I was looking at one yesterday afternoon and based on the description, it sounds like what I'm looking for to add to the quiver. Has anyone ridden one before? I'm 5'9" and 155 pounds. Thinking of a 5'6 or 5'8 (leaning towards 5'6" unless told otherwise)? Also thinking about having one shaped for me over the winter, little bit cheaper and more personal. Would love to hear any feedback anyone has. Thanks all.
I've been riding the Bing Swee' Pea for a month or so, and i love it. Although not as wide, stubby, or heavily glassed as the Puck, the board is absolutely the most fun shortboard I have ever had. I also have a Bing Silver Spoon, another great board. I would say the Puck would probably work in small clean waves to head highish, because my Swee' Pea works in those conditions and bigger, but the Puck would be tougher in peakier, hollower, or choppier waves. I have a 5'10 Swee Pea, and I am 6'2, 185, so i would imagine that 5'6 would be more than enough board for you (especially since i think I Could have gone down to a 5'8).
I ride a dharma at 5'6" and I'm 6'1" and 195 lbs. I would think you would want to go shorter for your weight and height on a puck. I wouldnt go above a 5'2". I know 4 inches doesn't sound like much but I own 2 Dharmas, a 5'6" and a 6'0" and they are totally different boards. I also own a sweepea but the jury is out on that one until I get it into the right wave, lol.
So zippy when do you ride the 6.0 ? In bigger surf. Or with more rubber? Or smaller surf when you need the bouyancy? My buddy is looking at the darhma he is about your size. Just curious?
dean t: i have a 5'8" that i LOVE! it's really been my go-to board in smaller, weaker surf...& sometimes in larger mushier stuff as well, just b/c it planes so well. HOWEVER, you want to ride these things small. i could've gone 5'6" & i'm about 6ft & 200lbs. i went 5'8" just b/c i didn't want to have to worry about it floating me in the winter wearing a 5mil. where are you located? i'd be happy to let you check mine out & give it a whirl if you want.
I ride the six foot in the winter with a wetsuit and on bigger days like head high and up. I really bought the sweepea to take the place of the six foot dharma but am unsure if I like that board or not. I also rode the bigger dharma in el Salvador last spring. I brought both but because I had been riding the six footer all winter I couldn't transition that easily to the smaller board on a big and new wave. The smaller board is much better in smaller waves, it just seems to fit into smaller wave face better plus it is much lighter than the bigger board. I never feel like i need more bouyancy on even the smaller board. Once the wave gets bigger the smaller board starts to chatter and it looses speed on all but the slopiest wave, at least the way I ride it. It could be that I ride more off of my backfoot once the wave gets more critical which this shape doesn't really like but the longer board is more forgiving of. Here are a few pictures of me in el salvador on the 6'0".
njsurfer: Thanks for the info, I appreciate it and I'm in Monmouth County. So maybe I'm looking for a 5'4" or even a 5'2" then based on what you mention above. I really want one for smaller, mushier waves.....something to ride in place of a log, but with a bit more performance than a standard mini simmons inspired shape. When it gets bigger I'd ride my standard shortboard but I'd like to be able to surf the Puck (or similar shape) through the winter on small days with the added rubber. Based on the dims though, I don't think I'd really have a problem with a 5'4" or 5'2" floating me with a 5/4 on. I saw one in Lightly Salted in AP over the weekend, but it was a 5'8"......fun looking board though and now has me interested.
i can understand the attraction of the 5'8" then...sometimes it's nicer to plop the cash down & walk out the door w/ the new board. but i was thinking 5'4" for you as well. you're after the same thing i was when i ordered mine last fall. an anti-log that can still be surfed aggressively, while still floating & paddling well in the dead of winter. the puck is great for all of that. having it in my quiver as really improved my small wave surfing...my longboard, however, is collecting dust
Yep, exactly. I think I'll lean towards the 5'4" as I'd like to surf it as small as possible. Thanks again for the feedback, it helped a lot.
Dean, I'm also 5'9" 155 and the stock dims of the Bing Puck: 5'8" 18 3/4" 22 1/8" 18 3/8" 2 5/8" would be a lot more length/volume than i would want in small waves. I shaped a mini simmons sort of similar to the puck last spring and it is 5'6" x 22" x 2 3/8" and still has a bit more volume and length than i like in small waves...i would go 5'4" and no more than 2 1/2" thick to avoid that corky feel.
Nice looking sled. Thanks for the info, especially being that we're the same size , that helps me out quite a bit. Hard to wrap my head around surfing such a small board (5'2" - 5'4") but its how they're meant to be ridden. Hopping off of this and back on to my standard shortboard (5'10") will feel like a runway. Thanks again.
another option for you is the Christenson Ocean Racer. i know they sell them in a few shops throughout NJ. they are a bit more than the bing's, but most shops will knock $50 off or so if you ask them. im 6', 185-190 and i got a 5'8 (dont know the length or width off the top of my head, but its the minisimmons-esque shape). im definitely happy with the dimensions on that. offers good float, but not too corky. i rode that thing all summer up until around september and it made some days pretty damn fun. i rode it from about knee high to head high. on the steeper days it got tough, but it is such a different ride than im used to from my shortboard and that made it fun
I just picked up a 5'10" Bing Dharma. I am 6'0", 165 lbs. I have only been surfing 6 months on an 8 ft. board. I thought it would be a major transition, but I was up and riding it within an hour during my first session. I was using it on 2 ft waves, so it definitely works in small conditions. As long as you position yourself correctly, it's actually almost as easy to catch waves on this as my 8 footer. I also considered a Puck but I think the Dharma has a much wider performance range. If you've got a bunch of other boards, maybe this isn't a consideration, but for me, this will probably be a one board east coast quiver. This board has already exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to see how good it will be once I put in a couple of months on it.
I've read and heard a lot of good feedback about the Dharma as well. I'm looking really for something that I can take out is knee to waist high mushy surf and get waves without having to pull out the longboard (not that I have anything against my longboard). The Dharma looks like it'll hold up in bigger surf but when it gets bigger I'm sure I'll be on another board. There are just too many days unfortunately where there's a bump, but the bump isn't enough to ride a shorter board. Hoping this will bridge the gap.
It will do more than bridge a gap...it will freak you out how much fun you can have on a knee - thigh high day. I've never ridden the Puck, but looking at that shape on Bing's website, and having two mini sims myself, the Puck will catch ANYTHING you would care to paddle into, and go faster than you thought possible on a clean wave with a two foot face. These things get up on a plane but are small enought to be pumped. Best fin setup i have found for the board above in small waves is quad fins, with really small back fins and smallish front fins. My two cents is if you plan on waist high and under, dont get one with glassed in keels. My other Mini Simmons that i've had for two years is a twinnie and it felt like way too much fin (with the Rasta Keels) for doing quick little turns on small waves, but luckily i have boxes and quickly replaced the keels with little upright fins.
I bought the Swee Pea last spring and it has been my "everyday" board here in South Jersey. I am 6'0 200 and went with the 6'10...a little big but wanted something that still caught waves easily especially in the winter with rubber on. It does not disappoint. It really gets through the mush and cuts back good (not great). It definitely replaces my log and is not one of those boards that will only get pulled out for trips or hurricane swell. It is based off the mini simmons...cool video of it here: Bing Swee Pea
