Looking for some input on first board purchase

[dfinn]

Really have no clue where to start here but I think I'll go enough to justify my own board. Unfortunately living in UT makes it tough but I've got a group of guys here who are into it enough to make occasional long weekend trips to socal and other close by places.

I'm 5'11, 220lbs. I'd be looking for something for general use that's going to be OK in most conditions. A friend got a 7S Superfish and is all about it, the price on that seems fair and the reviews are great. Any reason not to go with one of those? What size would be good for all around use?

[BS720]

You didn't mention your ability, but I have pushed a few people into the Catch Surf Logs, and they love them. Lots of long road trips, things are going to get dinged up. The other thing is, the price is really reasonable.

[dfinn]

Sorry, should have mentioned that. Pretty beginner, averaging about 1 wave per session right now. I'll check out that Surf Log. Also looking at the Firewire Addvance, any thoughts on that? I'm still not totally sure what I'm looking for but I've been looking at higher volume boards to float my heavy ass and hopefully allow me to get into more waves.

[btmacken]

id suggest renting a funboard or the biggest longboard they have to rent for at least a couple of those trips. not a good idea to buy something out of your league and lugging it back and forth to utah. you need to be riding the big logs for most of the session and start turning before even looking into a purchase. take a trip somewhere that has a real surf school that will progress you down to shorter boards. best thing i've done for my surfing. it will be a much less frustrating experience if you nail down getting comfy on a wave on a longboard or funboard. life long sport, plenty of time to buy the cool boards. could always check the craigslist of where you are heading too if you really want to buy.


where in socal?

[Foggy_Goggles]

^^^what they've said. I grew up surfing quite a bit but am relegated to almost back to beginner traveling surfer status. Two things it keep in mind are that 1. when you travel to the waves, you're gonna end up going out in some marginal conditions when the locals stay home. This means a longboard (log) usually (specially in SoCal). 2. Another thing is that you can increase your fitness, wave awareness and fun body surfing. A set of fins and(or not) a hand plane is a great way to just get out. Also works great for airline travel. Dropping in, going down the line and getting covered up with a hand plane needs to be experienced.

Short story, don't waste your money on anything nice. Figure it out. Have fun.

[supermodel159]

http://catchsurf.com/odysea/log.html

7 or 8'

[dfinn]

ok, ok, I get what you guys are saying. I gotta put my time in on a long(er) board before I can move down. They just seem so lame. Shopping for a log now. Are longer boards a pain to fly with?

[Foggy_Goggles]

Dude, don't take this the wrong way...but own your kook-ness. From one kook to another. The only way you get better is by catching waves. You'll catch more waves on a log. Honest question, how many times have you been surfing? I'll let the more experienced comment but I think the only exception would be if you are surfing steep shitty beach breaks where it's hard to paddle a long board through the shore pound.

And yes. Flying with any surfboard more or less sucks. It's reserved for those that are good enough to really need equipment they are in tune with or destinations where renting in difficult.

[Ottime]

How old are you? If you are you get than 22 go find an egg. Otherwise, find a longboard. "Log" usually refers to a older style board. No need for the plank. Any modern longboard will do. If you are younger or a super stud in great paddling/swimming shape, I'd look for an egg. 7'6", 22" wide, 3" thick. Or there abouts. Plenty of glide in those boards an easier to travel with and turn.

NSP also makes a decent plastic blow out board. Not sure how well the Bic ones ride. Nice thing about these is that they are virtually indestructible. Nice for 8 hour drives to the water. Fiberglass dings easily.


Looking on CL is a goo idea.

[dfinn]

I'm old, not in great surfing shape and have probably been less than 10 times. I'll own and embrace my gaper'ness. Probably going to pick up a Log once they become available again but also cruising SD craigslist. Just booked a week at the San Mateo campground the week after next, psyched to park myself there and be hanging around San O for 5 or 6 days trying to figure this out.

[ate'em]

dfinn there are a couple great spots to rent boards or buy used on calle de molinas in san clemente, right off the pico exit. you can play around with different size/shape a bit. also could buy a used board there, huge selection.

I would definitely try out a bunch of boards, to see what actually works for you. remember too that if you have decent size waves, smaller boards work deceptively well. but then when its waist high, it will be impossible for you to catch anything. I ride a shortboard myself, but it is so true that more waves=more fun, especially when you're learning.

Paddle till your arms are going to fall off. Do a lot of pushups in prep, that is where your arms will fail you first, trying to standup after gassing yourself paddling for a wave. Above all, have fun, and respect.

[Ottime]

^^^^what he said


wide = stable

wide tails = more glide/ paddle power

[ill-advised strategy]

I'm a permanent beginner, limited by fitness and geography. I like my 12' softop.

I don't care if it makes me a kook. I'm old and fat, I like catching waves easily and early, I like catching tiny waves and getting rides when nobody else is even bothering, I like walking to the nose and back on a very stable platform, I like fast paddling speed, I like to be able to knee paddle for a mile sideshore, and I like not having to scour a poly board for little dings after every session.

I don't need or want to look cool. I'm never going to shred. I just like paddling and riding little waves and it works very well for those things.

[Ottime]

didn't know a 12' softie existed. I would have suggested a Costco softie, but they are only 8'6" and have a super soft flex.

Surfed on my 7.6 egg today for many of the reason you listed above. Also enjoy my '64 9'3" Rick (with only a few inches of rocker and 35# of momentum) for those same reasons.

OP - do you know how to assess a used boards condition? That might be just as important in selecting one for purchase. If you are not familiar with this, I am sure we can offer advice. Such as look for delaminated fiberglass, or yellow spots, or poorly done repairs...

And I might still suggest a CostCo WaveRunner as they only cost $90. Or maybe the fish they sell, as it is only $65. Shitty boards for sure, but you can beat the fuck out of them, have fun on them, and always have one around - such as if you show up at the beach for a few days and on your first night want to go out for a sunset session and don't have time to stop in at a shop and pick up a rental.

[ill-advised strategy]

hit a rock today and pulled the center fin. Ended up surfing for another 2 hours with just the side bites....holy shit it gets a lot faster and looser with no center fin.

[BS720]

WaveRunner works great if you <180#. It's actually pretty low profile from a volume standpoint. I can catch waves on one, but the Log in 8'0" will bottom line net you more waves due to sheer volume.

[VanessaJan]

Let me know for 5'6 girl whats the best first board

[VanessaJan]

Have you guys gone to lessons or should I just learn on my own and from my own mistakes

[media310]

craigslist in so cal will be your best friend. Amazing how many people want to become surfers, all it takes is buying a board. Well that and learning how the ocean works.

[media310]

Have you guys gone to lessons or should I just learn on my own and from my own mistakes

unless you are trolling...

Seriously anyone can learn to surf on a longboard in under an hour. If you can't find another sport to take up. Usually it happens on the first wave, practice getting up "fluidly" ha and then take it to the water. Soft tops are best for learning. I would say learning to surf is 1000 times easier then skiing, snowboarding is probably a little bit harder then learning to surf, still much easier then skiing.

[Ski to Be]

@ Vanessa. Absolutely take lessons. Your learning curve will be faster. I didn't and wish I did as I picked up some bad habits to unlearn. At the original poster. I would just rent a board till you can bottom turn and know what you like and where you will be surfing mostly. If you really like it you will end up with a quiver for different waves. But start long and get your wave count up . You won't really know how a board paddles and surfs until you catch some waves on it regardless of what people tell you. When you are out with friends I would borrow a few boards to get a feel for what you like and don't like. All good advice below. You will be a kook for a long time unless you surf daily. It takes much longer to get good at surfing than any sport I have tried.

[wendigo]

Speaking of kook boards. Anyone have time on a catch surf skipper?

[ill-advised strategy]

I originally got a board that was way too short and spent so much time paddling. I didn't have an adequate wetsuit, not the right board....paddled and paddled and paddled and never caught any waves for probably 20 sessions. I was pretty much on my own, doing this in Washington without much guidance. I figured I just needed to get stronger so I could paddle faster. Then I eventually figured "hey, I'm not catching waves but I'm really enjoying coming out here and paddling. I can paddle way out here and sit on the board and it's beautiful. Even if I don't ever ride waves I'm still going to do this." It was pretty close to within a few days of having that sentiment that I felt a sense of permanence--like that this was going to be part of my life so I can invest in better gear. So I went and got a better wetsuit, and part of that was talking with a few surfers at the shop and then eventually getting a cheap beat-up longboard.

By then I was getting pretty strong from paddling that shortboard and I was used to being cold from being out there in 45 degree water in that threadbare old socal 3/2. So when I got out there on a 10 foot log in a real wetsuit I was pretty much good to go for like 6 hours of riding waves and paddling around exploring. I'd surf some, watch other people surf or watch youtube, then go have a little talk with my friend at the shop and gather a little more wisdom or something to try. A lot of what we talked about was etiquette, body language, traffic flow in the water...so as I was starting to ride waves I could be in the lineup without causing problems for good surfers. Eventually I learned the oceanography well enough to be there at the right times pretty consistently and I'd see the same old guys there every time. I got to know them a little and learned more from them.

I could have probably bypassed all that floundering probably, but extending the process and having to work harder for it, and think and contemplate the whole thing so much over a longer time has proven really valuable to me in the long run. Frankly, I'm never going to be a very good surfer, but I really love just being out there and I'd like to think that even if I'm out there on a giant wave-hog of a board that I conduct myself properly and I'm easy to surf around. And actually, part of why having a board that does so well in tiny surf or gets you into waves so early is that you can go ride waves when it's tiny and uncrowded. Or you can go to a closeout section when it's busy elsewhere and get in early and kick out before it closes. Or you can let the shortboarders take the set waves while you grab smaller/weirder ones in between. A lot of what I like about the huge board is those options.

So I would say screw the lessons, just put the time in and take a thoughtful approach...try to stay out of the way while you're floundering. I think you'll know pretty quickly if you like being out there in the water and if it's for you. Then you can get nicer stuff and start building skill sets. I don't think it's the sort of thing that you can just pop into and surf for a few days and then forget about it for a year and then go out and surf for a few more days. It's good to make a commitment and keep at it.

[soylent green]

dfinn, I just got back from six months living next to SanO. I dropped off a used Infinity 10.0 at Used Surf on Las Molinas in San Clemente. If it is still there don't pay more than $350 for it. It was the perfect board to learn on at Old Man's. I learned much quicker when I ditched the soft top. Don't buy a soft top to learn on. Longboards and Old Man's will be the most bang for your buck at your current skill level. Go buy my old board and sell it back when you are done. I'm already missing SanO so bad!

[Ottime]

^^^^living next to SanO? In a tent? Are you irradiated yet?

What Yeti said. It does take commitment. SheRa has a thread on here, I think about San Diego. Lots of good advice on the learning curve there as well.

Only correction I have for Yeti - You are a good surfer. You are doing it all right. Maybe you are not a ripper, but IMHO, what makes you a good surfer is being out there and enjoying the luxury of a life that has led you to the water. Being a part of the ocean, bobbing up and down, watching whales and porpoises cruise by, with a view of the landscape, is one of my favorite parts of this entire experience. The surfing is just for extra credit.