My experience with a softboard vs hardboard for beginner

[NMcclatch]

I started learning to surf this week. Yayyyyyy! I got 4 lessons over 2 days with 'surfing croyde bay' in Croyde, England. They were absolutely fantastic! Excellent instructors and great banter!

I enjoyed my first surfing experience loads and managed to constistantly stand up and began to work on turning.

I used a 9ft softboard in the lessons and found that I nose-dved a lot and found it very unstable in the pop up and very un-manoeverable.
After the 2 days I decided to continue my surfing experience by hiring a board. I got an 8ft epoxy hardboard and-even though the wave conditions made it much harder to catch waves-I immediately found it much easier to pop up, much more stable and didnt nose dive at all. also, turning was a dream!

Anyway, I just posted this in case someone out there has tried a softboard for their first time surfing and it has put them off. Try a hardboard if this is the case, it may be easier and more enjoyable for you.

Regards, Nathan

[jaffa1949]

I started learning to surf this week. Yayyyyyy! I got 4 lessons over 2 days with 'surfing croyde bay' in Croyde, England. They were absolutely fantastic! Excellent instructors and great banter!

I enjoyed my first surfing experience loads and managed to constistantly stand up and began to work on turning.

I used a 9ft softboard in the lessons and found that I nose-dved a lot and found it very unstable in the pop up and very un-manoeverable.
After the 2 days I decided to continue my surfing experience by hiring a board. I got an 8ft epoxy hardboard and-even though the wave conditions made it much harder to catch waves-I immediately found it much easier to pop up, much more stable and didnt nose dive at all. also, turning was a dream!

Anyway, I just posted this in case someone out there has tried a softboard for their first time surfing and it has put them off. Try a hardboard if this is the case, it may be easier and more enjoyable for you.

Regards, Nathan

good stuff Nathan I hope a lot of learners read this and take note that as a learner you found the right choice so quickly, keep up the learning

[travelzomg]

i can just second that..!

realy right down what i experianced my first time surfing..

[Rickyroughneck]

Not that I advocate soft boards, but the ones you tried for the lessons were probably swellies, which are truly atrocious boards!

In the defence of softboards, there are some surfable softboards (some of the ones with a hard bottom) which are surfable. However they are quite heavy and the performance is mediocre at best; there is really no reason to go soft over a hard board.

[tony g]

We also have found that the hard surfboards perform much better than the soft type surfboards. We do however have some customers who prefer the safety aspect of a sorf surfboard while learning. Yes I agree with the last post that their are different qualities within the soft surfboards. If you decide on a soft surfboard try to get a rigid soft board with a hard bottom. The inexpensive ones are not worth much, and are hard to surf!

[surferboy]

100% I agree with you Rickyroughneck. Most of softboard's problem is in the edge, they're like bodyboards,with hard edge all long the rails, instead of the soft edge from the nose untill the fins and hard from the fins until the end of tail.
The only softboard brand that has got the rails same as hardboards is Pipeline Softboards, at least what I know.
Over all, when you learn a new sport you wish don't get hurted...(I guess ) Some brands also has got soft fins to increase the safety. Let's don't talk about ding repairs in the hardboards ...
good waves to everyone

Not that I advocate soft boards, but the ones you tried for the lessons were probably swellies, which are truly atrocious boards!

In the defence of softboards, there are some surfable softboards (some of the ones with a hard bottom) which are surfable. However they are quite heavy and the performance is mediocre at best; there is really no reason to go soft over a hard board.