same question, different reasons...

[Dead_One]

Hi,
im looking to take the plunge and buy my first board. Have had a few lessons, and have recently been on a walden magic model 9'2. Enjoyed riding it, getting green waves, popping up ok etc, still struggling with turns though.
One of the instructors seems to think the walden is only good in a straight line. Now i know the main reason i can't turn is my lack of talent, but wondering what sort of board i should be looking at. dont have funds to swap a board every few months, and dont get enough time in the water to get a lot better that quickly. I was thinking i should maybe look at a 8' or so board, but not sure what style, material etc.
Other issue is, most of the time i will be using the board just for paddle practice, as we have no surf where i live, nearest is about 2 hours away, and not consistent, so will probably only get to surf 5-6 times a year when i make the trek south.
Want something i can paddle around for an hour or so a few times a week, instead of running, to keep my cv fitness up. looked at a sup, but way to expensive.
So basically, what sort of board for a slightly improving beginner, not too expensive, fun to surf when i get chance, good to build paddle strength, and to make it easier, must be available online as nearest surf shop is also 2-3 hours away.....

Im 14-14.5 stone, 6' tall, reasonably fit, slightly older than the average newbie surfer...
thanks in advancve for any advice:-)

[jaffa1949]

Hi dead one you ain't dead yet, nothing wrong with the Walden Magic 9'2" shouldn't be a problem answers all your questions, longboards can turn and turn well. ( I get peed off when I hear "instructors" push short boards)

The walden will give you paddle practice and follow through with your learnings.

The less surf time you have the more you need your board to give you a little help.

Surfing is about fitting your needs s a surfer not the politics of this board or that, or worse still trying to fill some stereotype of surfer!

Go have fun forget all the other baloney around surfing!

[dtc]

I agree with Jaffa - the Walden is a great beginners board. Whether you buy that particular board or something similar, you will have made a good choice (by similar I mean something with similar dimensions - the Walden is 9'2'' 22 1/4'' 2 3/4''). The epoxy walden has some benefits (tougher than traditional boards, for example), but whether you get that make or a traditional construction it doesn't really matter.

Without trying to discourage you, if you surf 5-6 times per year then you probably will not advance very much from your current ability very quickly. It will take you at least the first 2-3 times each to brush off the 'rust' and get back to where you were last year, then you have only 3 surfs to improve - and surfing takes a long time to improve... (I don't think that is just me). You are right that difficulty in turning is mostly skill level - shorter boards are easier to turn in a way, but harder to catch waves with and less stable. You don't get to turn until you have caught a way and have stood up, so I know which ability I would focus on at the moment.

The Walden or similar longboards are fine boards for beginners who surf more often; for you I think they are ideal. And for paddling then its probably a good choice as well - fairly stable, isn't going to keep you underwater all the time.

(Jaffa - when do we get your trip report?)

[Dead_One]

yeah, i did enjoy the walden, instructors own board though, so not available too much... also they go for £4-500+, which is a little too much for me at the moment. When i say 5-6 times a year, some of those times will be holidays where i may surf each day for 2 weeks, other times would be single days, so probably 30+ days per year, but i know what you mean about taking time to get the rust off, 2 hours in and i was still falling off each pop up this weekend, but a little later i was landing each one.
guess im just looking for a cheaper version of the walden, and a recommendation for a good online retailerto buy it from:-) The main reason i was looking for a smaller board was i was hoping i could get something that would last for a good few years, as i eventually progress..... im too old to worry what people think about me and the board im on... im 40+, dressed like a seal trying to balance on a plank in the sea... anything i do is going to make me look stupid:-)

[dtc]

Yeah, after I posted I thought you might have meant 5 or 6 trips rather than 5 or 6 surfs.

Your best bet is a second hand longboard at 9ft+. The fact is that you will be able to start on a shorter board at some stage, but it might take two or three years given your frequency. You can start shorter, but then you just make it harder on yourself and you wont enjoy it as much. I guess an 8ft board will do as well (but no shorter); but you will probably find it easier to locate a 9ft board as that is a more common length.

I should add that 'progressing' your surfing doesnt mean you have to go shorter. Many many people (myself included) are more than happy surfing longboards and enjoy it. Going shorter doesnt mean more fun or better control or more enjoyment. Its just a different aspect to the sport. Indeed, in Australia its just as common to see people (older men, admittedly) on LBs as on shortboards nowdays. Because they are more fun, require less fitness, less agility etc - all those things we lose as we age.

If you are still surfing and enjoying and getting better in 2 or 3 years, you will know whether you want to go shorter then.

In terms of what to buy, if you are in Australia I can help out but overseas I can only suggest boards from the 'global' brands, like GSI (which are perfectly fine - eg the Walden)

[dtc]

In terms of what to buy, if you are in Australia I can help out but overseas I can only suggest boards from the 'global' brands, like GSI (which are perfectly fine - eg the Walden)

What I meant here was 'I can make suggestions in respect of boards made by global brands' not that 'you should get a board made by a global brand' - clearly there will be many local boards/manufacturers that are definitely worth considering.

[Dead_One]

hi, thanks for all the replys, im more than happy to longboard, not really built for shortboards just yet. main question was, i guess, was would a longboard or a mini mal be the better option, at 9'2 or 8'6. and i get confused with all the pu/epoxy/pop out stuff... will it make any difference at all to me..?

[jaffa1949]

9'2" will do nicely ,any construction will do, a good price in good shape, no problemo!

[IB_Surfer]

It could be the fin: do you have a 10" raking fin? They are great for noseriding and come standard with the Magic boardds. Try buying a smaller size or a cutaway pivot fin, might give you a little more responsiveness.

Also, if you have the plugs, are you using the sidebites?

[Dead_One]

not sure to be honest, like i say, it was the instructors own board, i just enjoyed using it. not sure how it was set up, it did have 3 fins though, think i will just go for something that looks reasonable and isnt too expensive, around the 9' mark. Have tried ebay, but distance is causing problems, so probably looking at a new board, maybe a package deal. have looked on here, and am thinking maybe a bic super magnum or the cortez, the price seems decent.

[dtc]

You might like to read this about the Bic

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21530

Actually, the Bic magnum (not super magnum) is probably fine - I noticed some pretty good deals with wetsuits and leash and bag etc thrown in for not much money really.

Also have a look at NSP boards, these have worldwide reputations for being tough and good beginner's boards and arent too expensive, I think (dont know UK prices); although probably more than the Bic.

But before you splash out on a new board, check out a few surf shops and not just on line/ebay. Most shops also have second hand boards - call up the ones near where you live (if any) or near where you surf and ask them what they have. The benefit is that you can ask them to repair any dings (cracks/holes) before they sell it to you (as part of the purchase price), so you don't have to do your own inspections.

as Jaffa mentioned, anything around 9ft will be fine. Aim for 22 inches wide (or more) and I would say perhaps about 2 3/4 inches thick, give or take. Most longboards fall within these dimensions anyway.

Three fins is called a 'thruster' set up - almost all longboards nowdays have 3 fins. Some longboards will have only 1 fin (which is usually quite long) and some people think 1 fin is more stable than three anyway.

This is a good summary of boards

http://www.newquaysurfer.org/2011/03/05 ... surfboard/

Good luck - it can take a while to pick or find a board and you wont know whether its the right board until you have been surfing for several years...but you will likely have this board for 3 or 4 years at least and, even if you move to a different board, may well have it around for small wave days or for visitors etc. So its never going to be a waste; like anything the cheapest is cheapest for a reason; but that doesnt mean it wont be perfectly suitable for your purposes.

[IB_Surfer]

we weigh about the same, looks like you are headed in the right direction for buying a board. Good luck, keep up the stoke!