Takayama In the Pink

[Sjm]

Hi, I'm in the market for a new board and I've seen one of these advertised on the internet, (9'6") No one stocks them where I live and I don't know anyone with one to ask. So.…I'm pretty new to surfing (3 years) like the glide, want to nose ride. I'm 12 stone, 6 feet and fit for my age (48 still play soccer and golf every week). I currently have an old performance longboard with quite a lot of rocker that I spend more time paddling than catching waves, will the Itp be easier to catch? Is it a suitable beginner board ? Many thanks

[waikikikichan]

The In-the-Pink model by Donald Takayama from Hawaiian Pro Designs is a awesome board for advanced noseriders. However, in my opinion, it is one of the worst boards for a beginner. Why ? the big round nose ( looks like a trash can lid ), while good for perching on the nose, tends catch on the wave for beginners. The nose rocker is flat while there's a tail kick, good for noseriding, hard for beginners to control. I see so many new surfers being sold that board. They're told "it's easy to catch waves, because of it's wide nose". Don't believe that.

By the way, if you can't catch waves now on your other 9'0 board, getting another board won't matter. You need 3 things to catch a wave. Power, Position and Timing. Of the 3, Position and Timing is most important.

[Sjm]

Thanks for your advice