what board should i get for cruising when the waves are weak?

[jrizz171]

ok so im looking into the dude cruise but i don't know what to customize it with to give me the MAX amount of float as possible.

i really want this board for a day when the waves aren't to powerful or there some fun mushy liners poplin up that my 5/8 domke wouldn't be able to stay afloat on. i would probably take this board out when i don't really feel like sprinting out full speed to catch a mediocre wave. for those days when you just want to be lazy lol and kind of look like blair when he's skimmin with his laid back style so chill and what not. (not saying blair is lazy, just saying that he looks effortless when he rides and it looks sick. he's my favorite btw)

so what do i put on a dude cruise to get max float in the yacht size btw. thanks!

[SJskim]

get the uss excelsior in 3/4

[Toggaf]

You could definitely do what SJ skim says, but with the yacht (although you could definitely size up if you won't be running very fast for waves)..The dude cruises shape is perfect for weak skim because of the size and overall shape of the board..I would stick with the domke rocker since your used to it and its the fastest out of all the exile rockers..3/4s is definitely the option that your looking for..You'll need the extra float for days that are far out and fickle..

If you wanted, you could even taper the nose and tail of the board out to 5/8s for more maneuverability. It gives you an added bonus without sacrificing the float of the board. Obviously it will be up to you to look like blair does when he skims, but the board will probably help you out a little when it comes to smoothness and style

[jrizz171]

thanks that sounds pretty good, i would either ge the yacht or the cruise ship. excelsior is a lil too big for my liking. have either of you guys ever ridden a dude cruise? if you have how are they? i never tried one

[mattyb]

ive ridden the slotstik wingfish...

[Toggaf]

thanks that sounds pretty good, i would either ge the yacht or the cruise ship. excelsior is a lil too big for my liking. have either of you guys ever ridden a dude cruise? if you have how are they? i never tried one

unfortunately I haven't gotten the chance to ride one yet, but I have ridden enough boards to recognize that the shorter and wider a board is, the more responsive it will be when wrapping. The shape of the board will also help you squeeze out all the speed you need for fickle waves and far out sets.. Generally, a fish shape is what kind of shape you would want to have for the conditions you are describing..I would definitely check out a wingfish as well ^..heard nothing but good things about them

[mjs]

thanks that sounds pretty good, i would either ge the yacht or the cruise ship. excelsior is a lil too big for my liking. have either of you guys ever ridden a dude cruise? if you have how are they? i never tried one

I like it. It's fun to use even when it's a bigger day because it changes things up.

[brothaman]

I wouldn't read into it too much. As far as maneuverability goes skimboards are so small they are all pretty easy to turn. A wave is either going to push you or its not...if it does, any board will work as long as you can get out to it, but if its not going to push you a change in boards isn't gonna help. Basically any board with a flat rocker will work pretty equally, regardless of the shape.

[Toggaf]

I wouldn't read into it too much. As far as maneuverability goes skimboards are so small they are all pretty easy to turn. A wave is either going to push you or its not...if it does, any board will work as long as you can get out to it, but if its not going to push you a change in boards isn't gonna help. Basically any board with a flat rocker will work pretty equally, regardless of the shape.

so what would be the point of companies making different shapes for different conditions and rider styles/ skill levels? I've ridden different shapes from the same company with the same rocker and I can tell you that, in my personal experience, the shape of the board makes a difference for sure..obviously its the riders job to work with the board.

I agree that some kids read into the specs of boards a little too much..the right rider can rip on just about anything, but the right shape used in the right conditions can definitely make a big difference

[Jim Gordon]

OK, here's today's question......which will get you out farther. A board that is 5/8" thick and is 48"x 21" with a full nose & tail, or a board that is 3/4" thick 52" x 19" with a narrow nose & tail? The answer is the 5/8" board, why? Because it has more planing surface, things only float when going slow......other wise they are planing, get it?

[AUM]

I have a tex haines fish... mucho float

[omega]

What did Jim just say? Planing not float.

[AUM]

Okay guy let me rephrase my post, the nose on my tex haines is wider than the middle of whatever the fk u ride so guess what, im plaining like muthafker. Is that better? You and floridaskimmer should start a "i repeat everything jim says" group

[Aaron Peluso]

OK, here's today's question......which will get you out farther. A board that is 5/8" thick and is 48"x 21" with a full nose & tail, or a board that is 3/4" thick 52" x 19" with a narrow nose & tail? The answer is the 5/8" board, why? Because it has more planing surface, things only float when going slow......other wise they are planing, get it?

Once upon a time I agreed with this. Then I learned from personal experience that its not true. Thicker boards do get you further out, and not just the low speed floaty part of the slide.

Its actually a pretty substantial difference in my opinion.

[jrizz171]

Once upon a time I agreed with this. Then I learned from personal experience that its not true. Thicker boards do get you further out, and not just the low speed floaty part of the slide.

Its actually a pretty substantial difference in my opinion.

wow! advice from the big man himself! lol

[Jim Gordon]

Once upon a time I agreed with this. Then I learned from personal experience that its not true. Thicker boards do get you further out, and not just the low speed floaty part of the slide.

Its actually a pretty substantial difference in my opinion.

I disagree with that statement^........but that's just my opinion.

[HangLose]

OK, here's today's question......which will get you out farther. A board that is 5/8" thick and is 48"x 21" with a full nose & tail, or a board that is 3/4" thick 52" x 19" with a narrow nose & tail? The answer is the 5/8" board, why? Because it has more planing surface, things only float when going slow......other wise they are planing, get it?

Things only float when going slow?? your signature says Speed=float.... I am confused

And Aaron , Isnt the point of side slipping to get more surface area which gets you out farther? That is what I read and always have been told. thus making jim right because more surface area....

[Jim Gordon]

Things only float when going slow?? your signature says Speed=float.... I am confused

And Aaron , Isnt the point of side slipping to get more surface area which gets you out farther? That is what I read and always have been told. thus making jim right because more surface area....

Good point......Yes & No. What I meant by speed = float is really speed gives lift. Like a flat rock skipping across the water, with enough speed it will stay on the surface of the water. And the way side-slipping works is not because it has more surface area, (turning it side-ways would give it less surface) it's because the water is going across the flat part of the board and not down the rocker. When water goes down the rocker part of the board, the water wants to suck the board down. You can test this by using a spoon at your sink. Hold the spoon by the very end of the handle and let the bottom of the spoon touch the running water, the curved round bottom of the spoon will be sucked into the running water. Now if you turn the spoon over and let the running water touch the concave part, it pushes away from the water. Even a flat spoon will not be sucked in (so when you think of the spoon, think of a skimboard bottom). Hope this clears up what I'm trying to say.

Edit.......maybe I should change my sig to (speed = lift).

[Mr.Smith]

Step it up and get the cruise ship... I have it with 3/4ths and domke rocker and it floats extremely well

[Jim Gordon]

thanks that sounds pretty good, i would either ge the yacht or the cruise ship. excelsior is a lil too big for my liking. have either of you guys ever ridden a dude cruise? if you have how are they? i never tried one

From what I have heard the Exile fish shape boards have lots of planing surface (float) so the important thing is how much do you weigh? That way people who have one can tell you what size to get.

[jrizz171]

i weigh like 135

[Mr.Smith]

i weigh like 135

I weigh 165 and the Cruise Ship floats me very well, so the Yacht would probably suit you.

[MRNOSFL]

I have an Exile hybrid medium large and a WZ Stealth with the squash tail. Both are carbon,5/8" ,and almost identical length. They are definatly 2 different shapes though and at the widest points on both boards the stealth is about an inch wider. The WZ is lighter in weight,good on small and light wind days,not so good on windy days. Overall for our conditions which are smaller waves and close seperations the Stealth is easier to ride and more fun because it definatly stays on top(floats/planes) better. Best I can tell it is because of the slightly wider design. If we get some larger waves and a little steeper shore then they are more closely matched. They both are very responsive,but noticeably different in how they handle. I don't have a problem at all switching from one to the other either. The Dude Cruise seems very similar to the Stealth,so hope this helps.

[OlderThanDirt]

i run(well jog really fast) slow due to an injury back in the dinosaur days. i moved up from a medium to a medium large. if i cut off the nose and tail it would be like riding a "tex" short and stubby board, except the rocker would be different. i have more flat area.

having extra flat on the board makes me float farther and stay on top of the water when going slower. also i can "pop" the board out of the water if it gets under it, which i can't do on a shorter board.

a shorter board, although wide, has less flat because of the rocker. measure the flat area of the board to determine actual board float.
some flatter boards will not fall into this standard of course. any way you slice it up, it comes down to flat planing area. whether its in the middle or overall.

i made a size small(proportionally) skim almost all flat to the nose, then a big kick. it turned very fast only because of it's small size and floated almost as good as a board 4"-5" longer. but the shortness made it sketchy in big waves and tough to get your feet exactly on the tiny thing


yes thicker boards will make a difference, but only at slow slow speeds, when the board has a tendency to submarine and lose all speed. the draw back is it is harder to turn once you get to the wave at a slow speed.

[AUM]

whatever you do, don't have a fish as your only board... it's just not smart

Why so

[jrizz171]

whatever you do, don't have a fish as your only board... it's just not smart

i have a 2012 domke now that i just picked up a few months back, looking to get a dude cruise for fun

[mjs]

it even had two rails

[Mr.Smith]

R

i have a 2012 domke now that i just picked up a few months back, looking to get a dude cruise for fun

If you get a dude cruise, you'll find yourself riding it a lot more than your domke, they're just so fun to ride.

[jrizz171]

2011 Domke was such a better shape with its dimensions and lines and all.

i like them both the 2011 really downs feel different to me

[jrizz171]

R

If you get a dude cruise, you'll find yourself riding it a lot more than your domke, they're just so fun to ride.

have been told that they are some pretty fun boards, i just cant see myself riding it on days when the waves are firing. i would probably only use it in small conditions

[LBIskimboarding]

I've heard that the rocket fish or whatever the zap fish is is better than a dude cruise. I've never ridden either but what do you thinks better

[mjs]

the rocketfish has a cock on it.

[Lord Quaz]

I've had 2 different cruise ships, one in 3/4 and one in 5/8 and imo the 5/8 one gets me out further, it's faster and turny to.

[Manny]

The Zap Dagger is also a fun alternative to a regular pin tail.

[jrizz171]

the rocketfish has a cock on it.

ahahahahaha