Surfing Waves

Hi Guys,

I'm a 17 year old living in South Africa and wanted to ask some advice on
getting my first board. I mostly surf in Tofo, Mozambique but plan on doing some surf trips throughout SA this year.
Ive only ever surfed soft-tops, but after spending the last month or so surfing with one a friend lent me I ended the trip
off managing to catch 6-8ft waves at the local beach break without much of a problem. So im now looking to get myself a board/quiver - I'll mostly be surfing in 4-8ft waves and would like to ideally only have 1 or 2 boards to make travelling easier.

Im 177cm tall and weigh 85kg. Ive got a budget of about $500USD and so far have narrowed my search down to getting a cheap mini-mal for transitioning to a shortboard and for using on the days when the surf isnt great. Then I would like to spend most of my money on getting a good shortboard, something really versatile that ill be able to use for a long time without growing out of or becoming bored with. So far Ive found a HaydenShapes Ando 6'2 which has got a bit more volume than I need but I figure that getting a board thats slightly big for me could be beneficial so that if I keep growing for a while I wont have to buy a new board. Would this board work for the conditions ill be surfing in and my experience level? Ideally Id get a Hypto Krypto but I cant find any big enough for sale here secondhand, and I cant afford the $1,000 price tag to buy a new one from dealers here.

Id appreciate any advice!
Dylan

You are young so there are lots of possible board choices for you. It comes down to how hard you want to work at it. The usual suggestion is to get a board the same size as the soft top you have been surfing. Others may have more to say

Thanks for the reply. Although Im not at the coast often enough to surf very reularly, when I can surf I often spend a few hours surfing in the morning and another few hours in the evening on every possible day. I plan on making a few trips this year and am willing to work day and night on my surfing. In your opinion, would transitioning from a softop to minimal and then onto a shortboard better or worse than going from a softop to a longer/hybrid shortboard?

I am not the board expert. Really not familiar with soft tops although I have ridden a soft top SUP. You want a board with about the same flotation as the board you have been using then from there go down most likely. Really I just posted to it would appear in the "latest" posts category so others would see and comment. But my guess is you could go shorter but it will be difficult for you. If you aren't surfing regularly then even more difficult. The exact board choice depends on the skills you have learned so far. But hold on and give the others a chance to read and post. They will have more to say very likely

When the time comes to upgrade or go down in length, THAT IS WHEN you get that board. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Master riding the current board first. If your current soft top is an 8 footer, you should go to a similar size/volume “hard” board, after that go down 6-12 inches and a more pulled in nose. If you are just learning to ride a bicycle, no need to purchase a full on DH full suspension with disc brakes until the time comes that you are able to ride one.

DylRob88 wrote:Ive only ever surfed soft-tops,

So far Ive found a HaydenShapes Ando 6'2 which has got a bit more volume than I need but I figure that getting a board thats slightly big for me could be beneficial

Who told you or where did you read that said that 6’2” has too much volume for you ?

I'm about the same weight as you, and suggest (if we are just looking at volume) that your next board should be around 45-50L. A 7ft+ mini mal is perfect. As waikikichan says, drop 6-12 inches from your foam board or thereabouts (so if your foam board was 9ft, drop to 7'6-8ft; if it was 8ft then 7-7'6 kind of range).

The Ando at 32L isnt 'too big' for you . I realise on the website its stated as being for 90kg+, but this is for someone who is an advanced intermediate surfer. Maybe in a few years time its a board to consider. At 17 you might progress relatively quickly, but because you arent surfing every day there will be a limit to how fast you progress; your mini mal will be perfectly fine for at least a year

If you can get a cheap short board just to try out, then by all means get one. But I suspect you will find that you catch a lot more waves on the mini mal and will be wasting your time on the shorter board.

I understand custom boards are pretty cheap in Sth Africa. Not saying get one now, but dont be swayed by the publicity around Hayden shapes or CI or firewire or believe that a custom is only for advanced surfers - it might be something to look at when the time is right