Finally here we go!

by **saltcreep** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:50 am

Picking this soft top up on Tuesday and wanted some opinions on it.

http://houston.craigslist.org/spo/4943293123.html

Would it classify as a mini longboard because it's 8ft? Just curious.

by **oldmansurfer** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 9:04 pm

It seems like a good beginner board for someone your size. I would call it a small longboard but then I am not a longboard person. I used to surf long ago and quit for a while, when I restarted, I went with a 9'6" longboard which was just about right for me at 6'2" and 210 pounds at the time. It's a soft top which will make for less impact if you fall and hit the board which is a problem I never have since I seem to have reflexes that get me away from my board when I fall. I used the longboard even though I wanted to be on a shorter board because the learning curve would be too steep for me and I wanted to be riding waves right away. After a while I switched to an 8 foot fungun. So I would say that would be a good board for you to learn catching waves real quickly with and it sounds like once you get all the basics down with that board you will want to go shorter but in the mean time you will understand waves and paddling and be used to the longer board so going shorter will still be a little bit of a problem but much less than going short right off the bat.

by **dtc** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:19 pm

Yeah, good board for a beginner. Softboards tend to be very heavy and hard to turn but really good for (a) catching waves (vital for a beginner) and (b) not hurting you as you learn to deal with the board in the surf (not actually a major issue but can help). And, of course, (c) not hurting other people.

As to whether its a mini longboard or a longboard - well, its all relative. To me at 6ft3 its probably a long mid length (if that makes sense) but if you are 5ft then its definitely a longboard. Doesn't really matter anyway, because foam boards act somewhat differently to 'hardboards' and the lengths aren't really comparable (eg foam boards are much more floaty and generally much thicker)

If you surf regularly then you will probably feel like moving to a 'real' board within 6 months or so, but if you are only surfing a few times a year then the foam board will suit for a long time.

by **billie_morini** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:29 am

Building on dtc's reply, Yeah, good board for a beginner. Softboards tend to be very floaty and everything else he said.

by **jaffa1949** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:37 am

Here's a notation
about foamy flotation
the boards are real large
a thick sided barge,
but on which to learn
until you manage to turn,
In white water and foam
they are really at home.
But time will come
when their performance is numb
then throw it away
cause then comes the day,
that can't be ignored.
the moment you laud
when you get a real board :lol:

by **saltcreep** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:32 am

Sweet deal! Just got it and looks almost new. I do have a few questions regarding it. As show in the listing it has like 4 or 5 grip pads. would it be a problem taking it off a soft top like this? Seems kinda unnecessary to have that many. Also, should I replace the fins in time? I plan on passing this board down to my wife and then to my lil brother.

by **jaffa1949** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:04 am

Here is the advise you need, the board is a basic foamie, the pads are integral to the fabric of the deck, don't touch. They do have a benefit they may give you some indicaton of where your feet are!
The fins are body board type fins and screw right through the body of the board and so will not be interchangeable into any hard fins. The board is not a Rusty and won't go rusty they are just stickers the guy stuck on hoping to get good ( stickers make you good BTW).
I wouldn't hold out hope of the board being a hand me down, although it is a good one for those first few surf experiences.
I would not be lured into trying to upgrade anything about the board and keep repairs to ones that are not costly.
Any money that you would have used for repairs or upgrading parts put towards the time when you are ready for a real board.
The board is good for now.
This particular board is manufactured by the thousands in China (Seriously ) and may not be as good a board as appearances suggest, but it will do the job for less than the cost of multiple hirings.
The main thing now is to get into the water and have fun :lol:

by **saltcreep** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 11:04 am

Lol you've done it now! I was about to ask about the whole sticker thing. Got one thats a +1 gnar And another +1 speed from my skating days.

I was just curious about the upgrades and seeing if I needed to or not. The Rusty sticker I know was just a sticker. :p I've looked around and seen enough to know this is not a Rusty board lol. Totally all hyped for this weekend. Thanks again guys and I'm sure if I have any questions I'll come right back.