bigger board vs. bigger guys board

[mikej]

I've been surfing for a while and people have told me that I should get a 6'6" or 6'8". But alot of the descriptions for boards of these size say they are made for bigger guys. I'm still learning and I'm wondering if these boards are fine for me or if there is a certain kind of 6'8" that I need.

[RJD]

Who knows without info on your surfing ability,your size, board your on now and any issues your having?

[mikej]

Im 6', 160 lbs. I'm surfing on an 9'6" longboard. I'm learning on a longboard so that I can eventually shortboard. I've been surfing frequently (3-4 times a week) for about a month. I can catch waves and ride the face and I can do some turns.

[RJD]

Oh mate dont even think about anything shorter for a year or two..

[parrysurf]

^ yeah mikej just surf what you got. that 9'6 will do hard cuts and mean floaters. when you are doing moves like that your 9'6 will be looking a bit tired, and have some battle scars, this is time for a new board.
at 160, ya beanpole, you could surf a very small board...but don't rush to the chips, you will learn valuable wave knowledge, and general surf knowledge for your area during these first few years.

keep the stoke

[mikej]

ya but the longboard I have is 22 years old and its starting to delaminate, I don't know how much longer it's going to last. Plus I really want to move to shortboarding

[drowningbitbybit]

Im not sure 'a month' counts as a while

And at 6' tall (and height is almost as much a factor as weight) I doubt you'll be ready to go to anything like 6'6.
The fact that you dont understand the difference between different types of boards is a bit of a giveaway too.

Go and try something like 7'4 and see just how different (and more difficult) it is. Once you've tried that, the chances are you'll be happy to stick with your longboard for a while longer yet.

[garbarrage]

surfing a year and only recently moved back to a shortboard... made a huge mistake buying one early on, about 6 months ago. was riding the face turning taking the drop and figured i was ready for it! bought a 7'2" and was in for a shock. less waves, shorter rides and a lot less fun.
ended up selling it for a bit of a loss...
you are only getting used to face time at the moment i suspect and buying a shortboard would cut down your face time dramatically.

[WaveRiderJ]

Thought this thread was about weiners