I've got a 9'2 single fin, pin tail. It's a nice combination of high performance and traditional. I ride it in most conditions from knee to double overhead. If I was stranded on an island and could only bring one board to surf forever, this one is it. I've caught more waves on this stick than any board I've ever owned... by a long measure. I've been riding it for more than a decade now. This board is a reflection of who I am as a person.
My quiver ranges from a half dozen to a dozen boards, depending on the year and my financial situation. I've got quite a few shorties and grovelers in the garage, but I also enjoy my longboards, eggs and funshapes. I started to accumulate some bigger boards a few years back so I got rid of a few on craigslist. I sold my buckled 8'6 Gee Rainbow after riding it for 12 years and I also unloaded what was basically a brand new 6'6 Lost LayZboy hybrid/fish experiment because I just never connected with it. Now I'm down to just two big boards.. the 9'2 pin tail and a 7'4 Sharp Eye Blow Fish swallow tail. I'd like to get another rounded nose, mid 9 foot, single fin, with a traditional outline. I feel like I want an option to my 9'2, different enough that I'll still ride my 9'2. I don't wan't a replacement.
I'm leaning towards ordering one from Shawn Vecchione, Vec Surfboards. He's a local shaper from the Cape. I like supporting the local board builders. I've got opinions when it comes to hand made shortboards vs machine cut, but when it comes to a longboard, I just feel like you need to go traditional. In contrast, I have been eyeballing a Firewire Timbertek longboard for a while. There's something about those boards that I'm drawn to, but I'm not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger yet. I think I'll stick with something hand-shaped. I could call Gee, I just know that bitch will take forever and getting him to ship from FL could be a challenge. The waves are good right now in Melbourne Beach and the holiday boom is over... he's not making any boards.
As always, I refer to the Shred Show when I'm contemplating a new stick. The dude mostly does shortboard reviews, but here's a good one on a longboard. He explains the concept of longboard shape and rails. I think it's pretty good.
Some ideas for new logs...