Buying my First Surfboard

nothing Mini about an 8'-6"

So you are basically going to try surfing whenver your parents or you can gowith a friend to the beach. Just trying to have a board for when you actually can go to the beach. if you cant get a ride to the "shore" to check boards out you proabalby are not surfing much right?

If you are planning to be able to to surf maybe 12 times a year basically every weekend over summer break from school then right? How old are you?

 

Gonna be honest. I started surfing a little less than 2 years ago. I started out on a foam board. when i bought my first board, i was still in the very experimental stage of surfing. I didnt really know what i was doing. I surfed a 6'8 NSP for about a year, surfed a hurricane in it and stuff. But this past summer i bought a longboard. Best decision ive made. I seriously got so much better at surfing because of that thing, i can barrel now and everything. So, my suggestion is to get a longboard. No matter what, you can ride waves with a longboard.

 

ive been building boards for over 15yrs. this is the most common and aggrivating arguement. you want to always start with more foam. more foam means more energy captured from the wave and more stability. you cant pump yet so you need the waves energy as you will not be creating your own yet. you need it stable so you learn to stand on it. starting on a short board will hinder your development.for those who claim they learned fast on a short board, good for them, but they would have developed even quicker on a long or fun board or even as stated certain hybrids. more foam also means surfing smaller waves which means a longer season. you want to learn dont you? and when you learn to turn a big board how you think its going to be when you get on a shortie? you are going to throw it around like a leaf. so whether you want to be a longboarder or a shortboarder, get a big board and learn to surf. guys who rushed it surf like they are in a karate stance(they have no comfortable style because they skipped mastering the basics) Plus longboards/funboards never go unused if you surf the summer!

 

you are a small dude so hybrids and funnies are right down your alley. but longboards are never a mistake. something with a wide nose. get it used, nothing that was ever snapped in half and when you get it see if they will throw in a tube of suncure. you will need it.

 

Talk to Mike over at Brighton in LBI. Marco over at Wave Hog is really good as well.

 

What else can you tell us about it? Rocker/bottom contours/rails??? Got a pic?

 

You might be better off with a squash tail. A pintail might run a little loose when you're trying to learn. Just my $0.02.

But then again, it's a used board for a good price (depending on the condition). Inspect it carefully. If it has any cracks that go through to the foam, you'll want those sealed before taking it out for a spin.

 

Thats interesting...ive found squash tails to be generally loose boards and pintails to be the most stable and neutral (tendancy to go straight) of any tail shape.

To the OP...the 8'3" for $150 is fine...Id go smaller, but for that price i would buy it, have fun next summer, and put the money you saved aside for board #2.

 

I got a 7'6 funboard for $150 off craigslist.

 

i liked starting on fish boards

 

excellent plan barring the board doesnt have major repairs(boards that were snapped in half NEVER ride the same again). dont worry about the details of this board like rocker, tail kick, nose flip and tail shape. this board is your ground zero. from here on you will be forever concerned with those details.

 

Get the 8'3". It's a good deal. Save the extra money for the next board in your quiver as you progress through the learning curve.
I rode a 6'2" thruster as a grom for years, or at least tried to ride it. Thought I was ripping. haha. Then I got myself a 7'4" funshape. Yeah, more fun but it wasn't until I got a longboard (9'0" HP) that I was REALLY SURFING waves and progressing as a surfer.
You need to catch waves to get good and that what a longboard does!
When you learn to RIDE WAVES, not necessarily surfboards, you can hop on any size board and have fun.

~Brian
www.greenlightsurfsupply.com

 

I would say just look around on craigslist. Find some cheaper longboard- those are the best to get good on, when you learn how to turn well with a longboard, then move down to a shorter board. Make sure you learn all the basics on the longboard. and whoever said that you'll have to reteach yourself, thats incorrect. it just makes the short board super easy to turn and stuff. its awesome

 

I could be wrong