Surfing Waves

I've been given 300 quid and want to use to it get set up surfing.

I figure that buying a second hand fun board is the best option.

Am I being realistic?

My plan is to go out west (uk) and find a shop selling boards then get fitted for a wesuit.

sooooo.

I want to get a winter wetsuit, what do i need to look out for?

what extras am I missing?

Well the wetsuit you need should be a 5-4-3mm, good for all year round, you also might need boots , gloves, and maybe a hood, but that depends if your surfing in the winter.

hope that helps ?

welcome to the forum!

hmmmmmmmm possibly...

you could get a decent wetsuit (in a sale if you're lucky) for about £80-£120.

I don't know about 2nd hand boards but I've seen funboards new for £200.

at this time of year you'll also need some boots and gloves (in my opinion!) I got my boots and gloves for about £15 each.

don't forget if you can't fit it in your car you'll need a roof rack, straps, padding to protect the board from the bars or those wrap wrax things and a bag... it all adds up. Even if you can fit in in your car you might want to buy a surf sock to protect the board a little bit and stop your car from getting full of wax & sand etc.

hope this helps...

nah I've got a vw van, that I picked up last year for a trip to a music festival in serbia. I think a board will fit in the high top area with clever application of a few straps (I went out and measured it last night)

I've always done the odd bit of surfing in the summer, but now I have transportation it seems to make more sense to buy my own things.

The ultimate plan is to take a sabbatical from work drive to morrocco via portugal and spain over a period of 3 months.

(but thats in the future)

chris fixxy wrote:nah I've got a vw van, that I picked up last year for a trip to a music festival in serbia. I think a board will fit in the high top area with clever application of a few straps (I went out and measured it last night)

Yeah, boards will fit in the hitop. Mine can take boards up to about 7'6.

You still might want to get a bag though as when the wax is sticky in summer, it makes a hell of a mess in the van!

chris fixxy wrote:I've been given 300 quid and want to use to it get set up surfing.

I figure that buying a second hand fun board is the best option.

Am I being realistic?

My plan is to go out west (uk) and find a shop selling boards then get fitted for a wesuit.

sooooo.

I want to get a winter wetsuit, what do i need to look out for?

what extras am I missing?

For second hand boards go to www.secondhandboards.com they have a decent choice. I think you are being realistic since its pretty much the same way as I started so go for it!

drowningbitbybit wrote:

chris fixxy wrote:nah I've got a vw van, that I picked up last year for a trip to a music festival in serbia. I think a board will fit in the high top area with clever application of a few straps (I went out and measured it last night)

Yeah, boards will fit in the hitop. Mine can take boards up to about 7'6.

You still might want to get a bag though as when the wax is sticky in summer, it makes a hell of a mess in the van!

yeah the second hand boards I was looking at came with a bag (i suppose you arent supposed to mention names of shops on here)

I am looking forward to getting a free weekend in april to go and buy things/ camp/ get in the sea again.

I have somehow landed myself with friends in croyde (right on the beach) and the gower (100 meters away) with houses and camping spots, so I am sorted basically.

I can't stress this enough, but you will save an absolute PACKET shopping online.

Look around ebay, thegumtree etc for everything you need. I picked up a decent wetsuit for just over £20, brand new from ebay. I do just about all of my shopping online, I normally pay a third or less of high street prices for everything (mainly shop for music, films and games but my tents and camping gear all come from online shops as well)

if your going to buy a wetsuit online try it on in a shop first to make sure you get a good fit - i always end up buying in the store as i feel bad for wasting their time and expertise just to walk out and get it elsewhere also im a little impatient and cant be bothered to wait for it to arrive in the post

this is my april mission.

everyone keep their eyes out for me please.

Or if you have a board to sell (fun board under 200 quid) give us a shout and i'll come and have a look.

There's a shop in Croyde that at the moment has a sale on these:

http://www.heatherton.co.uk/cart/142.asp

They're £208 at the moment, brand new.

Try renting for a while first, see what you like. I've not had a board in ages now, and I've been looking to buy one for a couple of months, but I'm happy renting because I can try loads of different boards.

In the last 4 weekends surf, I've tried Bic, NSP, TakeOff and SaltRock, in various sizes between 7'3" and 7'10".

The saltrocks have been my favorite (they seem the lightest) but as I've said, it's all down to personal choice - I know flesh all about surfboards apart from what feels good to me.

i think you could pick up a cheaper board if you want it second hand, but make sure you check for any unfixed dings and cracks, but most second hand boards have dents. as for a wetsuit, if you're surfing summer then get a 3/2, winter you'll need a 5/3, gloves, boots and probably a hat, make sure you try it on before buying aswell!

I might be able to fix you up with most of what you want for £300 when you pop in at the weekend.

northswell wrote:I might be able to fix you up with most of what you want for £300 when you pop in at the weekend.

im am for sure this makes sense for a variety of reasons.

Just try not to pimp all your old stock onto me at double price (nah just kididng) I'm actually looking forward to being able to walk to a surf shop from my house in sheffield.