Swell Sticks

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

What's everybody been digging for riding swell lately?

I have been having a blast on my skimboard w/ 9m and 20m lines. I am usually overpowered and getting bounced all over in the chop the whole way up to the bridge, but then perfect when I get there ... I like hanging in the wind shadows on the WA side where the wind is light and the swells are buttery smooth.

The skimboard is pretty fun in the challenge of getting it not to slip out, plus you can throw good spray and it edges like a kiteboard. I have gotten my surfboard up there once or twice this year... but I am just not used to the feel of so much fin and it kind of tweaks me to rely more on fin than edge.

It is nice being able to push off of those fins though in the bottom turns, surf boards give you more turns for sure. I have to move my feet back and really dig the edge on the skim to make it work. The pay off is big spray in the heel turns and the skim slides down the smooth swell super fast so you get the glide feeling more (less kite pull.)

Surf fins feel cool surfing, wake surfing, or in big waves, then they really glide they seem to be right at home... but I am not as sure about swell kiting. What ya'all think?

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

You could try throwing some smaller surf-style fins onto a skim board. That can be pretty fun and you can play with different configurations (2 fins vs. 4, etc) depending on how skaty you want it.

A small surfboard can be pretty fun too. I think Gabe's riding a North 5-5 surfboard in the swell and he seems to like it.

That's all I can say since I usually only ride directionals at the coast.

kss · Since 24 Apr 2006 614 Posts pdx Addicted

i've been up to the bridge a few times now with litewave's 5'8 battail quad setup. surfed for 15 years pre-kiting... but i suck at riding directional so not much to say because i currently suck. it is fun though. and humbling.

tinyE · Since 21 Jan 2006 2004 Posts not really an XTreme Poster

if you had 2 good knees, I'd tell you... Twisted Evil

DROCK999 · Since 31 May 2007 852 Posts Left Coast Opinionated

I want to try my buddies wake surfboard really bad i think that would be fun.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

How big is your Naish board? The 5'6" Slingshot SRT works great - the more wind the better for river swell and the shorter boards. The skim gets challenging on the bigger waves, super fun but you get worked as the wind hits 25-30, great practice though.

Surfboards are the ticket

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

4'10" stretch quad it's like a fined up skim. have not got much time on my skim yet.

kt · Since 16 Mar 2005 764 Posts Portland, Or Opinionated

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

I use a Cabal, the bigger one (can't remember the size.) I guess they don't make them anymore.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 491 Posts Obsessed

Skim is definitely fun at WS bridge because the wind tends to be light and the swell not that crazy, and this year the swell is “bigger” than the wind. But, for the classic blasting days out east with real swell trains, or up at the hatch proper on the big windsurfing mid summer days, a skim is pretty limiting. Still fun and totally doable, but it’s not great for very high performance riding. Tends to be more about riding straight down the faces really fast, some sliding around, and hopefully some airs. At mach speed, it’s super hard to do full on edge to edge carves. Hard to set an edge without pausing to move your feet on every carve. These are the overpowered 5m days when you end up just trying not to pearl when flying into the trough. Still fun though.

I prefer to ride swells more aggressively like waves and do full top and bottom turns and move the kite on every turn to whip you through it. Need fins for this. Finding a board that can enable this is like a revelation.

Phil, your 5’5” is a nice board, but the fins are kind of draggy, and bit too much volume for the river. A board with less rocker, less volume, and much straighter fins is a lot more fun on the river. Faster and more reactive. My swell pig never felt draggy at all and is by far the best swell board I’ve tried so far. But riding my 6’0” coast board feels completely bizarre on the river. Too much drag, too boaty, can be hard to sink the rail on the biggest faces. I can barely deal with it, even though it’s awesome on the coast for small-med days.

My 5’5” rocketfish is pretty good, but not perfectly fast. I’m getting a custom 4’9” quad soon, noseless, strapless, low volume. I’m hoping that will be perfect. Lighter boards feel more fun too—like a sail under your feet.

Here’s another thing to try: http://www.roushcreations.com/products.php the 50 and 53 loafs have small removable quad fins. Also here: http://surftech.com/boardDetails.php?bid=SKIMBDS+%3A+SK0019-0404-ER&type=SKIMBDS&skill=&weight=&rshape=&cond=&qual= these would be a cool hybrid, but I bet it would still be tough to lock in on the big days.

Also check out the surfskates this guy makes: http://www.placebo1.com/ could be really cool, but maybe the rails are too thick for high speed—who knows. Symmetrical could be fun though. Airush choptop and north freestyle fish look similar, but fewer size options.

Basically I don’t know of any production boards that are perfect for this condition, and I have looked everywhere. I wish a company would build something like the different customs I have found—short, low drag quad fin, flattish rocker, light, thin. I think it would be really popular for lots of people, even outside of swell.

daveS · Since 23 Jul 2007 104 Posts Stoked

I just started riding a Fuse last week and so far I think it's a pretty good River swell riding board. It also has a big plus in that I found it's got pretty good pop for jumping. Still trying to find the most comfortable footstrap and pad set-up. I haven't been on anything but twin tips prior to this so that's my only comparison. I'm digging hitting that big buttery spred out swell that forms just down wind of the bridge at high speed. The board also slows down enough to get multiple turns on the steeper stuff upwind.

tinyE · Since 21 Jan 2006 2004 Posts not really an XTreme Poster

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1738 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

another skim option would be the crazy fly.
I have one of these and its nice because you can put on foot straps, fins on both ends, and it has nice pads.
can be ridden both ways for those still learning to jibe.
wieght is comparable to cabal.
135 x 48 great alternative to a lightwind kite board.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Okay so the overhead swell at Rufus humbled me off of my skimboard, after tumbling down a couple of them like it was a hill. I took the Naish 5'5" out and had some epic rides, fins are good for big stuff.

The smaller smoother swell at the bridge was sweet today on the skim though. My new rule of thumb: overhead swell = surfboard, smooth smaller swell or flat water = skim.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Check this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5350574531455689762&q=skimboarding+video&ei=3JFMSOCzIpvWrgOukpjFDA

Make sure you watch the wave at 2:46