What next!?

[Mk2James]

Ok so ive been surfing for a good few weeks and just been using a cheap 7ft soft top board. Dont get me wrong, its done me really well with introducing me into surfing and getting my basics down and i will continue to use it for a little longer to refine my technique.

What im asking is, what board should i get next? I know of all the different types of board (i think). I live in the north east of england so the waves are not huge (some days 2-3ft some up to 5-6ft so i kind of want something that i can use when its big and small but i dont really want to go any bigger than 7ft (just under 7ft maybe?) What style of board would you suggest i look into?

Thanks, James.

[jaffa1949]

The question we ask of everybody that asks this question and it is asked a lot.
IS
How tall are you and what do you weigh?
The we tailor lots of advice which is in surfboard advice.
We question you further to see exactly how far you have gone with your progress.

Are you riding across the wave yet?
Can you turn on the face? and questions like that.
Some people have the time and the aptitude to persist and learn on a short board others need to longer,longer!
Another thing to consider is, how often will you surf

There is also a section called surfing lessons for all it too may be of use to you!

[Mk2James]

I cant remember exactly my weight and size but im no bigger than 6ft, 5.7 - 5.8 maybe and i don't weight more than 11.5 stone (160 pounds) (probably lighter)

I surf at least once a week and more when I get time off work
I am riding across the waves yeah and can turn on the face( still a little new to it but picking it up pretty well!)

Thanks, James.

[dtc]

What everyone at your level needs is to catch and ride as many waves as possible, not to spend time bobbing around imagining making snap top turns and cutbacks. That will come, but only after a lot (an awful lot) of surfing time. So buy the board that (within your self imposed limitations) means you catch as many waves as possible.

The best board for this, and the usual advice, is to go for a longboard, but if you are determined not to go much over 7ft then I would recommend a mini mal thats 7ft. There are plenty around - the wider nose and thicker/wider board, flat rocker etc is what you need - easier paddling/wave catching/stability. A minimal wont work on head high+ waves (ie 8ft faces) but is perfect for anything up to 6ft faces. Epoxy or PU, it probably doesnt matter too much. Second hand is fine. Another option is a large fish, like a 7S Superfish. But stay at 7ft or longer, stay wide (21 inches+), stay thick (2 5/8+ probably, if not thicker)

Dont go too small, too thin, too much rocker. Sure those boards have higher performance, but they require a higher skill threshold just to be used in the first place. If the rider doesnt have the skills to use them, its just hours of struggling instead of hours of surfing.

Here is my skiing analogy: imagine the surfboard is like the mountain. When you start off, you want to go the green and blue runs. Sure there are limitations on what you can do on those runs, but its more important to get the skills than to ski somewhere with the potential to do amazing things, which you can't do, and you can still ski at a high level on these runs. The green and blue runs are the long boards and mini mals. If you went straight to a double black run, where all the experts are doing jumps and powder turns and what not, as a beginner you arent going to be doing what they are doing. Rather you will actually be struggling and not having fun and not really skiing at all. The black runs are the 'shortboards' (from a beginner's perspective).

Start off with a good board suited to learning and advancing. In maybe 12 months or longer, you will want - as all surfers do - to get a new board. Even if you dont need one, you will want one. Its part of surfing. At that time you will know what works for you and what doesnt, what you like doing and so forth. Then you get your second board, which might be more of a shorter board, narrower nose etc. The you get your third, and 4th and 15th....