Surfing Waves

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site, and this is my first post. I apologize in advance if this post is overly long; I wanted to be complete with my questions, and information, in order to get informed feedback. I'm looking to make my first surfboard purchase and I could use some helpful insight. I think I've narrowed my options down to two board choices. However, before getting to those two choices, in order for anyone to be able to give me their best thoughts and recommendations, it may be helpful if I tell everyone a bit about myself and my surfing. I'm a 47 yr. old male; 5' 9 1/2"; weight of 153 lbs.; in excellent shape (Ironman Triathlete). I first began surfing 13 years ago, but my time on the board has been very sporadic, and spaced out over the 13 years: A week at Byron's Bay, Australia; A week in Costa Rica. A week in Maui, Hawaii and last October, another week in Costa Rica. I'll be going back to Costa Rica for another week, possibly two, this coming October, and I'm thinking I'd like to have my own board, rather than a rental. It's my intention to start getting at least one, if not two, week long, surf vacations in each year (unfortunately, Dallas, TX. is not known for it's surf, or it's easy proximity to surf). I've been surfing mostly on 8 1/2' boards, and would consider myself an advanced beginner, with a whole lot to learn before even thinking of calling myself an intermediate surfer. I have no desire to surf shortboards. I like the longboards for their gracefulness, and nostalgia. I want to learn to walk the board, and ride the nose, and I need a longboard that will allow me to do such. I was originally thinking of going with a 9' longboard, but these are the two board choices I've come down to:

One of the two board options that I've been looking at is a 9' 2" longboard, with the following specs:

9'2" x 23" x 2 3/4"
Epoxy construction- Lighter, stronger and more buoyant than traditional fiberglass
Completely Hand Shaped EPS Foam (not just hand finished)
Deep nose concave to channel with bevels to flat to double concave
Rounded Pin Tail
Pinched Rails
2+1 FCS compatible fins included (8" center fin and 2 side bite fins)
Gloss and Polish

With the information I provided, regarding my height, weight, and surfing experience, and surfing goals, what would one say are the pro's and con's of this board for me? Is a 9' 2" board too long for my height and weight? I do get the sense that this is a board that I would not out grow.

The second longboard that I'm looking at has the following specs:

Epoxy 9'0 Longboard.
Round nose & Square tail
22.3/8" wide and 3.3/8" thick.
durable epoxy finished with fiber glass.
Double concave and 4.3/8" rocker on front and 3.1/4" tail rocker.
7" center fin and fcs side fin included.

Based on the specs of this board, and my personal information, what would anyone say are the pro's and con's of this board, and how well would one say the two boards compare to each other. Would you say that one of these two boards would be a better board for me? Based on the specs of both boards, how much of a difference in performance could I expect to see between these two boards? As cost is always a factor, the 9' board is almost $200 less expensive than the 9' 2" board; assuming that the 9' 2" board is a better performing longboard, would I be able to tell a $200 difference in ride and performance of the 9' 2" board over the 9' board?

Any insights, and assistance, that anyone could offer me would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and input. And again, sorry for the overly long post.

Hi Rusty, either of those boards will be useful at this stage of your learning curve!
A couple of things to consider, are the centre fins based on a box or plugs with the FCS system, I would suggest the box rather than the plugs as you can fin tune the fin to suit your style as it progresses. The rounded pin could be be a slightly more versatile board in terms of performance, and the square tail is likely to be a better nose ride because of the hold of the tail.
I'd like to have a look at the two boards to suggest further can you post pictures or a link to the boards so we can see.
You probably won't notice a difference between the boards until you have a bit more learning, and neither of the board will be something you will outgrow, unless you put on an obese amount of weight. I surf a 9ft board and I weigh in at about 200lbs,
9' 2" is not a problem either, so your choice would best guided by further advice based on your pictures.
WOW it is actually great to hear from somebody who is not thinking in terms of fashion re surfing.

Thanks for your reply and input, Jaffa; I greatly appreciate it, and you certainly gave me some things to think about. In terms of out growing the board, I should have been clearer; what I meant was, as my ability and skill level improves, should I be worried that the board may not be able to grow with me. I certainly hope I don't do a massive weight gain anytime soon
You had asked me to post pictures of the two boards, which I would love to be able to do, but I'm having trouble doing such. I'm sure it's just because I'm not familiar with the workings of this site, but it's not allowing me to insert, or copy and paste, the board pictures into this e-mail. Any suggestions on how I can post the board pictures on here? Thanks.

Let's get you up and running with all your adventures and the pictures to prove it
You'll notice just below where you are posting a reply on the left at the bottom of the reply box you will see a tag saying upload attachment, I prepare my picture by putting it on the desktop at a size no bigger than 1000 pixels by 1000 pixels.
When you click upload attachment it asks you to browse I choose from desktop and then open the picture I want which then appears in the little window next to the browse button. Click add the file, a little blue name of your file appears under a dialogue box ( that's where you can add some comment). If something is wrong with your file too big or something else you get a dialogue back telling you what is wrong, ( fix it and follow the steps through again)
If you are happy with everything leave your cursor where you want your picture in the body of the text you've written and click the place in line button.

Now about you growing beyond these boards, I doubt that (unless they are dogs) you will grow beyond them in skills, what you may do is evolve a quiver of similar size boards with variations more specific to different breaks as you need them, a bit like golf you can play with two clubs but sometimes subtle tweaking is needed.
It is a question non surfers and wives are doubting about,Why do you need seven boards dear?

Thanks, Jaffa. I was so busy looking at all of the top tabs that I completely missed the upload attachment tab at the bottom. I like your comparison of boards to golf clubs Sometimes, you do need more than one or two, and you certainly have an impressive collection of boards, and you still ride each of them? Nice. OK, with the help of your fine directions, let's see if I can now post some board pics

The 9' stars and stripes board is pictured first (and the object on the bottom of the board, in the profile view, isn't part of the board; it was just an object used to prop the board up), and the 9' 2" board is pictured second. I hope these photos will be helpful in leading to more input, as I'm willing to take as much advice as everyone is willing to give. Thanks again.

Hi Ironman, the 9ft board is a little severe in the nose and tail rocker and will be a better turner but a harder paddler than the 9'2" because the rocker makes it a little more like a short board to paddle.
The tail rocker makes the board easier to turn from the back, there is less planing surface so you would ride it as a progressive board with more short board style.

The 9'2" would be more of a classic longboard performer, I would google in degree 33 surfboard reviews to get a review on the build quality.
I suspect both these boards may be built in China, some boards from Asia have reasonable quality others are dreadful so a little research on your part would be wise.
Some pop outs are good value as first boards.

If you are satisfied with the quality then I suggest the 9'2" look a little further and check Craigslist for a second hand longboard in the same size range. Get a selection there will be more to see and choose from.
Take a little more time get to know what you are hunting.

Hi Jaffa, thanks for your help, your input, tips and advice. I greatly appreciate all of it. I'll continue to do more research, and I'll let you know what I end up getting. And again, thanks for taking the time to help me out

Honestly, at 153lbs any of those boards will do. So what do you buy? Well, whatever catches your eye. You seem like you know how to read and have done lots of research and have a general understanding of your surfing needs.

So, pull the trigger, buy a board, and go catch some!

Thanks, Teach. In the end, that's what it comes down to, isn't it? Do the research; pull the trigger, and enjoy the ride! Is that a picture of you surfing? Looks like you know what you're doing. Hopefully, I'll be there, sooner rather than later. How many years have you been catching the waves?

Ironman wrote:Thanks, Teach. In the end, that's what it comes down to, isn't it? Do the research; pull the trigger, and enjoy the ride! Is that a picture of you surfing? Looks like you know what you're doing. Hopefully, I'll be there, sooner rather than later. How many years have you been catching the waves?

I hope you've finished your research and hit the water. Surf the surf and not the net