3 Signs You Have The WRONG SURFBOARD!! 

I did this when I first started surfing, just thought shorter meant more 'fun' and 'cool'. I had to get real with myself and my ability, I was intermediate at best. What changed me was seeing some dude with dreadlocks, on a huge crusty longboard, catch 20x more waves than me in a session 😂 he had a big grin from ear to ear. I bought the biggest board I could find on ebay the next day and never looked back. I only use shortboards when the waves are big, for anything else I longboard/funboard. Call me a kook, call me whatever, surfing for me was meant to be all about fun but unfortunately I got caught up in image. It happens. Once you drop your ego with most activities in life the fun comes back. Cool video bro

I surfed for 30 yrs and haven't surfed for awhile now and still have my old 6'4 Potato chip, I think if I sit on it now I would need a snorkel.

Thanks for tuning in team! Sorry about the weird cut at 3:12 (FCP shortcuts 🙄) HERES WHAT I SAID IN THE GAP - “ Well, if you’re finding that you’re constantly ‘stuck in the lip’ as you take off or that there is an excessive feeling of being pulled back up the wave as you transition from paddling to popping up - then it could be a sign that your board does not offer you enough paddle power to get into waves efficiently.”

Just ate some kale and broccoli ! It had monumental impact on my digestion progression !

When I first started, everyone kept saying you have to start on a longboard and I kept nose diving and couldn't turn and found it no fun. I'm still not that good (but that is mainly due to me not being fit enough), but I went down to a 6 foot board with like 40 litres of volume with a pin tail and I love it. Took me like a week to get used to the shorter board, but started getting barrelled and really bombing down the line. I am very light and only about 5 foot 9 inches. I also love twin fin fish boards. For me personally, finding short boards with high volume really progressed my surfing, but I knew from the start I wanted barrels, that's all I ever wanted, I'm not a fan of dancing around on the top of a longboard, I wanna go fast. With high volume you can still have some fun when the waves aren't pumping too.

Volume is your friend, and being honest about your ability when purchasing a board or ordering a custom is very important. Its just to easy to get sucked into the look of a wafer thin board and forget to consider if you can actually catch a wave on it.

I've been making boards since I started surfing and one of the first boards I made was a wafer thin shortboard and taking it out in crappy conditions. Definitely didn't help progress my surfing ability. Great content and presentation.

Here I am watching this in the middle of Texas

Talk about video timing! I've just been through this entire dilemma and finally have ordered myself a decent sized fish with volume & rocker that will hopefully fit my beginner level

Great advice! Thank you. I fit the last category. Not surfing consistently due to work and family. Another factor not covered is weight change. I started surfing in 2006 at 160lbs. Now in 2020 I'm 195lbs. My old Bic 7'6 Mini-Malibu used to be too buoyant is now starting to submarine. I need a lot of push and hard paddling to get into a wave. Time for a board change. 😊

Makes so much sense, I know those days where I’m being undergunned. Thanks for this. Also look down the line for the longboarding beginners! You go where you look

I have just started surfing and have an 8' soft top which a friend lent me. I initially purchased a 7' soft top and the difference is astounding. I have to paddle so much harder and get my pop up and feet perfect on the 7' otherwise i fall. I surf a beginner beach really as its my local. I see so many people out in the surf learning on shortboards. For an entire 3 hour session they don't pop up nor catch even one wave and in that time ill catch bucket loads. I have progressed insanely fast in just 3 months with the 8'. I nearly gave it away like so many others do cause of the wrong friggin board!

I always surfed short boards and tbh it was my fitness and timing that I needed to fix once those clicked my little boards starting catching waves like it was nothing

I re-learned this past year. I was in water roughly 6 hrs/week over the course of the year. Coaches started me on 8+ and went to 7-8, 7-6, 7-0, 6-8 in 3 to 4 month chunks. During that time my skill and my fitness improved dramatically. Went from being pushed into waves (nice but humiliating hahah) to paddling solo and focusing on selection and placement (still doing this part). I dropped 10lbs and developed a lot of surf muscles I didn’t know existed. I also watched a lot of “how to rip” videos. After that sequence, over about a year, coaches helped me find a shaper to make a 6-4 fish quad and a 5-11 fish thruster. The 6-4 is a blast in 1’ to 6’ and the 5-11 is a challenge but manageable with room to grow. It’s amazing how much easier the same length & shape board is with an extra 5 or 10L. Still looks plenty cool 🤙🏼. Since I got to be involved in shaping, I learned a lot more by talking to the shaper and watching tons of videos about shaping. I helped source materials, select blanks and transport by plane luggage, an experience in itself. I also helped make templates and draw lines before shaping and really got a feel for why we were doing things a certain way, how it would impact my surfing, and how best to surf that shape. If you ever get to do this, say yes. Then knowledge of what goes into hand shaping boards is irreplaceable. We made them wide and floaty, partly due to watching Kales board selection vids and partly because I’m originally from San Diego and stumbled upon the movie “FISH” which goes deep on the history of Fish shapes originating in Ocean Beach, San Diego. I’ll probably stay in the range of the custom boards and make another few as time goes on to dial in the perfect shape(s) for me, but like Kale said, that fish is the money 🤑 board;). Have fun everyone.

I have 5 boards from 9ft to 6'5". I mostly use my 8' and a 7'8" which has more rocker (but quite a few litres less volume than the 8) when things get a bit hollow above 3ft. I use my 7ft high volume, ahem, 'shortboard' when I'm feeling gun hot and its above 4ft. I haven't touched my 6'5" in 4 or 5 years and I haven't been in a massive overhead wave for even longer.. Point being, if you're not a great surfer, then pick the board and the waves to suit your needs. We're not practising for Pipeline, just more waves, right?

Just wanted to let you know that you're videos are really helpful! Love from the trashy waves in The Netherlands!

People also need to understand how length, width, and thickness all work together. If one of these factors doesn't match your size or skill level, you'll have a lot of difficulty. I made the mistake of buying this beautiful 6'7" Rusty (very narrow, very think, very high performance, but long for your average waves). I had so much trouble catching waves and when I did catch a wave, I felt a 1/2 second behind on all my maneuvers. The board just didn't respond well because I wasn't going fast enough to match the design features of the board. I had a very frustrating session. I took the board back and traded it is on a board about 6' long, thicker, and a little wider. Still a fun high performance design but a lot more float and a lot more responsive on smaller waves. I had a great session on it. I caught waves easily and the board was really fun to ride in a wide range of conditions (from knee high to over-head). So don't just assume a longer board will be easier to ride. If its designed to ride 10 ft Mexican barrels, and you're surfing waste high surf most the time, get a board with more volume (thicker, wider, and a little shorter). As mentioned, one of your first clues will be how well it paddles, duck dives, and catches waves. Then when you make your first turns or try to gain speed down the wave, you'll know if it's a good match. It doesn't take long. I knew on my first wave my 6'7" Rusty wasn't the board for me. That board belonged in Hawaii or Mexico with a pro riding it on huge waves.

thank you so much, you underlined what I already felt. My personal mini malibu board is pretty big but as I’m still beginner/intermediate I sticked to it for a long time. Last vacations I rented a much shorter board with still a lot of volume and it was way better to handle for me due to the shorter size. I thought I wont do the same mistake as the majority and take a too short board but in my case it was the opposite:))

I am a 20 years of experience surfer on long and short. I’m not a surf instructor but I have helped beginner adults learn how to surf. At the beach where I start people out (long rolling waves off of point or mild reef break, Doheney or San O In So Cal) I think the use of a longboard with lots of volume is the key to success. With respect, I think the message of this video has a sweeping and unnecessary confirmation bias towards short boards. It really depends on the age of the beginning/intermediate surfer and where they are learning to surf. I have seen kids dropped off at the beach every day after school with a short board and within a few months of hanging out with their friends they figure it out pretty well. In these instances the size of the board is super critical to their success but just like learning how to ride a bicycle the younger you are the easier it is. The further someone is from that youthful age where the brain is hyper adapted to quickly picking up a new activity the more I advocate for learning and staying on a long board possibly never transitioning to short boards. The shorter the board the more aggressive the wave has to be and the more aggressive the wave is the more experience of the surfer needs to have in order to succeed. Yes nose diving is a thing with surfing and on a longboard it can be one of if not the biggest challenges to get around but that doesn’t change when you’re on a shorter board! There are so many more dynamics of having to learn on a short board. The forwards and backwards balance is just as critical on a short board but the side to side, wave position is much more critical on a short board, finding the right wa is much more critical on a short board and dealing with a crowd of other experienced surfers is much more difficult for a short border. If you live next to a beach break and it’s hard to find a mild point or reef break and all you have is a two door sedan then yeah you really do need to man up and just take it on the chin until you figure it out but in my opinion the easiest and best way to learn how to surf for a beginner to intermediate adult is on a longboard with an abundance of volume at a spot that has long rolling waves where other long borders Surf. It’s like this race car drivers do not start in an F1 cars they start and go jarts. Long boards are the go karts of surfing short boards are the F1 cars at surfing. Even a beginner short board is still much higher performance and needs much more experience than a longboard so it will inevitably have a higher learning curve.

Hit the nail on the head! Just baught a board, while it will still work later down the road 7'. I still need a 9 to 9'4" board. May even go 10'. Still I took it out and had no problem barrel rolling it, or catching waves/ foamy. It was a bit wobbly

Fantastic video. I’ve been riding an 8’ beginner and was victim to #2. I tried various boards on a surf trip in Asia and found out it I grew out of the 8’ early on. Signing up for your surfboard calculator now 🤙🏼

Good advice. Windsurfing is my passion, I have only tried surfing a few times (all last week in Hayle Cornwall) and I tried various boards over that time. I started with a foamie paddling was easy but getting up was a nightmare it felt to unstable. I took out a fiberglass board similar size and paddling was much harder but getting up was more stable.....I then opted for the longboard which was so much fun I felt like I was getting somewhere 😂

Damn Kale! This is coming a week too late! I bought a new board last week and did weeks of research on my own, but on the flip side, I learnt so much about them! I've been following your channel for awhile and will get the guide now for the future. Thanks!

I’m now 14 - 6,1 and I’ve been taking surfing serious for 2 years and I’m riding my 5,11 shortboard “pro” shape with only 27 litres every session if the waves are good enough. And I find this board really chill and ez now. I started with an 7,0 egg , then went to a 6,0 softech soft top and now on that 5,11

Hi Kale, I really loved your videos and I learnt so much from the ultimate surfboard guide I bought online! What a brilliant course. I was hoping I could ask you one question on fin selection? I’m 5’11, 85kg and half way between your advanced beginner and intermediate categories. Using the formula you posted on the course I think I need about a 37L board and have found a CI Rocket Wide at 6’0 and 37L. I loved the analogy of finding a board that works for you 90% of the time than that dream 10%. It’s got a 5 fin set up so I’m really not limited what I could use but I wanted to get your opinion which would be better in the U.K. (sub par waves most of the time)? a thruster or a big 2+1 combo? I was thinking of the 2+1 because you recommended the twinny fish feel for most people? I don’t really understand the difference between them if I’m honest! Thanks for any advice you can give, please keep the RU-vid and course content coming! 🤙

#4 -- If your board doesn't have a "No Fear" decal on it, it's the wrong board.

I've never paid attention to the details for the first 20 years I surfed. Once I started messing with the numbers and set ups, it was punts all day. Board type size volume fins and fin set up makes all the difference

Hey Man! great video, I just upped the volume I use to get back in shape. I would love to see some upper body strength training for folks who have been out of the water for a season or two. Cheers!

just purchased a fun board so bloody excited

Your discussion about pearling took me back to the early 60's as a kid long board riding. We had no one to take lessons from or really get much advice - a board was a board we thought - whatever we could afford. We would take off, run to the tail to take the drop then back up to trim the board. Pretty laughable now and as you might suspect not a lot of successful waves. Occasionally we lucked out with an angled takeoff that usually worked. Ah the old days! Thanks for more great tips!

Love your videos man thank you so much. Have been surfing alone for 20 years and never thought about a lot of what you talk about. Keep them coming!

My first board was a full on thruster, narrow, thin, and not for beginners. I didn’t have a mentor and it took my FOREVER just to get my pop up. Coulda saved months.... great channel bruh. Subbed.

I started surfing 6 days ago and I got a 6' board. I'm really mad that I didn't find videos like this earlier cuz I really should've gotten a wavestorm.

So true. I'm guilty of this myself! Board design has been a key part of this as well for me. I learned to surf on an board designed for maxed out Pipeline for like 9 months. Then when I moved to California, I couldn't catch anything on it. Then I got a fish with less volume but more width and started catching everything. Moral of the story, matching the board to the waves is huge haha.

I have small short boards that I started to struggle with due to putting on weight in between surf trips. I got a 6'7 catch surf foamy now and started enjoying surfing again and catching heaps more waves, just hard to duck dive on the bigger days.

I love your videos, they´ve been so helpful to my surfing, thank you!

first board i got was a 9'0 off the rack, worked okay but the second one i had made 9'0 24"wide and as thick as the blank would allow. I rode everything from 10 footers to 10 inchers. while i agree with most of what was said i think wave shape has a lot to do with it as well. the steeper the wave the better rider you will need to be.

Hey kale do a fin breakdown next. There are just to many choices.

I'm on board Broc, I used to be really caught up in shortboards. I still ride them when the surf is good, and have a great time. But the surf mostly isn't pumping. I've found blending shortboard shapes with other craft ideas can make every session so much more fun. Boards like the Sharpeye BV2, Mayhem RNFish, JS's Barrons, etc. will just transform small mushy surf into a playground!

Your channel continues to help me with every video!

Thanks man I've watched a bunch of your videos on what board I should buy I'm 6 foot 4 195lbs went with a 6'4" pyzel astro pop 43L.v and I love it

I couldn’t agree more with the assessment of folks riding boards too advanced for them! I see it all the time in PNW. Most need more time on a longboard/fun board and just learning how to paddle, catch waves etc...

I just moved back to the coast and got back in the water yesterday for the first time in almost 10 years. It was the most discouraging, frustrating session of my life. I was never more than intermediate at best, but I could hold my own in a crowded lineup. In an empty lineup I could catch every that came to me. I'm 5'8" and rode a 5''6" fish in my prime. I'm 25 pounds heavier now and out of shape, so i bought 5'8" RNF. I was stoked on the board and was trying to decide if I should ride it twin fin or twin with a trailer, blah blah blah.... I paddled out and I couldn't even catch a wave without floudering on my knees and ankles while popping up. It was like my muscle memory was still there but my strength and and extra weight were killing me. Anyway, your videos have been very encouraging. Fitness is definitely key! I'm gonna be out in the water every day no matter what the conditions.

Great video I've felt all these problems across my quiver

This is great. I have surfed for nearly 40 years. Work got in the way for a while and I put on a few KGS. Lost fitness. When I did find time, I was too heavy for my favourite board. Fitness was gone. It nearly broke my spirit. Love your work KB.

This is a really good video, Im a beginner and I was wondering what my problem was with not catching waves. I think it's mostly my paddling ability.

Hey Kale, I really love your videos so much that I come back several times to watch again. I'm a beginner who had his first 6-7 sessions and now I feel that an 8' longboard. holds me back to get better. So, I did a lot of research (just trying out here in Germany/Netherlands doesn't work so well) and your video really helped me with my next decision. Thank you so much!

I'm relearning everything atm on a 9'1 longboard. I grew up surfing everyday from 16 to 30 years old. Riding fishboards, mini mals. 10 years off and now I can't even do the pop properly. So frustrating. Lucky I'm stubborn. Keep going!!!

So true! I surfed for 10+ years with the wrong board and didn’t really progress because I didn’t go out as much as I needed to because it wasn’t that fun. I got a Ben Gravy 8’ this season and it has been the best summer ever!!! I surf everyday if I can and have made so much progress.

thank you for cool vid - so important topic for newbies. It's hard to tell what kind of board to get...but I'm still on a big 8 ft softee for learning!

So I’m an intermediate/beginner only surfed for a year and I started on an 8ft board. I bought myself a 6.5 yesterday with about 45 ltrs, thought I’d made a mistake but I surprised myself when I caught my first wave on it and I could turn on a dime. Thanks for the helpful videos from a sunburnt Pom living down under 🤙

Just a tip for everyone. Your next board should be in libtech construction. I got the lost x lib quiver killer 5'6. Great riding from knee high to head high & beyond. Also the most durable board I've owned. 🤙

I’m not sure if you ever hit this topic… I started surfing in Late March/ April. A thing that made a huge impact on my surfing (currently at a 6 foot board with lots of volume) was to be honest with myself. Identify problems that you have and attack then consciously. Example? I was having a hard time with popups because I would grab my rails as I stood up. Three days of consciously attacking this problem has made a huge impact on my popup and smoothness. Identify one problem per session and attack it consciously. Don’t overwhelm yourself and most importantly have fun. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Love ur recommendations! It would be nice a review on the impact of fins on your surfing, quads vs twins vs thrusters... U are amazing explaining the concepts!

Thanks for the video Kale, appreciate it!

I love how you respond to most of the comments!

Hi! Thanks for this video it's really really helpful! And you're such a good editor! Yr videos are so fun to watch🤙🤙🤙

Very helpful. Thanks for posting 😊

EXCELLENT content, Brock!!

This helps so much thank you I know I’m late on the video but great video.

I’ve used a wrong surfboards for years in the early 2000’. Wish I had good pieces of info like Kale away gives us that time. Changing my board improved my surfing exponentially. Now I am a below average skills, but very happy surfer

The ride at 5:36 is so fluid. Getting around sections. Motivating to watch.

Thank you sir for all your advices.Hope you the best !

Your Videos are so amazing. Very interesting and very technical information. Thanks for your time.

Good good stuff. My board has better shape than I do right now, but I’m back at it this weekend🤙🏽yew!

Love your videos man 🤙🏼🤙🏼 this video came in good time too! Just waiting on my new 6'10 fish with 50ltrs. Wasnt sure if i made the right choice but this has confirmed i did 🤙🏼 keep shredding

Fish vs hybrid (lost rocket v3, CI rocket wide) for everyday conditions?

I be going 2hrs straight, fighting rips, catching waves. Only took about a year +

I went from riding my 5’10 lost mayhem board and then dinged it and have been surfing on my uncles 6’4 for the last 5 months. It’s got a lot of liters but I just fixed my lost board and am so stoked to use it

Hi Kale, I went on a vacation to New Smyrna Florida with my friends and learned how to surf on their board (a longboard). I absolutely fell in love with surfing even though the waves weren’t big at all. From there I have been researching surfing and your videos have been super helpful. I live about 20 minutes away from Juno Beach Pier in Florida and really want to buy my own surfboard but I don’t know what kind to get, I have watched about 50 RU-vid videos trying to figure out what kind of board is perfect for me and can’t find one. Also, I am only 13 and have to buy it myself so I have a small budget. I also can’t afford any online courses so I was really hoping you would help me. Thank you🏄🏼‍♀️

Thanks kale you really give great tips for me

Been surfing since I was 14, and did this on my first Nica trip. I bought a brand new CI on the way to the airport, but it was under volume for me. I surfed nearly perfect Popoyo, and struggled. I couldn't figure out why, until I borrowed a slightly thicker board, same shape and size. Like night and day, no joke.

Man you're just a cool dude. Thanks for all the help brotha man, appreciate the wisdom 🙏

I have been surfing for 1year now. I have started with an epoxy 7"6 surfboard. Now that i am able to stand and ride the wall of the wave I am looking to improve my surf one step further. What surfboard type and size would recomend to buy as my second surfboard? I get a surfbaord that allows me to start praticign basic surf tricks without compromising my surf progression. I'm 186m . 85kg surfing small / medium waves

Hey hey! if i´m not mistaken you mention something about 2L more volume should make it "easier" to paddle... is this difference noticable? I curently surf on a 6'3 38L I am able to catch a few waves but i feel i could do better with a bigger board more volume... say 44L will I be able to notice the difference? is it an invesment worth making? (boards are very expensive here in brazil)

More awesome advice mate. I think I fit all three categories. Haha

Could you do a video on surf gear for groms, like fin selection and stuff

Kale love the content mate all love from the northen beaches

I bought my 6.8 Shortboard 38L I catch every wave and I am able to turn but I would really like to reach the next step of doing rapid turns , cutting etc ! Which board would you recommend ? 6.2 6.4 ?

This is so useful!!! Thanks so much! I have a question for you: after a beginner becomes comfortable on white wash with a fun board, would you recommend that he/she takes this board to challenge green waves? Or would you recommend he/she tries a smaller board first?

Always dropping those knowledge bombs!!!

hey. kales, I was wondering if you could make a video about how to transfer from intermediate to advanced surfing?

Brilliant information

Thank you!

what about boards that are to big like im 5'7 and has a 6 0 step up and a 5 8 grovler

I’m getting a bit bored of 8ft soft-tops because I am very landlocked so I only get to go surfing roughly once a year for the last decade, so I’ve gotten to an intermediate level but can’t do anything fun because I need an upgrade from hire-out foamies badly. Yes, it’s super easy to catch a wave and trim slowly along a wave with one but I can’t do any turns at all!

thx mate,great job! Greets from Germany

Okay so I’ve been looking for the right board. My weight is 88 kilos, 88lb. What is your advice about length and volume? I’m pleased to hear something! Great videos!

Hi Kale, love the content! Quick question I am currently on a 6.6 44 litre board and looking for a new board. Currently catching around 80% of the waves I go for. I saw a 6ft fish for sale with 40 litre which I thought might be a good next step. However, it is a twin set up. Does this matter a lot? Is a twin not a smart move at this stage? a trailer option for twin is possible. It is a JR fish, notice in the vid you have one as well.

I surfed the W coast of Vancouver Island for over a decade (till my health tanked) where there was excellent beach break. To me the kooks were ppl using the wrong board for the waves coming in to that break. Wave type is as crucial as your body type and weight when selecting a board. If you move to an area with relatively rounded, slower beach break a short board may not be the best choice except for longer period swell that breaks faster. Not if you want any time standing up and riding. I didn’t start till I was 33 and the surfers who impressed me most were the quality long boarders and the guys who had guns for the really big days so that’s the direction I went. However, to each his/her own.

As someone who loves riding a 9 foot tri fin longboard, the longboard is not necessarily the issue with the nose dive. It is the lack of rocker on most traditional longboards. On steep, late jackup waves it can be vital to take off at an angle. But besides that you should be able to take off and turn without issue if your longboard is shaped a little more aggressively. It makes it harder to catch the small waves early but it still works in small waves

Great video, lots of info. I’m new to surfing, got a 8ft soft top and I’m 163inch tall. I’m fit, I paddle a lot, but don’t catch many waves, and a lot of time my nose dips into water. Suggestions?

Thanks, buddy keep teaching

I've always hated using a longboard... Guess I just could handle that much board!

My best advice to learning surfers is to borrow/rent/try boards any way you can. The more time you get on different boards at different breaks, the better understanding you’ll have of what different shapes do in different scenarios. I still believe that there’s never really too big of a board and always tend t overshoot volume no size rather than underestimate and have a bad day not catching or riding. Also, hit up shapers and see if they’ll let you try boards. Sometimes they have loaners you can try before buying. If they don’t, it would be smart. If I could try a board before ordering, I’d order any and every board from that shaper.

Great content Kales..

Great vid as always man, thank you. When you say 'fish shaped board' are you referring to the tail, or the overall board shape?

What song were you using between the first two tips

Thanks kyle you helped me a lot!

Thank you so much!!!