Finding a suitable surfboard for a beginner, HELP!

[walkingmermaid]

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a surfboard for my boyfriend, he's 6'10 tall and weighs approximately 85kg. A total beginner, he will be moving to Cornwall this year and has a desire to learn to surf and will be doing it on a regular basis. For these reasons, the surfboard needs to be easy to manage as a beginner but also durable as it will get a lot of use.
I've looked at softboards, pop-outs and mini-mals and cant seem to make my mind up. Any advice of which would be most suitable would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[drowningbitbybit]

Forget softboards, they're only useful for the very first time you surf.

At 6'10 and 85kg he'll need a longboard
A pop-out will be fine for a beginner.

Just a thought... what someone wants from a surfboard is quite subjective, and so buying one for someone else isn't all that great an idea sometimes. Have you thought about spending the money on some surfing lessons instead? That way he'll get the basics sorted, and then be able to work out the type of board he'd like.

You never know, there's always the possibility that he might not like surfing