which mini mal?

[surfscream]

Hi all,

Have slimmed down a list for a possible first board for myself !

Have any of you good people got any comments/advice/reccomendations for me?

Am a 5'11, 86kg beginner.

Cheers

1. http://www.westcoastsurf.co.uk/cgi-bin/ ... =SURF7PLUS

2. http://www.westcoastsurf.co.uk/cgi-bin/ ... _Code=SRC2

3. http://www.surfedout.com/surfproducts.a ... uctID=1306

They all seem like good deals but am just torn as to which one! is it just a price thing? or is there any real difference like with quality of Manufacturer ?

Thanks again

[gixer]

ive got an oshea minimal..pretty happy with it...bit wooried about what i hear about thin glasssing though........i notice a few local are surfing them though.i find it easy to paddle and quick when im standing.

[RJD]

Do you know what a 7'6 " will be like for a beginer?

I bought an 8ft minimal (after borrowing a 9ft longboard) and I realy suffered, since then I bought a 9'2" longboard and am doing way better.

[Sar]

Do you know what a 7'6 " will be like for a beginer?

I bought an 8ft minimal (after borrowing a 9ft longboard) and I realy suffered, since then I bought a 9'2" longboard and am doing way better.

I confess...I am not in a position to comment on any of the boards posted really. Other than, I like the design on the first one

I have a 7'3" minimal and get on just fine at 5'8" and perhaps a little *cough* on the heavy side for my height *cough*

Thing is about longboards, sure they're easier to paddle, easier to catch waves and easier to pop up on! But, it all depends what way you want your surfing to go...I want to longboard someday but I also want to be able to shortboard. Having had a go on a longboard once, I realised that if I carried on with it there wasnt really much chance of me learning to shortboard because its a fair bit easier to get the basics of surfing on. Learning to cross-step...whole different ball game....Im just refering to the basics!! (before I get hunted down by the loggers on this forum )

For this reason I have carried on with the minimal and not gone for a longboard - yet!

Newfish - is it your very first board? You can bring the price range down a bit and get yourself a secondhand pop out, real floaty and indestructable. Failing that, hopefully some others will have some more definative advice for you on the boards you specified.

[RJD]

Sar from what I've experienced the basics of surfing any board are the same, baring a little adjustment for paddling & takeoff etc (and ignoring duckdiving).

And a longboard means I can catch more waves. Easier to paddle = more waves, more takeoffs.

Once past that point prehaps a move to a shorty would be good if you wanted it.

[Sar]

And a longboard means I can catch more waves. Easier to paddle = more waves, more takeoffs.

Exactly! I thought that if I got used to paddling/catching waves on a log I would find it much, much harder to start shortboarding afterwards.

[surfscream]

thanks everyone for the comments.

sar, iam a beginner but would like to aim downwards in board length in the distant future!

have seen a epoxy mini mal 7'6 going on ebay which is at a good price, or will be if i win!

have to say thou there's not that many cheap pop-outs going on ebay, recently everything on there is going for roughly the same price not matter what make or condition must be the time of year

[Jimi]

Just a thought, get one with a square/squash tail (board 1 or 3), not no.2 (with the round/pin tail).

The reasons are:
Firstly you will break the tip of the tail off.. it's bad enough being super careful with the nose, so the less fragile the rest of the board, the better.

Secondly, I suspect you'll be riding in smaller surf, and probably mushy. A wider tail will give you an advantage in these conditions.

Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, a square tail shape will give the board better turning capabilities. A mini mal will never turn as sharply as a shortboard, so you'll want to allow it to turn as easily as possible after you've gotten a little experience under your belt. Pin tails are great for fitting into the wall of a barrel, but don't snap into turns very well. Square tails tend to turn well, but don't hold their lines in barrels.

A fish is an extreme example of the wide-tail board. They are great in small waves, very fast, and turn easily, but Because they are so wide in the tail, they need the swallow-tail to keep them on the wall of a bigger wave. When a fish is on a steep face, the inside half of the swallow tail acts exactly like a pin-tail, and holds the board on its path down the line.

[surfscream]

So a double concave tail would be fine?

as i may be bidding on this one v.soon!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2007-Model-Sunrid ... dZViewItem

any replies as soon as pos would be cool as this one ends soon!

cheers

[Jimi]

Yep, looks like a good option for you, especially since you're thinking of stepping down to a shorter board in the future.

I'm a little skeptical of the epoxy construction they (may) have used, but at the very least, it should be durable, and ride reasonably well.

I mate of mine has one that looks quite similar to the Sunride, and it surfs quite well, but is a little heavier than a typical polyester board of the same size (it's like a Bic or NSP but not quite as chunky), and it is quite responsive to ride.

The only problem with his is that it is it does not have much buoyancy, so he has to move back along the board to keep the nose out while paddling.

[freddy]

hi all,

i am the same size as you 5'11'' but weight a bit less 84kg , based on my experiance 8ft minimal should be just fine but the most important is the volume of it try not to go lower than 60L the best will be 65L , i have took few lessons last year on foam board and what i can say is that i was struggling with the board as it was not comfortable at all , few months ago i had the opportunity to be in south africa and i have purchased there a board based on the recommendation of the guy at the local shop , 8ft X 22 1/2 X 3 , two weeks ago i have been in Hoosegor in France and i was bit afraid from the transition , it took me one day and half to get used to the board , afterwards i got used to it and it was better and easier for me that the soft top .
for my humble opinion the board should match your skills special if you are a beginner without the proper board you wont make any progress , with the right board you will get the drive to practice until you will be able to surf properly.

[BaNZ]

This post is over 10 years old!

[kookextraordinaire]

Costco Wavestorm for the win!