Too soon for a short board?

So I've been surfing several times a week for about a month. I've been using a 9' longboard that I bought. My boss just brought his 7' shortboard into the office (5 minute walk from the office to the beach) and said that I can use it whenever I want.

I can pop up pretty consistently, and I've been catching open-faced waves occasionally. I'm still falling for various reasons about half the time I get up. I do think that being able to duck dive would make getting out a lot easier. I've been riding mostly 2'-4' waves.

If it matters for this discussion, I'm a pretty average sized guy (5'10", 165lbs) and my boss is a good bit bigger, so I think his board might be pretty big for me? But it seems like this would make it more stable, and probably a better transition.

So, is it too soon to try out the short board? Should I approach it any differently than on the longboard?

Never too soon to short board. I learned on a short board - of course, I was 13.

I surf primarily on a 6'3" chip at 5'9" and 190#. So, yeah, a 7 foot board is big unless you are in double over head plus surf. OTOH, the board will provide a little extra stability.

Think of a long board as an ole school Caddy and your short board as a sports car. It will be more responsive - both a good thing and hard to handle thing.

Where do you surf? That would make a difference on what board to learn on.

...just my two cents (disclaimer, i'm a kook)

i recently picked up a 7'-6" egg (had been on a 9' log for the past three years) ....i know, i know, it ain't a short board, but its certainly shorter than what I've been on.
On days when the waves are 4' and mushy its just as easy to catch waves on the egg than the longboard, but sometimes when theres an offshore and the take offs are a little steeper and faster, i can't get up on the egg as soon as the longboard so I go over the falls more often.

Surfing a board with a truster fin set up is really fun though, very different than the lazy arcing turns on my single-fin longboard. Got me looking forward to trying an actual shortboard later this summer.

I would imagine you just need to be prepared for later take offs with the shortboard, you'll probably find yourself paddling harder to get on the wave, and you won't be able to just cruise like you can on the log, you'll need to start figuring out how to pump the board to get speed.

Pump a board for speed? I see a lot of people pumping for speed because they are totally in the wrong part of the wave. Beware for that. There's a difference between the wave being totally gutless and you screwing up the wave by being in the wrong spot.

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Originally Posted by SaSSafraS_LTK

So, is it too soon to try out the short board? Should I approach it any differently than on the longboard?

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Nevah too soon to get da fuck outta da watah KOOK

I'm going to go against flow of recommendations so far, stick with the longboard and learn to actually ride waves, go down the line, make sections. You'll learn more about riding waves faster because you'll actually be able to do it. Once you're getting up every time, and cruising down the line, every time. Then get on a short board.

Second that. I jumped onto a shorter transition board and it slowed things down pretty badly. Learn all the things mentioned above, then go short. It will smooth out your turns for later, and you will progress much faster.

So I took the short board out a few days ago, and I am gonna agree with the last two posters. It wasn't really helping me any. I couldn't catch as many waves with it, and when I did it really wasn't behaving that much differently. I think that I'll stick with the long board for the near future, and just get out as much as I can.

And Vince...87 posts of nothing but hate? You might want to consider some counseling or something.

Stop surfing now before its too late. You'll become so conflicted with your skiing, time, money, where to go on trips, where to live, you won't know what the hell to do.

Nice that you figured out to stick with the longboard. Hang with that a few more months till you figure out the waves better and are catching and riding down the line more. You can always go fool around on your bosses board when you feel like a change or to see how you are progressing.

My second board was an egg or disk type board. Definitely the best purchase I ever made for a second board after switching from a mal. Eggs are shorter, 6'-7' but thick throughout and low on the rocker, and thruster setup on the bottom. The best transitioning boards IMO from long to short. Lots of volume for catching waves and very forgiving in nature with most of the feel of a shortboard. Lots of people use them , well should, in the summer when waves are small and mushy and super small disks are becoming popular among the ranks.

Google Miller Waterskate for more info of an example. This was my second board.

And whatever you do, SURF LOTS. Be super persistent with it. Years from now you will be taking your first trip to Indo, which I'm actually finishing up today, and claiming it to be the best destination ever. The others probably didn't want me to reveal that but secrets already out anyway.