Skimboard too small

[philippeb]

Hi there.
I recently went to a vacation to fuerte ventura and visited a surfshop to buy a skimboard.

Dident know a thing about it but the man in the store told me i needed a 41" skimboard made out of wood.

Anyways, i got home now and i realise this board might be too small,
Im only like 175 cm(im medium/low) and 185 LB or allmost 90 KG
Im into bodybuilding, thats why im so heavy.
Im not a fat kid that cant run

Anyways, can i still use that board ??
In denmark where i live we dont have any high waves so i just wanna "sand skim".

Thanks for the help

[philippeb]

Hey there, i just posted recently in here about my board size.

Anyways,
When i go to some sites to look they talk about s-m-l-xl and so on.
And other boards size are measured in inches lik 41" and so on.

IS this the same or is there a diffrence ?
Can a board be a xl and still be 41" ??

[Aaron Peluso]

wood boards of any size are pretty much just good for sand sliding. The 42" board is probably on the small size even for that but if you want to get into wave riding you will want to pick up a foam skimboard.

you can get a cheap foam board for under 200 bucks but you will notice a big difference if you step it up to a intermediate (or above) quality foam board.

a real XL will never be under 48" in length... with cheap foam boards they tend to call smaller boards "larges" and such, mainly cause its the biggest board they can make at that price, not because of performance. When you get into intermediate level boards, the sizes are much more appropriate...

[philippeb]

ok.
But can i still ride a wooden 41" for sand ?
Even if im 180lb+ or 85 kg

[Jim Gordon]

If it's a flatland board you bought (wide with round ends), they are not good for waves, but work great for flatland and rails though. If you want a board for waves, you'll need something much larger than a 41", because it just doesn't have enough planing surface (float) to hold you up.

[philippeb]

I was considering investing in a 47" foam board for waves.
But this is a flatland for flatland use i bought

But still, can i ride it even tough im so heavy ?

[Aaron Peluso]

You should be able to ride it on the sand and work on your running and dropping. 47" would probably still be far too small for real wave riding. Boards for your size are usually more like 53"

[Jim Gordon]

I was considering investing in a 47" foam board for waves.
But this is a flatland for flatland use i bought

But still, can i ride it even tough im so heavy ?

47" foam board is still kind of small for waves, unless it's a fish shape and very wide. A 41" flatland board will work for flatland OK, but not on any kind of wave. For flatland, anything you can get on and ride is big enough.....because it doesn't have to float.

[philippeb]

ok, so i might try and buy a 53" for waves then too.

Now i have to ask.
Is there anything i should know before i go spend like 400 bucks on a board ?

I denmark the waves are VERY small, so it will just be for fun in the summertime, and i might drag it with me when i go on a vacation

[Aaron Peluso]

well, you will probably want a big board for your weight since the waves are small. I would probably also recommend a 3/4" thick board for some extra float.

[Jim Gordon]

Here's a tip for riding weak small waves........you must keep the board on the water flat. Don't put too much weight on your back foot or you'll stall the board. For small waves I like to keep most of my weight on my front foot and turn off the middle of the board, not the back. Also read my sig.

[Aaron Peluso]

I actually often have the problem of putting too much weight on my front foot, although I think I am in the minority on that.

In general, balance over the board is most important...

[Jim Gordon]

I actually often have the problem of putting too much weight on my front foot, although I think I am in the minority on that.

In general, balance over the board is most important...

Yeah,^ I think most people put too much weight on their back foot. I for one did, so to break me from doing it, I had to think about putting more weight on my front foot for the longest time. Remember, it's hard to skim with your brake on.

[hocivic95]

Im an old timer,been a while since I had a chance to do it.I use to ride my LRG Zap wedge, but now i weigh 40lbs past its weight limit.Im still in shape just built and older,can probably still run as fast.I live in florida.What do ya think? Ill be find and still ride a wave,or am I going to have to upgrade?

If so needed of an upgrade,point me at some boards please.

[shiznit]

kook much? ^

[Jim Gordon]

Im an old timer,been a while since I had a chance to do it.I use to ride my LRG Zap wedge, but now i weigh 40lbs past its weight limit.Im still in shape just built and older,can probably still run as fast.I live in florida.What do ya think? Ill be find and still ride a wave,or am I going to have to upgrade?

If so needed of an upgrade,point me at some boards please.

You should still be able to ride waves with it. But you're doing to have to run like the wind every-time. Keep that speed up because once you slow down you're going to sink fast.

[hocivic95]

You should still be able to ride waves with it. But you're doing to have to run like the wind every-time. Keep that speed up because once you slow down you're going to sink fast.

Yeah that is what I was thinking too.