Getin New Board, question

[PhiL187]

I currently ride a 5'8", 2'inch thick Al merrick, been surfing for about 5 years now. My question is..would a 5'4", 2'inch thick surf board be to short/thin for me or jus right? I'm 5'4" and weigh 115 pounds.

[deathfrog]

well think about why you would want a 5'4. Like, what's wrong with your old board being four inches longer? what if you just hit up a local guy and talked to him about getting something instead.

what model merric do you ride, and what would you be getting anyway?

[PhiL187]

Nothing is wrong with my old board being 4 inches longer, it just seems a bit tall for me, but thats just me.
m-97 magnum
I was thinking about getting a board from here http://www.bessellsurf.com/surfboards_V8special.php

Id think it wuld be a tad bit ezier for me to maneuver and whip around.

[Brent]

yes it will. But the downside is it'll be slower to paddle in general, harder to plane to catch a wave & more twitchy. Everything is a trade-off.
Also, it'll have less volume...so although the inherent measurments are the same...it'll sit lower in the water.

[PhiL187]

how thick shuld the board be for my weight 2 or 2.5 thickness?
and for my height, the board wuld be okay at 5'4"?

[baja fresk]

i think that would actually enhance your performance. i ride a 5'10 al merrick and i'm 6' and weigh 165 myself. i love my board and the performance i get from it is remarkable. with my height and weight i hsould really be riding a 6'3, but you just have to ride what you feel is best for you. i think a board your own height is really good, so yea i think it would work

[sinistapenguin]

Once you're profficient at surfing, I think the height/ length thing goes out of the window a bit - otherwise almost no full grown adults would ride boards under 6'!!

I think if you get a good vibe from the board, you should go for it!

Cheers

Sinista

[Brent]

I'd imagine a 2" would be best...a 2.5" thick board that is only 5'4" long would be like riding a cork. Unless it's a real fish of course.