Beginer boards, look here if you wonder what to get

by **kinggargantuan** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:58 pm

i'm 6'3" 220lbs and learning on a 7'6"

d'oh

**Sponsor**

by **OJSMsurfer** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:14 am

Im 5'4" 115 pounds and my goal is to ride on a short board ASAP so im going to learn on a 6'2" 19.25" wide and 2"1/8 or 2/8 thick is this good

by **surferdude_scarborough** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:57 pm

nope its too small. get a longboard and stop trying to be cool

by **OJSMsurfer** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:43 am

so how big of a board should i get

by **drowningbitbybit** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:40 am

OJSMsurfer wrote:Im 5'4" 115 pounds and my goal is to ride on a short board ASAP so im going to learn on a 6'2" 19.25" wide and 2"1/8 or 2/8 thick is this good

Good to see the ol' little bangey head fella out again.

by **CHarvey** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:00 pm

Get at least a 7'0" minimal

by **fire5** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:04 am

I just got two free short boards about 6 footers one thicker than the other. repaired the dings and ready to go this week end. I have recieved different beta on weather or not I can surf these boards due to being a newbe. I have good balance from my skate years and very active with my career as a fire fighter. however I am 6' 220 lbs. my wife got these for me if I cant start on them will I be able to progress to them? planning on surfing through out the summer. freinds have said ooh free boards you can learn on them just harder,and more practice. surf shop owners said no. repair man that fixed the ding said ooh free boards sure its about the thickness this will be fine. too many varibles what do you think? thanks for all of the threads and thanks for this forum I have learned a lot.

by **sebastiansurfer** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:02 pm

OJSMsurfer wrote:Im 5'4" 115 pounds and my goal is to ride on a short board ASAP so im going to learn on a 6'2" 19.25" wide and 2"1/8 or 2/8 thick is this good

OK TO BUY A SHORTBOARD I THINK SHOPS SHOULD IMPOSE AND EXPERIANCE LOCK.to buy this board you need X hours...

yes you could use that shorty
but you better be prepared to haul a$$ when the time comes.like supafast dude.i got a shortie only because i skimboard at lease once a week,am in top physical shape.work out,use an indo board.and its stillllll tough..plus i had two summers of experience from beforehand

just my thoughts

by **Budellonfame** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:46 pm

Hi guys it must be anoying to reply all the time to the same questions.
But here I go with my situation:

I touched my first surfboard 40 days ago
Did a surfcamp with 5 morning lessons and a couple afternoon practice sessions
Been in the water other 3 times
(Loved it of course

)

I can stand easily on the big learning boards they gave me in the camp and that i rented a couple times, never managed to turn or do anything but going straight.

I live in Italy and the waves here on a beach break can become interesting only with rough sea, and a lot of messy waves and currents. I'm saying this because I'm a pretty good swimmer but it's very tireing to paddle back with heavy boards in these conditions.

I would like to get something (cheap of course, second hand) that could work out in these conditions (duckdiving possible please), I'm looking forward to go and surf 3-4 times a month I don't mind if it's going to be harder for a couple times, rather than having something too big. But not looking forward to just nose up for 2 months..

A guy over here said to avoid minimalibus and longboards because they would stop me from improving quickly and because duckdiving is too hard to do with them. He said even a 6'4'' could work...

Now, I'm 6'3'' and approx 185 lbs. Slim and decently in shape. Pretty solid swimmer with good resistance in the water.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECCOMEND?

Thank you

by **Heathen** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:48 am

Hey everyone first off got to thanks for all the good advice I have read in this forum its been very helpful!

Anyway I have read through most of the info here about buying a good board to learn on but I still have a few questions.Bit
about myself
I have skated since I was about 10 years old gave a few years back (31 now) I surfed for one summer when I was about 19 really loved it but shortly after i moved away from my beach side town which I a now back living in.
So back then I was trying to learn on a short board got paddling and duck diving and wave catching mostly sorted but had a terrible time getting up did not know i should have been out there on a long board and well moved shortly after.

So now I am looking to get back into it and want to get a good board to learn on.
I have been looking at getting a long board I am buying second hand as I really don't want to spend a massive amount of cash on my first board as I would like to go to a short board once I getting some time down the track and i also don't want a pop out so second hand seems to be the way to go.

Anyway to the point like I say I have been keen on getting a 9' I am 6'1 and 90kg I think that's about 200lb now i was set on getting a 9' but have found a really nice second hand mini mal that is 8'1 x2.1.3/4x2.7/8 and is also made by a local shaper who is really good.

But I am worried this board may be to small for me to learn on I just really want to check what you guys think with the size I really don't wont to get a board that's too small and thats heaps harder to learn on but i am very keen on this board but not at the risk of making the learning curve that much harder.

by **gutterball** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:45 am

Imo the 9 footer will be harder in anything sucky.

I ride a tufflite mini mal (8ft) sometimes and people think they are no good because they are too light but im not serious about riding a mal its just for training,having fun and getting wet in flat spells.

I find the tufflite mini mal easier to surf than the 9 ft PE board thats heavier and longer, easier to catch tiny ripples but dangerous if i lose it or surf it in sizey waves as it could hit someone if i lose it.

For a total beginner it would be worse.
I say go with the mini mal.

They are easier to swing around on the takeoff in anything sucky as they are shorter.

My bro weighs about 90kg and uses the same board sometimes and loves it. He learnt how to standup on it aswell.

You will find it near impossible to duckdive the 9 footer aswell.

by **gutterball** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:41 am

Budellonfame wrote:
A guy over here said to avoid minimalibus and longboards because they would stop me from improving quickly and because duckdiving is too hard to do with them. He said even a 6'4'' could work...

Now, I'm 6'3'' and approx 185 lbs. Slim and decently in shape. Pretty solid swimmer with good resistance in the water.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECCOMEND?

Thank you

If you have the cash,theres a lot of choices..You could look for a shaper somewhere around there, maybe in spain if theres no one else
that will make you something along the lines of a simon anderson molusc.
Or a miller waterskate or 7's superfish
These boards are good for grovel (small peaky windslop) yet easy to duckdive and surf more like a shortboard.

Or if you dont have the cash have a look on ebay for a nearby second hand 80's thruster that has a bit of bouyancy for getting waves but not too rockered.
Some of those old 80's and 90's thrusters are great boards to learn on and good boards for mush.
They go for cheap but some are collecters items. Avoid those.
Something at least a few inches taller than you and around 2 3'8 to 2 5/8 thick should do well for learning bouyancy, less for more performance but a harder time getting waves etc.

Wider tail is best for speed in small waves.
Narrower tail is often better for tubes and steeper waves.
Narrower boards are harder to balance but quick to turn
Wider boards are harder to go into a turn but stable through turns and stable to balance on.
Rocker (the banana shape looking side on) is ussually best lowish on leaner boards(for paddle speed) and small waves (for speed through dead sections).
Heavy rockered boards are quicker to turn and can turn in steep sections of the wave, aswell as being less likely to nosedive and can handle steep hollow and heavy waves well.

I would recommend something around 19" or wider.
Something with medium to low rocker thats even for a wider sweet spot
Nose lift to prevent nose diving (unlike a traditional fish)

Have a read about grovel boards on different shapers websites and designs and you lean a lot about how to pick out the board for you and what features do what.

A single fin would smooth out your style and some are easier to catch waves than thrusters but can outrun peaks and be harder to cutback on.
I like riding fat single fins in junky surf.
I have a few old single fins here, if you pay for postage from sydney i could send you one if you repair the cracks.

If you want any more info on shapes you are interested give us a message.

by **pistachio** » Wed May 06, 2009 12:23 am

nice post.. im 5'6 175 .. looking into purchasing a 6'8" or 6'10" / 19 -20' / 2.5 - 3'

by **Codejunkie** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:37 pm

So helpful.

Anyway,

I just found out that my family and I are moving to california from AZ (GODSEND!!!) and so, since I have surfed whenever I was over there, just now and again I thought this would be the perfect time to go in for a board.

I am a novice at surfing but I can reliably catch my own waves and stand up on the board (I have only used the foam ones they lend you in lessons) and I have started to work on turning. Anyway, I am 6'3" 190lbs and I am looking for a good board that I can grow into and use for some time. All I know about the beach closest to my house to be is that it is called Poche Beach in San Clemente, and I also know that I can get to T-street/san clemente pier easily.

I was thinking about building a board this summer at grainsurfboards up in Maine, specifically the 8' Sapling funboard or the 9' root longboard. I am leaning towards the sapling because it seems the smaller size will make it more maneuverable and therefore something that I can grow into better. As far as the whole why not just buy X board and save the time/$, it just seemed like a fun thing for my Dad and I to do, and it will (I hope) give me a far greater understanding of surfboard design. Also the boards look cool in a sort of vintage way.

Anyone in the area who surfs Poche Beach or any beaches near there and wouldn't mind a new guy tagging along, shoot me a line. I won't be there until winter but hopefully we can surf together.

-Code

<edit>

by **Borris** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:02 pm

Hi just two things
i wanted to know what a bic is and if there any better then a fomie
because i was looking at a 6'6 foamie but can you still
progress on a foamie due to im partly new to surfing

thanks guys

by **mentalmogzy3** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:25 pm

hii
im new too surfing but got a generall idea of the different types of boards
ive had a couple oflessons and thinkin of buyin board i was wondering if i should get a foamie for the time bieng or should i go for a fun board or mini mal? i can stand up but wipeout alot more lol

thanks:)

by **Rogue_Shadow** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:23 pm

Keep renting a board till you nail the pop up
If you buy a foam board you will grow out of it very quickly
The foam board will limit you far before any other board
Bic's are similar to NSPs
Shop are for a good epoxy board is my advise...ONCE you nail the basics :-)

I'll post up a review for my Mission 7"2 Expoy soon...need some decent waves to test it first grrrr

by **Sparrow** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 5:25 pm

Hey guys.

I'm not looking at buying yet, as I want to get some experience under my belt. For curiosity sake though, is a mini-mal the best first buy for a beginner? What sort of size would I be looking for at 5'9 and 175lbs?

Cheers!

by **canadasb** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:42 pm

Thanks for posting this! i already bought my board, im 5'9 170ibs, (working on getting to 165) and i bought a 7S 6'3 superfish for my first board, i have surfed on longboards, funboards, and a 6'6 fish.

by **matty** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 2:23 am

I'm 26yrs old, 6'2 tall and 165lb.

I live in new zealand and surfing isn't super popular in my town so the range of 2nd hand boards on offer isn't massive. Neither is the surf! (local beach 1, local beach 2) so with my finances, it's a case of take what I can get because I can't afford a new board.

I realise that a 7'6 minimal or something like that might be best but I came across a Bic 6'7 Shortboard for sale today and wondered whether I could get away with learning on that?

I'm not totally unfit (swim, box regularly) and am reasonably light for my height... any advice appreciated

Beginer boards, look here if you wonder what to get

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