Surfing Waves

I used to body board when I was younger, recently I moved to the coast and want to get into surfing, problem is I am over weight but hoping surfing will help with this

I'm looking at getting a BIC Super Magnum 9'4" as it says it can handle my weight however I'm concerned about the width of it, the stats say it is 27.5" wide, isn't that going to make paddling a lot harder?

Is there a rule of thumb on chest size?, shoulder width?, arm span? compared to width of board?

Or am I worrying about nothing ?

Cheers!

How heavy are you? My concern with the Bic is how you actually paddle the thing - as you have identified, it is just too wide to get your arms comfortably into the water? Plus (despite what the manufacturer says) it doesnt really seem to be a board that is particularly manouverable - you would have to surf it like a SUP (back foot). In itself that isnt a problem - you can learn to catch waves and make a turn - but possibly not much more than that. Of course, that is enough for a beginner.

But it certainly satisifies the 'go longer and wider' rule for beginners!

Sorry, that answer doesnt help - I can only suggest trying to borrow one and see how difficult it is to paddle (or borrow a SUP of the same width and paddle that). It may not be a problem.

Hi Rob -b Welcome ,you are pretty much on the mark about the width of the board it is heading towards the SUP width. IMO The super magnum are wave barges design to help the most hapless get their waves, they are also super durable however if in being overweight you have a large chest then I see real discomfort and ineffective paddling. I'm thinking something between 22 and 24 inch would be better.
My thoughts on paddling are that you should be able to pull your arms straight back from their entry point in the water only slightly wider than your shoulder width if you have to flip the arms outward to much in your stroke you can cause serious repetitive shoulder and elbow strain.
As most BIC sellers have a trial board, give one a go and see if it fits and that applies to other boards too,.
I'd be seriously looking at something epoxy, have a look at Global Surf Industries site they have volume and weight recommendations for all their boards.
A simple thought, the better you surf the more you can choose towards the smaller volumes of board for your weight!
Again a lot of GSI Dealers should have some trial boards.


Your height, weight and age ( I know that seems a little personal) will help us advise you on your board choice.
BTW other exercise to help you lose weight and gain mobility etc will help your surfing more , as a beginner it is challenging to get enough water time to take the weight off.

Hope this helps

Ok the worry about width re. paddling is nonsense.

I've been making and riding longboards at 27" wide for many years (long before the SUP craze) and they are great to paddle.

I doubt if either of the fellows giving advice on paddling wider boards have ever done it except perhaps on ultra thick SUP boards.

Could be true, I haven't paddled 27" longboards and definitely a super thick SUP would a nightmare without a paddle, maybe knee paddling is also an option, worked well when I was a gremlin ( they hadn't invented the word grommet for young surfers then.) The arm to width ratio of my body was different at 9 years old from this 64 year old body. The width ratio and plimsol line on my body differs too!

Remember this Rob_b it is about your comfort your ride and what works best for you. Try as many options as possible and have fun doing it!

Thanks for all the feedback....

I'm 30, 5'7" and just over 18 stone so just over 252lbs, I used to be over 19st (nearly 20st) but a change of diet and some surfing lessons helped shift some weight.

So I'm a lot heavier than what I see classed as "a heavy surfer" on most websites that then say heavy is 16st

I think that my body is wide enough so that the width of the board is not a problem, I'm hoping so anyway as I have ordered it and now waiting for it to arrive.

Will try to remember to shout "Watch out the barge is coming through!" when someone gets in my way

I bet you'll have a blast on it.

Roy Stewart wrote:I bet you'll have a blast on it.

That's why we surf, for our own form of blast, hope you do!!

Just been out on my board for the first time and thought I would feed back

Paddling was not a problem at all catching waves was easier than any other board I have tried, sitting on it is easy too as it is really stable.

Really glad I got it fantastic board first surf on it was in windy conditions (made carrying it a bit tricky) and then it snowed when I finished.

If there is anyone else that is in my position weight wise I would definitely give this board my vote.

Welcome to the good part, now all you need to do is surf as often as possible, and glad to see my misgivings were wrong.

I have noticed a trend in SUP's. Wider is better.

So when I saw this board I was thrilled and ordered on on Amazon. This board works well. I have actually surfed my 34" SUP without a paddle and at 27Inches, this SURFBOARD is a cinch to paddle. I am 5"7" and weigh about 230 lbs. I have no problems paddling it. It is very easy to catch waves. I like it so well that I am telling everyone. It is very stable and unlike my 23inch board which tips from side to side when paddling, this board just cruises out to the break.

SO EASY to catch waves with this. I highly recommed this board.

Robert 1319