Surfing Waves

Looking at buying a surfboard. I have been surfing a couple of times a year, but am looking at getting out much more. I've had 2 weeks of lessons, can stand up in whitewater. Having trouble catching green waves and can turn slightly, but not very well. I was given an 8ft soft board when i had my surf lessons.
Looking at a minimal, any tips on whether this board type of board will be any good. Also, can i get away with going slightly shorter than 8ft?? Will only realistically be able to get out at the weekend to places in the UK, Croyde/Bude as I Live in London.

I am female, 20 years old,
Height - 170cm
weight - 70kg (give or take)

Appreciate the help, so much research to do

You could "get away" with shorter than 8ft, you could "get away" with a 6'2. But, why would you want to "get away" with anything. You want to catch as many waves as possible, and have fun, there is only one board type suited to this for someone at your level - you guessed it.... a longboard, 9ft+. You may have gotten on ok with an 8ft softy but these are much more buoyant than hard boards, and to compensate you will need a bit more volume.

Try to look past the "cool" factor of a shorter board, and avoid falling in to the beginner trap of buying a board that's too small, and you will progress AND have fun. Also, read.... read everything you can find to do with surfing, the sea, oceanography, boards etc. This site has loads of useful information and is a good place to start.

Normally don't bother explaining any further with these posts, but just in case you're wondering how long you will get out of a longboard before you "outgrow" the board. This guy has been surfing longboards nearly exclusively for years, when you are better than him, you may have "outgrown" your longboard. Not saying going shorter eventually isn't an option, but:

Thanks for the info, would prefer a slightly smaller board for transport etc, also having trouble finding a 8' secondhand board, but completely understand what your're saying.
Is it a wise move to progress on from a soft board to a hard board yet? how long will it take to grow out of a soft board if i get one now and surf once a month? (Hopefully more, but can't guarantee it due to work. Definitely got the surfing bug and want to get out as much as possible!!)

Thanks again
PS The video is pretty awesome

The good doctor asked, "Is it a wise move to progress on from a soft board to a hard board yet? how long will it take to grow out of a soft board if i get one now and surf once a month?"

billie responds, "Make the switch as soon as you want. I have taught many men, women, and children to surf. I've never placed any of them on a soft board. Millions of people learned to surf for many decades before soft tops existed. So, there is no need for them."

P.S. Keep the stoke!

Soft boards are purely and only about safety, generally for surf schools because they have large numbers of people in the water at the same time who dont know how to handle their boards. I have seen people do some great surfing on soft boards, but they are heavier, floatier, softer and in many other ways completely different to a 'proper' board. So unless you will be surfing in a big group (which, you shouldnt at your level) then dont bother continuing to use one and certainly dont buy one.

If you want a shorter board (shorter than 9ft), try to get one that is thick (3 inches or so) and wide (23 inches or as close to it as you can), as that will make up some of the bouyancy and stability you lose from going shorter (sometimes boards tell you their volume, in which case something over 60 litres).

I'm not sure whats around your area, but if you google the 'walden mega magic' you will see the kind of board I am talking about (admittedly this is right at the thick and wide end of the scale). There are many other makes with similar dimensions give or take 1/2inch or so. Narrower affects stability and thickness affect paddle ability, so its a sort of trade off between your balance and your paddling fitness. I wouldnt go below 7ft6 (and the longer the better).

The other things you want to check are:
- nose not too narrow (rather a rounded nose like you see in long boards)
- tail not too narrow (certainly must not have a point at the tail)
- board not too curved at the front (called 'rocker', but this is usually ok in longer boards)

EDIT: edited to say that, in my experience, soft boards are harder to surf on than real boards. They just dont hold onto the wave as well (probably related to the rails or bottom contours etc) and are less stable. So a real board is easier to surf on as well, albeit that you now and then need to take care to protect your head.

To the good doctor, you might enjoy this video of a young, local, long board talent in Orange / San Diego county area. This is another magnificant example showing there is a lot to master without "outgrowing" a long board (some of us have no interest in short boards).



P.S. I watched a slender, 50+ year old woman surf gracefully on a long board for an hour and a half yesterday at Mondos in Ventura County. She has the same kind of grace as Nathan in the provided video. It's what I strive to achieve and is the reason I watched her for so long.

Cheers Billie. That info has really helped. Love the video too, given me an insight into what can be done on a longboard.
Def helped me on my way to narrowing down a board that's good for me.

Thanks dtc, appreciate the info on the board. A little out of my price range, but know what to look for
First thing they taught me in surf school is 'cover your head' think I'm al over that the amount of times I've had a tasty wipe-out.

What do you guys think about something like this??
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/surfb ... X1GQ.email

Thanks again, the doctor

dr_procter wrote:What do you guys think about something like this??
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/surfb ... X1GQ.email

The NSPs are generally good beginners boards for two main reasons - the epoxy they use is tough and doesnt ding very easily, and its quite buoyant (more buoyant that 'normal' PU).

The downsides are that it can be 'chattery' - sits on the wave rather than in the wave. This is probably not something that will worry you as a beginner. (oh, and having an NSP will probably mark you out as a beginner when you walk down from your car to the beach; which concerns some people. I always figure that becomes very obvious as soon as I am in the water, so why worry about it)

From reading/talking to people with NSPs, they appear to be harder to manoeuvre than other boards because of their shape, but this is only an issue for you in about 2 years time when you have learnt all the other things you need to learn... So its not a board you will likely keep for the rest of your surfing life, but its a board that will get you through the first few years

(actually, this thread shows all sides to the nsp debate: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13922). Note that the beginners say they like the board, the experienced surfers say they dont.

Looks like a good choice. 7ft10 is probably toward the bottom of the length range for a beginner, but if you buy it and it turns out to be too hard, you should be able to sell it for much the same price because its unlikely you will damage it. (that said, I have no idea whether the price being asked is 'market price' or not).

The fin set up looks a bit strange - maybe jaffa or something who knows fins better can comment - usually you have a long centre fin and shorter side fins; this one seems to have three long fins. But that is easily fixed.

For dr. procter and dtc, the NSP 7'6' is the bottom end of length you can easily learn on but your weight and height well the 7' 10" is a better option, it's OK about the fins it is set up as a thruster configuration hence 3 equal fins you can have a play with changing fins a little later as they are FCS based only drawback later on will be that the centre fin is based on plugs and so there is no forward or backwards movement for tuning. Not anissue at this stage in your career, and you can go smaller in the fins later.
If the 7' 10" is available and in good condition here you are!!!

Jaffa - the fin question is actually something I was going to ask about separately, but it fits neatly into this topic so here goes: at what length board do you move from the longboard fin set up (long centre, shorter sides) (assuming 2+1 setup) to the shortboard set up (3 fins equal length)?

The nsp board mentioned in this thread seemed odd because all the fins look long (7 inches or so, but purely guessing), whereas shortboard set up would usually have 5 inch fins.

Anyway - obviuosly a 9ft board uses longboard fin and a 6ft uses shortboard fins, where is the cross over point? I presume the type of board is also a factor (eg mini mal vs funboard vs fish), so a 7ft6 board could have different set ups depending on the type of board design.

cheers

The fin subject is quite easy, there are no shoulds, there are long boards out here with thruster setups with oth short and long fins, and also the 2+1set ups, it really is about your preference in riding, some of the longboard pro even have a simple twin fin setup. Thereis no exact crossover point, just what works.
My opinions for I suggest having a look at my primer!

The one flaw in the NSP boards that are fun boards is they only have an FCS centre plug so there is no forward and back adjustment and a limit in size you can put in the centre.

Tail rocker plays a part, if severe short fins will spin out. Most learners will not suffer with problems from fin drag, lack of wave catching is more about position on board and wave skills and timing of waves.
Bigger fins may give a small touch of a little more control!

If that doesn't give you enough ask again!

Thanks Jaffa - actually I feel a bit stupid now. For some reason I thought there was a 'rule' - for example, over 8ft = larger fins; but obviously the 'rule' is 'whatever works for the rider'. Makes sense.

I have read your fin primer - talking to my friends it appears that playing with different fins is a phase that all surfers go through. I started but then decided I probably wasnt at the level that justified the effort, so just moved my centre fin up and back a bit to see what would happen. But it appears the fins I have are appropriate for the board - I just bought them at the shop (my second hand board didnt come with fins) and took what they suggested and then never really thought about it. Seems fins are like car tyres - very important but no one thinks about them most of the time.

As Jaffa said - fins are anything the rider likes. I have an 8ft board with thruster (short fins about the size of G5s) and it rides and grips well. Turns ok (but it still feels like a log to me).

On the NSP debate, a mate of mine always grabs a 7'4 NSP from his beginner days if the surf is small. I've had a go on it too, and it surfs like a 7'4! I think you'd have trouble picking the difference when on a wave between it and any other 'factory' produced mini mal.

Where you see a real difference is a hand shaped board compared to NSPs. The NSP is like a Toyota Camry. Old design, but durable, reliable and suitable for any driver and most conditions. You can get better cars, but they may not suit all drivers or conditions. /end poor analogy.

dtc wrote:Thanks Jaffa - actually I feel a bit stupid now. For some reason I thought there was a 'rule' - for example, over 8ft = larger fins; but obviously the 'rule' is 'whatever works for the rider'. Makes sense.

I have read your fin primer - talking to my friends it appears that playing with different fins is a phase that all surfers go through. I started but then decided I probably wasnt at the level that justified the effort,
so just moved my centre fin up and back a bit to see what would happen. But it appears the fins I have are appropriate for the board - I just bought them at the shop (my second hand board didnt come with fins) and took what they suggested and then never really thought about it. Seems fins are like car tyres - very important but no one thinks about them most of the time.

Don't be so hasty mate, if you are catching waves and getting face time, you will notice a difference in how a board feels. You aren't going to come up with any innovative designs, but it's never too early to start learning once you have started turning. In fact, loosening a board up may help you nail that first snap. If you loosen it up too much and can't stay balanced just re-adjust your set up, no harm done, and you learned something.

Feeling a lot more 'in the know' now. Just can't wait to jump on a board and surf!!!

The other board i've found is: http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/710-n ... /105826664

Looks the same to me, plus the bonus of a decent bag and easier to get to for me.
What do ya think about this one compared to the other??
I want a board that is going to allow me to progress rather than hold me back because it's too small, or too heavy etc. Open to as much help as possible and sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure my money isn't going to waste.

That would tick all the boxes then, somewhere in all this talk you have to grab the chance and get out there.
This is the chance

Hi guys, just a quick update, I've bought the second board earlier in this post. Absolutely love how it looks, now just gotta go out and surf.

Thanks for all the help choosing the board, really appreciate it. Croyde bay here i come!!

congratulations on your new board - now go surf

Yep, Great Success! Now have fun!