I'm 6'1" 180lbs.
Ride a 5' 6'' Romo Quad Round pin. This is actually my first kneeboard build by someone other than myself. Been KB'ing since mid-70's, I experimented with a bunch of designs when I was younger. (how about a 5' 6" Pintail, channel bottom, hard down rails all around or a 17" wide barrel rocket. Unbelievably fast but forget turning)
Just got back into KB's last year after not doing it for a long time. Really having fun.
I like big surf so am considering bigger board (Aussie style).
kneeboard design body to board comparison
Moderator: Moderator
-
ch cole
- Grom (25 or less posts to site)
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2003 3:51 pm
- Location: four-mile...cape cod
a new board....it's about time!!!!
we had a swell....doc has probably written about it somewhere.....it was waaaaaay too big to surf in Wellfleet...we were ALL off to truro t o see what was "rideable"...a big memorable swell....must be...it was September 3rd, 1989....the date's under the epoxy next to my stringer....anyway I finished shaping "my" kneeboard...and I've ridden it since.....The "epoxy "part was no big deal...I don't like to breathe styrene....annnnd..I'm a boatbuilder...so Systems Three it was....still riding it soooo it's durable....and a bit dented in spots (back of the truck-stuf....dontcha know!) anyway again....I have a new 6foot Clark blank waiting for me at Vec's and I'm thinking Quad.....my biggest questions are about paddling....I've been riding a 5'7" rounded pin tri.the width is forward..and I don't have the width...heck, I'll go measure it.....wait a minute...back again....it's only 20 inches wide!!!I always thought it floated OK....but I don't float as well as I used to...I'm about 200...6' tall.....what I find is that my arm paddling position is about 3-4" ahead of my fin paddling position....How do you-folks...paddle "both ways" on a longer board...seems as if my feet wouldn't even be IN the water on a 6 footer.....and the boards i see on this list don't look any thinner than what I'm riding...I'm excited....to see a Big difference...Ok, I'm 50...so it's the time for such things....Talk to me about width/length and paddling....Hey, I surf Cape Cod....beachbreak...we have our moments.....maybe Costa Rica at Christmas....I'll let you know....lightly....ch
Ch ch
-
surfhorn
- Legend (Contribution King!)
- Posts: 2261
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2003 6:42 am
- Location: Aptos, California
- Contact:
Ch Cole: Think of this as the beginning of the rest of your KBing life......
I'm in the same boat as you (50 y/o; 180 #; last board a 5'8" thruster).
Because of this forum, I'm popping down to Freeline Surf Shop this AM to pick up my new 6'0" 23 1/4 wide quad. Due to an ankle and a shoulder injury, I am looking at something that I can paddle using primarily my arms. My old style, which I picked up from my younger days riding plywood paipos and surf mats, entailed being completely in the water and pushing the board in front myself by solely kicking.
This new 6'0" is, by no means, the end of my journey but a new beginning. I look at it as just the start of more design experimentation. I haven't even ridden the board and I see where I want to make changes!
Also, this new board is more of a demo - after riding the quad set up with various fin designs, I'll drop in a middle box and then experiment with various fin templates in a thruster setting. The fun never stops!
Ch, you may want to ride some different designs before shaping your new board. If you make it out to the Pleasure Point contest you're more than welcome to ride my new board. Plus we have a few at Freeline that you can also demo.
Or maybe ride the 4'6" and 4'9" KBs that I am restoring!
Whatever course you steer, have fun and good luck!
I'm in the same boat as you (50 y/o; 180 #; last board a 5'8" thruster).
Because of this forum, I'm popping down to Freeline Surf Shop this AM to pick up my new 6'0" 23 1/4 wide quad. Due to an ankle and a shoulder injury, I am looking at something that I can paddle using primarily my arms. My old style, which I picked up from my younger days riding plywood paipos and surf mats, entailed being completely in the water and pushing the board in front myself by solely kicking.
This new 6'0" is, by no means, the end of my journey but a new beginning. I look at it as just the start of more design experimentation. I haven't even ridden the board and I see where I want to make changes!
Also, this new board is more of a demo - after riding the quad set up with various fin designs, I'll drop in a middle box and then experiment with various fin templates in a thruster setting. The fun never stops!
Ch, you may want to ride some different designs before shaping your new board. If you make it out to the Pleasure Point contest you're more than welcome to ride my new board. Plus we have a few at Freeline that you can also demo.
Or maybe ride the 4'6" and 4'9" KBs that I am restoring!
Whatever course you steer, have fun and good luck!
kbing since plywood days
-
ch cole
- Grom (25 or less posts to site)
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2003 3:51 pm
- Location: four-mile...cape cod
thanks to surfhorn
thanks for the reply....good advice....actually Doc is just up the road in eastham....and we've tentatively talked KB expression session....and design forum at lecount's before the water gets really cold.....quad/ tri/fin shifts etc...he has that 5'4" Romo that is gonna be small...but I can get a sense of what is going on THERE....the only other kneeboard that I've ridden over the years....was a Warm Winds..( are those two brothers still out there, RIDING???)....I scored from Paul Murray in RI....a real thin one...chine bottom double concave twinner.....real squirty but likely small for me...I liked the shift to thruster....and only take my middle fin out in tiny summer stuff....am allways glad to have that third fin in when I want to "feel" the turn....I'm gonna go over and pick up that blank and some fcs fins shortly ...and find out what the blank will let me do....and then some test drivin'...before putting planer to foam...a they say...you can always take it off....it's real hard to glue it back on when it's allready been thru the planer....light-ly.....Ch.....
Ch ch
-
Bryan Jackson
- Ripper (more than 100 posts)
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2003 12:14 pm
I have KB’ed extensively throughout the South Pacific including both Western and American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Hawaii. At the moment I live and surf in San Diego. Since I started Kneeboarding again (after a 20 plus year lapse) I have owned four different boards, three of which I still have (the fourth I gave away to a Samoan kid in American Samoa). Those boards, all quad fin setups, are:
1) 5’10” Blast rounded pintail,
2) 5’6” Romanosky rounded pintail,
3) 5’7” Pavel fish built by Rich Pavel (the board I gave away was also a 5’7” Pavel fish).
I rarely if ever ride the fish nowadays. I typically ride either the Blast or the Romanosky, just depends on where I am headed to surf. For example, if I am going to Black’s I take the Blast. If I’m headed to Big Rock it’s the Romo.
Each board has its own particular idiosyncrasies and characteristics and it is definitely a truism that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect board’, one that will do everything equally well in all wave conditions. If a board is loose then that means there are times when it may slide out. If it holds a line well then it is probably a bit stiffer as well.
But if I could have only one board then it would definitely be the Blast. It paddles and catches waves great, feels solid underneath me, is nearly impossible to spin out or pearl on and is oh so fast! It’s not as loose as the Romo but that’s fine because the waves I like to ride it in don’t call for a loose board. I would call the Blast a “carving machine” and the Romo a “pocket rocket”.
One thing I also noticed in going from a fish to a rounded pintail and then back is just how stiff the fish are. They’re great for down the line stuff but it’s really hard to pull a big roundhouse cutback with them. Also when you crank a big bottom turn you’ve gotta do a rail grab otherwise the board is gonna go one way and you’re going to go another, whereas with the rounded pins I can surf hands free much of the time. All in all I definitely prefer the rounded pins over the fish.
I am a tad over 6’ and probably somewhat over 200 lbs. When I acquired all my boards I was only about 185 lbs. (and the same height as far as I know) and single but now I am married and well, you know how that goes!
When I ordered the Blast I asked for a 5’8” but Buddy recommended a 6’0” which I thought was way too long. “How would I ever turn the damn thing”, I wondered! We finally compromised on 5’10” and now, after riding it in a lot of different wave conditions I am completely satisfied that was and still is the exact right length for me.
I’m really curious about the catamaran design (which some refer to as pickle forks). I got a good close-up look at a stand-up one at Big Rock and was quite impressed by what I saw (read my post in that forum for a full description). I think that design has a lot of potential and warrants further investigation.
1) 5’10” Blast rounded pintail,
2) 5’6” Romanosky rounded pintail,
3) 5’7” Pavel fish built by Rich Pavel (the board I gave away was also a 5’7” Pavel fish).
I rarely if ever ride the fish nowadays. I typically ride either the Blast or the Romanosky, just depends on where I am headed to surf. For example, if I am going to Black’s I take the Blast. If I’m headed to Big Rock it’s the Romo.
Each board has its own particular idiosyncrasies and characteristics and it is definitely a truism that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect board’, one that will do everything equally well in all wave conditions. If a board is loose then that means there are times when it may slide out. If it holds a line well then it is probably a bit stiffer as well.
But if I could have only one board then it would definitely be the Blast. It paddles and catches waves great, feels solid underneath me, is nearly impossible to spin out or pearl on and is oh so fast! It’s not as loose as the Romo but that’s fine because the waves I like to ride it in don’t call for a loose board. I would call the Blast a “carving machine” and the Romo a “pocket rocket”.
One thing I also noticed in going from a fish to a rounded pintail and then back is just how stiff the fish are. They’re great for down the line stuff but it’s really hard to pull a big roundhouse cutback with them. Also when you crank a big bottom turn you’ve gotta do a rail grab otherwise the board is gonna go one way and you’re going to go another, whereas with the rounded pins I can surf hands free much of the time. All in all I definitely prefer the rounded pins over the fish.
I am a tad over 6’ and probably somewhat over 200 lbs. When I acquired all my boards I was only about 185 lbs. (and the same height as far as I know) and single but now I am married and well, you know how that goes!
When I ordered the Blast I asked for a 5’8” but Buddy recommended a 6’0” which I thought was way too long. “How would I ever turn the damn thing”, I wondered! We finally compromised on 5’10” and now, after riding it in a lot of different wave conditions I am completely satisfied that was and still is the exact right length for me.
I’m really curious about the catamaran design (which some refer to as pickle forks). I got a good close-up look at a stand-up one at Big Rock and was quite impressed by what I saw (read my post in that forum for a full description). I think that design has a lot of potential and warrants further investigation.
Keep in mind the type of waves and conditions you will be riding most of the time. Here in Fla. Im dealing mostly with small low powered beach break ( save the occasional hurricane swell and trip to sebastian ). Use to ride Lis Fish but have modified equipment over the years to suit the waves here. Im 5'8" at 152lbs, 49yrs. Specs on latest board are 5'10", 24'' wide, 2 3/8" thick round tail shaped by the late Robert Strickland. Its a cross between Dean Clearys Quest model and one of Parkes round tails. Fin placement is at around 15". Works great in conditions here. 
