2 board quiver

The majority of the time I'm on a fish, 'cause that's what works best for me in waves waist to chest, and that's what we get most of the time. Less than waist high, I'm on a log. Chest +... a shortboard.

So I guess I'd have to say I need that third board in my core quiver. Everything else... a Mini Sim, a big wave board, a few novelty boards... are for specific kinds of waves, or just fluff for when I'm bored.

 

I ride the same board from waist high on up. Knee high and under I almost never surf unless the water is super warm and I'm just screwing around then I go to my 5' twin fin home shaped block of foam.

 

I'm with LBCrew, I have 5 boards in the rotation right now but really only 3 of them get any love. The LB and Fish get most of the action due to conditions, the HPSB comes out to play a handful of times per year.

 

I use a rhino chaser all the time.....I am that kind of a guy,i.e., "be prepared".

 

I find what keeps my sessions fresh is variety. The boards that I find essential are a Baked Potato for really small days. A couple different sized twin fins (a more modern one and a classic one with the deep vee tail) for the lined up medium sized days. The classic one I can ride on any wave you can longboard on so that's my "longboard". A couple good hurricane type boards anywhere from 5'8 to 5'11. I have a step up that I haven't ridden it in ages but it's paid for and in good shape so I keep it because you never know. And the board that makes my quiver and keeps my anxiety down is a good travel board. I just use it for travel, it's an oldie but a goodie JS and if it gets beat up in transit it doesn't ruin my day. It's a good all around board and unless it's gigantic that board always does the trick. Oh yeah....and a Beater.
If I had to pair down to 2 though it would be the modern twin fin and my favorite hurricane/winter type shortboard.

 

There's gotta be almost 20 wave riding devices in my garage. Most belong to my boys. Longborts, shortborts, fishes, boogity boards, skim boards, hand planes, etc. 3 of them are mine. A longboard a rarely, if ever use, a 6'6 fish I ride 90 percent of the time around here (waist/chest or smaller waves), and a 6'8 short board/hybrid that Brian Heritage made for me like 15 years ago which I ride when we get the meaty Nor Easter/Hurricane stuff.
I'm gonna be 55 years old. I know what I like to ride and when. My experimenting days are over and I'm VERY OK with that.

 

9' singlefin LB for when it's small and clean, it's gathering dust, but I always take it with me on trips upcoast in case it's too small to use the fish.

6'6" homemade epoxy rocket fish - I ride that in windchoppe up to chest high it's my go to in typical mush, slop, chop.

6'6" NA roundnose, round tail future set up - I like it in waist to OH, but needs to be clean, too much volume to duck dive choppe. Goes real fast. I guess it doesn't get good enough often enough to ride it alot, but it's magic.

6'6" Orion swallowtail - old yeller for and old feller - it's good in chest to HH plus gnar, and clean way OH quality surf. Probably weighs a couple pounds more than when I got it brand new, but it's about an inch or two shorter from nose dingage. I wish I could ride it more, maybe in a month or two when football and hurricane season roll into town.

Then I have a mini fish, a mini LB, and a 6'8" Orian pintail for when it gets too big for me, I'll sell it for $150, it's in god shape, but who am I kidding, I'm not surfing DOH plus barrells anytime soon. Maybe in my next incarnation.

I don't want to narrow down to two, but if I did, it would be the Orion swallowtail "old yeller" for good days and gnar, and the LB for small and medium clean days. There would be a range of waves, waist to chest and choppy, where the LB would be clunky, and the old yeller would be overgunned, I would still catch waves, but regret not having the rocket fish. I am a spoiled bastard.

 

Variety's the spice of life, I'm pretty sure this is what I've ridden in the last week:
7/10 I rode a 7'2 single fin egg in the morning and a body board in the evening
7/11 I rode a 6'6 quad
7/12 I rode a different 6'6 as a thruster
7/13 I rode a 6'4 3 fin bonzer
7/14 I rode a 6'2 thruster
7/15 in the morning I rode a 5'9 fish and in the evening I rode a 9'6 single
7/16 I rode the 9'6 in the AM

Surf looked less than inspiring this morning, maybe this evening's glass off

 

I've had a 5'6" Kingdom SOAR for a few months now and find myself riding it in knee to almost head high. I thought it would be a board to just ride in weak stuff but its suited me well in bigger faster lines. Anything bigger than head which is rare in my area i have my 5'11" sharpeye quad thruster. Also if its less than thigh or barely rideable and i just want to surf sometimes i'll take one of the old longboards laying around to have some fun

 

i'm not a golfer, but that's like carrying two clubs. do you see a lot of year round golfers carrying two clubs? i'm pretty sure Billy Madison used more than two clubs. two clubs are good for putt putt tho, per anger mgmt

 

I don't know about 2. I'd probably say three at least for me. I'm always experimenting with new boards, buying/selling etc. Content enough right now with 4.

Knee high and below up to head: 9'6" rounded pin log. It's got minimal rocker to catch the absolute smallest of waves, but enough length to get in early on days where it's throwing pits.

Thigh to chest: 5'4" twin keel mini Simmons. On this board the most when it's weakish. Wave count gets way high and it's just fun being on something so small.

Waist to overhead: 5'10" Roberts Dreamcatcher. My go to all rounder. Great for hollow waves and groveling.

Stomach to overhead: 5'8" CI motorboat. Picked it up recently brand new on c/l. Got it to try learning how to punt. Limited success with that just yet, but have only had it out twice. One of those days we had that head high long period stuff. It was insane fun. Looking to ride her more.

If I only could have two boards it would probably be my mini simm and the dreamcatcher. I love my log, but would rather be on a shorter board any day.

 

I had a 7' CI squash tail I'd give my left nut to have back, it worked great in good surf (OH to DOH plus) and cut through the gnar on those choppy onshore days. It would make sections.

No idea why I let her go. Baby come back!

 

I have 5 boards and usually only ride 2 of them.my 6'2''croyle that I use for basically everything,and my 5'11 knockoff catchsurf board.then I have a 6'6wrv,7'0 js or something,which I only used maybe 10 times in the past 5 years,and a longboard that I never use.waves don't break for longboards near me,the sandbars don't work til its atleast 3',ocean county and south like lbi seem to work no matter how tiny the waves are.

when I was younger and had the time id drive south to surf when there was no waves,now if theres no rideable waves within 20 minutes of me I'm not surfing.cant wait til fall,summer sucks

 

Now I remember...it doesn't break that good but once every three years, I wanted a new board, and made room.

 

Others have said it already. But what's needed and what's wanted are two very different things. A board isn't a board is a board is a board. Every one is diffrent and has its own unique way of sliding across water.

My main two are.. .

A custom 5'8. It's my "hpsb". Little fuller in the nose. Pulled in round tail. Only 28L, so it's pretty easy to get it on rail and whip it around. Flatter rocker though keeps it doable in waves as small as waist high. But it works up to the biggest we get here. OH+. Double concave with vee out the tail. That's what i like.

A 5'2 mini sims. This thing is crazy. Two diffrent personalities in one. In smaller weaker stuff its a great LB substitute. Its had me doing legit cutbacks and what not on thigh high days. Great at cruising. Oozes flow. But get it out in a bigger steeper day and man this thing can still perform. A little sketchy at times depending on how big or steep were talking, but it can hold its own. This board also has a big single concave with vee out the tail. Most my boards have that going on.

Then there's the LB. 9'0. Average pop out LB. nothing special. Don't ride it much since i got the mini. I honestly prefer a LB in bigger stomach - shoulder high stuff then small stuff. Its not about covering that small wave area. Its about the LB style. You surf differently on a LB regardless of waves. And that's a good thing to have.

A 6'1 custom. Same exact board as the 5'8 but bigger. Its my step up, although the 5'8 version is enough. But you know. Sometimes it's big but a little more fat. Sometimes i just want the extra volume. Its nice to have the choice between two identical boards, one with more float and paddle power or pine that's more whipy depending on conditions.

A 6'6 shelter bonzer. A bit big for me. But still is awesome. It only comes out on big fat days with allot of big open face. Again that range is covered already, but this board is diffrent and special in its own way. Its nice to spice things up.

A 6'3 single fin. Real thick. Fish shape but with a round tail. Low rocker. Works in everything from thigh high to OH. It forces you to surf differently. You really have to anticipate what the wave will do because of the boards slow reaction time. But again, i like diffrent feelings and this definitely offers me that.

A 6'4 actual hpsb from the 90s. Long but so small when it comes to width and thickness. Smallest board volume wise. I like it in big punchy stuff. I'd actually consider selling this one. But i do use it from time to time.

And lastly is a 6'6 cannibal. Hasn't ridden it in over 10 years. It was my first board, sold it, it found its way back to me, now i keep it as a wall hanger.

I'd still like to add a true fish, a retro twin, maybe upgrade my LB, and get another bonzer for big hollow stuff... similar to what i have just smaller.

Do i need all these? No. But they keep things fresh and i can get allot of diffrent feelings depending on my mood or conditions.

 

It's funny how we all go through those times, where we have a large quiver, then consolidating to a one or two board quiver. Then back up to a very large quiver lol I remember at one time trying to find that one board that worked in everything. So I didn't have to think about which board to ride... but of coarse there are limitations when riding certain waves. Sooo I think to be properly rounded one would need about 5 boards (and different lengths!) for all different waves. its just a matter of finding your style and what works for certain wavEs.

I think if I had to shave down my quiver I would end up with 5/6 boards... 4 minimum. Sure I could just have one, but would miss a lot of days- or more importantly I would get out all those days, but my wave count will be low. I think it's best to have a variety and have all bases covered..

 

Really two boards would be possible but challenging in Rhode Island. You definitely need something for knee high +\- and a board for everything else. I've yet to see anything that couldn't be handled on a good shortboard once it was over waist high.

However, I've come to appreciate the glide of the longboard on some of those really small days. There have been days on the fish when I really wished for the longboard.

Theoretically you could even manage a one board quiver if you had a super versatile board, something like a ...lost quiver killer or something.

 

Really interesting thread. I could get by with 2 boards if I HAD to, but as others have said there would be some gaps resulting in a lower wave count or less days in the water.

I have 3 in my regular rotation right now. All have been beat to hell and extensively repaired. I'm restoring an old 90's board for a friend and as soon as that is done my plan is to shape a super lightweight planing hull board. Why super lightweight? Because I usually build boards to last forever and I want to experiment with some lighter weight cloths.

daily driver (because the surf is normally minimal) is a 9' no-name longboard with an asymmetrical tail. I bought is with a cracked nose on craigslist for $150. I think a local shaper built it for himself because it's really well built but there's no logos on it. I have the board dialed and I think the a-sym suits the way I surf, but I would need the exact same board with a conventional tail to really determine if it makes a positive difference.

For a mush waves I ride a 5'5 Jimmy Keith "Sled Zeppelin". It's a round nose, round tail quad. Sort of like a CI biscuit with a v bottom to double concave out the tail. Been riding this one for about 5-6 years.

For anything bigger I ride a 5'8 Round Nose Fish. This is my third RNF and it's the most reliable, consistent shape I have owned.