Sunday, October 20, 2024

Does the bottom of the board even matter?

 In my last post, I shared my quiver but also said that I am always tweaking it. Well, it didn't take long to realize that I wanted to tweak my quiver.  I am making two changes.  1. I traded my 6'8" Bandito for a 7'2" Brighton.  2. I traded my 6' Bull Fish for a 6'4" Bull Fish.  Some reasons for changing these boards are similar, but since I already got the 7'2" Brighton and am waiting for the 6'4" Bull Fish, let's focus on the former change. 



The Bandito is 6'8 x 22" x 3" five fin, with chunky rails, and a winged thumb tail.  I ride it as a quad. The Brighton is 7'2 x 21.5" x 3" with more turned-down rails and a diamond tail. I also ride it as a quad. Now lots of factors affect how this board rides and why I like the Brighton better, but a big reason for swapping these boards is the bottom contours.  The Bandito is a vee bottom, while the Brighton is a single to double concave to a spiral vee. Now if you are anything like me, I never paid a lot of attention to the bottom of the board and what it did for my surfing.  In the past year or so I decided to take the time to learn about surfboard bottoms and how they would affect my surfing. What pushed me to look into this was a different board we call the Voodoo.  The Voodoo has a very deep single to double concave and when I rode that board, I realized that the board felt very different under my feet. At that point, I started to look into how all my board bottoms were shaped. 

Let's start with the vee bottom Bandito.  Great board! But I realized that a vee bottom is not always the right shape for me.  A vee bottom allows the rider to go rail to rail very easily because the bottom is literally like a "V".   The center point (the stringer) is higher than the rails and if you put a level on the board the level will lay flat from the center point to the rail with a slight decline from stringer to rail.  No light will show beneath the level. 

For me, what I didn't like about the vee bottom in this board (and I want to emphasize, this board) is that in bigger waves I felt a little less control and more importantly, in smaller waves, it bogged down and felt slow to me.  But again, I had this board for years and had a ton of great sessions on it.  However, once I discovered the feel of a single to double concave, I knew that I wanted a board that fit this spot in my quiver to have those contours. 

What is magical to me about the single to double concave is the lift it gives the board, along with the ability for the board to generate an almost natural speed.  If you use a level on the bottom of the board, a single concave would show space in the center of the board because the rails are higher than the center (the first picture below).  But a double concave would show two spaces with the center point and the rails being the same but two concaves dug out of each side (the second pic). 

The single concave is what provides all that lift and drive.  It paddles fast and as soon as I get to my feet I feel an instant, effortless speed.  The effortless part is key because I am not always the best at generating my own speed.  The double concave, because it splits the water, gives the board exceptional control when going faster in bigger, more powerful waves.  But in smaller waves, the single to double concave gives me lift and less drag, so it is easier to gain speed even on those small days.  For me, it is the absolute perfect combination because I can ride the Brighton in almost any conditions.  In fact, I have two Brightons--an 8'2 and a 7'2 (which I was going to make at a 6'10 but rode the 7'2 and it was so much fun I figured why mess with it).  The single to double concave just gave me that lift and drive to make sections that I couldn't on the Bandito, but have exceptional control when riding at higher speeds. If I ever wanted to get rid of all my other boards, I could surf all conditions on just my two Brightons. 

But remember, just because I like a single to double concave, doesn't mean you will.  You might even like that bottom on some boards but not others.  My Hip Cat is a vee bottom and I absolutely LOVE that board.  But I ride it in a very different style than the Brighton and for me, the vee bottom goes great with the single-fin design of the Hip Cat. So consider all the other aspects of the board when thinking about the bottom contours.  I have some earlier posts about rails and outlines.  In the end, the important thing is to be aware of what shape you are riding, including the bottom contours.  If you are aware of those contours, then you can understand which you like and why.  It might even help you improve your quiver too!    

Monday, August 19, 2024

What makes a good quiver?

 What makes a good quiver? Ask 10 surfers that question and you will get 10 different answers.  There are so many variables that go into answering that question, including how many boards can you have? What level of surfer are you? Where do you surf? What conditions do you typically surf? Along with so many other questions.  Despite the difficulty in answering this question, I am going to share my feelings on my quiver and why at this point in time, it is pretty close to the best quiver for my surfing.  

Let's start with the quiver itself.  Here it is: 



I have six Matador boards for a variety of conditions.  These include a 6' Bull Fish that I ride with twin keel fins, a 6'8" Bandito that I ride as a quad, a 7' Gringo single fin, a 7'8" single fin Hip Cat, an 8'2" Brighton that I ride as a quad, and a 9'2" Collier Classic single fin.  This is a near-perfect quiver for my surfing ability and the waves that I surf.  Again, I am a mid-50s NJ surfer whose primary goal is to surf as often as possible.  That means big days, small days, and everything in between.  This quiver allows me to do just that but with choices depending on how I am feeling that day. 

The first priority for my quiver is that there isn't much overlap between when I would surf my boards.  If you look at the pictures, it is fair to say that this quiver fits that priority.  Honestly, if you have six boards, there is gonna be some overlap, but I want my boards to provide me a different feel depending on the day.  For instance, I like my Bandito and my Gringo for those head high+ days.  But those boards give me a very different ride given that one is a 5-fin that I ride as a quad and one is a classic 70s single-fin shape.  Same with my smaller wave boards.  If it is knee-high I can ride my Collier or my Brighton.  It just depends on how I want to surf that day.  The Hip Cat is a great single-fin that allows me to feel smooth and stylish on any wave from thigh-high to chest+, so I can ride that quite often in NJ.  And the Bull Fish is a great board on those clean waist-to-head-high days when I want a little challenge because, for me, a 6' board is still small.  Honestly, that is the one board I might change but only to add a few more inches, not the shape itself. If it was a little bigger I would surf it more often. 

So for me, I want a quiver that I can surf!  If a board sits too long, I wonder why I have it.  And although I ride the Bull Fish and the Gringo the least, I still surf those boards regularly and they fulfill a purpose in my quiver. But it is the variety of boards that makes surfing every day fun.  Variety is the spice of life!   

But I also understand that not everyone can have a six-board quiver.  One of the questions I get a lot is if I could have only three boards, which would I keep?  That is tough because I truly love all of these boards.  But if forced to sell three of these boards purely based on when and how often I surf them (not sentimentality) I would definitely sell the Gringo and the Bull Fish.  They are more niche boards for me, even though they are great boards.  I would definitely keep the Brighton and the Bandito.  I surf the Brighton more than any other board because it is so versatile and the Bandito is a great board when things get bigger, but I can also surf it on an average day.  Ok--one last board to keep. The Hip Cat or Collier Classic? That is tough.  I would probably keep the Hip Cat.  The reason is that the Brighton can surf even the smallest of waves so it can replace my longboard, even if it doesn't do it perfectly.  I just love a good single fin, so I gotta keep the Hip Cat.  And that is important--I LIKE a single-fin so I need one in my quiver.  Remember to surf what you love!  And not everyone loves the same board.    

Well, that is my take on the perfect quiver.  A variety of boards, that ride in a variety of ways, and can provide you the ability to surf as often as possible.  I would love to hear what your perfect quiver would look like.  If you could have three boards, what would they be?