Best Surf Board for small wave?

[Evening Shade]

I had a GS22 last year with the shim and had trouble staying in the pocket as well, even with the extra weight. I rode for a month longer with the shim and got better, but the second I bought my soulcraft (so obviously i agree with greggmck ) it was night and day difference. I was all over that with tons of speed and agility. I've ridden 3-4 models of Soulcraft since and you really can't go wrong. I found the varials to be slower and not worth the extra money. It you are trying to stay in budget I know there are some sites out there with used boards.

I upgraded to a G23 this year and could ride a piece of plywood on that wave if I had to

Thanks for the feedback. Which Soulcraft board did you go with?

[Evening Shade]

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Thanks. At his weight and size, the 5' 3" Shim should be an adequate beginner board for him to learn to surf without the rope. So let's focus on a few fundamentals to ensure he has the best chance to surf freely on your wave.

First, make sure the rope is at the correct length. This will ensure he starts in the sweet spot of the wave and gives him a greater chance of starting with ample push.

Toss out the rope while you are running your boat with a surf wave. Adjust your rope length so that the rope is one-two feet in front of the rear-most section of the wave, just before the curl/wash at the back of the wave. NEVER loop up a rope that is too long while you are riding. Adjust it immediately. Too many people loop the rope in their hands to take up the slack. Then they fall, the rope wraps around their arm and they get a nasty shoulder or elbow dislocation. This is a novice move you never want to do.

Second, make sure his feet are in the proper position. Have him begin surfing with his front foot ankle bone aligned with or just near the center line of the board. This will put his toes closer to the wave side edge than his heels are to the opposite edge. This is key to ensure he has toe-side pressure on the board. For his rear foot, also slide his toes closer to the wave. In this position have him bend his knees and put weight evenly on the balls of his feet as if he is preparing to shoot a jump shot. Tell him to relax. He should be able to sit on the wave in a relaxed position and the rope should slacken indicating the wave is doing all of the work. Practice in a tailwind first to make it easier for him to feel the wave push. Have him stay on the rope trying to keep the rope slack, this gives the surfer the chance to feel surfing without the pull of the rope but if they make a mistake the rope can save them without having to waste time circling back for a restart. I would do this until he can surf with a slack rope for 2 - 3 minutes. Everyone wants to throw the rope asap, but this just slows their progress.

With strong toe side pressure, the board will climb up the wave as gravity pulls it down, reaching equilibrium. In this foot position, one should be able to surf as long as they want without losing the wave. Once your surfer has found this "push" from the wave it's time to toss the rope.

Most beginners surf too close to the boat. You want to learn to use all of the wave and trust the wave will provide push across the full length of the wave. This will accelerate one's skills.

Start practicing moving up closer to the boat by putting more weight on your front foot. Brake by shifting weight to your back foot. Practice until you are comfortable sliding close to the back of the boat and then all the way to the end of the wave.

Now practice going up the wave and back down. Carving more aggressively as you get comfortable. In about 5-10 days of practice, one should be able to play on the entire wave.

Since your son surfs on the Goofy side, the stock wave should have ample push. You may want to add about 400 - 500lbs of weight in people or ballast to pump up the wave. Also, 11.5 is about as fast as you want to go. 11.2 to 11.3mph is ideal as it makes it easier to do 360s and other tricks as well as gives a beginner a taller wave with more push.

If you are looking to purchase a new board I personally would stay away from the high-volume brand names. Real surfboards like Soulcraft, Blusurf, Kanuk, and Hyperlite Varial boards make ALL the difference in the world and can greatly improve the progress you and your son have. At 155-170lbs your son should ride a 4' 5" blunt nose or 4', 6" round/pointy nose board. For example, the Soulcraft Voodoo is a great board for him that can take him to the next level once he has mastered staying on the wave... Good luck!

Gregg McKnight
2018 World Wakesurf Champion - Masters Men

Gregg,

What could I expect to pay for a Blusurf board?

[GMLIII]

Gregg will be able to give you a number but in general they run higher than SoulCraft boards

[greggmck]

Gregg,

What could I expect to pay for a Blusurf board?

In my opinion Bluesurf makes the best boards period, but he also sponsors my son. Of course this is a personal thing too. Jonathan Matthews is the builder and he can give you a quote on line at http://www.blusurf.com. Each board is custom made so the price varies depending upon construction. He looks at a video of you surfing, asks a bunch of questions about your style and goals and then creates a magical board using the right graphite, kevlar, vectornet or other materials optimal for your size and style. I previously had two Soulcraft boards. They were great but after awhile I wanted a bit more performance. Jonathan made me the perfect board. I went from being an average competitor to a world champion on his board so I can't say enough good things about Blusurf!

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[steakNshake]

They are around $900 new for stock. You can email Jeff directly via soulcraftboarding.com, he is great to work with and will get you into the right board based on skill/wave/preference, etc... also https://wakeoutfitters.com/products/soulcraft-voodoo

[Wake.BC]

Any high end custom board will range from 900-1200. They’re worth every penny. Once you ride one for a while you can’t ever go back


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[GMLIII]

Any high end custom board will range from 900-1200. They’re worth every penny. Once you ride one for a while you can’t ever go back


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Yep 10-4

[greggmck]

Truer words have never been spoken. We pay so much for our surf boat and gas. But in my opinion without a good surfboard we are wasting that money!

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[kdonzi123]

I would recommend the phase 5 Model x Carbon fiber. 53" and use a single fin set up. This has been one of the best board to surf on, Very easy to ride and easy to stay in the pocket. I had other brands and we used to surf on a 09 230 weighting it on one side.Any one can ride this board even a guy that's 175lb. Hope this helps.

[mikenbike211]

Add 700# of lead to the boat. The gs20 can produce a huge wave with weight in the right places

[Evening Shade]

Add 700# of lead to the boat. The gs20 can produce a huge wave with weight in the right places

I have sacks in the rear lockers and the bow. How do you have the weight distributed?

[mikenbike211]

I have sacks in the rear lockers and the bow. How do you have the weight distributed?

I had 300 under the bow seats and 200 in each rear locker. But not piled up in the very back of the locker, spread out in between the rear locker and the aft side seat cushions. It’s all about proper distribution with the gs.


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[mikenbike211]

Add 700# of lead to the boat. The gs20 can produce a huge wave with weight in the right places

So with full ballast and ncrs at 4 nss at 2. Wave is huge


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