For a Beginner: 6'8" Fish or 9'2" Longboard?

by **aveenvp** » Mon May 05, 2014 7:33 pm

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on here after lurking for a while. I'm kinda stuck between two boards to get as my first board. I've surfed probably 6 times total, and am comfortable paddling on to a wave and working on my pop ups. I'm pretty athletic with good balance (I ski competitively in the winter). I'm looking for a board that I can learn on, but still progress past the beginner/low intermediate level with. I've checked out my local craigslist and found these two:

Board 1: 6'8" retro style fish. Dual fin, 22 1/4" wide and 2 3/4" thick.

Board 2: 9'2" longboard. 2+1 w/ adjustable fin, 22 7/8" wide, don't know thickness.

About me: 19 years old, 5'9", 155lbs, athletic. I'm leaning towards the fish because once I learn the board, I feel like I could have more fun being more aggressive with it in the small and mushy Mid Atlantic U.S surf. But I've heard that fish (especially with 2 fins) can be seriously difficult to learn on.

Thoughts?

Links: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/spo/4455205385.html
http://southjersey.craigslist.org/spo/4398167020.html

by **Surf Hound** » Mon May 05, 2014 10:11 pm

100% the 9'2" longboard. Once you develop and are ready for a short(er) board, you will want to keep the 9'2" as your log. Every quiver needs a longboard which is also the best/quickest way to learn to surf on.

by **dtc** » Tue May 06, 2014 12:09 am

aveenvp wrote:I'm looking for a board that I can learn on, but still progress past the beginner/low intermediate level with.

Every beginner says this. But how do you get to the beginner/low intermediate stage in the first place when you start off on an advanced board? Dont think 3 years ahead, think now.

I have been trying to come up with an analogy for these situations and, although not perfect, its like riding a bike. Now if you ski (as you do), you can stand up and wobble around and fall over even as a total beginner - not skiing as such but sort of. You advance step by step and slowly get better. Playing tennis you run around and can hit the ball, perhaps not where you want to but you can hit it, and then start improving.

But riding a bike - until you can get on the bike and balance and pedal and move, you just fall off. There is no 'step by step'- you are either riding or you arent riding.

Surfing is a bit like this. Until you can catch a wave, pop up and then stay standing up (surfing down the wave), you arent surfing. You can't 'almost pop up', you either do or you dont. You can't sort of catch a wave - you either do or you dont.

You can use 'training wheels', being white water (rather than wave) surfing and this is brillliant and necessary for beginners. But, like with a bike, eventually you have to take the training wheels off and then you either are riding or you are face planted on the road.

Anyway, to get to that initial stage of being able to catch and ride waves, the long board is far more useful - easier to catch waves, stable. The problem with the shortboard is that you may never even get to that basic stage, or it will take you a very long time (its not impossible, by any means, but it will definitely take longer). Plus where you surf, the longboard is just a better board (I suspect a lot of surfers your way use a long board despite being competent). You can progress a long way on a long board - google Alex Knost or check out these guys from 40 years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2MWBqMSwBo and then tell me you cant have fun on a longboard.

At your weight I dont know that you necessarily need a 9ft board, you can probably get an 8ft; but a 9ft isnt a problem.

Your first surfboard is not your last surfboard. Just like your first set of skis are not the skis you are currently using. Thats just the nature of the sport. You may well break a board anyway, thats not uncommon - so picking the board you want to ride in 3 years time may be pointless anyway. You see surfers ripping and carving away and think that will be you in a couple of months - well, in reallity it wont be you for 3 to 4+ years. Just like good skiiers arent the people who started skiing 2 years ago, good surfers have probably been surfing 5 days a week since they were 10.

At the end of the day you can get the board you think you want. You can learn on the ride on the fish but it will be a much longer and more difficult process. And more frustrating. People get frustrated even on longboards, the learning can come slowly. Why not make things easier for yourself? You may think you are saving money by only needing one board, but you are trading off saving money with all the extra time required to learn on that shorter board.

by **jaffa1949** » Tue May 06, 2014 12:59 am

You want to be aggressive in small mushy mid Atlantic east coast surf. Turning and aggressive skills are just that skills not something a board gives you get a longer board have fun get your skill up. You can do anything on a long board if you can do it.
The fish you are looking at is a useless mullet for someone who has little or no skills then combine it with not much wave catching ability and you will struggle you might be nineteen and athletic that's a plus but only somewhat.
Wave count is what gets you surfing better, catching waves easily and early enables you to sharpen those skills we harp on about.
Surfing gives yo skills by experience,everything else is an aid to getting that experience.

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