progress to what?

[Mohawk918]

Ok so im still a beginner to start off with. Im 6'3 250LBS and have a 9'10 longboard. I can stand up and ride a little but I know im not ready yet to move to a smaller board. BUT, I am looking to see where I go next. Ive read a lot of where most people go next but im a little bigger then most. I eventually want to get to being able to do aerials and hard cuts and the like. Im here in St. Augustine Florida so I need a board to match my waves here of course. So what do yall suggest for me.

[drowningbitbybit]

I eventually want to get to being able to do aerials and hard cuts and the like. Im here in St. Augustine Florida so I need a board to match my waves here of course.

Most average-joe surfers never get to a point where they can do aerials... and big guys will always struggle on small waves like those of Florida to do "tricks". So don't get ahead of yourself, because then you forget to have fun doing what you're doing and it's just an exercise in frustration.

In the long run, at your size and on your waves, I'd recommend sticking with a longboard.

If you do want to go shorter, do it in small increments. Don't think that once you can surf a 9'10 that you can jump down to a shortboard without all the stages in between. Next stop - 9' (but not for a while yet).

[oldmansurfer]

I went from a 9'6 longboard to an 8' funboard and found it difficult to even lay on or paddle initially. It took me a few times to get used to it. You are a little bigger than me (I am 6'2" 210 pounds) so you will likely have more problems going shorter. I don't know much about doing airs but it will be a while before you can even consider that. It takes speed. When you cut out from a wave and are airborn by accident then you can start thinking about it.

[Big H]

You gotta lose weight.....


Keep on the longboard, fitness and skills will develop and weight will drop...physics dictates board suIng as much as skill and at the moment you're in longboard only territory. 40-50lbs is a fair target to start, maybe more if you are really serious about your surfing goals.

[Mohawk918]

You gotta lose weight.....


Keep on the longboard, fitness and skills will develop and weight will drop...physics dictates board suIng as much as skill and at the moment you're in longboard only territory. 40-50lbs is a fair target to start, maybe more if you are really serious about your surfing goals.

Well loosing weight might be out of the question. I'm a power lifter so don't see loosing weight happening.
I know I won't be doing crazy stuff for a good time. And I'm having a blast just being there so I'm in no rush I'm the the type of person who likes to plan way ahead and research the heck out of it. I'm very athletic and surf about 3 times a week right now. I'm just seeing what would be the next step but I feel me moving down to just a 9 foot board would be such a small step. I'm having people here tell me I could go down to a 7'2 fun board but I'm thinking that would be to short.

[Big H]

I'm pretty heavily muscled, 6'!" and big boned and 85kg (187lbs)...been as low recently as 82kg....regular surfers are skinny, especially by US standards and guys who rip hi performance tricks are fit and thin. I'm considered big size here among the surfing community, go into a shop and I get shown the big guy boards......nothing really there for the plus size ripper 60+ beyond my weight....mid size hybrid boards and longboards are pretty much what you're looking at once you get skills......don't want to get into a debate over weight....stateside perceptions of healthy weight are a lot higher than the rest of the world....suffice to say that dropping a couple of pounds would benefit your surfing and probably you as well.

At 250lbs and beginner skill levels you need volume under your feet; you can go shorter and smaller effectively once you get those skills otherwise you're setting yourself up for frustration.

[Mohawk918]

At 250lbs and beginner skill levels you need volume under your feet; you can go shorter and smaller effectively once you get those skills otherwise you're setting yourself up for frustration.

So what skills should I be at before moving on?

[Big H]

Catching 100% of the waves you paddle for....ride down the line front side and backside...be able to do a bottom turn, top turn, cutback, floater....be able to do this in typical to good surf for your spot, not just small days all would be a good start.

Do you know how to drive a car? Do you remember when you first started to learn and there were 1000 things to remember and you just stuck with it until it seemed like more and more things were intuitive? So then you are driving.....and then if you have driven a little more, you start to figure out dynamics of performance driving, when to hit the brakes going into a turn and when to push the accelerator, the optimal line to take thru that turn, and how far you can push your car through a turn and still keep control....and you do that for awhile and then it becomes second nature and you always brake properly and follow the best line.....and then you decide that the car is holding you back because you KNOW that you are squeezing all that you can from the car and still keeping control but when you drove your buddies performance car it was like starting all over again because there was so much untapped performance in that car that your current set of skills wasn't able to handle yet....but you understood what you needed to do and traded your car in for a sporty car and began the refinements of your current technique to accommodate the higher performance ability of the car (board) you were now able to appreciate.

Make sense? You will know when its time. Cheers!

[oldmansurfer]

I wouldn't go for the 7'2" board yet but I guess that's not impossible however I suspect you will enjoy a longer board more. I found this chart on the internet and perhaps it would be of some use to you http://www.surfertoday.com/board-size-chart/surf

[Mohawk918]

I wouldn't go for the 7'2" board yet but I guess that's not impossible however I suspect you will enjoy a longer board more. I found this chart on the internet and perhaps it would be of some use to you http://www.surfertoday.com/board-size-chart/surf

So this says I should be over a 7'8 funboard. That sounds a little better. I will get to the point of skills as was suggested before moving on though.

[Big H]

You can see that chart isn't kind to the 90kg onwards...just lumped all together whether you are 10kg away (100kg) like the other size designations or +25kg over the 90kg chart upper end.

That chart also says for a longboard at intermediate level to be 10' long. That 7'8" fun board measure is more an indication that boards longer than that aren't really considered fun boards anymore, it's longboard territory, and that would be the upper end of the fun board specification, whether 91kg or 191kg.

Anyway, point is to have fun....enjoy your development rather than focusing on where you would like to be one day....the development can be a lot of fun too!

[Tudeo]

Check out a Firewire Addvance 7'6", that has 70l volume thats same as many 9' malibu's.
http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/surfb ... d=addvance

[jaffa1949]

How old are you ? Bluntly that is going to be a factor too! Short is not a viable option at your size and weight!
Longboards. And I suggest 9ft is your smallest size, anything else just qualifies you as flotsam!

Aiming for air, is like an ostrich dreaming of being a falcon, get a really strong basic surfing act together, there is more fun in that than aerials

[oldgrom22]

My suggestion would be a subtle drop to a 9ft longboard with a lot of volume(once you've built the skills necessary for the next step). You're still just starting out and a smaller board won't help in your progression at this point. I say this from personal experience. I'm about the same size as you(6'3 230+) and I started on a 10' longboard and once I started to be able to catch waves and stand, I thought I was ready for a step down. I purchased a 8'6 funboard(longboard outline) and struggled. I'd catch a wave or two each session and got frustrated by my lack of progress so I moved back up to the 10'. Second time around I spent a good 6-7 months solely on the 10' going out 3-4 times a week and progressed going down the line, trimming, making turns/cutbacks and got comfortable going both ways. Moving back to the 8'6 after that was a breeze. Paddling was a bit slower the first session or two, but the extra time on the 10' built my endurance. From there I went to a 8' Superfish and traded up to a 7'2 big guy tri a few months later, which was one of the easiest step downs so far because the volume is about the same for both. By far the most difficult was going from the 10' to the 8'6 so I would agree with the others to not drop down too much too fast. I currently ride a 6'6 Firewire Addvance(48l), so you can definetely get to a short board but I'm mainly concerned with flow and working w/ the wave. Personally for me, aeriels are off the table, at my size I don't think I can even boost airs and If I could I'd be concerned about damaging my board or injuring myself landing wrong(bigger we are, the harder we fall)

If you have some regulars you surf with, maybe you can borrow a smaller board, just to see how you get on. That'll give you a good idea of where you're at and what may or may not work for you.

[Mohawk918]

I've been watching a lot of longboard videos and am really liking it. Yea it would be cool to do aerials but who cares. I'm 30 and the chillness of longboarding is really starting to intrigue me. Ill be surfing this 9'10 Pat Madden board for a while and maybe get something shorter later. I've got a lot to learn and the most important thing really is to just have fun and that's what is happening. I go out about 3 times a week and will be going out today (Christmas eve) and will go out tomorrow afternoon on Christmas.

[yumyumyellow]

As others have said, you'll need to lose A TON of weight if you want to be be able to rip on a "normal" short board in our waves (not to mention, gain the skill ). I am just up the road in Jax. I don't mean to be negative, but weighing more than 180 lbs or so is a real hindrance in our waves on anything but a log. And even on a log, it's still a hindrance especially when nose riding. That said, there are bigger guys that rip on "big guy short boards" or some form of a performance oriented mid length. OR you could always stick with loggin, nothing wrong with that either.

[jaffa1949]

The real problem is the compulsory Tsunami warnings that have to be given when any 200lb+er is going to land an air.
Time to post this again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrf93aLQXBE
If our big guys can surf as a barrel in a barrel who needs airs!

BTW Uncle Jaffa is a 200lber

[Mohawk918]

The real problem is the compulsory Tsunami warnings that have to be given when any 200lb+er is going to land an air.
Time to post this again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrf93aLQXBE
If our big guys can surf as a barrel in a barrel who needs airs!

BTW Uncle Jaffa is a 200lber

If they can do it then so can I. I just need to learn how to catch these bigger waves. I went out today and couldn't catch anything. The one wave I did catch I pearled. How do I learn if the waves are to flat faced for me and my log

[Big H]

If it was big enough to pearl it was big enough to catch.

[Big H]

Keep at it....you have a long way to go.