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Skim style for smaller rider


WakeGirl

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Good to hear WG! And I think you summed up the ride really well: Not as loose as the P5 boards, predictable, smooth, etc, etc. I hope you end up liking it. I'm sure, if nothing else, more rides will get you more comfortable.

As far as the pearling..... I'm really curious about this. I'd love to have an experienced ocean surfer chime in and help me understand why, exactly, boards pearl. I used to think it was simply a matter of a rider being too big for the board OR the board being too long for the wave, but I'm beginning to see this isn't necessarily the case. Case in point; when I ride Ruff's Soulcraft Fangtail....a board that is, if anything oversized for me, that's the only real issue I have with it; Pearling. It confuses me. Also, I watched Ruff's daughter & wife both pearl boards that were plenty big for them over the past couple weeks...... It's got me thinking: Is it just a case of not knowing how to ride a given board? OR could it be that the board is too buoyant for the rider and the rider is having to overcompensate for that....which leads them to pearl the board? It happened to me when I demo'd that Danielo a couple seasons back too......but that board shouldn't have been overly buoyant for me? If anyone's got suggestions, I'm all ears because I can't figure it out. The only common theme, in my experience with pearling, is that the rider is usually new to the board.... ??

If your pearling a lot, get more weight on the toe edge. Makes a huge difference. Get those toes right close to the rail, and really dig that edge in.

Edited by ryangb
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Yes, weight on the toes is the big one for me with this board.

Good to hear WG! And I think you summed up the ride really well: Not as loose as the P5 boards, predictable, smooth, etc, etc. I hope you end up liking it. I'm sure, if nothing else, more rides will get you more comfortable.

As far as the pearling..... I'm really curious about this. I'd love to have an experienced ocean surfer chime in and help me understand why, exactly, boards pearl. I used to think it was simply a matter of a rider being too big for the board OR the board being too long for the wave, but I'm beginning to see this isn't necessarily the case. Case in point; when I ride Ruff's Soulcraft Fangtail....a board that is, if anything oversized for me, that's the only real issue I have with it; Pearling. It confuses me. Also, I watched Ruff's daughter & wife both pearl boards that were plenty big for them over the past couple weeks...... It's got me thinking: Is it just a case of not knowing how to ride a given board? OR could it be that the board is too buoyant for the rider and the rider is having to overcompensate for that....which leads them to pearl the board? It happened to me when I demo'd that Danielo a couple seasons back too......but that board shouldn't have been overly buoyant for me? If anyone's got suggestions, I'm all ears because I can't figure it out. The only common theme, in my experience with pearling, is that the rider is usually new to the board.... ??

I'm not sure that I can help much on the issue, but in my case I'm used to riding one board that doesn't pearl at all & this new one really forces me over my toes so much more than I'm used to. If I let off at all, I dip the nose. To be clear, it's not the nose in general that digs, it's the outer edge of the nose. Being mindful of staying up on my toes pretty much fixes the issue as Ryan points out above. I did get to ride it again this evening & am feeling even more comfortable on it, but still will pearl it if I'm not paying attention.

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rocker (primarily) and shape (secondarily) have a lot to do with it for me. the "old" p5 shapes have a lot of rocker and a very pointed nose that's less likely to turn into a big scoop.... our P5 prop almost never pearls no matter who rides it. Our IS blue lake (which is about the most stable board in the world to actually ride) pearls constantly for beginners. That board is flat with just an upturn at the very tip of the nose ... which is like 2-3' in front of where the rider stands. Or the IS yellow loogie (original)... if you ever rode one of those (no rocker, but convex (fast) base) it pearls if you even think about it.

Its the relationship of the shape (long or blunt, shovelish nose more prone to pearl), rocker (flat rocker faster but more prone to pearl) and weight on the front foot. IMHO etc.

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Update.

I finally got to ride the Ronix One over the weekend. Smooth is a good word for it, as -BS- put it. It definitely has more "traction" or grip in the water than the Phase 5 boards that I've ridden (Razz recently that I commented on earlier in the thread & years ago a Prop). It doesn't spin as fast as the P5 boards do, but that could just be me still getting used to it - although now that I think about it that's not quite it. It doesn't initiate the spin quite as easily or quickly as those 2 P5 models, but once you get it going it spins nicely. Then again, the ride isn't nearly as loose as either of those P5 boards either. It is predictable with what you ask it to do, & it reacts quickly & well to pumping. I did spin a 360, but didn't ride out of it (ended up on top of the wave, Ruffdog you know that one!). Most of the people on the boat were able to ride it, even though it is the smaller 4'4" size. I need more time on it because I was pearling the tip badly, especially at first. Toward the end of the weekend I was getting the feel for how to react when the nose began to dive & was getting to where I could save it many times, but it's one of those things that only time on the board will fix.

Anyway, I think that for the money it's a good solution for smaller riders at the 4'4" size. Pretty easy to get up on & ride if you've done little to no surfing (as was the case with a few on the boat this weekend), but for the most part I don't think that it will limit a person's progression. I'm not sure if it's something that will be a transition board for me or one that I'll have for a long time, but I'm happy with it for now given what I paid for it. Anyone looking for an all around boat board should probably add this model to the list to try.

WG 'forgot' to mention that she was having a helluva time getting up on that board. Must be the boards design or something :whistle:

Edited by jetskipro550
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If your pearling a lot, get more weight on the toe edge. Makes a huge difference. Get those toes right close to the rail, and really dig that edge in.

^^^^^^This is the key to a successful skimming session. This will also make or break your desire to keep on skimming or move on to a true surf style board. I really wish you would try the Phase 5 Colt. It has got to be the perfect blend of surf and skim. I for one have figured out that Surf is the style I prefer. Maybe it's because of my wave. Surfgate waves are usually tall and riding the face of the wave all the way up just feels good on a surf style board. Today, I decided to order my first true surf style custom board which will be a Soulcraft Jetty. I am for sure spending a pretty penny on it. I have been told that once you try one of these surf style customs like a Walker Project, Soulcraft, Brigade, Idol,etc..., I won't go back to anything else.

So Wakegirl, who knows maybe Surf Style would be better for you.

Edited by Afun
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It's not a skim vs. surf issue. The board that I was on for 9 years is a skim board, it just rides very differently than the One does. As Shawn said above, it likely has more to do with the relationship of the rocker & shape of the board combined with the rider & how much/where the front foot weight is. It will just take some getting used to on my part.

EDIT: Oh & I just thought of something else. My son has ridden the same board over that time period & has tried the new One. He doesn't find that it pearls nearly as bad or with as much frequency as I do, & he weighs about 30 pounds more than I do. So what -BS- was saying about it possibly being related to the size of the rider relative to the size of the board may also be part of it.

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  • 2 years later...

Digging this back up....

I've been riding the One & enjoying it, but honestly from the start I felt that it was a bit too big. And, I never cured the pearling issue, I just got used to it since the One is so forgiving. (I have a theory on the pearling issue, but that's another discussion.) I’ve had the chance recently to spend time on a Phase 5 Prop & Oogle, & while I liked the Prop it was still too big (& hella unforgiving for me). The Oogle was way too big, although a much mellower & more forgiving ride than the Prop. I should have listened to wakemitch from earlier in this thread. This time I did, & took a chance based on his recommendation.

This week I was able to spend time on my new board, a Victoria Project V. The Ronix is now up for sale. The V is only 46.75” and a tad over 19” wide, but it is fast. Faster than the One, which is over 5” longer. I mean, you hit the middle part of the wave & it just freaking takes off like a rocket. It’s also really loose without being squirrely. It spins so easily & naturally, but I would say not uncontrollably. Because of its smaller profile, the rocker is set up for smaller riders that have narrower stances & smaller feet, which allows us to stand in the right spot over the rocker & get better leverage on the rails. It’s got the forgiveness of the One & the speed of the Prop, with no pearling. I think it happened maybe once, but I sink it correctly & it just feels….right.

Anyway, consider me to be another very happy Victoria convert.

</thread>

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On July 27, 2013 at 1:47 PM, shawndoggy said:

awesome! was going to suggest the scamp too, but it's a bit smaller than WG was asking after. It's like riding a lunch tray.

Lunch tray. That's funny!

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1 hour ago, WakeGirl said:

Digging this back up....

I've been riding the One & enjoying it, but honestly from the start I felt that it was a bit too big. And, I never cured the pearling issue, I just got used to it since the One is so forgiving. (I have a theory on the pearling issue, but that's another discussion.) I’ve had the chance recently to spend time on a Phase 5 Prop & Oogle, & while I liked the Prop it was still too big (& hella unforgiving for me). The Oogle was way too big, although a much mellower & more forgiving ride than the Prop. I should have listened to wakemitch from earlier in this thread. This time I did, & took a chance based on his recommendation.

This week I was able to spend time on my new board, a Victoria Project V. The Ronix is now up for sale. The V is only 46.75” and a tad over 19” wide, but it is fast. Faster than the One, which is over 5” longer. I mean, you hit the middle part of the wave & it just freaking takes off like a rocket. It’s also really loose without being squirrely. It spins so easily & naturally, but I would say not uncontrollably. Because of its smaller profile, the rocker is set up for smaller riders that have narrower stances & smaller feet, which allows us to stand in the right spot over the rocker & get better leverage on the rails. It’s got the forgiveness of the One & the speed of the Prop, with no pearling. I think it happened maybe once, but I sink it correctly & it just feels….right.

Anyway, consider me to be another very happy Victoria convert.

</thread>

My daughter LOVES her 48" Victoria Factor. Victoria makes some great boards but seem to get overlooked by a lot of people.

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