buying a new board

[surfer_chick]

im currently living in oklahoma, so closest surf shop is in texas. i want to buy myself a new shortboard for when i travel out of state. are there any good online shops that you'd recommend to buying a new board? im not too sure what im looking for since ive only been surfing on longboards and softboards, but im wanting to get a shortboard preferibly 6'2". thanks!

[Kabazz]

6'2 is way too short for you if you've only ridden soft and longboards. Try a 7'6

[surfer_chick]

i thought it seemed a bit short as well, one of my friends recommended it to me, and i was willing to give it a try.

[Mudharp]

You might want to consider an egg or a hybrid around 7' before jumping onto a shortboard from long/soft boards.

[DreadManFred]

i agree with Kabazz. a good size 7 footer will do. a 7'4"-7'6" will be good. not too big.

[alimac2411]

7 foot fat boy flyer perhaps? Really good at catching waves and in a sense they are large shortboards so will help with your transition to a shorter board.

I had a shot of my mates 6'2" fish and it almost felt like there was no board under me when i was swimming out so it's definitely a huge change going to a board that small.

[surfer_chick]

i was looking into the fat boy flyer, and in the description it said " for someone starting out that weighs around 10.5 - 12 stone" im not really sure what that means, but i weigh 110 pounds. so should i look into the regular flyers instead of the fat boy ones? i feel so stupid with all of this, i didnt think it would be so difficult to find a good board for me.

[alimac2411]

i was looking into the fat boy flyer, and in the description it said " for someone starting out that weighs around 10.5 - 12 stone" im not really sure what that means, but i weigh 110 pounds. so should i look into the regular flyers instead of the fat boy ones? i feel so stupid with all of this, i didnt think it would be so difficult to find a good board for me.

I weigh 10 and a half stone so just fitted into the category, wasn't really aware that, that's the weight group they suit. I'd think with the fact you've been riding longboards then it'd be an easy step down but maybe someone else can answer that better than me. I'm not to clued up on the other types of flyers.

So you're just under 8 stone, well maybe a large shortboard might be suitable for you seeing you're so light, perhaps one that's quite thick, how tall are you?

[surfer_chick]

im 5'5"

[Beachbumhippie]

5`5" and 8 stones sounds lovely as for the board a pf flyer might work
http://www.beachbeatsurfboards.co.uk/boards/pfflyer.php

[RustyG]

i think it just depends on the surfer, i road longboards for 2-3 years and just now dropped straight down to a 6' 8" short board...i'm 6' 3" and 190 lbs. it really jsut depends on how confident you are on the boards you are riding now.

[alimac2411]

I'd say if you can surf your longboard reasonably ok then just go for a shortboard. The fact you've got the basics of surfing means you'll learn over time to adapt to your newboard. I've read in general surfing bits and pieces that as a rule your board should be at least 6" longer than you. Obviously that aint something that is fact though but maybe if you could hire a few shortboards and see if you can get the feel for a certain size, then maybe go for that. It is totally different on a shortboard but like everything, you'll get the hang of it with practice.

[drowningbitbybit]

you'll get the hang of it with practice.

See, there's the flaw in the logic.
Someone starting out on a shortboard may eventually get it if they spend a great deal of time in the water. Someone living in oklahoma is, Im guessing, not gonna be spending that much time in the water.


Go with the intermediate option of a funboard around the 7ft mark, maybe a touch smaller as you're so dinky. That way you'll avoid a great deal of frustration on what are probably fairly precious trips to the ocean.

Catching the waves and surfing them is all important - not having a smaller board.

[surfer_chick]

thanks for all the advice everyone. ive been looking online for a board, but i guess itll just be best to wait till i go to california in july to try them out. and yes drowningbitbybit, i dont get to spend too much time in the water, it has actually been about 4 years since ive last seen the waves. but 1 more year in this landlocked state for college, and ill move!

[alimac2411]

thanks for all the advice everyone. ive been looking online for a board, but i guess itll just be best to wait till i go to california in july to try them out. and yes drowningbitbybit, i dont get to spend too much time in the water, it has actually been about 4 years since ive last seen the waves. but 1 more year in this landlocked state for college, and ill move!

4 years, wow, well you'll love getting back into it, after all that wait!

[surfer_chick]

yeah, im defenitly stoked already! i just wish july would come already. i dont know why my mom decided to move to oklahoma, since she loves the ocean almost as much as i do. hopefully i can just get right back into it when i step foot on the board, id hate spending my 3 weeks in cali only having wipeouts.

[TReMoR]

your moving to cali, thats awsome umm although im probably not as expirienced as all these other surfers but in my opinion a 6'2'' would work fine, because i started on a 6'5'' when people said it would be really hard, but i made it through so far, so i think it really depends on your determination.

[drowningbitbybit]

yin my opinion a 6'2'' would work fine, because i started on a 6'5'' when people said it would be really hard, but i made it through so far, so i think it really depends on your determination.

Um, arent you on several other threads at the moment wondering why you arent progressing and surfing straight towards the beach?
The answer to that is probably that you're on too small a board for your skill level so you're catching waves way too late and cant get onto a clean face.

So a board with some volume is still the way to go.

[TReMoR]

yin my opinion a 6'2'' would work fine, because i started on a 6'5'' when people said it would be really hard, but i made it through so far, so i think it really depends on your determination.

Um, arent you on several other threads at the moment wondering why you arent progressing and surfing straight towards the beach?
The answer to that is probably that you're on too small a board for your skill level so you're catching waves way too late and cant get onto a clean face.

So a board with some volume is still the way to go.

yes, but ive only been at it for so long, its not like ive been doing it a year or anything, or that i go everyday. I'm sure ill improve with time. You must realize that i had no "skill level" when I started, and how ever little of these "skill levels" i gained, im still improving.Yes and 8 foot boards are probably easier, but its not practical for me when my apartment roof isn't even 8 feet. Nor can i carry down a 7+ board down 4 flights of winding stairs without smashing it into something. Also if you dont want or have a surfboard rack on your car, then you have to fit it INTO your car, and bigger boards are harder to transport. The size should not just depend on which is easier to ride, but you should take in other factors, because the size of the board is your choosing, but its improbable that you can increase the size of the stairs, car, house, apartment, etc. .

[CHarvey]

That just means that due to your situation and your choice of board you are going to have to be more patient with how you are learning. You are going to learn much slower, have to work harder, and most likely you will develope bad habits that you will have to unteach yourself further down the road.
Par for the course.