First Surfboard Advice appreciated

[surfkook]

Hey guys,

this being my first post I'd like to say Hi! I'm a 29 year old male from Europe and started surfing about 2 years ago.
Being landlocked and the nearest ocean is 3 hours drive away (Netherlands, not really known for quailty waves ) I can only go surfing during my holidays (so 5-6 weeks per year in total).

I'm 5'11'' and weight around 170lbs and in decent shape, I try to stay fit for surfing because I can only go for such short periods during the year. (I have a big 6'4'' 40L shortboard to go paddling with on a lake nearby but it's to advanced for me in the ocean).

So far I've been on softboards and a few mini-mals & mals here and there in surf schools and on my own and I'm looking to buy my own board to be more flexible and not having to rent all the time.

Skill-wise I can take off on a 7'6'' minimal fine, can paddle easily to get into most waves I want to catch (lets say 1-4ft european atlantic waves, nothing too steep or big) and can focus on trimming down the line and don't have to think much about the take off.
Frontside I'm trying pumping and small bottom and top turns (nothing major or radical of course) and it's working ok and I'm at a point where I'm at least thinking about a first cutback.
Backside the take off is fine, triming down the line is fine, but the up & down and pumping is still lacking compared to frontside which would be the next step.

I'm thinking of buying my own Torq TET 7'6'' MOD FUN https://www.torq-surfboards.com/fun-76.html (7’6” x 21 1/2” x 2 7/8”; 52.4L) as I know that I can paddle and take off fine with it (and it's comparably cheap and sturdy).

But what about boards like this Modern Love Child? https://shop.surfindustries.com/us/surf/midlength-surfboards/modern-love-child-poly-shortboard/
I am thinking about the 7'0'' (22'', 3 1/8'', 52.6 ltr) cause the volume is similar/equal to what I've ridden before.
The last time I surfed I rented a 7'2'' fish from Torq (which is also around 53L), and that worked good too.

I want to learn properly and improve fast and don't care about not looking cool with the big board on the beach, and I feel that with the funboard I can learn better technique for turning as I can't cheat with my upper body to turn the board around.

Obviously something like to Love Child which is shorter is more easy to move around, but do you guys think it would be wiser to stay on a longer funboard, or is it ok to turn to these shorter/thicker egg designs with similar volume to the mini-mals?

Thanks for your input!

[dtc]

either board is fine, but I wouldnt go with the 7ft love child. Volume is one element, but going shorter creates other issue as well ie a 7ft board and a 7ft6 board with similar volumes are not the same thing. Given where you are surfing and how often you are surfing, I would stick with 7ft6 (if not longer). longer boards give you more stability, more margin for error if your feet are in the wrong place, a bit more time to get things right

One issue you will face is that a gap of (say) 2-3 months between surfs will mean for your first few surfs back you will really need that longer board. But if you then surf for a week or 2 weeks straight, by the end of that period you might be wanting to try a shorter board. Then you stop surfing for a period and the cycle starts again. Two boards might even be a good solution. In any case, if you get a shorter board, then when you come back you might struggle more and for longer, before you get the feeling and movement etc back. If you are surfing in 2 week blocks a shorter board might be ok, because you can 'waste' a bit of time at the start; but for short trips (less than a week), I think you will appreciate the longer board

So personally I suggest going with the longer board; it probably doesnt matter a huge deal whether its the Torq or the Love Child. The Love Child is probably a slightly easier board to surf, as its a bit wider and more stable. But the Torq is well known as a tough board

[surfkook]

ok thanks dtc for the detailed reply!

[Big H]

LOL, who told you that 6.4 was a "big" board!?

Bigger is better at your stage.....more volume will not hold you back. I surfed an 8' 84L board two days ago in fat, high tide overhead surf and had a blast, easy paddling and easy turning. Don't let the board get in the way of your surfing.

[surfkook]

No I meant big for a performance shortboard

Ok, so do you reckon buying for example an 8' Torq would be a better idea than the 7'6?

[Big H]

No I meant big for a performance shortboard

Ok, so do you reckon buying for example an 8' Torq would be a better idea than the 7'6?

Honestly I'd scrap both those and go for a 9' longboard.

[Oldie]

I think it depends also a bit where you usually surf. That windswell soup we call North Sea does not have much punch. That in combination with longer periods between surf would suggest a longer board. I would not go below 8'.