Surfboard for a novice?

Question

Hi, I'm looking to buy a surfboard for myself quite soon.

I'm about 5'10 and weigh about 11 stone/ 70 Kg.

I recently did four days at a five day surf school in Ireland, where I live, so I have a little skill at using a board, at least a foam one.

I'm looking for a board that I could continue to practice on that won't need to be replaced soon due to me getting better, i.e. as I get more skilled the board will become more exploitable.

It would also be great if the board was quite durable and for under 500 euro/ $800.

Thanks, and please help, this is my birthday present!

Answer 1

Since you seem fairly comfortable with your softtop experience, you are probably ready for a nice 'real' surfboard. based on your size, I expect you still have some growing left to do, and, as you noted, you are still a novice, so something a little bigger is going to be your best option. There are a wide variety of nice fun boards/mini-mals that would be right for you. It will still float you well as you get bigger, and not be too boring as your skill level increases.

Go to a good local surf shop and talk to the folks there who can recommend the right board for your skill level, size and local breaks. If you are prepared to spend 500 euros, don't waste your time looking at mass produced popouts

( http://www.mckevlins.com/nopopstory.htm  ) and you don't have anywhere near enough experience to buy something on line.

You can find dozens of great fun shape or hybrid boards in that price range in any good surf shop.

http://360guide.info/surfing/surfboard-t...

I have been surfing since 1966, and owned dozens of boards, and I have always sought the advice of the industry professionals at good local surf shops. Good luck, have fun and keep on surfin'!

Answer 2

you could get a mini-mal or a fun board, a minimal is like a more radicle longboard and a funboard is in the middle of a longboard and a shortboard so the funboard will progress with you as you learn. The funboard can move and do more sharpeer turns than a mini-mal also they are very stable, only a little but more radicle than the foamie that you used so i would reccoment a funboard.

HAPPY BITHDAY by the way

Answer 3

I would suggest a high performance longboard. They are really fun to ride and paddle great to. They are good for learning on and it will help you progress too. These boards can be ridden in surf up to 6 feet too.

The Surfboard Man

http://www.thesurfboardman.com/

Answer 4

hey....i think that you may enjoy a fun board or a mini long board.....they are in the lengths of over 7ft to 9ft....they are good for beginners and are easy to ride...try getting a board with a median rocker....that insures that it wont duck under the water bc beginners tend to travel far to up the board....also look fo soft fins...

Answer 5

Hi Hugh,

mate good to hear you are hooked. In regards to your question there is no SIMPLE answer however here is some advice.

1. A softboard is great to learn on and to be honest you can throw these things around pretty well. These will get you to a good stage in surfing. I ride a softboard in summer sometimes so I can ride between the flags. Can handle floaters, small cutties etc. The issue though is they have very flexible fins thus can't hold strong bottom drives or round house turns.

Pros:- wont break, cheap, float well, easy to get to a good level of surfer on

Cons:- Soft fins, not ideal for an intermediate or advanced surfer, has a different feel and flex to other boards.

2. mini-mal

Not a bad next step board. Will get you to the next level, however being a little longer will reduce what you can do as far as surfing maneuvers are concerned. You might get beyond what the board offers within the first year or two if you surf a lot

Pros:- easy to paddle onto waves, stable, good beginner board.

cons:- big board and thus cannot be thrown around on a wave, limitations to what moves you can perform, in sucky waves they can be a bit of a nightmare if you don't know what you are doing, and can break easily in a shallow wave.

3. gun/semi-gun (6'6 - 7'4)

this is prob your best bet. It is shaped like a performance board only a little longer. They are designed for big wave riding however work well for a intermediate learner. You can do almost everything on this board, the moves will just be a bit slower and more drawn out.

pros:- same feel and shape as a performance board, will take you right up to the next level of surfing, you can then keep as a big wave board down the track.

cons:- if not fully in tune with surfing they can be a bit hard to get a handle on at first.

Hope this helps. There are also hybrids, fish's etc that you can look into, however the above boards are the best for what you are looking at.

Good luck and happy b'day.

mesurf

[e-mail]

www.mesurf.com.au