Performance Longboard Help

Mike Doyle tried to talk me into one of his 10 footers. WRV carries them. they got wings near the tail that has a groove the diameter of a pencil. Won't fit in my work van. that's my old Doyle with the Hull bottom. an inverted v on the tail.

 

I'm on my second HP longboard custom made by Jon Ashton in Maryland. His logs are amazing.

If you like Stewarts, they make a model called the Light Speed Performance. I've ridden them, and they are nice.

As far as glassing goes, my Ashton boards are pretty simply PU/PE construction with 2x6oz on the deck and 1x6oz on the bottom. its rugged enough, but still whips around when you want it to. Ample rocker is CRITICAL on an HP longboard.

 

I have a Stewart Light Speed Performance / LSP in poly. It's light enough, wouldn't want it to be too much lighter personally. I love it and its more maneuverable than other longboard I have ridden. However, I mostly ride short boards, and it is the first longboard that I have actually owned, although I have ridden a bunch. So I'm not really qualified to give you a great write-up / comparison to other boards.

 

stewart CMP or Walden magic model. I would go EPS/ Epoxy and 4/4+4 on the glass job, maybe 4/4+6. The lighter the better, You can put the board where ever you want and they still noseride like a dream

 

I ride the firewire flexflight in a quad. It's one of the fastest boards i've been on. I can't remember the exact dims but its 9'1". I don't get any nose time to speak of but it's really light and maneuverable. On smaller days I stick to the log but anything above waist the board really performs.

 

i bought a 'performance' longboard few years ago but turns out it wasn't really what i was after. don't get me wrong the thing is so fast and responsive, more so then any other longboard i have ever ridden. but it does need some size and power to make it work. when there is size and power i am not using a longboard though, i shortboard. what i needed was a small wave log, much less rocker, single fin. few paddles and in to small waves and cruising down the line, walk to the nose a bit, end of story. the HPLB was not that board. if your into high performance longboarding then you'll be all good with a HPLB, but just make sure you know what you want..

 

You can never go wrong with the Walden Magic Model. Plenty of speed & plenty of stability, without sacrificing your turning ability. In reality, the Magic Model is going to be more of an all around board than a performance board when compared with the CMP. The CMP is a little skinny, which can make nose walking trickier. The CMP literally flies on water. I haven't played around much with a CMP's fin set up, but the Magic Model is just as fun with a single fin than the tri with bites. If you're going for performance only, I would go with the CMP or other like boards. If you're on the East Coast, I would go with the Magic Model as your performance longboard. Whatever path you take, please don't slap a traction pad on your longboard.

 

Agree with this. I bought my longboard to surf smaller summer days that aren't much fun on shorter boards. It does work well on small (knee-thigh high) waves, but they need to fast and peeling, usually medium or long period swell at lower tide at the beach break where I surf. Does not work so great on short period high tide mush. On days like that I wish I had a true log.

 

I rode a friends 9'0" poly Walden Magic model a few months ago on a clean offshore lined up waist-stomach high day - ideal log waves and it didnt impress me as a HPLB. Might have been the fin he had in it, but it didnt turn nearly as easily as a longboard with pinched rails and more rocker and vee in the tail. The rails were pretty full and the rocker seemed flatter than the more performance longboards ive I've had. Nice board, but pretty middle of the road.

Walden's website says it like this:

"The Magic Model is the original modern longboard, an all around performance surfboard and nose rider. The Magic Model is designed for all wave heights and all skill levels, just as fun in small surf as it is in big surf."

By the way i totally agree with the posts above about small mushy waves...HPLBs are not well suited to those conditions.

 

Clemson.......Quad is definitely a great setup for an HPLB!! I won't ride anything else! Some great fins for a quad LB are FCS TC Aqualines and some SF's.........Glassy and Sunny.......I've ridden different brand name boards and as I always recommend.......Get a custom from a local shaper so you get exactly what you want out your board. Will be easier on your wallet too.

 

I can't recommend a model or brand, but I can tell you what I like and look for in a HPLB...

Somebody said rocker is critical... and that's arguably the number one design element to consider. These boards are designed for turns, not tip time. You can noseride them, but it's a different kind of noseriding... the angle of the board and position on the wave face is different than a traditional log or authentic "noserider." So if you want to noseride, you need something else. If you want to push it in waves with some size and surf with power, then a HPLB is a good longboard choice.

Bottom contours are concave based. No rolled bottoms or flat spots. Contours are focused on lift and turnability, which means combinations of concave and vee.

Rails are performance shortboard shaped rails, but with a bit more volume. I like a bit of bevel on the bottom of the rail... not a chine, but a wider, shallower bevel. You see this feature on lots of performance LBs and it works. Hard edges are often used, but not necessary, in the back quarter of the board.

Templates have pulled in tails and widepoints back from center. Some even have hips, like shortboards. I avoid wings because they have to work with bottom contours, rocker and planshape, and few shapers can get that right.

Concave under the nose helps facilitate noseriding, but again... noseriding is not the forte of these designs.

Fin setups are more thruster oriented. I like a center box with sidebites... I don't prefer quads, but many people do. I like the drive and full on power turns a deeper center fin allows. If you go with a quad, consider hard rail edges. If you like the 2 + 1 idea, softer rails complement them well.

Thickness: go thinner for better flex and a more shortboard feel.

Construction... EPS/epoxy all the way! I like 6+6/6 warp or x glass with a 3/4 deck patch and full fin patch.

 

I am a HUGE fan of HPLB's. I have ridden all over the East Coast. If you are looking for a HBLB for around here rocker is a must. The board I currently ride has ALOT of rocker, more than most shortboards! Remember though, more rocker = less speed especially in small surf. Also be careful before you choose a longboard to surf well overhead surf because most people cant make it out on a real big day on a longboard.

I ride for Phil Taylor in Ocean City, MD and we have partnered up to come out with a signature HPLB model designed specifically for east coast waves! It is a rounded pin tail, 5 fin setup! Ride it quad or 2+1. Phil is a phenominal shaper and artist and does all work HIMSELF by HAND! His prices are affordable and he can tailor this model to your needs and make adjustments. Shoot me a PM if you want any help either with him or any boards in general. I can give you more specifics on this new boards coming out as well.

-Artie

 

i think you will find that most of this forum will urge you to talk to a local shaper. that is what i did and it was a great move. i absolutely love my 9'0 log for small days, and also dig supporting local shapers and the local economy. a locally shaped board is suited to what you want, your surfing style, your break. and you will save hundreds over a brand name. however if your looking to drop a bunch of loot on a brand name, go for it.

 

Local shapers are the way to go. Most are really personable, and can tailor any board model/shape to your needs. No need to keep searching for "your" board when you can make one for YOU for the same price! Like I said Phil Taylor, in my opinion, is one of the most skilled craftsmen and under-rated board builders on the East Coast.

 

I have a 9"4" WRV with three fins that I use all the time since it's my only board. I'm a semi-new surfer and it is always good fro Jersey waves in the summer. I don't like it in the big surf but it is all I got now. I might get fish or egg if I improve. I bought it used for $300 last summer and it's my prize possession in the world even though I could afford a newer board. A buddy got a new NSP last summer that looks real nice for the same kind of waves with less maintenance.