10'+ Boards, let's see em..

to suggest riding a short board in a longboard forum is against the rules... Lacey needs to be reminded he's in a long board forum ... beer fine ...

yes agree ride them all....they all have a different experience to offer, thats why i was so stoked on my recent 11 foot glider.....it was something i had never felt before.
Going seriously fast on a 2 foot wave, burning sections i would not have got past on anything else...unreal New experience.

Gave a similar feeling to an epic barrel i got in the Maldives on a 5,10 fish or when i surfed in 8 foot Haliewa on my first time to Hawaii on a 7,2 Pintail.....all in the memory bank and part of the quest to become a complete and stoked surfer.

far out...i wanna leave work now and go surfing!

Right. Whos got a 11 to 12 fter for sale .
Promise ill be good

Ok, wow what have I missed here...?

Now let me explain my logic with all this, and right or wrong it is what it is.

I live 1h20m from the surf and have a reasonably demanding job that takes me away from home and family on a regular basis, this leads to limited opportunities to hit the water, averaged maybe 3-4 times per month over the last few years. This combined with dodgy shoulders that have lead most recently to my second shoulder reconstruction (both done now) meant that to get the most enjoyment of the opportunities I've had to surf with the least amount of pain has resulted from surfing larger boards. Easier paddling both onto the waves and getting back to the lineup has been made easier on this style of board. Getting more waves using the limited time I have I see as good value. Of course I wish I was good enough to hit the lip, or pull off a hard fast cutback, but the reality is I'm not, and until I either have more time to spend in the water or we move to the coast, the time I have to spend on progression is limited.

All that being said I don't disagree with the benefit of a smaller board and I'll likely fill that gap once I'm able to. As any of the guys that I've surfed with will know I'm not fussy with the conditions I surf in, not having the luxury to look at it and say I'll give it a miss and come back tomorrow means I generally surf whatever I find on the day, I've generally found where I mainly surf and what I'm comfortable with given my ability my 10' Goddard handles most of the bigger stuff and beachies and the others fit in after that. I've also found the glide of these longer boards is addictive, sure I won't be smashing the lip and following it up with a big slashing cutback but that doesn't mean I'm not having a ball, and rarely do I get out without a smile on my face having appreciated the time I've spent de-stressing and enjoying my time in the water. No apologies.

I do appreciate the encouragement from the guys I surf with and the friendships I've made, I've learnt lots and enjoy the banter, just another bonus of this fantastic pursuit.

I get that Lacey , the whole lot of it - do you mate ???