New board take off woes

50young's picture
50young started the topic in Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 10:49am

Hi all I pulled the pin just before Christmas and got a Rasta torus twin, the few surfs I have had on it have had me perplexed. The board paddles great but I have been having trouble getting into the wave, I feel as if the board is riding on the back of the wave not going down the wave and so I seem to being missing heaps of waves? I don't have this problem on my other boards although they are completely different designs. Is it my positioning on the board, am I too far back (although I feel as though I'm in the correct paddle position)? any suggestions would be appreciated thanks

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 11:22am

I have a board that does this sometimes, and have seen a mate on one of his do it repeatedly.

You paddle and get planing and up to speed with the incoming wave easy but it seems to suck to the face. It must be due to the bottom shape and some sort of sucking/sticking?

Only thing I can recommend is identifying this and paddling that extra bit harder, more strokes and deeper into the wave.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 11:55am

I've got a twinnie with glassed on keel fins. When I first started surfing it had the same experience. Felt as though I was getting stuck up high on the take off. I wondered if it was something to do with the tail shape or something to do with the fins sticking at that late point??

I guess I've gradually gotten used to it and as mentioned above, paddled a bit harder, chest / head down a bit more. Be interested if anyone else has had this experience too?

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 12:03pm

Yeah I,m going to have to get serious I thought it may have been the keels I had in it so I'm going to switch to a set of Apia twins and I do have a bad habit of not paddling hard enough which may just be excentuated on this board. it just seems that I feel i'm into the wave like on my other boards, just to find that I'm falling off the back of it

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 12:08pm

Hey 50Y, a lot of short and stubby boards have as much volume as regular shortboards. Simply put, the volume is taken out of the length and put into the rails, which is great for paddling and getting the board up on a plane, however, unlike longer boards, short and stubby boards will come off a plane quicker as there's less running area.

Is this what's happening? When you start paddling the board gets up and moving, but slows quickly in the transition between paddling and getting to your feet?

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 12:22pm

Stu no , it's like it doesn't want to go down the face of the wave but sit on the back of the wave as if I have too much weight dragging the tail down instead of dropping down the face. Admittingly the waves have been pretty fat and lacking any real push but I don't feel I would had such an issue on my other boards

The Shaper's picture
The Shaper's picture
The Shaper Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 12:48pm

Couple of questions 50young.
Is the nose outline a lot wider than you normally ride?
Wider noses require your weight further forward for the paddle in.
So if they, wide noses, also have a bit of curve under that section they can give the feeling that you are describing. Add to that a bit too much volume up there as well it can really hold at the top. If its not too extreme you can move your weight a bit further forward for the entry. There may be other factors at play though.

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 1:02pm

Good points Shaper , yes it is wider in the nose and there is plenty of volume in the board although well hidden. I will try shifting forward slightly for the entry

frog's picture
frog's picture
frog Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 1:12pm

Lie a fraction further forward. Paddle much harder into and down the face before you pop up. Stand up with more energy slightly further forward to get up and planing. You may watch others cruise into waves but you will have to put the work in.

When I move from my super easy to paddle min mal fish thing back to my trusty short board this is what I find. I don't like it! Seems like hard work.

Since I went long it is hard to go back to short.

frog's picture
frog's picture
frog Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 1:30pm

Inches matter. My short board has a lot of volume under my chest and a thinner tail. This can lead to pushing water if you are a fraction too far back when paddling and then on the pop up if you don't swing your feet far enough forward the tail can sink a bit and you get stuck at the top of the wave. I have never cruised into waves on it. I used to really like it but now I am not so sure..... I love catching waves easy now I have tasted it.
Hope your new board goes well once on the wave.

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 1:41pm

Could just be the very short period swell we have had lately if you are anywhere near Sydney. I have been watching this happen to lots of people and had a few problems myself. The waves are slow, weak and just don't provide much push.

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 1:45pm

I thought this as well BB although I'm up Queensland, but the days I've been out it has not been great weak with no push, so it could be a factor.

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 2:09pm

Yeh try taking a few more strokes. At least half a dozen times lately I've jumped to my feet and just stopped, but then watched the same thing happen to the groms so didn't stress.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 2:24pm

Hey Frog what size boards you talking about?

frog's picture
frog's picture
frog Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 3:41pm

Simba - my short board is 6' 1' and 20.5 wide. Surfed everywhere on it including the ments. My longer board is an 8 foot super fish design. 23 inches wide! I just bought the longer board as something to surf in small beacbreaks and small fast point breaks. But it has become my main board as I catch 5 times more waves get speed out of nowhere make super fast sections and enjoy waist high waves which are easy to find and uncrowded. I love the speed but miss doing carves. It has a sweet spot for cutbacks but I am still working on that.
Never planned to go long but it has been an eye opener.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Tuesday, 8 Jan 2019 at 4:18pm

As long as your having fun Frog but i can see why coming back to the short board would be hard.

wbat's picture
wbat's picture
wbat Wednesday, 9 Jan 2019 at 10:41am

Yep, I have just had the exact same experience. Sitting in sumatra right now to see if I can sort it out. Every thing said here I am going to try to do. Paddle harder, move forward, focus on springing up with vigor.

Kind of see it as the challenge of being 50 years old plus. Use it or loose it. Take it on.

Got to be worth sorting. They look so fun to ride. Not ready to throw in the towel yet. Leave the mal on the rack for a while longer.

Out of interest. New board is Mayhem lost beach buggy two. 6ft, 31ltr.

I want it!

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Wednesday, 9 Jan 2019 at 10:51am

hey wbat good luck we are both the same age range and I agree use it or lose it. Has to be in my technique will be trying all suggestions

wbat's picture
wbat's picture
wbat Friday, 11 Jan 2019 at 6:16pm

Yeah well I'm here now and first surfs have been in super sucky high quality beach breaks. .... and I must admit I just can't get off my knee boards. Been shacked off my head.

Hope to head out this arvo and get the stand up wet. It's going to be humbling. Oh well.

morg's picture
morg's picture
morg Friday, 11 Jan 2019 at 9:55pm

I’ve had exactly the same issue on a couple of short and wide fish style boards. Found the solution is to be a bit further forward on the board when paddling into the wave (than when I paddle it normally) and an extra stroke or two. They are great when your on the wave but it’s the problem of getting past that point where you feel your on the wave and about to pop up and then finding you’ve actually just missed it.

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Friday, 11 Jan 2019 at 10:07pm

Sounds like this must be a thing for those of us who have passed the half century mark. Had the same issue with a new fish, wide point way forward, bit more tail rocker than nose,. I kept falling off the back of waves or struggling to push the nose down the face when taking off. As suggested above I found shifting my weight forward paddling into waves helped, even though it felt like it would nose dive, also helped shifting where I was putting my hands when popping up, moved them a lot further forward to help keep the board pointing down the wave face. Worth trying everything I reckon. Good luck.

wbat's picture
wbat's picture
wbat Saturday, 12 Jan 2019 at 12:00am

Hey 50young Just got back from the beachy session. Very short and sharp and most closing down and slamming on the bank. But mate I got one and got the feet right from the get go. That board just came alive, so responsive and super quick to get going. Filled me with enthusiasm. Back into it tomorrow.

smac12's picture
smac12's picture
smac12 Saturday, 12 Jan 2019 at 4:43pm

50young found I had a similar feeling the first few surfs on my channeled twinnie; felt like the board kind of drifted onto the wave at the take off compared to that push or thrust I was use to when taking off on a thrusters, harder to tell when you were properly onto it.
Like the others said a few easy adjustments, an extra paddle and a slightly further forward stance and you'll be laughing, took me more than a couple surfs to get use to the sensation of a twin but absolutely love it now, you're a lucky bloke always loved the look of those torus twins