Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

looking for esoteric knowledge for how big i can go...template, thickness, dimensions and fin options (placement)...stand up surfer for 50 years (ability 7 out 10-10 being pro) with worldwide experience in quality and size-well overhead sessions...recent back injury leaves a left foot disablility...so, open to kneeboarding (body dynamics do-able)...prefer no fins-easier on back...6'2", 220lbs, arms (paddling) always a strong point...not necessarially hardcore, just want that ol'thyme feeling a little while longer...where can i go from here? will correspond with interested parties...

Welcome Carp, sorry about your injury. You will get plenty of help around here.
Where do you live, maybe there is a famous kneeboard shaper nearby.

home is santa barbara county and the waves therein but i want a road board to, don't want to give up the airline seat yet...i have called ron romanosky and john mel of freeline...but i'm looking "outside the box" for that crutch-board to help me, less work the better...hope it's not a pipe dream, i'm looking for realistic results...us or aussie style, i'm open...

carp jaws.... im also around 220... i can arm paddle my 6'2 x 24" x 2.5 flashpoint round-pin with ease... rides amazing up to 8' faces ,if waves a bigger or really hollow then i go to my 6'2 x 23"x 2 1/4 flashpoint pintail..but i wear cutdown churchhill flippers then for sure...

ive rode 6'4 kneeboards that work great in OH waves...and im gonna shape a 6'6 for waves over 15' face.....

aussie(fins forward) tri kneeboards are the best.... if you used a US style (fins back) then anything over 5'10 will feel really stiff...

good luck !

Carpjaws - As stated above sorry to hear about the injury.

There is so much information on this site about the questions you ask. check the topics. If you are going to go fliperless go with Aussie style tri.

Ska+Gumby, I'm curious how/why you think number and position of fins relates to arm paddling vs kicking, I have a 6'0"x23+1/2" fins back quad that arm paddles great. (I'm 6'0"x205+5mil wetsuit).
Carp, maybe you could tell us what type of stand up boards you've been riding.

Paradox I ride quads only use EX large duck feet. If Carpjaws has the arm strength to go with out fins. I want him to ride the board I see being used best by flipperless KBr's

I'll just say that contrary to what most people see in the photo's here, from what I saw in the Bendalong contest, most OZ kneelo's use fins, and some even ride quads and some freakin rip, but aren't in the photo's.
Shouldn't be any surprise though. I could be going out on a limb, but I would wager most of us are older guys (older than college age) and have jobs, families, and other things that take our time from being able to be in good enough shape to paddle into beachbreak waves on small boards without flippers for hours on end. Very different than catching reef breaks.
Compare 10ft. Ocean Beach, SF. to Pipeline, Hawaii as far as energy expended paddling around.
I am not an expert on the boards, but Carp if your surfing a 6ft board, you should be able to surf a 6ft kneeboard, you will just find kneeboards are wider than 19" or whatever your accustomed to, and the shape will be different also.
Here is a list of shapers, you already know Freeline, and Romo, and you have (Shoelkopf from S. Orange County), (Bud from Blast Hawaii), (Slats from Drift, OZ), (Hart from Flashpoint, OZ), (Parkes from OZ), and a few others, plus a wide selection of used boards. Hope this helps.

Hi Mike, I know I am going a bit off topic, but I can confess, even though I am quite intense about my non surfing exercise, and fairly fit, switching from a reef to a beach is something of an extra work out to say the least.

We have some rough paddles in the reefs, but nothing compared to getting it on the head for hours on end at the beaches, usually

On the board situation, I agree with your comments, and find a local shaper that wants to work with you. I have four boards, all completely different in shapes, styles and countries of origin. Guess what, they all work....

like the flurry of feed back...will use the tidbits to continue to scower this blog for visual aids and calculations for fin placements, templates and foil...please keep the ideas coming...i surf 9ft boards of california speed shapes-no long boards...22-23" wide and 3 1/4 thick [i had been adding length and volume over the years to compensate for age, crowding and wave size, etc]...there's hope, yet!

I think you will find as many combinations of boards and uses, as the number of people on this site! jeeze wat Trowt is like 9'1" and rides a 5'10" fish or something like that ! Best hook up with some guys from here and try a few, that will narrow it down. or keep an eye in the board section for sales and get a few. I heard a couple of mates on this site have warehouses full of 'em , gotta be one in there they can part with. You got the miles under your belt, so you will soon get in the groove of what works for your local.

Glad to hear you findly came around, just sorry an injury had to push you over to the "dark side". (dark from being sooo deep---see recent pic of Simon ) It can be lonely being a outcast, but so well worth it.

ps. chicks dig guys on their knees

to show i'm in the know, but inconviently forgot earlier...ROCKER! what's peculiar to kneeboards...i sauve flat, vee, single concave, double, nose and tail rocker, etc...wide point and rocker apex...you see where this is going?

It probably took you several board designs before you found the stand up that works for you. I would think it will be the same for a kneeboard. I am your exact size but 5 to 10 lbs lighter and use fins. I surf a bit in your area. I would be looking for 6' to 6'2", 23.5 to 24 inches wide, 2.75 to 3 inches thick, v to concave, and average rocker as a starter all around board and experiment from there. A good sandspit or Rincon board could go a bit narrower. All those shapers make lots of boards for guys our size, I would listen to what they have to say and skip the hours of combing through the design forums.

MasonS and I both ride Flashpoints here on the SB County south coast. Give either of us a PM if you want to take a look in person at a Bruce Hart shape, we're up in SB. Bruce is great to work and love his boards with but with the dollar the way it is you are looking at big $$$. Mason may have some comments for you about big guy boards as his dad is a kneelo down in OC with some insight into that.

I'm just a little guy, but I do know a couple of things about bigger boards!
If you are looking for a good starter board for your size, I have a Blast quad 6'-1" rounded pintail in very good shape that we bought for a friend of mine who is a little bigger than you, but he decided that kneeboarding wasn't his thing. He will let it go for $250.00 and you can try it first if need be.
If you are looking for something a little bit bigger, I have a couple of boards that I would be willing to part with that are 6'5"x24x3/1/4. I only ride quads, so that's what they are. You would have no problem arm paddling my 6'-5" without fins at 220lbs.
Let me know and we can arrange to meet up or something as I am in the SB area often surfing the Ranch!
bigtony@volcom.com

Aloha