Looking for Starter Surfboard

paddy jack

Hey all,

Starting surfing last year on rental boards and have done a small bit of surfing since then.
I'm looking to progress and buy a hard board, from what research i've done I've been told go for something lots of volume that makes it as easy as possible to catch waist to chest high waves. In terms of dimensions, over 7'6 length, over 20" wide and over 2 1/2" thick.
Would anyone agree with this and has anyone got a second hand board or know where to best go and get a good board for me to start off with.

Cheers

tyler71

Yep, that's the way to go. Those type of dimensions mean you're looking for a Minimal (they're called that because they have the same general dimensions of longboards (mals) but are shorter), buy one and you'll still be surfing it years later.

revileandy

I'm in the same boat as yourself, done a few lessons last summer and then bought a Bic ACS minmal 7' 9" in january this year from kingofwatersports.com (use king10 code for 10% off if you order)

I got the board, bag, leash, fins and wax for about €265 (the exchange rate was decent at the time) and they deliver free to Ireland. I tried everyone else in Ireland to get a decent price (including a contact at Bic Ireland!) and no-one came close to the price.

Anyway, The deal wth the bics is that they're cheap and durable - I've made plenty of rookie mistakes with this board already, hit a few rocks etc and there's no dings yet. It's big enough to catch waves easily and is way more manoeuverable than the foam boards. So it's a good board to progress your surfing skills, I've had plenty of fun with mine during the winter and will try to get out twice as much during the summer.

Have a gander here http://www.kingofwatersports.com/bic-surf-79-natural-surf-i94.html

NothingMan

revileandy wrote: »

Have a gander here http://www.kingofwatersports.com/bic-surf-79-natural-surf-i94.html

That looks like a really good deal, but I am a little bigger than the ideal weight for this length. I have tried my mates 7'10" and can stand up, i'm a little wobbly but I'm wobbly on most boards at my level.

At 93Kg/205lbs/14.5 stone, is a 7'9" too small for a beginnner? Or is it worth it for the steeper learning curve? Or does anyone know of a beginner Mal for a similar price? I think it's crazy how a jump of 7'9" to 8" is 100e more.

xxyyzz

Personally I think the 7'9" is a bit small for a complete beginner. I think Bic make an 8'6" which would probably suit your height and weight a little better. It'll definitely allow you to catch more waves. Don't be in a hurry to go short. Learn technique first and when you are comfortable going left and right, then think about a more advanced board.

NothingMan

xxyyzz wrote: »

Personally I think the 7'9" is a bit small for a complete beginner. I think Bic make an 8'6" which would probably suit your height and weight a little better. It'll definitely allow you to catch more waves.

I did find on the 7'10" that I was struggling to get on waves. I never had an issue on a softer board. Where as my mate, who would also be a beginner but 3 stone lighter was catching them more consistently. I don't think I mentioned my height but I am 6'1".

Can anyone recommend a cheap, sturdy Mal?

Edit: This seems like a good deal. Is there anything I should watch out for?

http://www.kingofwatersports.com/bic-surf-84-magnum-mens-winter-package-2010-i11055.html

kodute

what xxyyzz said.

the longer the board, the sooner you'll be catching waves.

Personally I'd buy second hand for my first board, lessens the financial impact if you decide to pack it in.
http://www.adverts.ie/showcat.php?cat=222
http://www.irishsurfer.com/classifieds/
Go for the long ones!

xxyyzz

I'm not a huge fan of Bics, I'd always get a board shaped locally but to be fair the Bic 8'6" is bomb proof and not crazy expensive.

tyler71

Personally I don't think 7 10" is too short for a beginner as long as the board has the volume to compensate for not being in the exact right spot and sufficient width and stability to allow you to get away with messy popups. I own a 7'6" minimal and a 9" longboard and haven't surfed anything in between but you still use a general shortboard style for the minimal and obviously a longboard style for the 9" which is a lot different so I imagine something in the 8" region would be a bit confusing when you're moving on to either a longboard or a shortboard. So I would say the 7'9" would be fine so long as you've got a width of 21-22" and thickness of 2 1/2" to 2 3/8". Just an opinion though, interested to know how people handle a 8'6", is it just like a longboard?

xxyyzz

tyler71 wrote: »

Personally I don't think 7 10" is too short for a beginner

Surely its relative to the size/weight/ability of the person. A 7'9" would be grand for a person in the 9 - 12 stone region but the lad in question is 14.5 stone.

tyler71

I'm around that weight myself and buying a 7'6" minimal was the best thing I ever did when starting off, and my favourite shortboard at the moment is 6' 9" and I wouldn't consider myself to be particularly advanced. As I said before, width and to some extent thickness are more important to compensate for body weight. You could probably have a great session with a fish around 6' 0" or less because of it's dimensions. I'm just concerned that going over eight foot is a bit of a no mans land between a longboard and a shortboard. I'm not dissing them or yourself, I'm just curious as to how you handle them -when I'm on my longboard I'm sitting much further out the back, catching waves early so I don't have to take a steep drop, walking the board to turn, all your standard longboard stuff. On the minimal I handle it like a normal shortboard, only I tend to catch more waves but you still have to be careful getting your bottom turn right when taking a steep drop because of it's length. So which technique do you use on an 8'6"?

planetopeace

paddy jack, are you still looking for 7'6 minimal? i've got one for sale. NSP surfbetty. but it doesn't look like a girl's board at all. no dings, excellent condition.

paddy jack

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all your responses, yip i'm still looking for a board, i'm about 11st and 5ft 7, but still unsure what to get to suit my weight and height etc...

spaceHopper

paddy jack wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all your responses, yip i'm still looking for a board, i'm about 11st and 5ft 7, but still unsure what to get to suit my weight and height etc...

There are load of second hand bic's for sale. 7'9 is plenty big for you only thing is might be a bit wide for you to carry only way to know it to try one.
look on Gumtree.ie advers.ie donedela.ie

planetopeace

if you want to try 7'6 just give me a buzz...i'm in dublin. i'm same height and weight...i've used this board and it's excellent.

iampiers

planetopeace, i'm looking for a 7'6 too - first board, tried a friends nsp and quite like it. Is it still available?

planetopeace

yeah still available. pm me and i'll give you a buzz. few people interested. check it out.

Herb Powell

xxyyzz wrote: »

Personally I think the 7'9" is a bit small for a complete beginner. I think Bic make an 8'6" which would probably suit your height and weight a little better. It'll definitely allow you to catch more waves. Don't be in a hurry to go short. Learn technique first and when you are comfortable going left and right, then think about a more advanced board.

you mean backside and frontside
pssh, what kind of surf forum is this?:D

xxyyzz

Herb Powell wrote: »

you mean backside and frontside
pssh, what kind of surf forum is this?:D

If we're being pedantic -

I assumed that being a beginner he couldn't ride switch so left and right cover frontside and backside.

Herb Powell

xxyyzz wrote: »

If we're being pedantic -

I assumed that being a beginner he couldn't ride switch so left and right cover frontside and backside.

I was joking
but frontside and backside don't change if you're riding switch, same as left and right. If you're riding goofy you can turn fs and bs, just the same as if you ride regular

SurferDude41

Hi there,
I have the board you require, It's a Bic Magnum 8' 4"
This is the biggest ACS beginner board, that bic make.
I have had some great surfs on this,:) It's totally indestructable, It survived all my silly beginner mistakes.:D

Im selling it for €250 this includes a leash, and some surfboard wax.
Im living in Cork.

paddy jack

Hey,

Have you sold this board yet?

SurferDude41

paddy jack wrote: »

Hey,

Have you sold this board yet?

Hi there,
The Surfboard is still for sale:)