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First Kneeboard as a Shortboard?
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 3:16 pm
by Doc H
Hi all. I'm new to kneeboarding but love what I've been seeing around the San Diego area. However, I've had a surprising amount of difficulty locating a kneeboard at local shops. My question is, I've taken a liking to Iron Cross Surfboard's Chubby Dolphin and Firewire's Baked Potato. These are both stand-up boards but their dimensions are, for all intents, identical to kneeboards. Would a wide, thick, shorter stand-up board be an acceptable alternative to an actual honest to goodness kneeboard? The only tangible difference I can see between the two is the positioning of the fins might be a tad farther back on the stand-up boards.
Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Doc H
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 4:19 pm
by joe
The days when you could buy a kneeboard off the racks in most shops is long gone. Greenroom in OB may have some more traditional quad or keel fish kneeboards. Frog house in Newport Beach usually has a few kneeboards on the rack.
There are a few shapers in San Diego that will build you a custom board. Your best bet might be to find a used board from one of the members here.
Joe
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 6:37 pm
by Lefty
they might sort of look similar....but they're not.
to kneeboard, buy a kneeboard.
have fun!
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 8:17 pm
by Scott
Doc, this advice by Lefty is sound. Most guys getting into kneeboarding buy a good used kneeboard off someone (and there are plenty of guys in the San Diego area alone), as well as meet up with some guys and try a few of their boards--there's quite a few guys in the San Diego - Oceanside area. Just post if you want a few of them to contact you for a meet-up and surf session.
Once you've got a real kneeboard and begin to unlock its marvelous secrets, you can take your experiences and ideas and put in for a custom shape for you that will further up your game. That's what a lot of guys do...
BTW, once you've learned how a modern kneeboard works in a variety of conditions, then you might want to try the Firewire and see how it behaves in comparison. I know there is one guy on this site who has used the Hot Potato board and had the fins moved up on it.