Age ,Weight or do you just find this type of surfing more to your liking ???

mac

Short boards and the way they are ridden just never appealed to me, that’s one of the main reasons why I stayed away from it for over 20 years from 1969. That may be why when I read a book like MP, I have trouble liking the guy, he was spearheading the shortboard revolution and the drift away from our kind of styling.

I’ll let you in on something I think I discovered in the book that kind of drives this subject full circle.

There was a chapter about a surfing contest under a new scoring format better suited to the new boards and styles, MP was renowned for milking the judges for everything he could and studied rules like a monk would study the bible. He would make a poster of the scoring maneuvers and pin it to his dash so he could study them while driving hundreds of miles to a contest.

At one particular contest under the new system everyone was gob-smacked when amongst his arsenal of bottom turns, cutbacks, tub rides and manic zigging and zagging, he slipped in a trick called a “cheatin five”. Apparently it was an old maneuver from the longboard days that none of the shortys bothered with but MP knew is was still on the list so he would slip one in on every wave to milk the judges for everything he could.

I had absolutely no idea what a “cheatin five” was so the next time I’m at a computer I try to look it up and from what I can see, it’s one of the maneuvers I’m always striving to do, it’s usually the ultimate for me even if I only half pull it off and don’t recover.

I guess it’s because I’d love to hang ten or even five the classic way and that’s just never going to happen with my weight and ability so the cheating five is my consolation prize and I’m stoked to know it had a name and arguably the greatest shorty of all time would use it.

Another example of how we would not be where we are now without the influence of the shortys can be simply seen from your avatar Mac.

No one was expected to hit lips like that in the 60s and no one did the kind of agro forehand and backhand turns we all try to snap out now and what about things like floaters? If someone tried to do that in back in the 60s the crowd would have probably said “jeezus the poor bugga really stuffed up that kickout”.

I think longboard ridings a lot more interesting now, thanks to all those shortboard years but the vast majority of shortboard riding still doesn’t appeal to me as something I like to watch.

Sorry I do such long posts sometimes.

size was a factor for me, 6'3 and 90kgs i just couldnt ride the same boards as my mates, havent looked back since though and have ridden the good old 9'1 in waves that apparently you cant ride mals in. margs, north west, south coast and noosa,most of the east coast too, and they went great in all areas, however they get pretty bloody pricey when you start snapping them!!!! cant beat that feeling of curling the toes round the nose and purching, or the speed you get coming out of a bowly section, nothing better!!! plus you look more manly strolling down the beach with a long under you arm

Welcome back fatsurf

I wondered what happened to ya.
Someone stole your boards?
Did you finish the wooden paddle?

I like the style thing
Been riding HP 9' mals for years & finally picked up a 9'6" log cruzzzzer
Wow how I no what the glide means & the old school moves,I'm hooked.
Take me back to the 60s.
Big cars & boards and no one out.

Fester

That's Surfing.............I was there in the original longboard time, started surfing in '59, 1st 2 boards were balsa ( that's all there was), went thru the, so called, shortboard "revolution" (ha). To be able to use the entire length of the board, the style, the flow...............you know what I mean

Altho I still own a "fish" style board, Longboards is where I find my most enjoyable surfing & where I spend 95% of my surfing

Lfish said...
Altho I still own a "fish" style board, Longboards is where I find my most enjoyable surfing & where I spend 95% of my surfing

+1

Glide and it improves your shortboard surfing and paddle surfing.....

Well you know how it goes,first you get married then the first home then kids come along and you need money,so I sold all my shortboards to pay some bills or more home improvements.
After not being in the water for two long years ( no I was not in the lock up) well kind of We went for the family BBQ at Burliegh headlands and I was sitting there talking to the wife and it dawned on me what was going on in my head, that's it I need to get back in the water. Being married to a great girl, wifie said go get another board. Being well looked after food wise Id beefed up a little and and ordered a 8 foot mini mal. First surf was ok'ish until I got into conversation with a longboarder who informed me that I am sitting in the middle of nowhere. I was competing against both the short and long. That's it I trading this thing for a 9.1 and that's it game over.
One thousand boards later a new one coming next week, many os trip to Indo and Hawaii

mac

Hey mac your board is just about done,this one is on the money buddy,I saw you ripped one apart last month OMG,it must have been one heavy grinder,were where you on that day?