Looking for my first board, please help!

[thebailers]

Hey all,

I am looking to buy my first surfboard and would love some help and advice if you don't mind?

I am 6ft and 75kg, and have had around 11 lessons. My last few lessons were on an 8ft foam board, consistently catching green waves and turning along the face and starting to be able to turn left and right slowly along the face. I feel like the foam board is starting to hold me back a bit, it's so slow to turn.

Is there a board you would recommend? Something suitable for waves in the 2-4ft range that would be good to progress on and last me a while? There are small waves near me in Winter - 2-4ft range, and I regularly travel to surf, Cornwall, Devon, SW France and Portugal.

I have looked at the Torq Mod Fun, Phil Grace Demibu, Modom Mod Mal and Magic Carpet the Genie.

Thanks so much

[jaffa1949]

Hi Bailers, so the next step in boards, a big one! but fun,


One thing about going from soft to hard boards is the difference in float volume and rail shapes ( this sort of gives a catch anything barge like ability Soft board )

You will miss the ease of catching waves easily so going down severely in size of board would hinder your progression.

I suggest only the Torq and the magic carpet genie, the others are just too short at this stage in your journey.
Quite a few forumites like the Torq board for durability as well as its surfability.
Whatever you choose learning skills is the important thing so keep talking to us all here as you learn, some great advise can offered if you ask!
See if you can try the boards before you buy and give feedback on your choice here.
HAVE FUN!

[thebailers]

Hi Jaffa,

Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it. I am a bit torn on the choices. Been looking into the Demibu and Euroglass in France where the boards are made and it just looks incredible. The Demibu is definitely no good? Even at the higher volume end - could get the Demibu 7'4 at 52.2L?

If that really is a bad idea I will definitely go for the Torq or Magic Carpet - just part of me is torn - the idea of a bit more cash for such an epic board is appealing - but ultimately it comes down to what is best for progression, and if it is a case of getting a higher volume epoxy for a while longer then I am fine with that.

What volume should I be looking at? Am 6ft and 75kg. Also fairly athletic and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I feel like my paddle power and balance is pretty good.

Such a difficult decision.

Thanks so much again for all the help.

[jaffa1949]

It isn‘t that the demibu isn‘t necessarily a bad board, it just may not be suitable for your level of ability at the moment.
After a softy even to switching to a hard board of similar size a the paddle on power is lessened.
Drop in length and volume more so!
7‘ 4“ is doable again see if you can get a surf session on your choices may help your ideas.
Remember all board advertising talks about how good the model is, some sites offer you an evaluation of your level and suitable boards check those out.
There are also difference in feeling of how an epoxy/EPS rides to a PU/ regular glass rides.

I‘m going back to demibu to look further,
seeyou shortly

[thebailers]

Thanks a lot Jaffa - really appreciate that!

[jaffa1949]

Another suggestion I have recently been to Hossegor and a thought comes to mind, a number of surfshops there actually hire boards there maybe a chance to review when next you go to France.
I notice all the boards warrant you checking where the boards are actually made ! There is a good range in the Euroglass boards that perhaps you should look at and think about what sort of surfing is your goal,

[jaffa1949]

Good news I was able to dig alittle deeper I had been in the shop in Hossegor about two weeks ago, my suggestion is get in there and talk deeply with the guys there (not just the shop assistant ) and start a relationship about your needs, you should be able to network with Phil Grace and select a board suited to you, as your abilities grow each need for change could be with Phil, even to custom level, That is the best way for evolution!

[thebailers]

Thanks Jaffa - wow that sounds incredible - what was it like? Were you at Euroglass?

I would love to try the Phil Grace out, but I am unlikely to get to the South of France for the next couple of years. I plan to surf in Tenerife in mid August, and Bali next year, but other than that, it will just be locally (on the South Coast of England - where there is limited surf) and trips to North Devon/Cornwall - so was hoping to get myself a board to just enable me to get out there immediately when the conditions are right near me.

I am full-on addicted to surfing now and just want to surf every chance I get!

[jaffa1949]

OK a Brexit thought,, how do you plan to get the board of your choice to England, I have noticed import dutygoing either way is horrendous unless there is an outlet for the boards in England.
Ridiculous things I right for and subscribe to two surf mags in OZ, one comes in a clear plastic wrap no duty, the other in a fine cardboard box 100% duty on marked price value after exchange rates are considered.
I‘ll see if Phil Grace boards are in England

[jaffa1949]

No grace in England but lots of shops with Torq mod funs some at good prices, not meaning to pull you back from your desires but really add up the cost of shipping a board to you from France and a near home town buy.

Look at mid lengths and simple profiles, post up another boards that interest you be aware that a really cheap board may be a poor knock up from China The Euroglass boards are the full shop

[thebailers]

Ahh yes of course, import duties are going to be horrible. Might have a look into it just to see out of interest. This is complicated stuff!

Really appreciate the help Jaffa, thank you mate

[thebailers]

No grace in England but lots of shops with Torq mod funs some at good prices, not meaning to pull you back from your desires but really add up the cost of shipping a board to you from France and a near home town buy.

Look at mid lengths and simple profiles, post up another boards that interest you be aware that a really cheap board may be a poor knock up from China The Euroglass boards are the full shop

Also been recommended the Form Flow Stik 7ft 0 FCS II - looks really nice! Still trying to workout import duty on the Grace. Fun times!

[jaffa1949]

Looks promising. but I would suggest the 7‘6‘‘to keep your paddle wave count easier but hey talk to the guys at board shop.
I they have a return and swap policy better still.
My aim is to get you in the water on the most suitable equipment for progress

[thebailers]

Looks promising. but I would suggest the 7‘6‘‘to keep your paddle wave count easier but hey talk to the guys at board shop.
I they have a return and swap policy better still.
My aim is to get you in the water on the most suitable equipment for progress

Thanks Jaffa, yes I was worried about the length drop, I replied to their email to say it's a big drop and I was a bit worried about being able to catch waves. Will let you know what they say.

Also, what fin setup would you go with on that board?

[jaffa1949]

Go initially with their fins with a thruster set up, get their recommendation size, at your weight you won't want too bigger fins as you wont have the drive for them yet.
Make sure the FCS II fins fit before leaving the store and use the optional grub screws the FCS IIs can knock out sometimes in the water.

I have thing about fins hunting down all sorts often in a cheapie bin.
Check out the fin primer which I wrote for the Forum, a little understanding of it all there

[thebailers]

Ok they replied:

The 7ft 0 will be ideal. Its not all about volume, the shape, design and profile will make it perfect for you. You’ll have a high wave count, easy progression and a big forgiving sweet spot too!

My pick for fins, as the board comes with a 5-fin set up, I would advise taking advantage of this and getting a 5-fin set. This will give you a more versatile board with options to play around with these fins.

You will be best off with a large fin and I would suggest using the below to make a perfect 5 fin set.

https://www.boardshop.co.uk/fcs-ii-carv ... large-sage

The tri fin set will give you control and consistency, for the days where the waves have more punch and size, this will be perfect. For the really small days, where you want some extra speed and drive, your quad set up will be the best choice and you will feel the extra speed on the wave face.

I am really tempted to go for this, it sounds great. What do you think?

Also last decision is the TST EPS board or PU? The EPS is a bit more expensive, which isn't necessarily a problem, but I massively prefer the look of the PU board, it looks so clean and beautiful. Just wondering whether safer to get an epoxy in terms of potential board damage/accidents.

[jaffa1949]

You have found it, epoxy the question how often do you bump into things, PU like the look a plus on bonus excitement and irks with first ding
Your call from here on in Go surf!
Post your adventures We love feedback on results.

[thebailers]

Haha I thought I had but got a reply from an old email to Euroglass. They take off the French 20% VAT when shipping to the UK, so thats no extra cost, just the 2% import tax which is £13.

The FORM board comes out as £765 for the board, fins and leash
The Phil Grace Euroglass board comes out as £680 for the board fins and leash.

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! Which is the better board

Lol this is a nightmare (but so much fun)

[jaffa1949]

Which one is more fun for you.

[thebailers]

This is what I'm not sure about - are they similar boards in what I can do with them?

From what I gather, the Demibu is a cut down longboard, so is it purely just a cruise type board? I saw on their video on youtube a surfer is turning it fairly nicely - so are they actually similar boards in terms of their performance?

Is the Form a bit more responsive? If that is the case, I guess that sounds more appealing.

How would you summarise each board in terms of what it is for?