Surfing Waves

Hi And thank you for reading my question and also for any advice you give.

Ive been surfing on and off for 2 years now, and currently have a Bic 7'9 mini mal, I weigh 158lbs (Im losing weight all the time I believe I will end up at around 149lbs) and am 5'6" and whilst this is a great board for me to catch waves on (really easy and lots of fun and a super tough board), it has draw backs too:

1. I struggle to duck dive (its very bouyant).
2. Turns are slower than I would like.
3. Its too wide for me to reach around (so carrying it to the Sea is a pain in the butt).

So I figured my logical next step would be to move down to a 7'3" Bic Minimal, I rented one so I know they turn better and feel faster but then when I went online to purchase I saw they have now released an 7' Egg what is the difference the stats on the site make the 2 board identical in terms of what they do but surely that cant be the case or why would they have 2 boards?

EGG board link >> http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... ,1170.html

Bic 7'3 board link >> http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... u,479.html

Bic 7'9 board link (my current board) >> http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... 2,480.html

I have no intention of getting rid of my exisiting board I do love it, I just want to try somthing faster more manouverable and easier to carry and ideally something I can duck dive with!

So if anyone can explain the difference between the 7'3" minimal and the 7" Egg (other than the shape and length) that would be very helpful.

I mostly surf Beach breaks along the west coast of cornwall, mainly perranporth, but also watergate, & Fisteral.

Read up their characteristics the 7'3" in narrower 3/4 of and inch and thinner so less volume the egg looks like a dog and is the same width as the board you have now, so arm stretch and please stop carrying where it is a pain in the butt
Why not go into other brands, have a look around, BIC are very buoyant and so hard to duck dive but at your weight it is probably your lack of skill that may be a factor!
Cruise other sites like, Surftech and Global Surf Industries, you could also look at FireWire GSI is in a similar price range to BIC , and comes in both PU and Epoxy , one thing about BICs (and I am not a fan) they are exceedingly durable, just very corky, too buoyant.
There are also options that may be available in your area, talk to us a little more before you decide.

I would agree with Jaffa.
BIC are a pen company, I'm sure they are fine for getting started on but there is so much better for the money. You could also look at second hand boards. There are many minimals to choose from in the second hand market and you will be able to get something that surfs a lot better than your biro.

http://www.secondhandboards.com/ is a good place to start, or as you are in Cornwall already then try just taking a stroll into town and seeing what is at your local surf shop. Or if you really want a board that will turn faster and you will be able to carry easily then go and talk to a local shaper and have him (or her) make a board for you.

But likewise there are many other brands available that will be better than a pen (sorry a BIC) NSP, Cortez, Hawaiian Soul all very similarly priced and spec'd, take some time and look around. There are wonders to be found

Thanks for the replies & Advice guys, I really do appreciate it, I want to eventually work my way down to a short board (Im no where near good enough for that yet though), but I do live near the beach so am on a bit of a mission to get my hours up this year.

Jaffa - Yes I will agree probably due to my lack of skill on duck dives, but I swear my board really floats well its not an easy thing to since lol. I guess thats what you mean by corky?

CARBr6 - Thanks for the brand suggestions, I will take a look at those, I just quickly googled now and can't see any suitable NSP (only ones that area about the right length are girl patterned ones so I need to find the non-flowery versions) Cortez I looked at those before getting my BIC they seemed pretty similar are they not going to be just as 'Corky' as the BICs? Just googling now I have only managed to find short Hawiian Soul Boards could you maybe give me a link to the specific board you think would be suitable?

EVERYONE - I do like the robustness of my BIC though and that was one of the main reasons I was looking at others from them, Ive seen so many cracked boards etc, my worst 'break' so far was when I threw it down on hard wet sand and snapped a fine (it still surfed ok I had a 2 hour surf on it before going and getting a new fine for a tenner, ironically that was the only damage Ive done to my board and was just days ago so it went 2 years damage free!) Where as if I got a fibreglass board I have fears they are very fragile so I would probably be being really precious with the board (and knowing my luck would still manage to break the thing).

Sorry I don't know all the lingo, but my skill level is pretty much this:
1. Can catch green waves unto max 4 foot (2 -3 foot being my 'happy size') bigger than 3-4 foot and I mess up most of the time or tend pull out (need to work on my bottle).
2. I can turn (but like I said its slower than I would like on my board, on a shorter board I can turn tighter, but the only 'shorter board' Ive ever tried was a 7'3' BIC which I rented a few times) but I would not claim to be able to do much of a bottom turn and as for a top turn lol I don't make it back to the top.

I have only lived in Cornwall 2 years and have not really got many friends here that surf to ask for advice. But I am definitely getting better the more I go in.

If you like the NSP they are made by Global Surf industries they and other boards I their range come in epoxy or Polyurethane both are glassed not covered in plastic like the BICs both are fairly durable .
Perhaps you might like to have a look at the boards on site here too! Outside of that go to the website of brands you are interested in.
Good boards of any length can turn, it is the riders who cannot!

If you google 'hawaiian soul mini mal' you'll find some. The NSP flowery range you have found is the NSP Surf Betty (my missus uses a 6'8" one) and they are made 'for men' as the NSP Fun board so google that. Sizes range from 6'8" up to 7'10" The NSP is a very well respected board; light, manoeuvrable, and being epoxy they are pretty hard wearing. I think one of those would be a good step down from you big BIC. If you are surfing weekly or more then you will probably even get away with getting yourself the 6'8" as it still has a lot of float, you will need to paddle more to catch waves with it but it is very forgiving for a board of that length. http://www.surfindustries.com/surfboards/nsp_funboards.php

If you are comfortable on a 7ft9 minimal, I reckon time to go for a hybrid/egg board for something different. If you want to go shortboarding, you have to make the move at some stage. Something still pretty high volume, maybe 6ft10 or thereabouts (give or take a couple of inches), fairly wide and thick. Although at 150lb no need to go too big/thick

A well made fibreglass board is pretty tough - my longboard was made sometime in the 1990s and is still almost perfect. Because mid length boards (7ft or so) are not trying to be incredibly high performance, they usually put a good level of fibreglass on the boards, whereas the tiny white high performance shortboards might have only limited glassing to keep the weight down. So dont look at what happens to them and think its the same for all boards - they arent that precious. Plus you can probably find a second hand fibreglass board much easier than an epoxy (well, i guess that depends on where you are living). There is a much wider range, anyway.

But that said, NSPs generally seem pretty good. In the NSP range, also have a look at the 7S boards. such as the superfish or even the 'slipstream', which I think is a new model. The superfish is a pretty common first shorter board/hybrid board for a lot of people and gets some good reviews; dont know much about the slipstream, seems a little bit more advanced.

The BIC funboard is a strange shape, neither egg nor mini mal. Agree with jaffa there

Hi,

I was the owner of a 7.9 Bic Natural Surf 2.
I have to say, to learn is very good. But not to progress at least for me:

Pros:
- MEGA flotation (I weight 75kg).
- It does takes off a bit earlier and has less rocker than other minimals (for example the nsp 7.6).
Cons:
- Heavy
- Does not turn to my liking, it has a long board feeling (turn with your tips)
- No skatey feeling

I got a bit frustrated on how on the turns the rails tend to sink. I switched to an nsp 7.6 and I can assure you its an amazing minimal. Turns skatey, floats ok and its agile (to the extend of an 7.6).

My advice? Unless is HYPER cheap, I would go one step higher, get an epoxy 7.6 minimal by NSP, its a tank, light and performs very good, excellent for learning, attach the pocket, and with some good waves and skill make some turns.

Cheers!

Thanks for all the help and feedback, I live in Cornwall (west coast not far from Newquay) so can walk to the beach from home and have been surfing pretty much 3 times a week the past couple of months and less frequently for a couple of years before that.

Ive been in a few surf shops now and asked a few questions and been recommended a reasonable range of boards interestingly one local shop recommended a HS Player 6"4' (see http://www.aldersportswear.com/products ... etail.html) I am unable to see how much volume one of those has though, but that same shop has a similar size board he said I can borrow to see how I get on so I will be doing that.

If that turns out to be too big a jump down for me he recommended the 7S 6'8 (Super fish).

In another shop I was recommended the torq fun board 7"2' which I have to say looked like a nice board and had a very attractive price tag coming at £314 with bag glass fins leash and wax (cheaper than the first two) and also at 47.2 litres still going to be very buoyant. See http://www.boardshop.co.uk/torq-surfboa ... 72-b-pack/ for best place to buy that online although the shop was similar price it was £305 in shop but no bag and they wouldn't do a deal on the bag (which was a mistake hence why I looked online).

I think the torq or even the NSP 7.6 you guys have recommended would both be playing it safe options for me (in that they should be nice and easy to catch waves on etc) but Im tempted to try the shorter board and see how I get on as I do eventually want to move down to the shorter board. One of the surfers I met in one shop said to go straight to a fish.

I know this thread has gone well off the original topic but I just want to say a BIG thanks to all of you as it has really helped me. Ive also now done a lot more reading (and video watching) on the topic and do now have a much better understand of what to look for in a board and you are right another BIC would not be the right thing to do. :

Thanks again everyone.

Did you end up with a new board?