Surfboard help for beginner

[Joex360]

I know this question is always asked but Im torn and really have very little knowledge on what surfboard would be best for me to start with. Ive been surfing a bunch of times and have used either a 8 or 9 foot foamie each time. Ive found that its hard to maneuver and very hard to paddle past the breaks since I cannot dive or do anything with a foamie besides get blasted by the wave. I am quite athletic , 6'1 , 175 Lbs. With that in mind what type of board should I buy . Ive read Bic's are great for beginners but then others say pop out boards suck, ive heard people tell me just to learn the hard way on a shortboard , others say to just practice on a foamie. I really want to buy my own board soon so if someone could tell me from there own experience what worked best for them and what would be best for me / where to buy it that would be great. Thanks!

[dtc]

You wont be able to dive a LB, but you can learn to turtle roll and that will deal with most problems. Of course, in really big surf the LBs can be a bit hard to handle.

My view on boards for beginners

1. get a longboard
2. get a second hand traditional (PU/fibreglass) longboard that is at least 9ft, 22inches wide and 2 5/8 thick with a wide nose. The benefit of second hand is that you can get a good quality one for not too much. Like 2nd hand cars, buying from a 'dealer' (board shop) is probably the safest as they will be able to fix any dings and will know when a board is a dog; but they might charge more than buying from craigslist or whatever.
3. if you can't find a 2nd hand one that suits or want a new board, the NSP longboards are pretty good and not too expensive.
4. if you dont want to spend as much as an NSP, then the Bics are pretty good. Depending on where you live, there are some other brands around that also do ok boards.

'Pop out' boards are much better quality than they were when they first appeared, but their reputation persists. There are some pretty terrible ones around still at the very cheap end, but for a beginner even those will be ok for learning. They probably arent the board that you will use in 5yrs time (whereas a good traditional board you might); but in 5yrs time you might be on a shorter board or have 10 boards anyway.

Dont buy a foamie.

[Joex360]

Thank you that information helps alot, So if I wanted to go for a cheaper first board do you think something like the Bic ACS 7'9 board would work best for me?

http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... 2,480.html

[dtc]

I reckon the next board up in that model, the 8ft4, would be a better bet. Its very wide and thick, would be a nice stable board making wave catching easy. I think someone has posted on the forum about the super magnum, the 9ft one, but its probably a bit big for you.

However, the 7ft9 isnt a bad board; but the longer the board the easier it will be at the start.

So if you are getting a good deal on the shorter board, go for it. If you have the choice, I would be suggesting the 8ft4 one. I know it will look huge on land, but in the water you wont notice it too much. Forget duck diving either of them!

Boards are a trade off - the 7ft9 might turn easier and might be a 'higher' performance board once you have learnt to surf than the 8ft4 one, but it will be a bit harder to learn on. So you trade off - more frustration at the start vs wanting a new board earlier after you are up and surfing. But if you get into surfing you will end up with multiple boards anyway, so I personally dont see that having to buy a new board at some stage is an issue anyway.

[Lebowski]

I've ridden all 3 of those boards fairly extensively and I would also recommend the 8'4. It paddles and catches waves as easily as the 9'0 but is a little more manageable size-wise. Having said that though, I usually reach for the 9fter's if I'm not riding my shortboard.

The 7'9 is also a good board, but it is noticeably harder to paddle compared to the others, although if you're gonna stick at it you'd be fine

[frreako104]

The best advice I have is the advice I got when I bought my first board last year: Start with bigger board, and work your way small

[brianoriordan]

hey

just a quick question, i have had about 10 lessons spread in the last few years. pretty much have the basics, can pop up 60% of the time on a 8ft hard board last time i was out. conditions were choppy. looking to surf the rest of the summer and want to buy a board. i am 5'9, 158lbs, quite fit from marathon running. just wondering about size, was thinking 7'2/7'4, hoping to keep the board for a couple of years and learn as much as i can before moving on, just wondering if you think that's about the right size?