Been surfing 13-14 years now always Shortboard, got various shortboards including a fish but always fancied a longboard 
Went for a Surf last night and the fish just wouldn't cut it. Should i go for a longboard for those 2foot clean summer fun days?
Been saying for years about getting one!
You should'nt add a longboard to your quiver, it should be the CENTRE of your quiver!!!
I have a 6ft 4" fish and a 9ft 3" long board and i reckon 98% of my time is spent on the longboard. Even when I've been away and surfed big Hossegor or Biaritz I prefer the lonboard.
Richie
Mate just do it I have a Stewart 9'4" Hydro Hull and also got a 9'6" Weber Performer. Cruising lazy summer waves and then pushing them in larger waves is just fantastic. Sit 10 yards behind the peak and become the wave hog you despised on the shorty.
Yes.
Thier is simple nothing better than a relaxing surf on 2 - 3 ft glassy waves at Saunton near sunset on a 9ft+ long board.
If waves were reliable and the quality of surf was good I would very rarely get out on my bike.
Bigsurfer, where do you live?
Longboards are bang-on for British Summers (and most of Winter). I've been sponging since I was 15 but got a longboard for messing about last year and I love it. It's bloody cumbersome coming up from something a lot smaller though. Now I've got used to it, I'm keen to get myself a mammoth job. Maybe 10'6"x25"x3.5".
I've got a very battered 9'1" I could sell to you for a few quid if you just wanna try it?
Sponging Machine - My experience with 10ft plus longboards is that yes, they're cruisy, but actually not as good to ride as 9ft to about 9ft 8".
At over 10ft they're hugely cumbersome, and as they tend to retro styled they're single finned beasts so if you intend to use them in anything other than 1 to 2ft they're just not much fun.
9ft and just over, for me, gives a perfect mix of cruisy style and still manages to be usable in big swell.
Although, all of that is purely my opinion!
Cheers
hmmm, i don't think longboards are the answer to small wave slop. and before anyone jumps down my throat i've had a number of progressive logs, a stewart hydrohull was one as posted above - which i did'nt rate that much. i'm also 16st so if anyone was going to struggle in slop it will be me.
the problem i find with logs are 2-fold:
1 that the transition from 9fter to shortboard i personally find difficult. ok some guys may not have the issue but if i spend anytime on a log it takes me a while to get used to a small board again.
2 that in small, as in knee-high, they're just too straight line. fine if thats the way you want to surf i suppose, but i have a 7ft quad that flies, albeit with some work, a 7ft10 takayama surftech thats like a log only loose and 7ft2 linden journey (google it) that is amazing in gutless but clean conditions. the last 2 boards are worth some serious consideration if you crave turns.
and here's the really contentious part of the post... if you really want something that will destroy small waves, be more chuckable than any other board out there, get way more waves than any other board, give you a stunning workout and at the same time really improve your regular surfing get a stand up paddle board. not one of the logs that are giving sup a very bad rep at the minute, but a 9ft or so performance board. in gutless stuff they are incredible.
here you go...
Watch this SUP doubters!
I am also 16.5 stone and have had a bic 8'4" Magnum whic makes quite a good compromise on longboard style riding while still being quite nimble (on a £250 budget) it has been great for me to improve on over the last few years, we went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and had a few different 9' to 9'8" boards out their and they were incredible so fast by comparison.
Sponging-Machine I have been living in Littleborough, Lancashire (followed Mrs Bigsurfer and work as an engineer) but I grew up in and around Crediton, we have been trying to move back to Devon for over a year (probably South Molton area)unfortunatly we can not sell our house at the moment even for a very realistic price. So I am stuck with some fantastic riding but at least 3 hours to the nearest decent wave (normally abersoch).
gavtheoldskater - Had a go on a friends paddle board (not a pop out affair) and apart from being a very weird sensation it was great fun, couldn't beleive how different it felt, you would have thought that being able to canoe, kayak & surf would have made me perfectly qualified but instead it just proved how uncordinated I am. Will definetly be having another go.
it just proved how uncordinated I am
its the same for everyone. my quiver of boards that i regularly ride goes from 6-8 to 7-6, everyday board is 7-0. i bought a used jimmy lewis 11 18mnths ago, that in sup terms is like the uss nimitz, for a bit of summer cruising and riding around with the kids.
after a 7ft board how hard can a 11 x 30 x 5 board be to surf? i had the shock of my life! it took me maybe 2 weeks of regular surfing to start to enjoy it.
but once you get it dialled and get into the 9ft performance stuff they are incredible, and as i said really help your normal surfing with non of the long to short aclimatization issues.
btw, bit of an opportunistic thread hi-jack but if you/anyone wants a very good sup i have an immaculate naish an 10-6 currently for sale which is a stunning allrounder - you can windsurf it as well.
paddle boarding is insanely difficult compared to normal surfing. loads of fun though! sponging machine if phil dowling isn't interested in you 9'1" i might be.
The only paddle board I have ever seen was at Rest Bay, as bad as a goat boat for getting in the way. Each to their own 
longboarding on 2 foot clean is bliss
I only have a longboard and have ridden it (with varying success) east and west coast as well as the SW. The techniques are different to shortboarding but it opens up a new range of surf conditions.
At the end of the day its still surfing, if you have a hang-up about longboarding you probably ain't mature enough for it yet stick with the MTV generation shortboaders and their "cool" look
just get one,
Yea would probably be looking at the 9 foot range as i'm only little 
Rest is my local spot and that paddler is a pain in the bum sometimes! although there is some cheeky little spots about
Can see Longboarding being like Singlespeed and 29ers..my weapon of choice 99% of the time 
Yes . I have 2.May baby is 9'6 Bilbo with a wooden fin. My fav is the 10 footer Bilbo that weighs 30 pounds. Can ride anything I dare try on it although the busted ribs from when it went into orbit hurt.
i wouldn't have thought rest bay was ideal for SUP, in fact i can think of about 10 better places not too far from there!
Longboarding is amazing when the surf's just lapping gently in. Got a 9'6" Kevin Connely single fin from Nine Plus. It is beautiful.
I've also got an 8' mini-mal shaped by a mate. It's an excelent compromise for when the surf's overhead & you don't fancy being beaten up by your board.
Have surfed short boards, but now have a 9ft Stewart.
Recently bought a SUP - the difference in volume is incredible, but as previous posters have said they are great in the small stuff.
Mine has a mast foot option so I can sail it as well.
It surfs/sails/paddles ok, an all rounder - will never be better than a specialist board but it's less to log about and, the biggest advantage is that you get much more water time, if it's flat go paddling.
Portland in October 08, some fat bloke paddling my eldest around - bloody freezing!
Pigface, if the SUPer was in the break with other boards he's in the wrong place. The whole point of SUP is that you can get to breaks and surf bits of breaks others can't reach or don't want.
Good site: http://www.standuppaddlesurf.co.uk
Re the OP - yes a big board is fun, more chilled and less frenetic.
I've got a 7'2" magic carpet from gulfstream surfboards - fantastic for british conditions and it really picks up even on small waves. I've also just swapped my 6'8" channel islands M13 which I'd tried as a british conditions short board for a progressive mini-mal. Convinced bigger is better!!
Perhaps we should sort out a Singletrack surf meet??
Any other South Wales surfers on here?
This is Laird doing his thing at Teahupoo 
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtzzXHPlby0]null
When I lived by the sea I had 6'1, 6'2, 6'4, 6'8 and a 9'2.
The 9'2 really added an extra dimension to my surfing and taught me a lot of new things. You certainly catch more waves and for longer.
In fact I did my first barrel and floater on my longboard before learing them on shortboards.
Now I live inland and have sold everything but the 6'1 (for steep punchy fun days) and the 9'2 (for typical UK waves and sunny evenings)
I went for a very progressive 9'2. Big centre fin with two small thrusters. Both myself and my surf buddy had similar set ups and found big cruiser boards just too slow to react. My board is very low volume
The other advantage about longboards is that if you don't like them you can sell them for similar to what you paid!
I really miss my 9'3" McTavish Fireball.
Surfed a longboard when I lived in Newquay for a while, great fun to ride in anything from slop to 4ft I found. Never went out in much bigger than 4ft on one but had a few mates who would ride them in really big surf.
Local lad near me has been longboard junior champion a few times, such smooth style.
BigSurfer, I'm in Barnstaple so give us a shout if you make it back down this way (my office is in South Molton).
Longboards aren't the only option in small surf, but they are a good one for most people and at my size it's the only option. How about a retro-quad or magic carpet if you want more volume but without the length? I really fancy a quad for when things pick up in the Autumn. Being 6'5" and 115kg, my board options/choices are pretty different to most peoples'. I think it's the way forward for me though as I'm pretty bored with my bodyboard nowadays, unless it's super-hollow.
Richie, I know what you mean about boards over 9'8". Had a session on my mate's 10'6" and it's like trying to ride a canal barge. Was bonkers how early you had to get into it. Would be good for 1' gutless Summer days (think Whitsands in August).
Oh, and don't forget to support your local shaper. There are loads of good shapers in the UK, so avoid all that Taiwanese crap and get a board that's built for you.
Also means you can have a custom spray with skulls and stuff all over. 
hey roger are you a portland local?
Oh, and don't forget to support your local shaper.
well thats a whole argument in itself! ; )
Nah, wish I was. Come down a couple of times a year to see my mate who is a Chief Water Faerie. Usually head for Portland or Preston.
You local? Will give a shout when we next head down - not sure when - mate's wife is fighting breast cancer again, so really we want to come down to see her soon.
Perhaps we should sort out a Singletrack surf meet??
Any other South Wales surfers on here?
Live 5 mins from Newgale.
Was lush glassy 2' last night, perfect on the longboard. Wouldn't be without one for days when theres not enough juice to get the quad going.
We've some good local SUPers down here, who stay away from the line up + are good watermen. But I'm not tempted, as anything they go in would be more fun on a progressive mal. Unless you are very good, SUPs + Mals over 10' are a liability in the line up IMHO. Plus if the swells smaller than a decent mal can cope with, its bike-time.
Talk to local shapers about your needs/level of surfing.
Guts sorted me out with my quad + its far + away the best/most fun board I've ever ridden.
Cool next time i'm down that way ill give you a shout
Guts ran me over when i was 12 (now 28) and learning in Llangenith, still got the scar on my knee!
Dropped in on him a few times on Crab island when i lived in Swansea (surf shortboard at a decent level), he came over to shout at me and i explained what he'd done all those years ago and i was just getting my own back 
he laughed and then dropped in on me
as anything they go in would be more fun on a progressive mal.
i've surfed both and thats not quite true, with a sup you have the paddle to lean on. gives you heaps of leverage to unweight the board, a short sup is definitely more chuckable in small waves.
LOL @ Phil. Sounds like Guts.
with a sup you have the paddle to lean on. gives you heaps of leverage to unweight the board, a short sup is definitely more chuckable in small waves.
Go here and watch the SUPing on these videos, Casso is a pretty good Auz SUP rider:
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=51010&SearchTerms=video
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50508&SearchTerms=video
I have for sale a genuine Stewart Surfboard of San Clemente, California (bought off an American girl about 10 years ago) it's a Mini Mal rather than a full on Malibu longboard, so about 7ft long. It has a few dings which need repairing but nothing serious. £50 and it's yours.
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