URBNSURF WAVE POOL - SURFBOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
Frequently we get asked for advice on boards to use at URBNsurf - In this article I'll give you some solid recommendations on what to ride. Many discussions with customers, other staff members and my own experience have been used to inform these.
INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED TURNS / ADVANCED / EXPERT SESSIONS
For those of you that are further along in your surfing journey and plan on surfing the intermediate/ advanced turns / advanced & expert modes here are a couple of things that can help you choose which board to ride:
- What you are comfortable on in the ocean will work in the pool - so you don't necessarily need a special board.
- The wave is easy to catch. It's common to ride something significantly shorter & lower in volume that what you would ride in the ocean.
- The wave has a fairly steep transition / curve (even on the intermediate mode) so rocker is your friend.
- It's not as soft as you think it's going to be. I was surprised by the grunt / power in the wave on my first session - it's a lot like surfing a rip bank in the ocean.
- It's really easy to ding your board there. Blow a take off or cook a turn near the end of the wave and you're getting pretty close to some concrete. Maybe not the best place for your first run on a new board or a prized vintage stick.
My personal preference is a performance groveller. Something that is a touch shorter in length, a slightly fuller outline, a boxier rail and a performance rocker. This allows you to fit comfortably into the curve of the wave.
Many find that flatter rockered & longer railed boards tend to get stuck in transition. Head to the pool with a flatter rockered board and you'll find that you are forced to draw more lateral lines. A shorter board means that there's less to swing around and less rail to get caught.
In the turn settings I find that the lip doesn't give you a lot of push back (except right in the pocket). I find a boxier rail pops off the lip / coping nicely & allows you to push through turns.
You can't go wrong if you pack something like the Channel Islands Rocket Wide, Pyzel Astro Pop, Lost Rocket Redux, Firewire Dominator 2.0, DHD 3DV, CI Happy Everyday, DHD Utopia. These are consistently popular boards for URBNsurf with shop regulars & staff that surf there frequently.
EXPERT & BEAST
You could potentially use something more HP on the purely barrel modes , but I wouldn't say it's essential. A shorter wider board will do the job just fine (as long as it's not too flat).
BOARD CONSTRUCTION
Let's also dispel a common myth surrounding board construction choices for the pool - Epoxy / EPS at URBNsurf. Frequently I hear people say that Epoxy / EPS constructions feel better in the pool at URBNsurf. This seems to stem from the theory that you need a livelier board or that less salt in the water means that your board will float less so you need to compensate with a corkier construction?
As mentioned earlier, you definitely don't need more buoyancy out there to catch the wave. The likelihood of dinging your board also means your probably going to get stung for a more expensive repair if your unlucky enough to leave with a ding in your EPS/Epoxy board.
Sure the flex and lightness may give you a little extra zip but I'd suggest that maybe a PU board that's touch shorter and wider, with a slightly fuller rail will give you the same effect. Maybe add a set of fins with a touch more flex & it'll give you that extra spark & let you pop off the coping / lip a little better.
I have it on good advice that Darren Handley aka DHD brought both EPS & PU constructions in the same board down to test for his first session at URBNsurf & quickly made it known for his preference for PU constructions in the pool.
Anyway each to there own - I definitely wouldn't say that EPS/ Epoxy is a must though.
I have written a separate article on FIN CHOICES for URBNsurf which you might find useful as well.
CRUISER
For this session I recommend a longboard , hybrid, midlength a larger funboard or fish shape. It is a softer, rolling wave so you'll need something with a bit of glide, float, length and surface area for this mode. This is probably the best setting for you longboarders out there too.
PROGRESSIVE TURNS
This session is great for proper fish shapes, small wave grovellers or midlengths. There is more shape than the cruiser session and a touch more push, but significantly less than the intermediate session.
A board that creates a significant amount of it's own speed and allows you to run it out onto the flats or shoulder of the wave without stopping is the key. That way you won't have to hug the pocket as much & you'll be able to rip turns right to the end of the wave.
Popular board models for this session include shapes like the Firewire Seaside, Christenson Myconaut, CI Mid, CI Bobby Quad, Firewire Seaside & Beyond, DHD Phoenix.
You can ride this setting on a longboard but I'd suggest that it's a significantly harder wave to ride than the Cruiser. With it's slightly tighter transition / pocket, and faster pace, there's less opportunity to set up and walk to the nose (compared to the cruiser).
Anyway - hopefully this information is useful for you for you. Feel free to give our staff a call during store hours and we can advise you further.
We also offer a range of surfboards for HIRE trough out REFRESH YOUR STICK website.