l have been surfing shortboards for about 2 years now,i have always had a shortboard about 1 foot taller than me.but l always see guys surfing tiny shortboards.can l buy/surf a shortboard smaller than me?

You can but l really do not recommend it. this chart in the ''sources list'' it a great site and it reccommends sizes based on how many times a week you surf and your weight. they also measure funboard sizes keep in mind though that these are only approximations.

if you get a shorter board it should be thiker and wider. fishes are good.

l shape my own boards and l make them only about a couple of inches taller then me. How much you weigh is really an important determining factor. It also depends on the type and size of surf that you normally go out in

l am 6'1 and l have a 6'0 thruster and a 6'0 fish. Both work really well b/c l can turn more easily and have less worries duck diving than on a bigger board.

So go for it.

l have a fish thats a few inches shorter than me. its wider and thicker than a normal shortboard. im pretty light for my height so it floats me well, although takeoffs are tricky sometimes l almost have to bombdrop the bitch.

Sure u can. Weight is much more important than height. If u can take off on a wave, u can surf it. l remember in the early days of the 'short board revolution' when some surfers went to radically short boards. l have to admit, they were ripper good & they did some exciting things on those tiny little boards. Your ability to take off (even if u kind of 'sink' the board) should be the main determining factor. However, u have to figure how much more u think u can get out of the wave with a shorter board. The guys who were riding 5'8'' boards in 1970, were almost all riding 6'plus board in a couple of years.

the smallest you should go is your own height, unless you're going wider like a fish but it sounds like you want to stick with the performance thruster. l am 5'10 and that is the smallest l will ride.

y not?
it makes it easier 2 duck dive.
it is lighter

if it is about a half a foot shorter then it will need to be pretty wide and thick also you wont be able to surf anything weak and small

like in jersey :