What would you choose?

[Quetzal]

Hi guys,

I'm a beginner and I'm going to buy a surfboard to really start practicing.
I'm French and surf in Basque Country in France, 28 years old and 78kg.

I have these three options with a great price the next few weeks.
What would you choose?

SURF BIC PAINT 7.0 MALIBU
SURF BIC PAINT 8.0 MALIBU
SURF VICTORY 7.0 EVO
Or none of them?

Thank you guys!

[DreamSurf]

i would choose a malibu 7.0 depending on the volume. the 8 isnt a bad idea either. you said basque country so a 7.0 will do ok. I am also a beginner and started real stubborn with a shortboard. i learned the hard way and went to ride a long 9.0 and a malibu 7.2. volume 45L. i didnt like the longboard(matter of taste) popped up real quick and yeah i enjoyed it. the shortboard was a big laugh and couldnt handle it at all.
i would say if you want to slow effective pace then go 8.0 malibu. if you love challenge more like the bit hard way i'd go malibu. you said basque so the 7.0 malibu will do great. the waves are strong enough to float you with that volume.

like i said im a beginner. wait for better reactions. there are teachers here and tehre are different views on this
have fun meanwhile.
determination is the key word

[BoMan]

Of the choices you listed, I would go with the 8' Bic. That said...

I recommend a longboard (9') with high buoyancy (90 liters) and width (23 inches). This will compensate for the errors and mistakes we all make while learning, and help you catch more waves, paddle faster and pop up easier than shorter boards. Most important of all, a longboard will allow you to have FUN while learning. Here are some links with more information.

https://surfing-waves.com/beginner_surfboard.htm
https://surfing-waves.com/beginner_surfboard1.htm
http://www.surfscience.com/topics/types-of-surfboard/longboard/longboard-surfboards

[chiliflam]

Dude, you should totally start with a shortboard because you ain't gonna want to buy another board after you get tired of that one take it frome me. I learned to serf on a shortboard. it's not that hard dude don't be a wimp

[Oldie]

At least the 8.0, but even that is low volume for a beginner. Better would be the Sofftech Handshaped in 8.0 - that has >80l volume and will get you surfing very quickly.

[waikikikichan]

More information needed.
1) Did you already take some surf lessons ?
( if so, what size board were you learning on ? )
2) Can you catch the wave by yourself ?
3) Can you pop up without going to your knees ? ( if you do go to knees first, 7'0" is way too small )
4) How strong of a swimmer are you ?
5) How tall are you ?

[Namu]

Avoid buying any boards brand new. Try looking at used boards first.

How often do you plan on surfing?

How good are you at surfing now? See W-Chan's questions.

If you don't have much experience and only surf once a month or less then a soft foam board wouldn't hold back your progression for at least a year.

If you plan on surfing every week or at least several times a month, I would recommend a used molded epoxy surfboard. The molded epoxy boards are durable, easy to repair, and will can be re-sold without losing much or any value. Something like a NSP, GSI, Bic, Torq, Southpoint, is fine for a beginner. Get something 8-9 feet long, at least 22 inches wide, with 3 fins. Once you learn the basic skills of surfing you can get a board more specialized in the type of surfing you want to do.

[DreamSurf]

do you want bic per se? i mean an nsp is light and qualitative really strong. they arent expensive either.

[Quetzal]

Thank you all.

I'm going to answer to your questions :
Yes I took some surf lessons, but not that much, around four hours. But I can't remember what size was the board. Absolutely not.
For now, I can catch an already crashed wave, not the peak of them (I don't know if it make sense, my technical english is still a work in progress). I get up on my feet, or I fall one out of three times.
I'm 1m77 tall, and I intend to surf around 25-30 days a year.

DreamSurf, NSP is twice more expensive (260€ a BIC board, 460€ a NSP board).
Namy, I agree. I tried. But I can't find any fair deal with a +7' board ...

[kookextraordinaire]

The biggest fun board you can get (I think our antipodean cousins call them mini-mals).

Or a full-on longboard.

And here's the key: Until you can do smooth bottom turns, top turns and cutbacks going either way, don't change your board! All though the shorter/wider/thicker boards are marketed towards beginners, they are still basically shortboards. Their ubiquity in the line-up is proof of the greatest marketing-scheme since bottled water.

[SeaMissile]

I've often wondered if those BiC boards double and triple as lighters and pens. Bad jokes aside, go with a longer board if you can. I've been surfing on and off since '85 and I would have picked it up a lot quicker if I wasn't stubbornly trying to surf on shortboards. It suddenly became easier when I got a bigger board. I also agree with used. You can get some amazing used boards that you may keep with you for the rest of your life. I picked up a Munson shaped Quiet Flight years ago for $35 in a pawnshop. I had to reglass the nose but it's still with me and I will be using it with my kids. Welcome to the activity that is part water sport, part religion and part zen meditation.