speed

[benno]

ive watched a few vids now and i would like to know how the hell you guys keep the speed up for so long when you hit deep water?? do you's wax the bottom or is it entry technique? cos i am running as fast as i can, nailing the drop but dont seem to get as far as the ppl in the vids???

[norv]

You will get much further out if you skim on water that is rushing in to the beach rather than water which is going back out to sea.
Get some Plasm from Ectopia (kizza on this forum) for the bottom of your board.
And a steep beach helps as then you are skimming downhill.

[Sparrow]

A side slip doesn't go astray either! It's a good one to learn.
turn your board sideways and centre your weight, bend your knees and lower your centre of gravity and then slide on out!

[Skim Buck]

hey sparrow, i'm in the same stage as benno and just wondering if the side slip will give you any more more speed or will it just make you more stable comming up to the wave?

[norv]

You will hold your speed for longer, because you are not dragging the tail.

[Skim Buck]

cheers mate you just won me carton

[Skimerwit]

Hey,

I know what you mean, for a long time I had trouble get out to the waves. There are a few factors involved.

1. As already posted steep beaches making it alot easier to enter the water with more speed.
2. The direction of the water is important. Idealy, maximum speed is achieved when the water is going in the opposite direction you are, although the nature of waves does not always allow this. Ofen the waves break when the water is receding in which case there are two main techniuqes to reduce "drag" when on the water.
3. One tequnique is "pumping" your board. This requires you to have you back foot as far back as you feel comforatable. By lifting your foot up and down and "pushing" your self off the water you reduce your drag and increase your skim distance in deep waters.
4. The other well known technique is turning your board sideways. This reduces drag perhaps more than pumping you board however is useless if the water is choppy. Turning your board is done once you get onto the deeper waters. You can achieve this but "twisting" your body or swinging your arms. Keep in mind before you reach the wave you will want to twist the board back so the nose is facing towards the wave. It is best practiced on shallow water, then once you get the hang of it you can do it in the deep.
5. The quaility of your board will also have some impact, ie. carbon > S-glass/texalium > E-glass, where carbon boards slide the quickest.
6. The direction of the wind... but thats kind of intuitive.
7. Last but not least, the way you get on your board has a big impact on your speed, balace, and control. I think there is a disscussion about his elsewere.

Nearly all skimboarders use techniques 3 and 4, if you watch Bill Bryan, or the dudes from the Exile team, they get far out into the ocean by a combination of techniques. It is best to youtube some good skimboarders and carefully watch what they do.

[dkresto]

Is it almost impossible to achieve the whole 'deep water' thing with a wooden skimmer?
[and the majority of beaches around here have a crap shorey+are very flat]

[roadtrain]

You have to have poise. Keep still as possible and your board flat.
Soon as you move, turn or push around, you dish out water and stop the 'planing' effect.
After all, that is what you call SKIMMING.

Nice words there, Skimerwit, but i disagree with No 5)...that carbon boards slide the quickest..
it's the outer coating that determines that,
whether its Poly, epoxy or vinyl or gel.I can't determine which though.
But i do know that a matt finish is scientifically better than a gloss one.


dkresto,
No, it is not almost impossible to 'deep water thing' with a wooden skimmer.
It is very, very possible.(larger size helps tremendously though).

[dkresto]

if i was going to upgrade, would i be wasting my time with a wooden one?
[my current board, has way too much rocker,and is one of the smaller ones as well.-just doesnt make it fun at all]
prob not on thje right thread for this either, but any recommendations about buying a new one? or possibly second hand?

[Skimerwit]

dkresto,
it depends on the quality of your beach, and how far you are willing to travel to find a decent beach with a steep slope. Skimming parrallel to the beach will not make a HUGE difference with a foamie, but if you ever come across good conditions you will wish you had one... . In my opinion, one of the biggest differences experinced on a foamie vs a woodie is when you hit the deep and want to wrap around a wave. Foamies have superior float and speed. If your current skimboard is no good, maybe go for a larger more sturdy woodie for now. If you are really into the sport you will want to buy a foamie. A Zap comp texalium large was my first foamie and it was almost a year and a half before I got anywhere close to wrapping a wave. I still go the board (after 3 years), although it does't look as nice as it used to... Anyway my point is this, it takes time before you learn to get out into the deep and requires plenty of practice (but you have alot of fun in the meantime!) Once thing to note is this, foamies require a bit more maintanance than woodies. Often nasty rocks can do more damage to a foamie than to a woodie, and fixing resin and sometimes glass is not alot of fun. You can avoid this by staying away from rocky beaches obviously...but inevitably you will have to do some resin fixing (often not too much work). With good care a fomie board can last a long time.

I have orderd both my boards from skimcity.com. To buy a medium range board like my first one you would be looking at paying about $460-490 AUS (including postage), which is cheaper than what you can get at most surf shops. The price does depend on the AUS dollar. About used boards... I haven't come across any private sales. Skimcity sell second hand or repaired boards for a little less, but i reckon it is better to go for a new one. . It all depends how keen you are to skim. A good woodie can cost up to $180, so its really up to you.

Cheers.

[dkresto]

there's a few spots around my place. lately, all the beaches have gotten kinda steep. i am a veryy keen surfer. as in, everyday lately. been surfing since i was grom. when waves arent doing it, wanted a skimmer for those days, or when conditions are pumping for a slide.
a foamie would prob make a hugee difference to me, the one i have atm cost about $5. too much rocker, crap wood, and tiny as. ive had a few good runs with it. [prob 15 all up].ha.
so yeh, skimcity.com is where its at? i went on the other day, so many boards. almost too much choice it seemed. they post from the states dont they? preety sweet if they take care of all of that. i wont waste time with a woodie. i want something thick and floaty. try and get into waves and stuff. mayb even try surf the thing a few times.
i'll look into this website you mentioned. thanks.

[Skimerwit]

You will definately feel a huge difference with a good fomie! Skimcity is a really good place to buy. The normal shipping to Australia is 78 USD for normal non-express priority mail. For my boards the time taken to ship was 9-10 days. Boards also come with stickers and wax . Yeah, there definately is alot of choice when it comes to skimboards, but I would go with one of the well known brands such as: Victoria, Zap, or Exile. These brands are also the major sponsors of the UST skim comps. Out of the three, Zap is probably cheepest in price, although some Vics are comparable. Exiles are a bit more expensive, but I've heard people rave about how good they are. More important than the brand is what they are made from, and here is where you will have do some research find out what suites your budget and the performace and durability you want. Read about them on skimcity or this place

http://www.skimshop.com/customer/help.php?section=FAQ

(As far as I know skimshop does not ship to aus)

Good luck!