by Ironman » Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:07 pm
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this site, and this is my first post. I apologize in advance if this post is overly long; I wanted to be complete with my questions, and information, in order to get informed feedback. I'm looking to make my first surfboard purchase and I could use some helpful insight. I think I've narrowed my options down to two board choices. However, before getting to those two choices, in order for anyone to be able to give me their best thoughts and recommendations, it may be helpful if I tell everyone a bit about myself and my surfing. I'm a 47 yr. old male; 5' 9 1/2"; weight of 153 lbs.; in excellent shape (Ironman Triathlete). I first began surfing 13 years ago, but my time on the board has been very sporadic, and spaced out over the 13 years: A week at Byron's Bay, Australia; A week in Costa Rica. A week in Maui, Hawaii and last October, another week in Costa Rica. I'll be going back to Costa Rica for another week, possibly two, this coming October, and I'm thinking I'd like to have my own board, rather than a rental. It's my intention to start getting at least one, if not two, week long, surf vacations in each year (unfortunately, Dallas, TX. is not known for it's surf, or it's easy proximity to surf). I've been surfing mostly on 8 1/2' boards, and would consider myself an advanced beginner, with a whole lot to learn before even thinking of calling myself an intermediate surfer. I have no desire to surf shortboards. I like the longboards for their gracefulness, and nostalgia. I want to learn to walk the board, and ride the nose, and I need a longboard that will allow me to do such. I was originally thinking of going with a 9' longboard, but these are the two board choices I've come down to:
One of the two board options that I've been looking at is a 9' 2" longboard, with the following specs:
9'2" x 23" x 2 3/4"
Epoxy construction- Lighter, stronger and more buoyant than traditional fiberglass
Completely Hand Shaped EPS Foam (not just hand finished)
Deep nose concave to channel with bevels to flat to double concave
Rounded Pin Tail
Pinched Rails
2+1 FCS compatible fins included (8" center fin and 2 side bite fins)
Gloss and Polish
With the information I provided, regarding my height, weight, and surfing experience, and surfing goals, what would one say are the pro's and con's of this board for me? Is a 9' 2" board too long for my height and weight? I do get the sense that this is a board that I would not out grow.
The second longboard that I'm looking at has the following specs:
Epoxy 9'0 Longboard.
Round nose & Square tail
22.3/8" wide and 3.3/8" thick.
durable epoxy finished with fiber glass.
Double concave and 4.3/8" rocker on front and 3.1/4" tail rocker.
7" center fin and fcs side fin included.
Based on the specs of this board, and my personal information, what would anyone say are the pro's and con's of this board, and how well would one say the two boards compare to each other. Would you say that one of these two boards would be a better board for me? Based on the specs of both boards, how much of a difference in performance could I expect to see between these two boards? As cost is always a factor, the 9' board is almost $200 less expensive than the 9' 2" board; assuming that the 9' 2" board is a better performing longboard, would I be able to tell a $200 difference in ride and performance of the 9' 2" board over the 9' board?
Any insights, and assistance, that anyone could offer me would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and input. And again, sorry for the overly long post.