Surfboard for a girl in the Philippines

[gerli6is]

Hello everyone,

I've been surfing on and off for some time now and i love it! The thing is that i live in Estonia (northern part of Europe) and of course theres no decent waves here so i've surfed only on my holidays (went to Morocco surfing camp, some surfing in Australia and some in the Philippines). I spent a month in the Philippines and now i've decided to move there in October. The waves in that certain part of the country are small and medium. The surfing community isn't big there so that means buying surfing gear is difficult. I've decided to order one online in Estonia and take it with me.

The question is which one should I buy? I'm still a beginner, but i dont want to buy a foam board or the one thats only for the beginners (i can borrow the ones for the beginners for some time from friends), because im not sure when im coming back and like i said, buying a board is rather difficult in the Philippines. I would like to buy something that's fun and not impossible to surf with.

I'm 26 years old, 116lbs and 5'4 tall.

I've checked out this online store and i think that maybe a funboard would be the best option? Here's the selection of their funboards: https://www.surfdome.com/Funboards-c2020/

Maybe you guys can help me with the size and tell me if funboard is the one for me. I like the Roxy Disco 2 https://www.surfdome.com/roxy_surfboards_-_roxy_disco_2_surfboard_-_mulberry-236350 but its only 6'2 long and i think its too short. Also this one caught my eye: https://www.surfdome.com/maluku_surfboards_-_maluku_genie_pinline_surfboard_-_polyester-234642

And it shouldn't be the most expensive one

Thanks

[dtc]

I would probably go for a 7ft2 to 7ft6 funboard - although there is nothing wrong (and some benefits) with having and 8ft or 9ft board, other than the extra length is an additional annoyance when travelling.

The genie pipeline one looks pretty good, probably could even try the 7ft if you really wanted (but I would still suggest the 7ft2 or 7ft6). However, I've never seen that board in person or know anyone who has one, so just going off the website

The other cheapish board a lot of people like is the Torq funboard (for this one there are people on this forum who have used this board and have recommended it - just search up 'Torq'). Torq also makes longer boards, they just don't seem in stock there.

https://www.surfdome.com/torq_surfboards_-_torq_fun_white_surfboard_-_7ft_2-168560

If you are travelling, get a good travel board bag (10mm padding) and google up how to protect the board - the epoxy boards like the ones above make excellent travellers, but can still be damaged.

[gerli6is]

Thanks dtc for your answer. So now i've read about Torq and seems that people really like it and recommend it. Yeah, the problem with the longer boards is that for me its really hard to carry them, because im kinda short so i think i wouldn't get a board over 7'2. So the 6'8 Torq would be too short? I rather buy a shorter one (thats what everyone thinks right and then can't surf them ?) because its more comfortable to travel with and carry around

[jaffa1949]

Hi Gerli , I call your attention to the idea that it is a surfboard not a carry board, if you cannot surf it and enhance your surfing then it is just a carry board.
7'2" is fine they are not that heavy, I understand that based in Estonia you cannot just check out a surf shop! Long will also help you maintain paddle power between lapses in surfing, shorter often means a longer get back to where you were time!

[gerli6is]

7'2'' Torq it is then. Thank guys, you helped me a lot I was pretty lost in all this

[dtc]

Just to add to Jaffa, the benefits of longer boards are (include)

- easier to paddle (so you don't tire out as fast)
- can catch waves earlier, when they are less steep (ie not as close to breaking). This means the board is a bit flatter (easier to stand up); also that you have some extra time (ie you can stand up any time between catching the wave and the wave breaking, which is an extra few seconds if you catch the wave earlier)
- more stable
- more margin for error. For example, imagine the perfect spot to put your feet when you pop up. On a 9ft board, you may have a 6inch leeway (forward and back) and still be able to stand up and surf. On a 6ft board, that might be 1 inch. Also, because you can catch the wave earlier, you have a bigger margin of where you can be positioned to catch a wave eg on a 6ft board you might have to be within 5ft of the right place; on a 9ft board you might have to be within 15ft of the right place.

For someone of your weight, a 7ft2 board is probably equivalent to about a 9ft board for a 75kg person, so the above principles apply in general (although you may only have a 3-4inch leeway on the foot positioning)

In any case, the longer board offers definite advantages. Once you are up and surfing and have some expertise, then things like foot positioning, stability and wave catching do not require as much leeway, because you know how to do it. So you can go shorter