Surfing Waves

Hi,

Thank goodness for this forum. I decided to join as everytime I search for a surfing question, I am directed to this site. I am new to surfing and have only gone out 3x in the past week. I am looking to buy a "starter board" that is cheap yet could potentially be an all around board for San Diego waters. I am looking to buy at least 7'9 or above. Has anyone used the latest BIC surfboards? Are they light and easy to paddle? They have both DURA-TEC and ACS boards. I don't know what they mean and how different they are but I can tell the DURA-TEC has pads already installed. Which one is a foamie?

Thank you for any thoughts.

Jon
5'7", 165 lbs.
North San Diego County

I tried a thin 9" Bic board, it's not too bad. But I believe most experts on this site will tell you that Bic make better pens than board! Buy a Torq and you won't regret it!

Also don't get a foamie, you will want a proper board. Preferably epoxy so it is more durable.

BaNZ wrote:I tried a thin 9" Bic board, it's not too bad. But I believe most experts on this site will tell you that Bic make better pens than board! Buy a Torq and you won't regret it!

Also don't get a foamie, you will want a proper board. Preferably epoxy so it is more durable.

Aahh, Torq. Thank you for sharing that info. Yes, I am looking at it right now (flipping computer screen). Yes I am trying to avoid the foamie.

BaNZ wrote: Buy a Torq and you won't regret it!

They don't sell online in the US. They have listed so many shops in San Diego, one of the bigger ones Surfrider and found none.

Jon760 wrote:They have both DURA-TEC and ACS boards... Which one is a foamie?

Neither.
A foamie does not have a hard outer shell, and is only suitable for your very first go or two at surfing. The BIC boards you mentioned are both hard board, but use a different construction.

BICs are fine as a first board. They're a bit clunky and you will outgrow it eventually, but it'll get you through that critical newbie phase without too much frustration, which is the important thing. The 7'9 will be a good size for you to start on.

Hey Jon760

Funnily enough I was just talking to my mate about the exact same question yesterday!
As a relative newbie and having used one myself, I would totally agree with what DBB said.

It was a great step up from the first foam long board i did a lesson on and handled a wide range of conditions that I used it in (mine was 7'6 although i'm only 72kg and 5'9).
As DBB said, it could last you a while and more importantly will give you something that you can actually get up on and progress with rather than getting frustrated.

The Duratec board has a polyethelene shell instead of fibreglass which makes it a bit heavier and harder to turn but will be durable as ****!
Which is important to a beginner. It won't ding as easy, crack or be affected by sunlight which fibreglass boards get damaged easily from.

The Acetec seems to bridge that performance gap by having an Epoxy / fibreglass construction so will be lighter, as strong, turn easier and will be more performance orientated.
I imagine more costly too so probably depends on what you want to pay.

I saw some dudes on rented 7'9" Bic Duratecs at my beach in the weekend surfing 3-4ft waves quite comfortably and they didn't look like the best surfers so the board can definately handle it.

Hope that helps

I ridden quite a lot on pretty much all of the BIC range having had access to surf school rental boards.

For me personally, the best board was the Comp9 longboard (I think that's what it was called). Basically its a performance 9ft longboard and goes great in anything from shin high to well overhead.

The smaller mini-mal sized boards also go well for a beginner, although they're bulky and less manoueverable. They're also a pain to carry as they have thick rails making it difficult to get them under your arm.

benjl wrote:Hey Jon760

Funnily enough I was just talking to my mate about the exact same question yesterday!
As a relative newbie and having used one myself, I would totally agree with what DBB said.
Hope that helps

BaNZ above mentioned Torq board which I have not heard off. I was looking online and could not find one close to home to avoid shipping cost. The irony is that surf shops around home have those already selling. They sell slightly a bit more than a BIC of same size. I picked up an 8 and it was amazingly light compared to the 8'6 PU i am currently using. I can't wait to give it a try.

Jon760 wrote:
BaNZ above mentioned Torq board which I have not heard off. I was looking online and could not find one close to home to avoid shipping cost. The irony is that surf shops around home have those already selling. They sell slightly a bit more than a BIC of same size. I picked up an 8 and it was amazingly light compared to the 8'6 PU i am currently using. I can't wait to give it a try.

Online shops here sell BIC and Torq the same price. I've tried a few boards from my friends. BIC, Southpoint, smaller Torq and some custom boards. However I'm still fairly new to surfing and most people on here knows a lot more than me. But I can definitely tell you that for beginners, Torq is great. I lended my board to friends and they all love it. Most of them seems to catch the wave in the first attempt.

They are also incredibly durable with their double layer epoxy. Hope you like your new board! I rented a 7"6 over the weekend and I love it so much I nearly bought it. But already have 3 Torq boards so I really should stop.

I currently own a BIC 7'9" minimal. I live inland so I can only surf ~5 days every 2 months. I have been surfing for one year on it. Here's my experience with it:

Pros:
- I feel like I can catch any wave that I'm in position for.
- It does well in conditions from 1ft to 4ft.
- It is easy to popup on, even if your popup is slow and not perfectly balanced.
- It is cheap.
- It is durable. It comes with a nose guard. Mine has a few dings, but I'm not sure if the material it is made with is repairable?
- BIC sells a board bag for ~$60 for it.
- It is long enough to trim (walk forward and backward on the board to gain/lose speed).
- It is short enough to trim turns (lean on toes or heels to slowly turn the board) and very slightly carve.

Cons:
- It is heavy (~15 lbs/6.7kg). This is annoying sometimes as some walks to the surf are a bit long.
- The rails are thick. I am 6'0" tall, and it is hard to get this under my arm, and it gets my arm tired.
- It cannot really carve turns.
- When waves are pitching rather than peeling, I tend to pearl a lot (this is probably also because I suck, which I do.)
- It is not a longboard, so you can't catch waves as far back as other longboarders.
- It has an 'uncool' brand -- however, I have never had anyone bring this up. In fact, I have instead had people compliment it/me.
- It rides pretty slow on most waves.

Basically, as a first board, I don't regret it. It has been great, and I really caught a ton of waves despite not being able to get out very often and having weak paddle endurance. It has allowed me a lot of time on the wave to look around, get comfortable on the wave, observe where the peak is, where I actually took off, and I headed in the right direction, am I actually going down the line or towards the beach, are my board shorts still on?

I am now at the point where I am consistently able to go to unfamiliar breaks, get out to the back, catch green waves down the line (assuming the conditions etc...), and I would like something faster and want to start learning how to carve turns. So I think my journey with it is slowly coming to an end. Not sure what to do next...

I started out on a bic 8'4 magnum great board to learn on ride it in to the shingle and stones and it can take a beating,
weight can be an issue once you get to the point where you can control the board and you want a little bit more performance, still a great board though,

I've made the leap to an SBS Mr Whippy besides the name being great its a great board, just that step up from the big bic, instantly my surfing has improved sharper turns more response in the wave and just going for bigger and bigger waves,

I would say bic's are great start out boards, i see allot of schools using these boards
I no people will surf them for years and have no problem with them but just my oppinion