Hi there everyone,
I’m currently looking to buy a board and wanted some advice on choosing a PU vs an EPS board if anyone has experience riding both. I surfed as a teen/young adult, but it’s been 15 years since I surfed with any regularity. I’ve recently moved and live near a wave pool (Bristol, UK) and also relatively near some UK beachies. I’ve had a couple of sessions at the wave pool to get back into it and absolutely loving it. I’m definitely at low/improving intermediate level at the moment, and my surfing fitness (paddle stamina etc.) leaves a lot to be desired! So my main priority is ease of wave catching right now to aid fast progression and match my (not great) fitness levels. Most of the articles from the surf media online seem to say that because an EPS is lighter and therefore has more bouyancy, it planes and paddles better and is therefore easier to catch waves. However, I then just watched a video from T&C surfboards master shaper Glenn Pang and he said very confidently that PU boards catch waves easier because the extra weight means the board builds more momentum as it glides down the wave. Based on what Clay teaches about gravity, and not paddling, being the critical factor in catching a wave, this makes total sense. However, almost everything else contradicts this, so wanted to know if anyone has any thoughts and/or experience riding both constructions in similar shapes who can clarify.
Cheers, Jake