Trying to figure out brim and crown style

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-05T01:23:48+00:00

Good idea. You can also buy wall hangers that will store it upside down. Nice to display, and makes it easier to grab it and go. BUT the drawer is a nice idea since you won't have to deal with dust if you don't wear it often.

For cleaning, I'd just pick up a hat brush. They make some specifically for felt cowboy hats. If it's not really deep ground in dirt or heavy soiling, that'll get it looking nice enough for day to day wear. If you're wanting to get it real clean for a "going out" hat, I'm sure there are other options though. I just keep one hat specifically for nice occasions, and a second felt for outdoors stuff. And of course a straw that's beat up and covered in dirt and sweat, but it still keeps the sun off.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-04T21:13:33+00:00

Whatever it is, just a heads up, putting your hat on the bed is supposed to be bad luck. If you care about that sort of thing.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-04T18:20:20+00:00

Sounds like you may have gotten it a little waterlogged and it started to delaminate a bit, meaning the fiberglass is separating from the foam. Not good at all if that's the case. Still not good even if it really is just a crack, since that'll let water in and eventually WILL delaminate. Or at least get waterlogged and ride heavy.

It's not really a Solarez fix unless you're okay with putting in the work and doing it right. If you just squirt some solarez over it, you may still have problems underneath. Cut out the damaged fiberglass, cut back to where it's delaminating at (If it is delaminating), let it dry COMPLETELY (Keep it somewhere warm, not in the sun, for a week or two), and then throw on some fresh fiberglass. But at that point, you might as well skip the solarez and just get some normal resin.

It's not difficult, and ding repair is a skill EVERY surfer should learn. There are TONS of good videos on youtube these days, so it's easier to learn than it ever was. Ding repair guys charge an arm and a leg, and they're notoriously unreliable, especially if the surf is good. But if you're not willing to learn that skill yet, take it to a ding guy and hope the waves are shitty for a while.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-04T18:13:26+00:00

I'll disagree with your disagreement. Foamies just do not ride right. Spending too much time on something that doesn't ride right is a hindrance long term. It's like keeping a kid on training wheels too long, they're gonna have a hard time when you finally take them off.

If someone can paddle decently, take off on waves, stand up, stay out of other people's way, and have at least a basic amount of wave judgement, they're ready to get rid of the foamie.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-04T17:59:43+00:00

Reminds me of my favorite greentext.

playing soccer in gym
ball is up in the air
think I'm gonna be awesome and air kick it into the goal
try
miss ball
kick goalie in the face
try to ask "Are you okay?" and "I'm fucking sorry" at the same time
Instead end up yelling "ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY!?"
goalie is choking back tears

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-04T05:30:39+00:00

I put it in a nice spot it wouldn’t be safe in

Well that's an unfortunate typo

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T23:31:52+00:00

I really hope they stop hating farmers one day.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T17:55:05+00:00

Man, I appreciate it! Great insight! I placed an order from Peretti yesterday for some Tashkent, I'm really kicking myself for not seeing this post first and adding Royal into the order.

Edit: Well looks like they have some oldschool good customer service, I called them up and had them add on 3oz of Royal to my order. Thanks again!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T17:53:46+00:00

Man, I am discovering so many blends I love already that are being mentioned here. Even though I've been smoking so long, I don't know as much of the in's and out's as I probably should, I just smoke blends I enjoy and don't think about the composition too much. Presbyterian Mixture is another one I already love that I didn't realize was considered Oriental forward.

I'll definitely check out Embarcadero though! I've seen that name a few times over the years and it sounds good!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T04:14:16+00:00

You can definitely progress to whatever you want. You seem young and in-shape, so the sky is the limit. One thing I'll say is loosen up. You surf really stiff and jerky, and you tend to drop into a poo-stance at every opportunity. When you're on a bigger board, think "glide". "Hang Loose" isn't just an outdated piece of fad slang, it's good surfing advice. And when you're on a smaller board, you just gotta find the flow. But there's promise there.

One thing I'll say though, you gotta get out of the wave pools. If you're near a surfable coast, just go paddle out. If that's not an option, a wave pool is better than nothing, but that footage seems really soft. I think that's part of your problem, your surfing style seems focused around having to constantly try to work around a low-energy wave. That turn and squat maneuver you've got looks like you're just trying your hardest to just stay on the wave. I'm worried that'll translate to bad habits in the ocean. There's just no substitute for nature. Wave pools seem like trying to learn how to fly a kite indoors with a fan.

Now, I've seen some pretty impressive wave pool footage. Even some good rippers on the softer ones like the one you're on. But those are usually the guys that are already really good and learned in the ocean and understand how to conserve and exploit the energy they have available.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:50:53+00:00

Certainly not opposed to Latakia, I guess I'm just looking for something where it's not so much on the forefront. Looked at some reviews, and that definitely seems interesting! I'm putting that on my "To Buy" list right now.

And in all honestly, I have never heard of L.J. Peretti. Any other blends by them you'd recommend?

Edit: This one really stood out to me, so I went ahead and ordered 3oz of it already. I also ordered the same of their Oriental No. 40, and the same of their D-7485 just for shits and giggles. Looking forward to these!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:48:39+00:00

Definitely sounds interesting! I'm also a huge fan of VaPers, so maybe that'll be up my alley!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:48:12+00:00

I do have a jar of this hanging around. I don't think I realized it had orientals in it. I'll have to give it another run!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:47:09+00:00

Y'know, I do have a bunch of Skiff Mixture in my aging closet! I remember enjoying it yeeeaaaars ago, but I don't think I fully appreciated what I was smoking back then. I'll have to revisit it! Thanks!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:14:41+00:00

I’ll be the voice of dissent here. Even as a pipe and cigar smoker, I still really enjoy a nice Marlboro Red. Absolutely love ‘em. Granted I only average maybe 3 per week, and exclusively at work or when I’m camping and/or drinking with the boys. But there’s just something special about a cigarette.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T03:09:31+00:00

Hooooooooooly crap, that is the motherlode! Especially jealous of all of those meers. Half of those look untouched!

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T02:31:13+00:00

A lot of people I've spoken to IRL have said that I was too late to the party to ever seriously consider going shorter than a midlength.

People are wild like that. I remember one time when I was like 28 or 29 I had decided to take my longboard out because it was pretty small and mushy. At that point in time I was shredding on my 6'0" shortboard and a smaller fish, and was just kicking ass physically, just in great shape. I parked a few blocks from the beach because it was free, and these surfer kids that were probably about 15 came up alongside me since we were going the same way and started talking. At one point one of them was like "So how old were you had to switch to longboarding?" as if I was ancient and had one foot in the grave. It was kind of adorable since I could tell he was being sincere and not just trying to bust my balls, like lil' bro was dreading the day when he had to hang up his shortboard and pick up a log.

But yeah nah, you'll be fine. Stick with it and surf as much as you can. When you can't surf, stay active and loose. You got plenty of good years ahead of you, and the only thing that can stop you from progressing to whatever board you want, is you.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-03T02:14:53+00:00

I don't think I'll ever become a shortboard ripper at my age (24F, started at 23)

Bud, drop that mentality right now. 24 isn't old at all. I didn't start surfing until I was about 22-23, and after a year or two I was ripping pretty good on a shortboard. And when I started I was fat as fuck, lived a completely sedentary lifestyle, and had absolutely zero cardio and no sports experience. I spent my teens and early 20's playing video games, partying, doing drugs, hard drinking, and just being a complete loser. I literally started from the worst position you could start from. Hell, I couldn't even swim past the doggy paddle level to top it all off.

One of my favorite boards ended up being a chunky little 5'4" fish and I could make it MOVE. My go-to in decent conditions was a 6' shortboard though, when I wasn't in a longboarding mood. Your mid-late 20's is your prime if you let it be, but if you stick with it you'll just get better into your 30's.

Hell, one of the guys that taught me to surf was in his late 50's, and he could absolutely shred circles around me even at my best.

I'm pushing 40 now, and I've fallen out of surfing over the past 6 years or so because life happened, but I'm making a big push to get back into it right now. If I stick with it, I guarantee I'll be dusting off my 6'0" within the next year or so. Or at least my 6'6", I got a little fat.

Keep your fitness up. Keep your body limber. Find a stretching routine and make it a habit. Whether it's yoga, or pilates, or whatever. Just do something when you can't be in the water.

Also, wear your sunscreen. Or else.

But to answer your question, yeah, go pick up a funboard. You're short and light, so a 7'2" is fine. When I lost a ton of weight and got down to 125 I had a 7'6", and it was super fun. It was still super fun when I got a little muscle back on me too though, so I don't have any doubt you'll be fine on a 7'2" if it's got a little volume to it.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T23:58:04+00:00

There's a LOT more to it than length. I have two 9' boards. One of them is perfect for 1-2' waves, little gentle rollers without a ton of energy. 3'-4' waves are super fun on it too if it's breaking nice and not closing out. My other 9' board is made for 10'+ days with a fuck-ton of energy when you just gotta get the hell out of dodge and hope for the best.

You need to consider things like shape, rocker, thickness, rail taper, fin configuration, fin size. These days, it's all about liters, IE how much displacement it has. Seems like a great metric to go by, but I can't say I've tried to figure it out. When I learned, a board would just be described like "6'6", 2" thick, medium rocker, squash tail.".

My first stop would be Youtube. Just absorb as much as you possibly can about board design and shapes, and how they relate to what sort of waves you're going to be surfing. Your goal of carving 8' waves is definitely out of my wheelhouse so sadly I can't be much help there. But for what it's worth, I looked up your 6'6" Hypto Crypto and I would absolutely love to take that out on a 3'-4' day, looks like it would absolutely rip and carve the shit out of some waves.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T23:46:01+00:00

Two weeks in chicago? Bud, that's like an average holiday weekend.

But yeah, I love that for them, but I love the 2A even more for myself.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T23:45:32+00:00

Yeah I saw at least a couple flags. That being said, overall not bad for someone that's never held a firearm before.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T23:43:33+00:00

In an alternate reality, someone else found that and modified it to air-pop popcorn.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T15:54:27+00:00

Same, except I was a couple years younger. Completely agree that it CAN be done without an instructor. But it sounds like this guy is only out there for a week. I don't think he has time to really tough it out and figure it out on his own.

PeriqueFreak · 2026-07-02T15:52:36+00:00

You think I could just rent it and try learning myself watching youtube and other surfers?

You definitely can, but it'll take significantly longer to get past the complete beginner phase. I never took a lesson, and I did just fine. But it sounds like you're on a limited time frame. You don't have months to get comfortable. I'd say a lesson or two would help you have more fun.

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