Shortboard Question

[oceangrrl]

I've been riding a 7'6" Mini Mal for about a year.. Im going to channel island surf shop to purchase a flyer in a few months.. Do you think a size 6'8" is fine or what?

[oslo]

How much did you actually surf during that year on a mini mal?

[oceangrrl]

Probably twice every week

[mrc]

I was pretty much same rode a 7,6 for a year and half between 2 and 4 times a week ,then went to a 6,4 far to small now have a 6,10 much easier.

[didier101]

Depending on what kind of waves you find there and your height / weight...

[dondiemand]

Depending on what kind of waves you find there and your height / weight...

and during summer, waves arent that huge, so a fish would be my suggestion, something around 5'10"-6'2", but again depends on how heavy/tall are you

[dreamer]

I had a 7'4" gun for a while, now i use a 6'10" shorty - but i'm 6'2" tall, so...

[FidesMaris]

It's usually recommended that you do not drop for more than a foot at a time, so a 6'8 should be alright for you, granted you might get your @$$ kicked the first few times, but that's how we learn right?
Also if you're in the Santa Barbara region, there's this place called the Beach House that carry epoxy boards, they provide more float than standard polyester boards so that's something you can also look at.

[David S]

I thought the rule was to not drop more than 6 inches when you change boards! A foot seems a bit much.
I went from a 7'6" minimal to a 6'10 shortboard and find that I can catch just as many waves but its easier to catch steeper waves without pearling.
I borrowed a friends 7' semi-gun for a week before buying my board and this gave me a good step down (I surfed it 7-8 times that week).
I'm 6'1 and weigh 75kg

[slick surfa]

get a 6'6 or 6'7

[oceangrrl]

Depending on what kind of waves you find there and your height / weight...

and during summer, waves arent that huge, so a fish would be my suggestion, something around 5'10"-6'2", but again depends on how heavy/tall are you

I'm 5'6" and weight 135 pounds