So, you’ve had a few surf lessons and you’ve caught the bug, you'll soon realise that there are just so many options from sizes and shapes to brands and price brackets. Without any guidance it can be overwhelming and you could end up buying an overpriced board that is completely wrong for you. So this below is Wave Riders surf school's ultimate guide to choosing the right board for you. But just before we get into that there's a few things to consider when finding a surfboard that will suit you...
Wave Size & Type
The type of wave you ride regularly has a lot to do with what board you should be riding. Make sure you understand what kind of conditions you’re going to be heading out on. If you’re just looking to cruise around on some ankle-biters, you’ll make different decisions for board choice than if you’re trying surf larger heavier waves.
(Above- Seth Woolley co-owner of Wave riders surf school riding Newquay's big wave spot Cribbar)
Ability Level
If your new to surfing you will need a larger more buoyant board as wewill discuss later on in this blog. If your more experienced the board size will be dropped as maneuverability increases (generally). Our tip here would to be to assess your own ability and not skip down to a smaller board if your not ready for it, surfing progression doesn't come too easy but it is a whole lot harder when your not on the correct equipment.
Fitness
Surfing is probably one of the most physical outdoor sports you can participate in and board design can help or hinder your ability to move around in the water. If you feel you may lack some in water fitness or paddle power it would be a wise decision to get a slightly ticker and more buoyant board rather then smaller one that wont carry your weight. This will allow you to paddle faster and therefore you should be able to catch more waves.
Generally speaking longer, more voluminous boards are easier to paddle, but can be tough to get past whitewater.
Now we have gone through a few things to consider before looking and choosing the board for you we can move onto different board types. Below we will look at foam boards, minimals/funboards and shortboards...
FOAM BOARDS
Foam boards are a perfect entry level board and the composition of the foam body and flexi plastic fins make it a lot safer than fiberglass or epoxy surfboards. Foamies are also usually wider and thicker than hardboards which give them maximum stability and float to get you up and riding nice and quick which is exactly what your after when your learning ang getting to grips with standing up.
We would recommend staying on a foam board until you have perfected your pop up and wave catching technique. A foam board will always be a little more forgiving when catching waves and paddling which is perfect to help master the basics.
(Above- A begginner surfing lesson with Wave riders surf school Newquay)
The size of the foamie needed will depend on your weight and ability, below is a basic guide based on a beginner that has had a few lessons and is getting the hang of it:
9ft foamie- Good for larger, heavier adults and people who need more stability usually down to flexibility/balance issues, these boards give you plenty of stability and time to get to your feet.
8ft foamie - The most common size foamie there is and unless your really small or quite big an 8ft foamie does the job.
7’ft 6 foamie- Good for teens or small adults
7ft foamie- Good for children
(Above- A begginner surfing lesson with Wave riders surf school Newquay)
Here at Wave riders surf school we have a large selection of foam boards going from 7ft and up, so if your thinking of having a lesson one of our experienced instructors will be sure in sizing you up to a board that will make learning to surf the best experience possible.
If your want to learn to surf then check out our surf lesson options here.
MINIMALS
Minimals are an ideal option from moving down to from a foamie. They provide more maneuverability and will therefore open you up to a the next part of surfing. One thing we would say at Wave riders surf school is that its still important to ensure the board is large enough to suit your weight and surfing ability. For example if you've just moved down from an 8ft foamie don't go and choose a really cool looking expensive 7ft minimal/egg surfboard. We would direct you towards a minimal around 8ft as although they may be the same length as a foamie they will surf very different and have greater movement and speed. It's important that aswell as you mastering the pop up technique that you also have full control of a foamy before moving on to a hard minimal surfboard. If you feel you are almost there but need a little push then contact us and we can get you a 1:1 surf lesson or advanced surf lesson booked.
SHORTBOARDS
Shortboards are in our opinion are the highest performing surfboards on the market. On the world surfing tour the top 50 surfers in the world all rid shortboards. Shortboards are highly manoverable, very small and faster. We would recommend only buying a shortboard when you are fully competant on a minimal. Riding a shortboard opens you up to surfing much hollower and generally better waves and is the prefered surfboard choice for most surfers seeking the illusive barrel!
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