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beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:40 pm
by bella2014
I'm a beginner and i'm buying a used board. I'm approximately 5'5" and 145lbs. The surfboard I want is 7'6" x 19" x 2 3/4" . Do you think this would be the right size? I haven't seen it in person yet, so I have not been able to determine it myself. And as I am a beginner, I'm not very familiar with board sizes. Thank you.

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:33 pm
by drowningbitbybit
19" is surprisingly narrow for a 7'6 long 2 3/4" thick board :?

It might be a semi-gun (seems too thick for that though), or something a bit out there.
The 7'6 and 2 3/4" bit is about right for someone your size, but I think we'll need to see a photo before we can say whether this is a suitable board.

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 12:15 am
by dtc
Bella, the length and width of the board seem a really good choice for someone of your size and ability. However, 19 inches is very narrow for a board that length. With boards that length, there are two kinds (in general) - mini mals, which have rounded noses and are usually 22 inches wide or so; and 'guns', which have pointy noses and much narrower (around 19 inches). The former are ideal for you, the latter designed as big wave boards (really big waves) and are not beginner boards at all.

Have a read of this thread and Jaffa's post about 3 or 4 down, and see the pictures.

viewtopic.php?t=18562

If the board you are looking at is a 'gun' - you can tell from the pointy nose and tail and by how curved the board is when looking at it from side on, then I really warn against buying it.

what you want is 7'6" x 22" x 2 3/4", or something pretty similar

If you have more details about the board, let us know

EDIT: oops, beaten to it!

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:20 am
by bella2014
Thank you guys for the helpful info. I don't know much more about the board. It's a surfline Hawaii colorful single fin.

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:05 am
by dtc
Look for something called a 'funboard' or a 'mini mal' around 7ft6, it will be much better for you.

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:15 pm
by bella2014
okay i will, and thank you again

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:06 pm
by Oregoncoastsurfer
I too am a begginner looking to buy a board new or used prefferably used, I have surfed 2x still not confident at all, I will mostly be surfing the oregon coast where it seem to be choppy and inconsistent. I am 155 pounds 5'11". I am looking for a board I can learn well on but maybe a little room for progression! All the help is much appreciated!
Mahalo!

Re: beginner buying a used board

PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:03 am
by dtc
Do a search on this forum for 'beginner board' - which is a longboard.

Keep in mind that a longboard is not a 'beginner board' as such, its a performance board in its own right but which has a number of things that make it the best board for a beginner as well. So you can learn and then progress a long way.