We frequently get asked for advice on boards to use at the URBNSURF wave pool in Tullamarine. Given that the pool allows for various expertise and styles, we decided to compile a list of recommendations for the various sessions. After many discussions with customers, our staff members and our own experience, here is our unbiased guide on what boards best suit your surfing style in the wave pool.
Read through our guide for recommendations concerning surfboard shapes, surfboard construction and basic practices that will support your ride for each of the different sessions, be it Cruiser, Progressive Turns, Intermediate, Advanced Turns, Advanced or Expert & Beast Mode. We also offer a Demo service that allows you to trial latest model surfboards before you purchase.
TYPE OF SURF SESSION
CRUISER SESSIONS
For this session we recommend a longboard, mid-length a larger funboard or fish shape. It is a softer, rolling wave so you'll need something with a bit of glide, float, length and surface area for this mode. This is probably the best setting for you long boarders out there too.
PROGRESSIVE TURNS SESSIONS
This session is great for proper fish shapes, small wave grovellers or mid-lengths. There is more shape than the cruiser session and a touch more push, but significantly less than the intermediate session.
A board that creates a significant amount of it's own speed and allows you to run it out onto the flats or shoulder of the wave without stopping is the key. That way you won't have to hug the pocket as much & you'll be able to rip turns right to the end of the wave.
Popular board models for this session include shapes from Firewire, Christenson, CI and DHD.
You can ride this session on a longboard but we suggest that it's a significantly harder wave to ride than the Cruiser. With it's slightly tighter transition / pocket, and faster pace, there's less opportunity to set up and walk to the nose (compared to the cruiser).
INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED TURNS / ADVANCED / EXPERT SESSIONS
For those of you that are further along in your surfing journey and plan on surfing the intermediate / advanced turns / advanced & expert modes here are a couple of things that can help you choose which board to ride:
What works in the ocean will work in the pool
The wave is easy to catch
Rocker is your friend
It's not as soft as you think
It's easy to ding your board
Our recommendation is a performance groveller. Something that is a touch shorter in length, a slightly fuller outline, a boxier rail and a performance rocker. This allows you to fit comfortably into the curve of the wave.
Many find that flatter rockered & longer railed boards tend to get stuck in transition. Head to the pool with a flatter rockered board and you'll find that you are forced to draw more lateral lines. A shorter board means that there's less to swing around and less rail to get caught.
In the turn settings you will find that the lip doesn't give you a lot of push back (except right in the pocket). A boxier rail pops off the lip / coping nicely & allows you to push through turns.
You can't go wrong if you pack something like the Channel Islands Rocket Wide, Pyzel The Shadow, Lost Rocket Redux, Firewire Dominator 2.0, DHD 3DV, CI Happy Everyday, DHD Utopia. These are consistently popular boards for URBNSURF with shop regulars & staff that surf there frequently.
EXPERT & BEAST SESSION
You could potentially use something more HP on the purely barrel modes , but it's not essential. A shorter wider board will do the job just fine (as long as it's not too flat).
BOARD CONSTRUCTION
Let's dispel a common myth surrounding board construction choices for the pool - Epoxy / EPS at URBNSURF. Frequently we hear people say that Epoxy / EPS constructions feel better in the pool at URBNSURF. This seems to stem from the theory that you need a livelier board or that less salt in the water means that your board will float less so you need to compensate with a corkier construction.
As mentioned earlier, you definitely don't need more buoyancy out there to catch the wave. The likelihood of dinging your board also means your probably going to get stung for a more expensive repair if your unlucky enough to leave with a ding in your EPS/Epoxy board.
The flex and lightness may give you a little extra zip but a PU board that's touch shorter and wider, with a slightly fuller rail will give you the same effect. Maybe add a set of fins with a touch more flex & it'll give you that extra spark & let you pop off the coping / lip a little better.
We have it on good advice that Darren Handley aka DHD brought both EPS & PU constructions in the same board down to test for his first session at URBNSURF & quickly made it known for his preference for PU constructions in the pool.
You can read our separate article on FIN CHOICES for URBNSURF which you might find useful as well.
We also offer a range of surfboards for DEMO through our REFRESH YOUR STICK website.