Surfing Waves

Hi there - I'm a beginner surfer. I'm a girl, 5'7" and 130lbs, so have been told I should get a minimal around 7'2" or 7'5" for my first board.

However, I have a chance to buy a used board for $100, which is in pretty good shape - only thing is it's 6'9", 3 fins (attached), and has a pointed nose (not rounded).

Any advice on whether this would be an okay board for a beginner?

Thank you!

a mini-mal would be a better choice, but the other might not be bad depending on a couple things-

its width,
its thickness,
and the tail shape

it kinda seems like the lenght of a mid range gun, used on big waves like pipeline or teahpoo. if so, bad choice, for a beginner, and especially for an east coaster. im in VA and there are MAYBE 4 days a decade that you would need a gun.

tommy

tomcat360 wrote:tomcat360 wrote:
well, tail shapes have a lot to do with the way a board rides. in this situation, i was trying to figure out if you were looking to buy a gun, which is a pin tail(comes to a point). these hold down in the water making them good for big, fast, hollow waves, but incredibly hard to catch waves on. a squash tail (rounded square) is the average shortboard tail, good all around feel and ride. a round tail like ) is also good all around, more for weight front riders. a swallow tail which is coming back is like a W , having two points. very loose feeling and used on small waves. there tons more you can research if you are interested, ripcurl.com has a good section on tail designs.

good luck on the shopping.
where do you plan on surfing?

tommy

Hey Tommy - wow thanks for all the advice! I'm really impressed with this forum, and how responsive people are. (I responded to you in a pm, but thought I should post your informative reply for any other beginners - hope that's ok)

Ya, I spent like 3 hours at work today researching different types of boards (oops!). Ha ha. Think I will hold off on the 6'9" board, as I really think I'll do better with a mini-mal or funboard, at around 7'2" (?). Have been searching craigslist for a used one, as sadly, no surf shops in DC!

Closest surf to me is Delaware and Maryland. I guess the waves aren't super great, but I had fun at Fenwick Island this summer (so much fun, I tore my knee cartilage - ouch!), and the waves are fine for a beginner like me. Also spent several days in Bali this summer (but stuck to the white water).

Have only been surfing on 4 trips: twice in Bali, once in Scotland (cold!), and the weekend in Delaware - but I'm totally bitten by the surfing bug. So will hopefully find a good beginner board soon!

Next step - getting a car so I can drive myself to the coast!

Thanks again for the advice!!

--Santi

surf-cicak wrote:Hi there - I'm a beginner surfer. I'm a girl, 5'7" ....

In general you really ought to get a board that is at least 2ft taller than your body height. I would suggest 7'6" minimal. The whole idea is to get a board that will give you enough buoyancy and stability so that you will be able to stand and ride the board comfortably and then progress to learn other things such as turns, catching unbroken waves and etc, etc. Once you feel confident with your first board then you move on to the smaller board and/or different type all together. The smaller or shorter the board, the less stability and buoyancy it will provides to the learner and may lead to a frustration. What size board did you use when you were learning in Bali ? Try not to drop down too far away from it.

But then again perhaps the person who suggested you the 7'2" board had seen that you will be able to handle it just fine. And if you are comfortable with it then you should go for it.

I would recommend NSP. Reasonably priced and it's tough board that can handle battering, definitely good for starter board.

I like how not only there are so many repetive posts, but everyone posts the same anwser on the same page, and not many know whwat their talking about

just kinda shows how bored i am in school

deathfrog wrote:I like how not only there are so many repetive posts, but everyone posts the same anwser on the same page, and not many know whwat their talking about

yikes! sorry for the repetitive post guys... (showing my newbie colors I guess)

Oh wise and experienced surf gurus, I, a lowly beginner, grovel at thy feet and ask: ...uh...which one of the posts above actually DID know what they were talking about??

surf-cicak wrote:yikes! sorry for the repetitive post guys... (showing my newbie colors I guess)

Oh wise and experienced surf gurus, I, a lowly beginner, grovel at thy feet and ask: ...uh...which one of the posts above actually DID know what they were talking about??

Ha ha ha, don't worry about it. Like in any world, you will find people like them. They only feel better about themself when they make other feel bad. Just ignore it, majority of them doesn't even pass as an adult anyway. You know how kids can be sometimes, let them be.

Rest assured the thing I told you about chosing surf board wasn't bull shite because I heard these words coming out of the the mouth of a surf teacher who had been teaching for over 22 years. The guy even coached few of the British surf team member.

Dopey is right, the more hours you put into practicing the better you will learn and progress.

Noone was being a jerk, they just said that this was about the 1000th post with this very same question.

gulfsurfer wrote:Noone was being a jerk, they just said that this was about the 1000th post with this very same question.

ha ha, true that. Anyway, it's all about having a sense of humor.

No harm no foul, and I'll keep the repetitiveness in mind for the future!

(thanks Dopey for your post - I hear ya)

wrote same question myself...
think longboard or mini mal/magnum the way forward
where in sunny scotland did you surf?

Coldingham (just south from Pease Bay)

never surfed up that way, always down the south of England.
Have you ever surfed in Devon or Cornwall?
Loads of quality beach breaks with good waves
just a long way to travel for me...