Custom Surfboards

By custom we mean glassed surfboards, boards that have been hand crafted as opposed to factory produced pop-outs or soft boards (but not necessarily produced to an individuals specifications). The custom surfboard is the board used by the average and professional surfer alike, and make great beginners boards - if the right surfboard board is chosen.

Avoid The Thruster

The Avoid the Thruster title refers to a shortboard, which honestly is not the greatest surfboard to start learning on. Shortboards are not wide enough, thick enough or long enough to suit a novice surfer - a much better choice is a mini-mal or mal.

The Mini-Mal offers everything that a beginner should be looking for - it is wide, it is long, it has excellent buoyancy. The design of these boards are such that they paddle well, making them ideal for catching waves. Their width helps with stability, giving a little extra help for the novice surfer. This type of surfboard has great mileage and the right board will see you progress from novice to advanced surfer - giving it an edge over the soft board and the pop-out surfboard. They can be quite expensive but they are the best choice - start saving now or hope Santa is particularly flush this year.

The longboard, or Malibu, is another good choice for the beginner for the same reasons as the Minimal. They make it easy to catch the waves and are buoyant and stable. The lose out slightly because of their length and their weight. The longboard is the hardest board to get out to the line up, on a messy surf day it can seem almost impossible! These boards are also harder to turn than a minimal, making the step down to a shortboard less of a natural transition.

Beginners Surfboard Guide Summary

Here are some of the main things to bear in mind when considering which surfboard to buy as a beginner.

Surfboard Size

• No matter what type of board you buy it should be at least 6'' longer than your own height.
• The wider the board, the more stable on the waves
• The thicker the board the more buoyant it will be, making it easier to paddle and catch waves
• A ultra thin, light shortboard will make learning to surf harder - why do you think that performance boards are not used by surf schools

Type

• The best type of beginners surfboard depends on different factors. How often you will be surfing, your fitness levels, whether you need to look cool etc. Best go back and read the both the beginner board pages again.
• Soft boards, longboards, minimals and pop-outs are all great beginners boards
• Shortboards are not such a great beginner board for the average surfer.

New or Old

• This depends on a number of factors including budget and availability of boards
• Buying a new soft surfboard is a good idea if you have children or you do not intend to go surfing regularly. If you progress quickly in your surfing you will soon need another board more suited to your ability - these boards are for the novice only. A cheap second hand board might be the best bet
• Good second hand surfboards can be hard to find, and if you are new to buying a surfboard you might want to take a look at our surfboard buying guide
• .With a beginners board you are going to have to replace it soon, you need a board that you can resell

How Often You Surf

• If you only surf once a year go for a softboard
• If you surf intermittently go for either a pop-out, mini-mal or malibu
• If you surf 3-4 times a week you can pretty much start on any board you like. Surfing this regularly should see you quickly out of the 'novice surfer' stage

Back to Pop-Outs and Soft Surfboards

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