Buying my first board

[BeginnerM]

Hi folks I hope somebody can help me with this... Im a 6'5" (195cm) tall and my weight vary between 90-95kg (200lbs) I had one lesson yesterday and I was able to stand up immediately (after first try) so the rest of the time I was looking to paddle and catch waves... No prior experience. Although I was training racing kayak when I was a kid also riding a skateboard – perhaps that helped a bit with overall balance.
I would like to buy a surfboard so I was wondering can I practice on something that is less than 9' I would like to keep the surfboard in my home and my ceilings are only 8ft heigh.
No idea what to do – please help. Also any recommendations on manufacturer are appreciated.

[jaffa1949]

I wouldn’t go shorter than 9ft in your early learning stages. You can lean the board against the wall at an angle/ lie it on its side , put in sideway wall racks, but at least when you go surfing it will always be Off the Wall

Important help for you, before you lay out your cash on a board post a description and and pictures, we can advise you if it a good buy and suitable.

[BeginnerM]

Hi Jaffa 49 and thank you for your quick response. 9ft will be really tough for my small flat...Do you think that I can go with smaller board but more volume. I found this article..Does this make any sense to you
https://www.liveabout.com/best-beginner ... rd-3154811

So far I found these options in up to $300 range

https://www.amazon.com/Wave-Bandit-Grav ... =UTF8&th=1
https://www.surfdome.us/Vision-Ignite-S ... olour=Blue
https://catchsurf.com/products/blank-se ... gICnPD_BwE

Perhaps I can stretch a bit $300-500 for something better if that make any sense. Do you have any recommendation?

Tnx a lot!

[jaffa1949]

By your weight, height and experience, I really think. 9ft is the way to go.
You certainly can go the soft board route, But the the screw through the board fins are limited in the usefulness as you get better, All soft boards of higher volume are floaty barges that catch plenty of waves. As does a longer board, read through the surf board advice threads, see if what has been said makes sense,
Better boards makes the learning curve a little less!

[waikikikichan]

I had one lesson yesterday and I was able to stand up immediately (after first try)

What was the size of the lesson board ? Was it a 9 footer or was it even bigger ?

Could you also let us know what surf break you will be going to ?

[BeginnerM]

@waikikikichan yes it was 9 footer – seems too big for my apartment. beach break.
@Jaffa1949 did you see those links? Any thoughts?

[waikikikichan]

The author of the articles recommended a board a head size over. ( and if it’s on the internet, it must be true ? ) I don’t agree. Go with 3 feet over your head until you get the paddling skills and wave knowledge. After you start to do turns front AND BACKSIDE, then go down to a board TWO feet over your head. At 6’5” almost 200lbs. A 8’0” is too small. ( agreed a board ( even too small ) is better than no board. We all have limiting factors, size of car, apartment, elevator, arm length, etc. , but I have 3 9’0”s in my Japanese size apartment, which the ceiling is much lower than yours probably.

[BeginnerM]

Yeah my apartment is verry Japanese – les than 500sqft Actually I have baclony 12’ x 2’ where I can keep 9 feeter. Do you think it would be OK to store it outside if Its in some protective sleeve/bag? Any opinion on what to buy? Softboard or longboard or funboard/mini-mal?

[jaffa1949]

I saw the links , a good board bag would be to go for protection , even moving the board through the apartment.
The boards you linked to are very beginner boards, fins attached through the soft foam and mostly too short, you could look at good second hand boards , but do post links or pictures so we can advise you.

[BeginnerM]

@jaffa1949 OK, looks like I have to go with min 9’ Do you think I can keep the surfboard outside in some bag or sleeve. Giving the conditions should I go with epoxy or some softboard?

[jaffa1949]

Just so you know you are not obliged to,take our suggestions, just with many years surfing and advising on the forum we have a fair idea.
Have a look at Torq surf boards quite a few guys have been happy about their epoxy models.
Good all round will keep you learning for along time so good value and reasonably tough.
If you balcony get full sun for a long period then not good for board in or out of a sleeve or bag.
Post a picture before you buy, we will advise if you do!

[waikikikichan]

Is the balcony outside covered ? How much direct sunlight will hit the board ?
Sponge board are better for banging into walls, bu will get crispy and flaky left in the sunlight. And the bottom slick might bubble up. Molded Epoxy boards like Torq, NSP, Bic etc. are better in the elements but I still would put it in a case and leave the zipper open a bit to vent.

By the way, you still haven't said what area you'll be surfing at ? That has some to do with board choice.

[BeginnerM]

@waikikikichan I see...Looks like a direct sun light can cause more damage than NYC winter. I was thinking to practice on Rockaway beach, Brooklyn eventualy Long Beach NY. Perhaps softboard can minimize the risk of someone around me being injured but epoxy will be better choice on the long run. Also if epoxy is more durable, given the conditions (balcony), I would start looking for epoxy 9 footers made by Torq | NSP | Bic

@jaffa1949 I trust you man Thats why Im here – to pickup some advice from expereinced guy like you. Some guy in Brooklyn’s surf shop recomended softboard that is 8’ long – he said that I would be ok with anything that is a head longer (Im 6’5” 200lbs) and once I gain some skills I can buy some nice more expensive board.
He recommended this 8’ – 86 litters
https://catchsurf.com/products/blank-se ... gKCMfD_BwE

or Odysea
https://catchsurf.com/products/log-x-kalani-robb-pro

As an alternative if I want to go with epoxy he recommended Modern

All other people I asked, including you, recommended to not go below 9’ since its easier to cach the wave and learning path will be more exciting for me...

[jaffa1949]

9ft, the learning path will be exciting yes, but will not have the frustrations of failing to paddle into waves on a smaller board.
I am experienced. I weight 200lbs, I find an 8ft board just so much harder than my 9fter I have to use full judgement and wave knowledge and timing a lot more. Skills you will need to develop.
Avoid black boards, they have a quicker heat up in the sun time, wax gone first then self swell up and distort.
Try the brands we suggest + board bag!

[BeginnerM]

@jaffa1949 today I was looking at some boards and I found something interesting
Some 9fters are coming with less volume than 8fters. For instance
TORQ longboard 8’0x22 3/8”x3 1/4” has 66 liters and TORQ 9’ 79 liters
NSP 8’6”x22.25”x 2.875" – 64.4 liters
Several foamies 8'0" x 23.0" x 3.375" – 86liters MUCH MORE VOLUME
Here is the one “double wide” board by MODERN with even more volume 8’4”x 23”x 3 3/4''(89 liters)

Im just trying to understand how the lack of the volume affects learning experence? Is it the size or the volume that makes learning path more exciting? In other words would it be easier to catch the wave with 9’ (64liters) or with 8’ (86liters)?

[oldmansurfer]

I wouldn't worry about volume too much at your stage. The way I see it more volume floats you better and allows the board to glide more while paddling and while riding through weak parts of the wave. What I mean by glide is once you stop paddling a board with less volume slows down faster than a board with more volume. This is also true of a longer board verses a shorter board longer boards have more glide given that designs aren't too different. But board design is very complex and there is much more than volume to consider so as a beginner get more volume and more length, both will help you.

[dtc]

keep in mind that board dimensions are the maximum dimensions of the board eg 8’0x22 3/8”x3 1/4 means its 3 1/4 at its thickest

however, some boards maintain that thickness for a lot of the board and others thin out quickly. For width, boards with parallel rails (straight) maintain the width much more than boards with curved outlines. So a board can have exactly the same dimensions but different volume (foam boards, for example, are pretty much the same thickness all over; but hard boards will get thinner towards the rails - edges - and the nose and tail)

more volume is generally better for a beginner but once you have 'enough' volume then adding more doesnt make a huge difference. At 200lb you might want to tend towards the higher volume; but the longer boards offer more stability (more surface area = more stability). The Torq 9ft will be fine but the Modern 8'4 is good as well (Torq is probably a slightly better quality but Modern is fine)

[Winton]

One of the best decks to purchase might be a blank deck. They can feel just as strong and stand up to as much violence as they can. decks are almost always cheaper, too, because they have no graphics on them. For every skater in the world, all of this makes a blank deck a very viable choice.
As long as you select the correct blank deck, blank decks can be very good. There’s a reason why many people use those blank decks for woodworking ventures because they’re too good for anything else.

This is about buying first surfboard, = surfing waves = surfing not skate boarding so advertising url deleted[/color]