Returning to surfing after 20 years

[Applejack]

Hi all...

I did a fair bit of surfing in my late teens / early twenties and reached an intermediate-ish level. All I could afford back then was one of the old plastic Bic mini mal (7'3") but I had a lot of fun on that board. Now some 20 years later I am looking to get back into surfing more regularly. I have only surfed a handful of times in those twenty years but have done several sessions on hired Torq softdeck boards (7'2" / 7'6") over the last couple of months and would still consider my albeit limited skills to be a level above beginner. I'm now in the market to buy a board (with a healthier budget that the Bic days), but what to get?

I am male, 5'7", about 65kg and now in my early 40s. Generally fit but of course lacking surf practice. Will be mostly surfing North Devon beach breaks.

I recently put all this to a guy in a surf shop and he said i shouldn't be looking at anything short than 10". This really took the wind out of my sales, and I still find it hard to believe... I had originally been thinking something 7"-8", around 50L (I have a tiny flat and a tiny car, anything over 8" is just not going to be practical).

The reality is that I live a good couple of hours drive from my preferred spot so I get probably one or two solid weeks plus a handful of weekends surfing in a year. My head draws me to the greater bouyancy and durability of epoxy boards, but my heart yearns for a 'proper' fibreglass board. How much should I really worry about the differnce? And am I right that for my size, ability and the conditions i'll be surfing in i can afford to go under 8"?

[jaffa1949]

Applejack, forget the surfshop advice first off….. I would look at 8ft, or at the smallest 7‘6“ you won‘t notice the difference as a “hard” board in an epoxy they are a little more buoyant. ( Corky) but more ding resistant…. investigate the Torq line, quite a few forum guys like them.
I know some hire places have hard Torqs maybe even a range to try out.
Don’t be in a rush to go short for right now you need paddle resilience, and stamina, relearn good surfing skills and reachieve enjoyment.
The journey re begins