My next board: stick with minimal or go funboard?

[quadrant6]

I've been trying to learn to surf for nearly a year now - averaged 1 session every 1-2 weeks (due to injuries and other stuff).

I'm 6'2 tall, 165lb and 27yrs old.

I can pop-up and ride straight on whitewash no problem. I can sometimes catch waves just as they break (feeling a bit of a drop) but haven't really been able to ride across the face of an unbroken wave yet - though I'm close.

My 7ft minimal is no more. I need to get a new board and cannot tell whether I'm better to stick with a mini mal in the 7 - 7'4 range or look at a 6'10 funboard.

Which is better for me to continue learning? and when the time comes  will I be able to do manouvers like cut-backs, foam rebounds and carves off the top with a big mini mal? or will it hold me back

One good thing about the minimal is that it's locally shaped, these are actually the boards I'm looking at below:

[drowningbitbybit]

Until you can ride a clean wave, then you're basically a beginner. At 6'2, I'd say that a 6'10 funboard will be too short. A better option might be to go for a bigger funboard. Back in the day, I learnt on a 7'4 funboard and it was the best board for learning - most of the advantages of a mini-mal but with a nod towards performance. Sometimes wish I still had it

Also, you'll (probably) never be doing carves off the top on a mini-mal or a funboard. By the time you get to that stage, you'll have gone through several boards and be surfing something much shorter and high-performance (if that's your goal).

One last thing - also depends on where you're surfing. If its somewhere gutless like the UK, then a mini-mal is probably the way forward. If its somewhere with a bit more power, then definitely go the funboard option.

[garbarrage]

If you average 1 session every 1- 2 weeks I'd recommend getting a 9ft + longboard. Will get you on the face much sooner and the increased face time will help you learn to read a wave so that when you are ready to move down board sizes you will know what manouever to try at the right time.

[IB_Surfer]

Go with a 6'6" retro fish, same float and wave catching as your mall but much better performance. Get a quad fish if you want a little more hold on steep waves.

[drowningbitbybit]

^^^^^^^
Completely disagree - fishes feel like they've got loads of float and wave-catching ability to someone who can already surf, but are absolutely hopeless for someone learninig.