Today we are going to talk about a surfboard that is universal for most users. On this surfboard, both beginners and professionals spend most of their training.
I like everything about perry, even her color is very pleasant and attractive.
Perry is also quite fast, as I didn’t have to row too hard to get off the ground and be on the wave. She is especially good for those who often row, because she is very light and nimble in this matter.
I think I fell in love with Perry equipment and I advise you to do the same, because your love will pay off to you by increasing your level of surfing and pleasant emotions when traveling.
In the article below, I tried to give you the most detailed overview of perry equipment, and I also began to present everything fairly objectively and regardless of personal prejudices.
The positive aspects of Perry:
- Perry reacts very quickly to my body movements, responds to every step and wave of the hand, standing on such a board you can feel the life of a surfer in all its glory and enjoy how beautiful it is;
- Perry is a great versatile piece that suits many situations, and also allows for quality rides for those who like to ride on small or medium surfboards;
- Perry has a sufficiently large contour, but it does not exceed the basic parameters, so you can ride without fear that you can catch on something in the process of maneuvers;
- Perry has a very thin wing, which allows you to retract the tail section, so you get the most pronounced angle away from the rail line.
The negative sides of perry are things:
- I would like Perry to have a larger volume, which would fit ideally for small or just smaller waves;
- to be honest, this did not happen to me very often, but it is noteworthy that if I sagged my weight a little forward (or maybe too much forward), then sometimes my nose began to catch and I fell over the steering wheel.
Table of Contents
Specifications
Perry Surfboards Villain is suitable for certain volumes 6’2 x 20 3/8 x 2 3/4 x 36.
To understand that it will be good for you to ride it, you should know how to choose such a thing, focusing on your body parameters.
Perry surfboard volume is how much space the Perry board takes up in space.
If perry were a parallelepiped, then it would not be difficult to calculate the volume – you would just need to multiply the length, width and thickness and we would get the required volume figure.
Alas, the perry surfboard has a complex shape with an uneven distribution of thickness and width along its entire length.
In the past, to find out the volume of a surfboard, it was necessary to immerse it in a container of water and calculate how much water it displaced. This is why we measure the volume of a surfboard in liters, not cubic inches or centimeters.
Today the shape of most boards is developed in specialized computer programs, in which the volume is also calculated.
Therefore, many manufacturers began to indicate this characteristic on their websites, as well as at the bottom of the board next to the usual measurements of length, width and thickness.
So that you understand in what numbers the volume of various boards is roughly measured: a shortboard – about 25-35 liters, a 7-foot fanboard – about 40-50, a longboard – 60-100, but a SAP can take up to 250 liters of water.
Why is volume is so important
The volume makes it really understand how big the surfboard is.
Previously, 3 common characteristics of a surfboard were enough to understand approximately how much the surfboard would be.
However, in the early 2000s, the so-called “retro revolution” took place and people began to ride a wide variety of boards, including super short fish, fat high performance retro single fin and many others.
Now, when we see numbers indicating the length, thickness and width of the surfboard, this does not give us enough information to understand whether it is suitable for us or not.
You can more easily find several perry boards with the same parameters, which, at the same time, will be strikingly different in appearance, shape and will be completely different in volume.
The volume characteristic actually tells us how buoyant the surfboard will be. That is how it will keep us on the water.
This is important because the more buoyant the Perry board is, the less it sinks into the water below us and the less water resistance when raking.
Accordingly, on a more floating surfboard, we can gain more speed with less effort.
All this leads to the fact that we can catch the wave in a flatter place than we would on a surfboard with a lower volume.
However, the volume alone is still not enough to understand the real buoyancy of the board. The weight of the surfer should also be taken into account.
After all, the heavier the rider, the more the surfboard will plunge into the water and the more water resistance will be.
Therefore, in order for the Perry board to have the same buoyancy under a surfer that weighs 80 kg as under a surfer weighing 60 kg, its volume must be greater.
All this brings us to such an important parameter as the ratio of the surfer’s weight in kilograms to the volume of the board in liters.
The easiest way to measure this parameter is as a percentage.
This parameter for a surfer weighing 80 kg on a 40 liter surfboard will be 50%. And for the same board and surfer weighing 40 kg – 100%.
What to do will all of this information
Great question! There are no hard and fast rules for choosing the right board.
Many surfers started surfing on tiny boards, while many others learned on long ones. Individuals from both groups became world champions.
The choice of a surfboard is extremely subjective, and if a certain board is perfect for one surfer, then another may not like it at all.
Considering all of the above, it is worth saying that you should not strive for any particular board size, on the contrary, if you want quick progress, you should make maneuver your goal.
Until now, in the minds of many surfers, especially beginners, there is a false belief that the shorter (smaller) the board, the cooler the surfer. Therefore, many people estimate surfing level by board size.
The problem is that, in theory, the smaller the board, the easier it is to turn it, however, there is a downside to “easy” agility – turning easily on the surf, it is very easy to learn how to make maneuvers with the wrong technique, which, in the long run, can much more stalling your progress than the extra 10 liters on the board today.
It is more difficult to catch waves on a small board, and if they are caught, then much later.
Such a surfboard is very easy to dig into the water with a rail, which leads to a dramatic loss in speed, or even to the loss of a wave. In general, on a small surfboard, a person who is not ready for it will look rather ridiculous.
But large Perry boards have only one drawback – if your technique is far from ideal, then you will not be able to make a maneuver just by turning your upper body.
That is, surfboards with a large volume are much less forgiving of mistakes. Many people take small boards for themselves precisely because of their maneuverability.
But if you think that radical maneuvers cannot be made on a big surf, then here is an example of such a maneuver on a 6’6 ″ 45-liter fanboard.
Small surfboards allow for sharper snaps, and this fact can trick you into thinking that you are skating better than you really are. But making long, smooth turns (carving) on a small surfboard is actually much more difficult, because it drives slower.
The main purpose of surfing is to have fun. However, surfing is also technically very difficult.
To get the right technique, you need to really hone the movements of every part of our body, which is quite difficult considering that we do not manage to catch many waves during one gurney.
It is even harder when you remember that each wave is different from the other. Therefore, we must try to do everything so that there are more successes than failures, in order to continue to receive more fun than negative emotions.
The most common cause of frustration among surfers is that they ride a board that doesn’t forgive mistakes when working on new techniques.
I think that no matter how well you skate, you don’t really want the slightest mistakes to cost you the whole wave, because that will force you to stay in your “surf comfort” zone (that is, you will not want do something new), or lead to a long-term feeling of dissatisfaction.
Both of these scenarios can cause your surfing level to reach a certain limit and stop growing.
When the author of the original article was injured, he had to ride a larger Pery surfboard, and he found many things for himself that made him reconsider how he uses his body during various maneuvers. All this led to the fact that he began to skate much better!
Now, let’s talk about what to do. Use the volume information as a basis for choosing a board to help you learn faster.
There are many “volume calculators” out there, but most of them are either shortboard-only oriented or not very clear.
Therefore, the authors of the article decided to create their own calculator (see below), which relies on the following surfing levels (the ratio of the Perry board volume to the surfer’s weight is indicated in brackets):
- Level 1: Skating in the foam. Learning to jump on the surfboard and turns (100-150%)
- Level 2: Start riding the green waves. The surfer can swim to the lineup, get on the wave and ride along it. (80-100%)
- Level 3: Ride confidently along the wave. First attempts at maneuvers (65-80%)
- Level 3.5: Executing cutbacks and top turns (50-65%)
- Level 4: Skating with deep cutbacks and vertical maneuvers (40-50%)
- Level 5: Professional level (35-40%)
Choose your weight, surf level and get a range of values for the volume of the Perry board that suits you.
Of course, one cannot say that volume is the most-the-most parameter in the construction of Perry boards.
Nevertheless, this is the best characteristic that allows you to adequately compare with each other the huge variety of surfboards on the market today.
So, use the calculator to find the size of a surfboard that suits your fitness and surfing level, then try different surfboards with the volume you need and choose one that is slightly larger than the rest, and you won’t regret it either!
What waves is this thing suitable for and where
Beach break
The name comes from the English. beach – a beach, as there is sand at the bottom of the beach breaks and the waves rise thanks to the sand bar (in English – sandbar) at the bottom.
Since the sandy bottom shifts with each incoming set, the waves do not rise in one specific place, but appear here and there.
Beach breaks are great for beginners, as the sandy bottom is as safe as possible in case of falls.
In addition, a beach break is good because even if you sit in one place, the wave will come there sooner or later, and you don’t have to compete with other surfers for the peak position all the time.
However, not all beach breaks are created equal for beginners.
There are many hardcore beach breaks around the world with powerful, trumpeting waves that beginners shouldn’t try (a great example is the Supertubos spot in Portugal or The Wedge in California).
Reef break
A REEF BREAK is a spot, at the bottom of which there is a reef, upon meeting with which the waves begin to break. At the bottom of the reef breaks, there may be rocks, volcanic slabs, or a living coral reef.
The main feature of reef spots is the fact that the peak rises in a certain place and the nature of the wave at one particular spot is very predictable.
Waves practically do not change their shape, all other things being equal.
So, for example, the famous wave Pipeline in Hawaii remains exactly the same as it was in the 60s of the last century at the time of its conquest, and, most likely, hundreds of years ago.
Due to the fact that the peak is located in one place, it is quite difficult for beginners to ride on the reefs due to the high competition: advanced surfers swim up to the starting point earlier, taking all the waves.
In addition, there are stones at the bottom, so falls can be dangerous. If a surfer does not know how to fall and behave on reef spots, the risk of injury is greatly increased.
On some reef breaks, it can be so shallow at low tide that the depth on the lineup may not be much deeper than waist-deep.
On the best riff breaks, the so-called A-frame comes up. This is an ideal peak from which to drive in both directions.
Point break
Point breaks occur in places where part of the land protrudes into the ocean, for example, a promontory or a peninsula.
The waves, having reached this place, begin to break and, as it were, bend around the shore.
Point breaks are characterized by the maximum stability of the wave – it always rises in the same place, and also has a very regular shape and can be very long.
One example of a point break is the Chicama spot in Peru. This is the longest wave, travel on which can reach a couple of kilometers.
On point breaks and reefs, as a rule, only one type of wave rises, plus closeouts.
There are always closeouts on all spots. There are definitely more of them on beach breaks, but on the reef they can come quite often (especially with large forecasts that the spot does not “hold” well)
There is no clear division according to the steepness of the wave, each wave is individual. There are gentle longboard waves, and there are severe trumpeting waves.
If the wave blows, then it only allows you to go inside the pipe or not go at all.
Trumpets (barrels) are the sharpest of all waves and often the most difficult. It will take 3 to 5 years of regular riding (several times a week) to feel confident in the tube a little more height.
Everyone chooses their own surfing. Someone likes to glide relaxed on a Perry longboard on small waves, someone loves carving on massive waves, someone loves eras on beach breaks, and someone loves barrels.
Surfing is very different. And beautiful.
Surfboard type and details about it
There are about a dozen types of surfboards, each with its own unique characteristics. But even if you don’t understand surfboards at all, the fishboard is visually recognizable from the first second.
After all, he, whatever one may say, really looks like a fish, with a pointed nose and a typical tail. This “fish” also has fins, only not on the sides, but in the tail of the perry board.
Fishboard is essentially a modification of the perry shortboard aimed at the non-professional audience. In other words, if your boarding skills are far from ideal, but the pirouettes of surf stars do not allow you to sleep peacefully, it is most logical to start realizing your ambitions with the fish.
Distinctive features of Perry surfboards: short length, pointed or rounded nose and necessarily a forked tail. It is this tail that makes fishboards a special category of Perry surfboards.
The history of fishboards is small and has only a couple of decades.
In the early 1990s, the surfing world is experiencing a real boom in innovation, when designers come up with hundreds and thousands of new forms of surfboards, sometimes breathtaking outlines.
Outlandish polymeric materials and the latest achievements of the chemical industry are used. Most of the models have sunk into oblivion, unable to withstand the competition, but the fishboards were destined for real glory.
Now the perry board has firmly taken the third place in sales, behind only the legendary shortboards and classic longboards.
Currently, there are at least 200 variants of perry board shapes, i.e. this is the most “designer” type of boards!
The length of the “fish” is comparable to a standard shortboard or even shorter than that. It usually ranges from 4.8 to 6 feet.
The average width is between 20 and 25 inches, which is why a fishboard always looks more massive and wider than a shortboard.
The large surface area has a positive effect on the stability of the surfboard, but it does not impair its maneuverability. The fish is slightly thicker than other surfboards.
The distribution of the maximum width can be different: in the central part or closer to the nose of the perry board. In the latter case, the fishboard looks more like a prehistoric trilobite rather than a fish.
The rocker is flat, without bends, as smooth as possible. The tail part is equipped with a pair or triple of fins, but their number can be up to five.
The main feature of the fishboard is the tail of a special shape.
Currently, there are 3 main types of tail:
- The classic forked tail (in English swallowtail, ie “swallow’s tail”), wide and with a deep cut, appeared at the dawn of fish creation. Its main function is to reduce the effort required to row, which makes the perry surfboard fast on low waves and makes it easier to get into the starting position. This tail is ideal for beginners. If on the edges of the perry board, adjacent to the tail, there are two characteristic wing-like protrusions, such models are usually described by the word wind (from the English “wing”) and allocated to a special category. The purpose of these protrusions is trick.
- The second type of tail – the so-called baby swallowtail – is sharpened for maneuvers in medium and large waves. The design is similar to the classic forked tail, but its size itself is one and a half – two times smaller.
- There is also a battail (bat tail), the configuration of which is not concave, but convex. This makes the perry board as stable as possible on any wave, and in combination with a well-chosen set of fins allows you to perform a full range of surfing tricks. Battail is the epitome of avant-garde perry board design today.
The tail cut into the body of the perry itself can be either symbolic (by a third of an inch) or very deep – up to 5-6 inches, and in the case of the battail, it is basically absent (i.e. the perry board is convex along the entire contour).
The character of the tail cut is more determined by the uniqueness of the design than by the practicality.
The main advantage of the perry fishboard is that it has incorporated all the best qualities of a professional shortboard, but remained easy to operate and thus accessible to inexperienced athletes.
This is an ideal board for practicing tricks, for the first attempts to get fired in front of the audience on the spot. Tricks such as a sharp turn or spin on the perry are especially easy to do.
The main disadvantage of a fishboard is that it is definitely not a beginner’s board.
Raking waves, going live-ups, catching small waves are all a challenge for a surfer who is on a fish. Although we emphasize that the fish in this regard is still much more convenient than the classic short perry.
Every professional in the garage will find at least 2-3 “fish” among the shiny shortboards.
Due to its short length, the fish is completely unsuitable for control in a prone position, since it simply goes under the water under the weight of the surfer’s body.
To summarize, a fishboard is a great intermediate option between long and shortboards.
Since there are no two identical waves, the fishboard always remains in demand on the spot.
If you are a professional surfer, then the extra fish in your collection will not hurt you.
If only on the way to universal glory, then even more so, because perry board, being relatively simple to operate, is sharpened for most of the surfer’s tricks.
