Beginner(ish) boards for Aussie surfing

[Brap]

Wife and I are Aussies that live in the US, but are going to be back to Oz for six months.

We're both have a fair amount of experience in the ocean on boogie boards (15 odd years ago), and are good on a snowboard.

Me - 6'1" 150lb.
Her 5' 110lbs.

Honestly I'm a bit lost on what board we should get (funboad or Mini mal). Epoxy vs PU etc.

Basically we'll be spending 6 weeks on the Gold Coast (north) and then five months in Manly. Hopefully we will be surfing for 3 sessions per week. After we leave Oz, the boards will only be used every 3 years or so when we're back in Oz visiting family.

I like the idea of a progressive funboard, as it looks like you can turn those like a short board. But I'm not sure I can get that good (bottom turns and cutbacks) in six months of surfing. This line of thinking brings me back to the mini mal.

Here's a couple of boards I've been looking at (want to buy something local at the gold coast). Any input (size etc) is appreciated.

http://www.stuartsurf.com.au/boarddetails.php?id=12
http://www.thesurfboardwarehouse.com.au ... i-mal.html

[jaffa1949]

Welcome back to OZ about the boards I would forget the first choice you posted, their longest is too small for your level . Second choice I would suggest 8ft for you and and 7'6" for your partner. These boards will be able to turn if you are able to turn, they cannot give you skills you don't have.
Benefits of my suggestions; paddle power for both of you, ease of catching waves and a line of progression you can follow in your stay here. Each wave is a learning opportunity, less waves less learning.
If you go shorter in the belief that you are going to be able to turn better you won't catching wave to turn on.

Without paddle power you will just be another soggy crouton bobbing up and down in the Gold Coast and Manly soup

[Big H]

I have a mini mal....here's some promo pics from the site of the board I have....what the board can handle is more than I can give....don't worry about the board's ability to turn; it won't be what is holding you back.

I went out with a friend yesterday who I used to surf with frequently....he has been hardly going out the last few months and his paddle fitness was apparently not up to snuff as he had to call it in rather rough seas after 20 min....I managed to stay out for the 2h I had set aside for a surf......paddle power, paddle power, paddle power.....bigger board will enhance it as well as forgive less than perfect positioning and timing.....smaller you go at your level will only increase the difficulty of basics like catching a wave and standing up....6 months isn't much and if you can catch waves consistently and angle across them front and backside in a variety of conditions after that period of time and only 3x per week on an 8' board 3" thick I would say that you had done outstandingly and actually wouldn't even expect that much.....

Check the pics....I won't tell you what brand because it is irrelevant really at your level....follow Jaffa's suggestions and select a board from a reputable surf shop or shaper in the size and style recommended and you'll be just fine.
Good Luck!

[Big H]

The ad from the guy I bought the board from is still online so here are some of the action pictures he included in his ad when he sold the board to me of him on the mini mal..........being able or not being able to turn is NOT down to the board......it's the rider and you can see that the board under the right feet turns just fine.....

[dtc]

You could go second hand, there should be a few boards around goldie. Another choice is a Torq board (natural necessity sell them online) but it's much of a muchness with the one Jaffa suggested. Some people on this forum have the torq and say the quality is good. Make sure you go long enough. Epoxy is a good choice for a learner board - it's tough and light

Body boarding will help you understand waves and rips etc and hopefully not to panic when you get dumped etc. But in terms of paddling, timing, catching waves, standing up etc etc - it doesn't help at all. I body boarded for 20 yes before surfing and, well, I know it doesn't help an awful lot.

Both manly and goldie can be quite crowded. Read up on surfing etiquette, keep out of the way while you are learning. One or two initial lessons is highly recommended.

[Jester]

I started on an 8'4 bic magnum. When I was crap the board would only go straight. Now that I've been surfing a year or two I'm less crap and that bic turns all over the place now. It's a miracle!!

I still use the bic and love it, it's a good board that I have massive fun on and last wkend I was out in 3ft waves on it. I was getting mad respect and lots of admiring looks from newbie surfers because of my rides (the quality of other surfers to look up to was extremely poor that day )

I've surfed my bic in 6inch ripples that it catches with ease up to 8ft+ faces. It's immense fun.

Whatever you get, hope you enjoy and post all your progress up here so we can share the Stoke!! Surfing is great and so is reliving it again and again!

[drowningbitbybit]

Basically we'll be spending 6 weeks on the Gold Coast (north) and then five months in Manly.

Are you on some kind of world tour of crowds?

As everyone above has said, go with length and volume. The biggest factor in having fun and progressing on the Gold Coast (and to a lesser extent Manly) is catching waves before another dozen other people do.
Go big, go paddle power

[dtc]

I started on an 8'4 bic magnum. When I was crap the board would only go straight. Now that I've been surfing a year or two I'm less crap and that bic turns all over the place now. It's a miracle!!

Beautifully said!

[Brap]

Wow guys, thanks for all the helpful responses and the warm welcome back to Oz!

So it's an 8ft for me an a 7'2" for the wife. Big boards can turn if you have the skills... got it!

I'll probably just go with the Devocean, unless anyone has a better suggestion at that price range ($550). I want something I can pickup locally at the Gold Coast.

For the wife, maybe one of these if she wants something different?

http://www.sideways.com.au/sideways-bul ... o-skyblue/

Going with a locally made board would be nice, but I'd like to keep it under $600. Used is always an option, but can turn into a hassle sometimes. I will keep it in mind though, thanks for the suggestion.

I've been reading up on surf etiquette.... no dropping in, snaking. Wait your turn and go to the back of the line if you mess it up. Don't ride waves above your skill level etc. Check out what's going on from the beach before paddling out.

Manly and GC are going to be really busy for sure. They would not be my first pick for surfing locations, but this is not a surfing holiday. It's a temp relocation for my wife's job (Sydney) and family time (GC). On the up side we are saying right on the beach for the most part and my schedule is flexible, so I can (hopefully) work around the crowds. We'll also be driving from GC to Sydney and Sydney to Cairns, so hopefully we can get in some surfing along the way (obviously not north of the Sunshine Coast though ).

Can't wait. It's been snowing on and off here the last few days and I'm over it already!

[Brap]

I started on an 8'4 bic magnum. When I was crap the board would only go straight. Now that I've been surfing a year or two I'm less crap and that bic turns all over the place now. It's a miracle!!

I still use the bic and love it, it's a good board that I have massive fun on and last wkend I was out in 3ft waves on it. I was getting mad respect and lots of admiring looks from newbie surfers because of my rides (the quality of other surfers to look up to was extremely poor that day )

I've surfed my bic in 6inch ripples that it catches with ease up to 8ft+ faces. It's immense fun.

Whatever you get, hope you enjoy and post all your progress up here so we can share the Stoke!! Surfing is great and so is reliving it again and again!

Thanks! I will for sure be following this advice and getting a ~8ft board.

If I do progress to where I can link turns, the forum will hear all about it. If on the other hand I still suck after six month, you'll never hear from me again

[Brap]

You could go second hand, there should be a few boards around goldie. Another choice is a Torq board (natural necessity sell them online) but it's much of a muchness with the one Jaffa suggested. Some people on this forum have the torq and say the quality is good. Make sure you go long enough. Epoxy is a good choice for a learner board - it's tough and light

Body boarding will help you understand waves and rips etc and hopefully not to panic when you get dumped etc. But in terms of paddling, timing, catching waves, standing up etc etc - it doesn't help at all. I body boarded for 20 yes before surfing and, well, I know it doesn't help an awful lot.

Both manly and goldie can be quite crowded. Read up on surfing etiquette, keep out of the way while you are learning. One or two initial lessons is highly recommended.

I'll check out Torq boards if I can find something local, thanks.

[Jester]

Haha nah thou must share the suckage! We should start a thread about all our crappy rides, it could be a place to exorcise our surfing demons without judgement or fear of being laughed at....actually, no wait that's the whole idea

[drowningbitbybit]

If on the other hand I still suck after six month, you'll never hear from me again

You'll still suck but you'll also be totally sucked in

[drowningbitbybit]

For the wife, maybe one of these if she wants something different?
http://www.sideways.com.au/sideways-bul ... o-skyblue/

SIdeways are pretty good for affordable boards – I picked up a cheap(ish) short groveller from Sideways and it does the job.

One small word of advice - the guys that work in Sideways are all very talented local surfers and while their advice is fine, it can be slanted towards more experienced surfers. So decide what you want before you go, otherwise they may end up suggesting boards that are too small/high performance for your mrs. Don't be sucked into getting a smaller board!

[jaffa1949]

[
One small word of advice -So decide what you want before you go, otherwise they may end up suggesting boards that are too small/high performance for your mrs. Don't be sucked into getting a smaller board!

Amen to that!!