5'2" Tall guy! What size board??

[dakoyote]

So i'm not the biggest guy alive, but i've been snowboarding for about 16 years and now i'm planning to conquer surfing...

I'm 5'2" @ 130 lbs.....last week was my first time surfing....used a 9 foot board....caught 4 out of 5 waves...i think i did ok....but this board is so so hard to carry around for me....almost to the point that i don't want to go out there again because of the hassle of bringing the board out there.

Would anyone suggest a different size board based on my 0 skills and weight and size?? I want to learn

Thanks all for the help!

[Rickyroughneck]

I would get a funboard/ minimal in the 7 foot range. A lot easier to handle.

[kitesurfer]

As above. In the early stages of surfing you just need to master the basics which is easier on a bigger board. Once you can stand and ride then you can decide what type of surfing and waves you will mostly be riding and it is only then you can decide on the type of board you want to ride and only then will you need to worry about your size and how it will affect board size.

KS

[dakoyote]

Thanks guys....yeah, i'm not looking to get a smaller board just to look cooler or anything....I guess i just wanted to see if you guys thought that if i went from a 9 foot board to a shorter board (7 foot), would it be a bad idea....i got the 9 foot board really by accident...but it seems from what i'm reading...for my size, a 7 foot board would be ok and a 9 foot board is overkill.

[jaffa1949]

Just a note for you here, a 9ft board is not overkill, it can be an expression of choice by an experienced surfer.
Certainly it is an easier board to learn the basics on but a long board can be ridden ( by really good surfers) in just about anywhere a short board can and in some cases ridden where a short board can't.
7ft will probably end up being fine for you but the learning curve is steeper the shorter you go.
Your call!

[dakoyote]

Just a note for you here, a 9ft board is not overkill, it can be an expression of choice by an experienced surfer.
Certainly it is an easier board to learn the basics on but a long board can be ridden ( by really good surfers) in just about anywhere a short board can and in some cases ridden where a short board can't.
7ft will probably end up being fine for you but the learning curve is steeper the shorter you go.
Your call!

Thank you very much for all the advice. After all the reading i've been doing, i think everyone can agree that the long 9 foot board will be ok for me to learn on...i guess, i was just being picky because i'm actually discouraged to ride again for the lame fact that carrying the 9 foot board over to the beach is back breaking for me and would rather skip it then try again. If a shorter board will still work 7'8" or so, then i can put it on my bike rack and just ride there (i live about a mile from the beach...so i usually walk it)