the guy who's not a member of the group.  During the big winter season (December-January), hardcore surfers fly thousands of miles for the experience.  They're paying high-season airfare, thousands of dollars a week to sleep in a 10x10 concrete-block bedroom with a shared bathroom, and taking precious vacation time (even family time) to surf.  If a wave turns into a right-of-way duel then they're going to go at me like it's the final heat of the Triple Crown, and they'll even forget how much damage they could do if we collided.  Not fun. 

At least I'm now recognized by more of the locals up there and we're getting better acquainted.

The surf is dangerous enough without having to worry about the people you're surfing with.  When I was driving home on Monday, I passed by a guy who had just paddled in from Jock's Break.  I haven't surfed there so I don't know how shallow the water is on that reef but he was carrying the front half of his longboard under one arm, and the back half under the other arm.  No easy way to put that back together.  His rash guard wasn't torn up and he looked all right, but he was not happy.

That's cool you have a group of surf buddies that get along that way. I've done most of my surfing in Santa Cruz, but not consistently enough to be a local. I always stick to the hotspots because the others seem to have an order that I am uncomfortable jumping into as an outsider. The spots like Cowell's, Steamer Lane, and some parts of Pleasure Point, seem to have more people like me that aren't part of a group; they are crowded though.

My dad actually quit surfing largely because he was tired of the agros. The last straw was when this drugged-out looking guy was paddling around Pleasure Point telling all the long boarders to leave. My dad said no, and the guy, who had noticed that I and my friend were with my dad (we were teenagers then), told my dad he was gonna beat the shit out of me and my friend.  My dad went in and called the cops, but they didn't come.

I've had mostly good experiences with other surfers though. Many times I've gotten to share waves with strangers. We just recognize how awesome it is to be out, and that there are not enough waves for everyone to get their own. It will usually get initiated by me or someone else saying to me, "Hey, if I get a wave you can ride it with me, there's room for 2." The spots I ride are safe even with a big swell so I feel comfortable doing this. There's nothing like coming off an epic wave , feeling so happy that no one can possibly be as stoked as you, and then you see another surfer's got the same goofy grin all over their face! I really need to get back in some waves; it's been a while.