First longboard: 9'6" or 9'0"?

[audiobahn1000]

I bought an 8' Wavestorm and to my surprise I'm having a bit of difficulty standing up on it. I've attempted to ride it about 45 times now and I have yet to actually stand on it for more than a second without falling off. So I thought I'd try to rent a big old 11' longboard and see how that compared. It was easy. First try I rode for about 300' before the wave died out. As such I am thinking I need a board that's a bit easier to stand on until I get my skill level up. Knowing that I'll probably only have the board for a few months, if that, I wanted to get something cheap. I found an ad for a guy selling overstock brand new Hawaiian Beachboy Services (HBS) epoxy boards for cheap each including a thruster fin setup, and I can choose from one of about 10 different sizes listed here:

here:

sizes

I cant get the 10'0" board because they wont fit in my place so the largest I can go is 9'6". Thus it looks like the three largest options are:

- 9'6" x 24" x 2 5/8"
- 9'0" x 24" x 4"
-9'0" x 23" x 3.5"

I am basically looking for whatever is the most stable and easiest to stand on since that's all I am at in this point in time. Obviously the 9'6" board is the largest. However, it's only 2 5/8" thick which is much thinner than other beginner boards in that size range. I am wondering if the thickness is an important factor in stability, or if only length and width are relevant factors.

I am only 155 lbs, so all of them have way more volume than I need I think.

Unrelated, they offer a 10'x24" board in both a 3.5 and a 4" thickness. What's the point in offering two different thicknesses when all the other dimensions remain the same?

[Big H]

How tall are you? Usually a non issue when sizing boards, but 24' is pretty wide and unless you are on the larger side it might be uncomfortable.

For your weight and what I assume is a relatively shorter stature, the 9'x23"x3" board should be plenty....the thicker the board the harder it is to carry under the arm unless you have long arms (mine are 36" so can carry wider boards but others have complained that they had issues).. Again, if you are not a bigger guy, 3.5" or 4" might be overkill.

Answer to your last question about the two 10' boards, the thicker one will have more displacement....what is termed "volume"....the larger the volume the more effective float a board will have....a larger volumed board will be able to support a heavier rider better.

[Millsy82]

I'm 200 lbs roughly and my board is 9'2x 23 x3 and that has more than enough float and is really stable.

Also don't think it will be for a short time around me when it gets small everybody brings out there old longboard for a bit of fun.

[waikikikichan]

After your posting on May 29th, how did you purchase a Wavestorm at Costco and go out 45 times until today, June 10th ? That's more than double sessions. Or do you mean, you attempted to stand on 45 different waves ?
If so, how were you able to keep count ?

I prefer SUP surfing over conventional longboards, mostly because I enjoy having a paddle to get out quickly and move around quickly and they seem more stable since they are larger.

What longboard were you using before when you stated as to why you had a preference for SUP ? What length and width was it ?

[audiobahn1000]

After your posting on May 29th, how did you purchase a Wavestorm at Costco and go out 45 times until today, June 10th ? That's more than double sessions. Or do you mean, you attempted to stand on 45 different waves ?
If so, how were you able to keep count ?

I prefer SUP surfing over conventional longboards, mostly because I enjoy having a paddle to get out quickly and move around quickly and they seem more stable since they are larger.

What longboard were you using before when you stated as to why you had a preference for SUP ? What length and width was it ?

45 attempts to stand on a wave, not 45 days. I've gone out maybe eight times on it for 3-4 hours per day. I dident keep count, this is just a guestimation. My point was that I dident really make much progress on it even after several dozen tried, but the larger 11' board was cake and I got on it first try so I was thinking I might need something a bit larger until I get better.

I am 5'8".

Regarding the larger volume, does the volume only really matter for heavier riders, or does it affect how the surfboard acts regardless of weight? Like, if you had two identical boards but one was thicker for more volume, would they surf the same for someone light?

The only longboard I've used is the Wavestorm and other boards that I've rented. Now that I've gotten out surfing on a longboard several times I am starting to like it and will probably work on surfing instead for the moment.

[waikikikichan]

In Waikiki, " Longer da betta !!". That may not be the case in other parts of the world, but for the smooth rollers of Waikiki, long is good. I'd say go with the 9'6" for this summer. As it moves into September ( getting into winter and less swell ) you'll want a longer board. Then come next May when the summer swell start to show, you can think about going smaller again. Of course, if you get competent on turning, going backside and starting to walk, then go smaller sooner.
If you can post a pictures of the boards the guy is offering.

[audiobahn1000]

Here are some photos. I dont know which boards are what sizes, but this is what was in the ad. I think the green one is the 10', but that's all I know.

00B0B_7noexuRgB5A_600x450.jpg (18.98 KiB) Viewed 2681 times

[waikikikichan]

My contact who works at the stand that rents those board said:
Really cheap
Made very thin
Boards don't last long
Pressure dings galore
Lame fin boxes ( bandit FCS replicas )

He couldn't confirm if they're Epoxy constructed. But from knowledge, you can't gloss polish up Epoxy unless you use a cheater coat of Polyester.

[audiobahn1000]

Cool, thanks for the info. I ended up getting one since they were only $300 new which seemed like a good deal on a new 9'6". They visually look nice, although I agree they feel a bit thin, the fins feel cheap (just some really hard, sharp plastic) and there are some minor imperfections in the fin boxes which show a lack of attention to detail. The guy who sold it to me said they are made with 4 + 6 oz. fiberglass on the top and bottom. I have no idea how that compares to other boards though as I know little about board manufacturing. He also mentioned there is no epoxy on it. I figured it was a new, cheaper board or some really used, beat-up, multiple-repairs NSP 9'6" for the same price, or something of the like.

The guy selling them said he used to own Blue Surf (? something like that) on the North Shore and his shop recently closed down and he has about 60 boards to sell, all of the HSB brand.

Here is the ad: https://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/spo/6088799473.html

I ended up going with the green one in the photo which is a 9'6" x 24" x 3 5/8". Hopefully by the time I trash it I'll be good enough for a smaller board anyway. In any case, I suspect it will be better than my $70 foam Costco Wavestorm board.