Golden Rule for beginners: The bigger the better. Ok, so you have done a few lessons rented a board a few times and now your love for surfing has really grown. You are in the market for picking out a new board.
Which surf board suit me?
Our advice for beginners is always the bigger the better.
We are talking of a longboard around 8’ or longer, preferably “soft top”, for two reasons:
- The soft top makes it a lot more buoyant for finding your balance and adjusting your pop ups;
- Supplementing your paddling skills. Believe in the magic of the soft tops for making it easier to paddle fast enough to catch that curling wave.
If you have already rented a couple of times, you probably already know that you always have to always check out the board first for any dents or imperfections, because a smooth surface is a sweat ride.
If you are thinking: “A NEW BOARD! that man will cost way too much!”, you should also be aware that there is always the option of second hand boards and most local surf or skate shops have class oldies kicking round for prices much more in the surf and chill bracket.
The longer you surf for, the more confortable you’ll get with your board. People think that the higher your skill level goes up, the more you will edge towards a smaller short or Malibu board, but it really depends on what kind of wave your in the market for.
Our advice is that if you want to keep catching those smalls or even bigger waves, doing a bit of dancing on and chill fun on the board you should look at staying with your long, possibly just moving from soft top to resin ones.
If some strong curve, fast trick and one day some barrell action is in your expectations, a smaller sharper board is definitely more suited for you. There are 3 variable you need to keep always in mind when choosing the right board. Height / weight and own surfing ability. Once these bad boys are taken into consideration you just need to choose the best board for your personal taste. May it be bright purple or charcoal black.
PS: If you are going to be surfing on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to build yourself a quiver of different boards of all shapes and sizes, so that you can be out in the water everyday.