Surfing Waves

I will start off by saying I am new to surfing. I have done a couple lessons, but would like to purchase a good quality longboard that I can learn and grow with. I will be using this board on the East Coast from Maryland to Florida.

I am 46, so I am old to be getting started, but something I always wanted to do. I am 5'11" and 190# Any suggestions on boards would be helpful. I did stop in 2 local shops, but the kids tried to talk me in to short boards. I know better than that, as a first timer.

9ft X 22 X 2 5/8

With all measurements being minimums ie you can go a longer or wider or thicker, but try not to go under. Epoxy or traditional PU/fibreglass doesn't matter. I prefer 3 fins but single fins are fine as well

There are literally 1000s of different shapers and manufacturers who make a board like this, so suggesting one or two really means we are only going to be able to point you to one of the bigger global companies- who are fine but there are plenty of other suitable boards as well.

Happy to look at any specific boards you want to link to

"I am 46, so I am old to be getting started,..."
Balderdash!
There are threads in this forum in which guys started at the very same age.

I am also a beginner and slightly older (50) and heavier (90kg/200lb). I now have around 40 days of surfing experience, so not much at all but I do see continous improvement and get more and more successful in catching waves, popping up and riding down the line with some small turns (that probably still look very silly). I am not at a level yet that I can do bottom turns or top turns.

For me, my longboard at 9.0 x 23 x 3 1/4 works quite well in terms of catching waves and has 77l volume. But i also rode over the last weeks a BIC Magnum 8.4 with a bit less volume (71l) and had a lot of fun with it, much more than I expected. But when we had very small and weak waves (1-2ft), I had most success in catching waves with a 8ft Softech Softbard from my surf school that has 83l. So I would be generous with volume and find Firewires Volume calculator quite helpful.

Plenty of people start later in their life as you can see from this thread: https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17676
I'm 42 and started last year and finally trimming down the line both sides(mostly backside) with mild turns. Currently I ride a 9' x 22 1/8" x 2 3/4" longboard with lots of buoyancy and glide for a lightweight like me. The guy the board was originally shaped for looked to be around 5'10 and 170lb, so it's pretty close to the minimum guideline dtc has given you.

You should get a Wavestorm from Costco for starters, for 99 bucks it's not much of an investment. Once you outgrow that, you will have a lot more experience in deciding what you want. And a foam board is always good to have for crowded summer beaches.

Take dtcs advice he knows what he's talking about and welcome to the community it's never too late to start, plus a large part of the surfing-waves community are your age or even older so you will find lots of advice