When am I ready for a new board?

[LostAtSea]

Hi guys,

I've been at it for a bit, still a beginner really. I can pop up, ride the white-wash and sort of turn both ways. I want to get out back so I can have longer rides and really work on turns and riding down the line. I've been out back on my last few outings, but conditions have been less than stellar (beach break closeout city) and I suck at finding the peak. So, I still have lots to work on...

My question is: I have this big chunk of blue foam I've rented for the winter. It's a 9' learner board with massive rails and shallow floppy fins. I want to stay on a big board for awhile, but I have no idea at what point will this thing be holding me back from progress, especially when it comes to working on my turns. Should I be looking at something with thinner rails/better fins? Or is this blue barge fine for a year or so?

Renting is costing me $ I could be putting towards my first board. I want to start with a big board, but with some aspect of performance to it so I can learn.

Any thoughts?

[oldmansurfer]

I am a fan of custom boards. If you want a new board go meet a local shaper and have them make a board just for you. If money is an issue then a used board. If you can find one, photograph it and post it here and we will comment on it

[dtc]

You know you are ready for a new board when you want one...

Is your current board a foam one or a 'proper' board? A 9ft longboard suits most people starting out, unless you are particularly heavy.

[drowningbitbybit]

Or is this blue barge fine for a year or so?

The big blue foamies are just for getting the basics under your belt. Once you can catch a wave, pop up and keep your balance, it's time to move on to a 'proper' board.

Something with similar length and width as the blue barge (but a lot thinner!) is usually a good place to start

[oldgrom22]

You seem ready for the next step. In my opinion, foamies are only good for starting out. Once you've got the fundamentals and are ready to go out back you should be on a "real" board. I'd suggest you stick to a longboard first before proceeding to a funboard/performance board for an easier time. Main thing is to be real with yourself on your progress so far. From what you described you're still in the beginner phase so shop for a board accordingly.

[LostAtSea]

Thanks loads for the help. I have a local shaper who seems like a good dude. I'll talk some numbers with him and shapes and sizes. I'll try and get some references re: his work as well. His boards are called Island Rhino.

It is indeed a blue foam board I am currently on. I think I want a longboard or a funboard to start with. Not sure. My ideal surfing is smooth turns and lots of waves. I'm not sure if board walking is my cup of tea. I really like the idea of leaning and turning. That looks like where the fun is at IMO.

I'm sure down the road I would like to try a shortboard, but one thing at a time. No lack of having fun at the moment.

Thanks again for the advice. I'm kinda alone in this right now until I meet some other surfers. The west coast of Canada is beautifful indeed, however folks here are a little inside their own bubbles. There always a few good ones in every bunch though. Tofino is a high end tourist town with mostly transient young workers surfing the beaches. Not many laid back locals...lots of posers...but as I say, I know there are some good people around, I've bumped into a few already.

[dtc]

My ideal surfing is smooth turns and lots of waves. I'm not sure if board walking is my cup of tea. I really like the idea of leaning and turning. That looks like where the fun is at IMO. .

Sounds like you will end up with a mid length board, probably a retro outline and possibly with a single fin. Old style 'soul surfing' - check out videos from people like Joel Tudor.

By 'end up with' I mean in a couple of years once you have improved. For now, definitely get a longboard - something around 9ft long, 22 inches wide and 2 3/4 thick. Give or take a bit for each of those measurements - I'm assuming here you are under about 90kg, if you are over that they you may need extra thickness. These are pretty much standard longboard measurements - not all longboards are built for walking the board and not all longboarders do it or even try it. Sure you have to move your feet around a bit, but you do for all boards to a greater or lesser extent.

Longboarding is great for beginners, but there is an art to it that entices even the most skilled.

[LostAtSea]

My ideal surfing is smooth turns and lots of waves. I'm not sure if board walking is my cup of tea. I really like the idea of leaning and turning. That looks like where the fun is at IMO. .

Sounds like you will end up with a mid length board, probably a retro outline and possibly with a single fin. Old style 'soul surfing' - check out videos from people like Joel Tudor.

By 'end up with' I mean in a couple of years once you have improved. For now, definitely get a longboard - something around 9ft long, 22 inches wide and 2 3/4 thick. Give or take a bit for each of those measurements - I'm assuming here you are under about 90kg, if you are over that they you may need extra thickness. These are pretty much standard longboard measurements - not all longboards are built for walking the board and not all longboarders do it or even try it. Sure you have to move your feet around a bit, but you do for all boards to a greater or lesser extent.

Longboarding is great for beginners, but there is an art to it that entices even the most skilled.

Thanks for the advice...I checked out some Joel Tudor vids. yea, that's the style Im going for.

I am 185 cm, 83 kg. my local shaper is steering me toward a longboard too, and it makes sense to me for a first board as well. I'll be chatting with him this week to talk ideas.

I will look into different styles of longboards, and what they are designed to do.

...and thanks for pointing me to Joel Tudor. That's some nice surfing!

[dtc]

Mate, not a problem. A longboard sounds perfect, surf it for a while (aim for, say, 150 hours minimum) then look at getting something around the mid 7ft mark. And JJ 'Tudor' Greenberg will all over youtube as well

[LostAtSea]

Mate, not a problem. A longboard sounds perfect, surf it for a while (aim for, say, 150 hours minimum) then look at getting something around the mid 7ft mark. And JJ 'Tudor' Greenberg will all over youtube as well

I had an interesting conversation with a local shaper.

First of all, I'm pretty pumped about surfing, so my desire to talk about surfboards and find a first board (the one I'm using is a rental) is mostly out of excitement for the sport. I could go on renting for awhile i guess.

He says. "Calm down, don't get too anxious about surfboards. You will find a board (whether I make it or not) and learn to surf on it and have a good time" And he goes on to say, "It all the surfer anyway, a good surfer can do what he/she wants on almost any board. Don't sweat it...you've got a long way to go."

I scope the internet for info on boards and he told me not pay attention to 90% of the stuff I read...it's all opinion. I know that's true because I am an audio engineer and I could say the same about microphones. It's all the user and most will do the job suitably.

So...is a board is a board is a board? ...with only subtle differences? Obviously there is a big diff between short and long, but is everything else just marketing hype?

[oldmansurfer]

There are differences between boards but given a board if you are good enough you can learn to use it in a lot of different conditions

[oldmansurfer]

Also I would say if you are just a beginner then boards around the same size will all work about as well for you. If you get the exact same board a pro uses you will still be just a struggling beginner.

[jaffa1949]

If the Shaper is Billy Leach his advice is spot on. Get a longboard about 9' 1" pretty much a standard length . Get a 2+1 fins set up, make sure you have a centre fin box not plugs so you can adjust the fin position. About 22"in width and about 2 3/4" in thickness, Billy will know what rail and profile shapes suit the area and your level of surfing.
I would not go short at this stage especially since you like smooth and glide styles.
Why long? ease of paddle and catch waves more waves = more learning, more quickly.
Several things will be noticeable, better turning not force lost( absorbed by rubber fins ) more accuracy in what you do on a wave, you can respond to the wave and also gain more speed in doing it.
You have a guy on your side in BC stop reading about all the tweaks and sales pitch extras , go good, basic and go surfing.

[waikikikichan]

So...is a board is a board is a board? ...with only subtle differences? Obviously there is a big diff between short and long, but is everything else just marketing hype?

There are Road bikes and Mountain bikes. Both have 2 wheels, a handle bar and a seat. You could ride a Mountain bike on the road. I've seen cool videos of a Road bike in the mountains. Just like in surfing, there many variants city-Hybrids, beach cruisers, BMX , ( mama-chari here in Japan ) etc. But if I used Lance Armstrong's personal Trek Carbon fiber Madone bike and he had to use a steel Huffy bike from Walmart, he would still beat me in a race.

Ask yourself, is it the Arrow or the Indian ? Is it Michael Jordan or the Nike shoes ? No one can make you a Baseball bat that can make Home Runs, it needs the batter to swing it.

cool_hat_paipo_surfer_2.jpg (29.7 KiB) Viewed 792 times

paipo_standing_surfer.jpg (37.92 KiB) Viewed 792 times

These guys are riding a piece of wood. No rocker, no rolled V, no swallow tail, no fins, ............... All Technique.

[LostAtSea]

If the Shaper is Billy Leach his advice is spot on. Get a longboard about 9' 1" pretty much a standard length . Get a 2+1 fins set up, make sure you have a centre fin box not plugs so you can adjust the fin position. About 22"in width and about 2 3/4" in thickness, Billy will know what rail and profile shapes suit the area and your level of surfing.
I would not go short at this stage especially since you like smooth and glide styles.
Why long? ease of paddle and catch waves more waves = more learning, more quickly.
Several things will be noticeable, better turning not force lost( absorbed by rubber fins ) more accuracy in what you do on a wave, you can respond to the wave and also gain more speed in doing it.
You have a guy on your side in BC stop reading about all the tweaks and sales pitch extras , go good, basic and go surfing.

Yes,the shaper is Billy. I get a good vibe from him and like him quite a bit. He doesn't give me any BS, no hard sell at all, and calls it like he sees it. His partner Tracy is awesome too. They have helped me tremendously in my new obsession.They even gave me a board for free while they took of to Greece for all of October.

Anyway, I continue to heed his advice and hope to drag him out surfing with me one day soon.

[LostAtSea]

Thanks for the advice oldmansurfer, Jaffa, and dtc.

Even though I am a few months away from buying a board (work bonus money), I just want to talk about it and learn about surfboards in the mean time. Internet forums are great for geeking out on stuff.

That being said...I like the idea of a longboard first, and I'll let Billy (shaper) to handle the details. He knows the local surf and has good idea of my abilities. He highly recommends longboard as well, that's his thang too.

I tried an 8 foot soft top the last 2 days. Pretty cool. It's not as barge-like as big blue (9 foot learner board) so it helped me focus my pop up stance a bit. Now I just have to work on getting into the right waves. I spent way too much time in the shore pound.