newbie buying a 6'4 fish. your thoughts please!

[grassmornings]

a little help guys. here is where im at:

i'm a newbie just fresh from paddling to the line up and catching my own waves, riding the white water till the beach (weee!). now i should be getting a long board of my own right? probably a 9 footer or maybe 7'6 mini-mal to further my skills in this first chapter of my surfing. but no, i've been reading a lot about boards and im planning to buy a Walden Magic Fish, 6'4 22w 3th as my first board. so basically my question is.. will I be regretting this purchase?

it is said that the fish floats like a longboard and rides like shortboard. now as a beginner who wants to start improving, will the FISH be the board to use? plus since it's short it is very ideal for travel fitting into cars and vans well. so im really looking at this purchase to be fruitful for me in many ways. but if it won't really help me, i'll probably get a long board then. i dont want spend on a board that i wont be use. please please kind people any advice is appreciated.

also, im only 5'7 at 150lbs. according to the charts the most appropriate for me is 5'8 fish and not a 6'4. sadly, a 6'4 is only available. what problems should this cause when im already out there trying to surf?

[kitesurfer]

IMO you will regret buying that board. You need to develop your skills more before getting a more specialised kind of surfboard, like the walden fish you described. It is definately not a beginer style board. Get yourself a cheap second hand mimmal (that you will be able to resell onto another newbie), surf that for 6 months then you will be in a much better position to know what types of board you want.

KS

[grassmornings]

thank you KS. a mini-mal sounds great (and then also when you said i can resell it). anyone else care to shed opinion?

[Deepwaterdesigns]

i would definately go with the mini mal first, its going to make your learning experience a much more pleasent one, and you will be able to progress alot quicker if you learn the basics on a bigger board first.
the walden may make a great board to progress to once youve got the hang of the mini-mal seeing as its quite wide and thick, therefore alot of volume, but definately not and ideal 1st board.

[drowningbitbybit]

Fish aren't for beginners. They can be a lot easier than a real skinny shortboard, but they're still a massive step up for a beginner. Go via a mini-mal first.

[Jimi]

The thing with fish is that they are unforgiving about weight placement. You will learn a lot faster on a mini mal, and will be ready for a fish in no time. If you get a fish now, it will probably hold you back.

[grassmornings]

alright I'll ditch the fish for now and go with a 7'6 mini-mal. thanks everyone for their replies. you guys saved me from one nasty decision haha