Surfing Waves

New to surfing, borrowed boards, taken a handful of lessons. I am 6' 175lbs. Very good in the water ex-swimmer in college.

Ive used bics 8'4", some AP boards, and a few others borrowed.

im looking for a padded surf/paddle. Something like the bic 7'9" NAtural Surf.

i would like to go $1000 or less, and do not care if it is new or used. I just want to get a little more comfortable.

would a 8'4" be a better size or something like a 7'9" be better for me, or should i go smaller?

Thank you

I recommend starting out on something 9' or bigger, it will save you a lot of frustration and make surfing more enjoyable. Once you've got a good handle on the big board you can explore something smaller

If I had a $1000 budget, I'd buy 3 boards: a $300 9'+ longboard with a dimensions that emphasized maneuverability, a $300 hybrid 7'6" to 8' transition shortboard, and a $300 performance board to pull out and play with as I developed skills. The $300 range will net you some decent board choices as well as some steals on Craigslist.

What Rinky suggests is probably what you will end up with in your 'quiver' (although the third board might be a 6ft 10 rather than a 6ft). But probably just best to start off with and 8-9ft longboard - second hand is ideal but if you are happier with new, then you dont need anything over the top ie custom made or a top of the line. Just a reasonable mid price board (the low price ones can be variable in quality, but may well be sufficient as well). Keep in mind, as Rinky has said, probably over the next few years you will start wanting a shorter board and then maybe a narrower board etc etc. You may end up just longboarding or you might end up with the longboard gathering dust - so no point spending a lot of money on it right now.

Mostly we tell beginners that 9ft and lots of volume is their friend, which is entirely correct. However, if you are a fit swimmer then you are well in advance of most beginners and the volume may not be as useful (still useful but not as necessary). If you can pound out 10 x 1.15 minute 100 metres in the pool or do a sub 20min 1500m, then you are probably fitter than 90% of surfers anyway (not that surf paddling and swimming are directly correlated but its a reasonable relationship). 90% of surfing is paddling, but if you have that covered through fitness then you can go a bit shorter

Which is a long winded way of saying that if you are swim fit (not swim fast - being great at 50m isnt relevant) then something around 8ft might be fine. However, you wont lose out picking up a 9ft board either.

If you are swim/paddle fit maybe you could go for a shorter board. I went for the easy route with a longboard which was the right choice for me as a then 41 yr old in average shape.

Oh, if you can, buy used and hang on to your money for later purchases. Your first board won't be your last... you'll be wanting a whole quiver of them for various reasons soon enough. If you are absolutely bent on spending I like RinkyDink's plan. Again you don't have to buy them all at once. It doesn't hurt to have extra cash just in case a great bargain shows up on craigslist or other local classified ads.

riiguy wrote: I just want to get a little more comfortable.

Could you please clarify that statement ? You mean something easy to paddle ? Something easier to carry from the parking lot ? Something that gives you confidence in hairy situations ?