What was Your first board???

[kissee2u]

List the brand and size of your first board, your height and weight, and how it worked out for you. How did it effect the learning process? Plus what are your waves like? How much $ did you drop for it?

I thought this would be a good way of giving beginners ideas, and eliminating so many constant "What size board?" posts. Let someone learn from your seasoned surf experiences.

[pkbum]

100$ used shortboard.
It was very frustrating at first(paddling, duck diving, standing up and etc).
took me 4 month to go down straight, 2 more month changing direction.

[kitesurfer]

7ft 2 fat boy flier that i made myself. Didn't cost me a penny as seabase screwed up an order of mine and the materials were all free!

And here it is.







KS

[pkbum]

that almost look professional! nice art on the back!

[Chriss]

8ft epoxy minimal (call it a pop out if you like)



Bought it new off e-bay was about £180 2 years ago

I'm 6ft2 when I started with this board probably 15st (that's one of the good side effects of surfing)

It got me surfing and it was the sort of thing I could sell on when I wanted. If I had my time again I would buy something similar but spend more time looking at second hand.

Currently on loan to a friends daughter, give it 3 months and she'll be after something smaller. A great confidence boost having a board that makes it easy.

I never would have got it at all if I had started out on a shorter board and now ride a longboard.

[joem]

i got a second hand 6'6" popout nsp its indistuctble and should sell for about the price i brought it for. it cost £ 180 with a board bag

[CHarvey]

I starting learning how to surf on a 6'4" S&B that I was borrowing from my buddy. Took me a week to stand up and I think about 2 weeks to be standing up and going down the face of the wave. My first board that a bought was a 6'6" Ranson from play it again sports for like $150. I am 5'8" and at the time when I was learning I was 145lbs.
Now, 12 years later, I am 5'10" and I am 180lbs. Currently I surf either a 6'2" or a 6'4".

CH

[hiimbong]

learned on a 7' shorty that i got at a local shop for $150.
dinged that board to death haha..

[Hang11]

6'6" Glen D'Arcy toothpick. Didn't really help me learn at all, but it looked cool.

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

The first board I ever rode was an 11-footer that my ex boyfriend shaped. In retrospect, he must not have had much faith in my paddling ability. The first surfboard that was actually mine was a 9'0" (or was it a 9'4"? Can't remember) Keoki longboard that he shaped and then a 7'6" funboard. I think we broke up after that because I'm pretty sure my next board was a 7'2" Aipa sting swallow funboard.

Anyway, I sucked at longboarding...still do. In retrospect, I wish I had started off with something smaller. Fortunately, it was pretty cheap. I think I just paid for the foam and the glass.

[surferdude_scarborough]

my first board was a rubbish bic 6'7 shortboard. i did ok on it becausei was pretty small when i got it. next was a 6'8 funboard. i wish id learnt on something a little longer because now i cant longboard at all.

[Sneakytermite]

Started when I was 21 years old, 5'10 and 170lb. Went all out and bought a 9'6 Becker Mike Gee for $500, O'neill Psycho II, board bag, and Yakima car rack (ex employer sent me some money due to accounting mistake). Stood up on the first try at Huntington Beach Pier north side. Three and half years later and I'm still loving my longboard. A second hand board is better for a newbie, since I dinged mine up pretty bad at the beginning... still do!

Nice post btw! Hope you all have a great holiday season!

[Aloha]

6'4" x 19&1/4" x 2&7/16" Flat bottom and a small swallow tail.
My height just under 170 cm (5'6")
My weight just under 64 Kg (141.10 lbs)

I was surfing every day there was surf for about 3 months so had no trouble with maintaining good paddling strength.

I grew up boogie boarding so I had a lot of wave knowledge and I have good natural balance so I could pop up straight away so this board was fine for me. I progressed a lot faster on my next board which was a 6'0 x 20&1/4 Fish single to double concave bottom with very little rocker and lots of volume from nose to tail. It would fly over junk so close out sections could be surfed around thus extending the ride. I've now given that to my sister and she's improving fast with it too.

[essex sucks]

6ft4 nsp still have it goes well in some waves

[Real Pol]

A beautiful Bic, 7'6. Cost me £200 with all the bits and P&P (oh dear....look at me not supporting my local shop ).

I'm 180cm and about 68kg.

It's a good board for a beginner and don't regret buying it, in hindsight I'd have shopped around a bit and tried to get something other than a pop out.

I've still got it and have been meaning to teach friends etc on it.

I think it was a good board to learn on for size and cheapness to get into the sport.

[flyingvee]

8' Tombstone - which I've still got cos I'm still learning. Bought secondhand via evil bay from some poor sod down the road from me who was giving up surfing???????

[HBsurfer4life]

6'2 E.T. Dennis Jarvis Spider shortboard glassed on thruster fins. I was 5'8 and 150. The board was difficult to learn on and if I had to do it all over again, I would say go 8'0 Funboard. This was well over 25 years ago, and my mistake was I wanted to look cool with a shortboard, thus giving up the chances of being able to pick up surfing faster. Now I ride all boards and I try to teach the new surfers my wisdom.

[crepuscular]

Firstboard I rode was 8ft something soft top longboards which i rent from the local shops, the firstboard I bought was a snd hand Maddog 7'4" Hybrid for... hmmm... forgot the price... think it was 350 or 400 AUD which only used for around 6weeks, now riding a 6'4" Surftech UFO... find it very easy to ride on and not as heavy and easily dinged as the Maddog, but should've went for a 6ft instead since I find it still too buoyant, but very tied up with my budget right now because I want to save up all my money and spend it on a one year exchange program in Japan, which the cost of living is very high ><

[flex]

I'm a beginner surfer and I've had 5 surfing lessons and a surf with a friend. In 5 days I'm getting a 6' soft board. I'm 4'10"(145cm), 13YO (small for my age, I know), 81lbs (37kg). What do you think of my choice? Too small?

[justloafing]

Infinity Nose Rider 9'0", $600.00 and 2nd hand in great shape. I am 5'8" 165 pounds. It is more of a performance board and probably not the best board for the waves here. Well I got up and started turns on it. I am not real sure of the thickness but I think around 2 3/4. So it taught me how to paddle hard to catch waves. I still have it.

I went to a local shaper (Will Allison). I bought one of his boards a 9'6" 3 1/2 inches thick $740.00. Well the first day I just had to go out with it being a new board and all. Waves were knee high but it was a fantastic ride. I caught more waves that day than I had ever caught before.

My suggestion........... Even though both boards are very good quality one was made for a surfer that knew what they were doing (Infinity). The other was from a shaper that has shaped boards for the east coast for over 30 years. It is not a high performance board but it is a board for one to learn on and plenty of room to grow on. I doubt I will out grow it. My suggestion is talk to locals and take your time in getting your new board.