The general recommendation is to start 3ft over your head - so around 9ft for you. Maybe 2 ft if you want to push it. Volume isnt everything, in fact its not really that important to a beginner once you have 'enough' (which for your level is probably more than 50L). The more length and width a board has the more stable it is, the more margin for error it has (positioning, timing, foot placement, pop up speed, positioning on the wave).You will make all sorts of mistakes when you are starting out, what you want is a board that doesnt punish you for those mistakes, or at least only if you make big mistakes. The shorter and narrower the board, the less margin for error you have. Volume helps you catch a wave and can help you maintain speed on the face, but it doesnt help you to stand up, get your feet right, balance etc etc.
as an aside - for learners this is probably the best volume calculator
http://surfsimply.com/surf-coaching/vol ... ht-ratios/ and suggests a 60L board for you (I've made you a 'level 2' surfer - which you probably arent quite, but near enough)
The main downsides to a larger board is that you need to get quickly up to speed on how to handle the board in the water - its large and heavy. Its harder to control a 9ft than a 7'6; but not by a huge amount. However it is much harder to surf a 7'6 than a 9ft board. Oh, of course the other downside of a 9ft is transporting it, so if transporting a longer board really is an issue - then you have to accept what you can transport
While you are planning to surf 6 weeks a year, I presume that is going to be intermittent ie 2 weeks surfing then 10 weeks away then a week surfing etc. So say after your first week you hit level A and after your second week you manage to get to B. After 10 weeks off, when you start again you will probably be much closer to level A than level B - you wont progress in a straight line. Dont get too far ahead of yourself - you will certainly be able to surf a shorter/7ftish board confidently within maybe 2 years, but not immediately. An easy to surf board will do wonders over a harder to surf board, particularly when you have big breaks between surfs. If you were surfing 3 times a week things would be different
As an aside, if you dont keep as surf fit as possible during your breaks eg swimming, maybe weights, yoga, running etc - you will discover that your 2 week surf trip becomes a 3 day trip, one day of flailing around for an hour, a day or two of rest/exhaustion. So that 2 week surf trip becomes 9 days of surfing...
So I would suggest you get a 9ft board, or at least 8ft+. I know they seem huge on land, but once you are in the water that length disappears and you are grateful for what it offers. The 7'6 mod fun is also pretty narrow for a beginner board (21 1/2) - you will appreciate an extra 1/2 or 1 inch more than you think. The Torq 8'6 longboard would be a fine choice, or the 9ft. Nice low rocker, I like the squash thumb tail for your level (personally - others may not), nice and wide (22 1/2)
if you absolutely have your heart set on a 7'6 - sure, the Torq mod fun is not a bad choice for a 7'6 board for a beginner.
Hope that helps. To quote the surf simply link above
A board that is too small will paddle slow, catch waves late, bog down in turns, and generally make your surfing look terrible. A board that is too big on the other hand, has only one downside; if you’re technique is poor, you can’t cheat and try to torque the board round with your upper body.
