New 2 surfing, need advice and board

c montgomery

Hi all,

Im going to take up surfing over the next few weeks as it looks like great fun. I have been bodyboarding for a few years but never made the transition.
I read the advice about choosing a board at the top of the forum but need some extra advice before i purchase.

I am 5ft 8 and 70 kg and im looking for a board that allow me to stand up on it as quickly as possible. (might get dejected otherwise)

If anyone has any extra advice i would be grateful.
Better still if anyone has a board that might suit me i would be interested in buying a second hand one as along with the rest of the country money is a bit of an issue.

Many thanks,
Monty:)

spider77

I'm a similar height and weight to you and I started on a bic 7'9 board. Looking back, I should probably have started on a 7'6 minimal. I was standing and surfing quickly and found the 7'9 a bit too long and heavy when trying to manouvre and got frustrated. My advise is go to any beach where they rent boards and try out a 7'6 minimal for a few goes. You will get a bit longer out of it once you start to progress. You can always keep the 7'6 after for small wave days or sell for nearly as much as you pay new cos they hold their value and don't damage easily.

Hope that helps:D

lg123

that 10' bic for sale on this site wouldn't be a bad place to start. 10' is definitely as big as you would want to go though, anywhere in the 8 to 10' region would be good. i am taller and heavier than you and started on a 7'9" bic minimal but regret not getting a bigger board. i moved up to a 9'1 performance longboard after christmas and love it.

lg123

there you go, two contradicting views for you. if you are sporty and think you have pretty good balance, take spiders advice.

JKW

I'd suggest taking a few surf lessons if you are a complete beginner then rent a few boards to see which size you get on best with.
My best selling boards for beginners early intermediates is 7'10" - 9'
Don't go too small or you won't progress.
More info check out www.jamieknox.com
Cheers JKW

c montgomery

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Gonna rent a board next saturday and see how i get on with it:)

bgrove

id definetley agree with the who said start off on a big board.i wasted two years messing on a 7'10 and a 7 6 before i got a 9'bic(which is now for sale).lessons are good for pointers but you cant top just keeping at it.and i dont mean just during the summer.

Cecil Mor

Don't go with anything less then 9' or you'll only end up kicking yourself.
The greater the wave count the quicker you'll progress. Anything less that that and you're just handicapping yourself.

Besides, Longboarding is the way forward man!!

seachto7

I hacked around on a 7ft 3, a 7ft 9 BIc, then got hold of a 10ft longboard. I stood up on it straight away. The difference was pretty big.

I'm about 6ft 1/6ft 2....

The only b**tard about it was getting the thing out into the surf. It will kill your arms, it's a balls to manouevre. it was also an ordeal getting it onto the roof rack..

i sold it a few months back and have been bodyboarding since.

I got a go on a 9ft recently, and nearly get the feeling I've regressed :mad::eek:
though I did use an 8ft 4 in Aus after a period of not surfing for months, and did alright on it in tough conditions..

I'm hopefully going to go for a 7ft 4 or 7ft 6, and stick with that.

You won't go wrong with a longboard.

lg123

lg123 wrote: »

that 10' bic for sale on this site wouldn't be a bad place to start. 10' is definitely as big as you would want to go though, anywhere in the 8 to 10' region would be good. i am taller and heavier than you and started on a 7'9" bic minimal but regret not getting a bigger board. i moved up to a 9'1 performance longboard after christmas and love it.

JKW wrote: »

My best selling boards for beginners early intermediates is 7'10" - 9'
Don't go too small or you won't progress.

bgrove wrote: »

id definetley agree with the who said start off on a big board.

Cecil Mor wrote: »

Don't go with anything less then 9' or you'll only end up kicking yourself.

Besides, Longboarding is the way forward man!!

seachto7 wrote: »

You won't go wrong with a longboard.

bit of a pattern here

MarkHobBray1977

my advice

- get lessons

- get interested...get suit , etc..

- board choice...start off with a mini mal...get your technique down...7'3 would be a good point to start from

- MOST IMPORTANT ..ENJOY THE FEELING OF SURFING...NO MATTER WHAT YOUR LEVEL , ITS ALL ABOUT ENJOYING IT

longshanks

i'm 6 foot even in my bare foots, would 7'' 3' be too small starting off?
i surfed once before in inchidonney on those big learner foamy type boards and didn't find it too hard, although a bit tiring cos i was pretty hungover. would i be hindering meself starting at 7"3' or should i go longer?

Cecil Mor

See lg123's summary of previous posts above. Less then 9ft and your just handicapping yourself. You'll learn more with a greater wave count and that you'll get with a longboard.

lg123

found this on the tubes website, well worth a read for anyone looking to buy a first board http://tubes.ie/documents/surfboard-buyers-guide.pdf

PjC

My advice is stick to anything 8ft or over to begin with. Like the others said it will kill your arms getting out and will be frustrating to get on the roof but it'l have you standing and enjoying surfing before you know it!