Surfing Waves

Hey,
I'm relatively new to surfing (3-ish years), hoping to move up from my 7' fun board to an all round longboard. I'm 5'1, female and weigh around 103 lbs....

Any suggestions on what size longboard I should consider? I'm also a little unsure as to whether I should be looking at single or tri-fin boards.

Many thanks!

Welcome to the land of length, think at max 8ft get a 2 + 1 fins system, being a long centre fin box and plugs on the outside, that gives you the option of fin choice.

You can look at how you want to specifically longboard and set up accordingly.

If you know women surfers you aspire to surf like, talk to them see what their experiences are, and of course what boards they are riding.
Stay on board in the forum lots of help available.

Hi Jaffa,

Thanks heaps for the advice! I'll start searching for an 8ft

clivefish,
hope you find a nice board and keep the stoke!

Hey guys!

So I've had look at a few boards.
At this stage I'm considering a board with the following dimensions: 8'0 x 21 7/8 x 2 3/4, my current board (minimal) is 7'2 x 21 1/4 x 2 13/16'' (50.31 L).

Bit new with surf board dimensions... But the 8' is wider and thinner than the 7'?

Alternatively, I found a 9' - 9'0 x 22 x 2 3/4 (66.57 L)....

Thanks again!

Clivefish wrote:Hey guys!

So I've had look at a few boards.
At this stage I'm considering a board with the following dimensions: 8'0 x 21 7/8 x 2 3/4, my current board (minimal) is 7'2 x 21 1/4 x 2 13/16'' (50.31 L).

Bit new with surf board dimensions... But the 8' is wider and thinner than the 7'?

Yes, the 8ft is wider and thinner, but if you can tell the difference between 2 3/4 inches (ie 2 12/16) thick and 2 13/16 inches thick then you are like the princess and the pea!

But, seriously, those dimensions are the maximum on the board. So a board might be 22 inches wide at the widest but have a very rounded outline (the outside shape of the board) and only be 22 inches wide for an inch or two around the middle; whereas a longboard shape has a parallel outline (the sides run parallel to each other for a bit) and might be 22 inches wide for 2 or 4 feet of the board. Same with thickness - one board might have thickness all the way from the middle to the rails and all the way up to the nose/tail; another board might be thick in the middle and very thin at the nose or rails (edges). This is why volume is also one (but not the only) factor to consider - boards can have exactly the same dimensions but vary in volume by 20% or more.

Dimensions are, of course, a key factor, but in your case the dimensional differences between the 8ft board and the 7'2 board are pretty insignificant and I wouldn't worry about them in terms of making a decision. Also, given your weight and level of experience and the size of the board, I doubt volume will be relevant either - the board is probably (at a guess) somewhere around 55L or 60L, which is plenty fine - 5L or even 10L here or there wont be that important.

The 8ft board dimensions seem very good for what you want. So long as you think the 8ft board is otherwise fine ie right outline, not too much rocker (curve looking at the board from side on - although its unlikely an 8ft board will have too much rocker), has a centre fin box (2+1), and so forth (and, if second hand, is in good condition) then go for it - or post a pic or link if you want any more detailed (informed!) assessment.

The 9ft board also seems fine, but while there are some benefits in a bigger board, given your size I'm not sure the benefits in going from 8ft to 9ft outweigh the disadvantages. So a bigger board will be slightly easier to paddle/catch waves, but will be harder to control in the white water/out of water, heavier and just bigger. You probably wont get many of the benefits (the 8ft will give you 99% of them) but will still have all the disadvantages. Not saying its a bad board, but I agree with Jaffa that 8ft is about right (this assumes you aren't going to use the board for competition - some competitions have size requirements).

Thanks for all of the info dtc, definitely great stuff to know!
Sweet, might go with the 8' then. Excited to get it into the water!

Just because of your small size don't be afraid to hop on a log! I know plenty of little surf bunnies who shred on 9'0 single fin. Demo as many boards as possible, and I think you will find going logging will be more enjoyable. Then on bigger days go back out on your fun board.