What size surfboard should I use to learn to surf?
The easy answer is: The larger the board, the easier it is to paddle, catch a wave, stand up on, and ride a wave in. My answer is really determined by these 3 or 4 questions… How much do you weigh? Do you have an idea what you want to be riding once you have become proficient at surfing? How many days a week / month will you have to use the board and progress? How do you feel about soft surfboards vs. composite or fiberglass boards?
Weight: If this is the only information I have, I generally recommend a 6 to 7’ log softboard for riders under 75 lbs., a 7’ to 8’ log for riders up to 150 lbs., and I like to see riders starting out with atleast an 8’ board if you’re over 150lbs.
This is how I typically breakdown the board size for our rental boards, but this scale should be adjusted for someone purchasing a board that has more time to learn the sport /board, and may have longer term ideas of what she or he wants to be riding. For instance, if a beginner were to answer question #2 with, “it’s my dream to surf as many days as possible, enjoy the glide of a board, maybe even hang 5 or 10 one day”…. Straight to the longboards, and I’m confident you will learn quickly with a very steep learning curve.
If the customer says, “I don’t mind not surfing often, I have great balance, and all I want to do is rip, maneuverability is key for me”, well, you should still start with a log (preferably as soft board), but I’m going to recommend you shift down a size, so that when you do finally master the board, you are already 1 step closer to your short board or fish you desire, and ripping the swell up when it does show. I was this customer, and at 12 years old and probably 90lbs., a local surf shop sold me a 5’3” fiberglass performance board that I never learned on… I wasted 2 years with this board and regret purchasing from someone who was either ignorant, or just wanted to get that board out of his shop… either way, I don’t want my customers to ever feel that way about me.
If the customer says, “I haven’t thought about it, and don’t know what direction I’d like to take my surfing” or, “we are just getting this to goof around with and will probably never progress past this board”…. I will refer this customer to my above, rental board / weight breakdown… This gives the customer the best chance for success w/o spending more than they need (longboard), and maybe, just maybe, this customer will get hooked, and I can turn this goof around novice into a true surfer.
Ok, question #3, how many days a week or month will you surf… this generally only pertains to the customer that wants to push down to a smaller board to get on that maneuverable shortboard. The less time you have, (weekend warrior) the bigger the board I’m going to recommend. You need as many days with your feet on the board (sitting on your butt doesn’t count) as possible to progress. If you’re sitting on the beach all summer waiting, by all means, start with the smaller board and pick your days, but if you can only surf weekends, you will need a bigger board to get days on the board.
Soft boards (logs) vs Fiberglass boards (fun shapes or longboards)… 10 years ago, almost all surfers would turn their nose up at a soft board or Styrofoam board… they were basically junk… but today, softboards probably make up close to 50% of the boards in our waters here at OIB. Softboards have wood or fiberglass stringers and the materials are so much better than they were just 10 years back. Our softboards have so much more volume than a fiberglass, they are generally more durable (hard to ding), they are less likely to send you to the hospital if were to get struck by your board, and they are usually at least 20% less than a fiberglass board of similar size. We currently sell 4 to 5 softboards for every fiberglass board.
Fiberglass boards… When would I recommend a fiberglass board over a softboard for a beginner? The only time I would recommend a beginner start on a fiberglass board…. Would be, if that beginner were responsible (felt like they would not destroy the board the first day), they did not like softboards for some reason, and that beginner were in the group that wanted to ride a longboard… I can’t think of a situation that I would ever recommend a beginner that was goofing around, or wanted to graduate to a short board, start his surfing experience on a fiberglass board… Possibly if we had a great deal on a used funshape and thas was all that feel inside their budget… I’d still cringe watching it go out the door.
I hope this has been helpful, and if any questions… Please hit me up…
The easy answer is: The larger the board, the easier it is to paddle, catch a wave, stand up on, and ride a wave in. My answer is really determined by these 3 or 4 questions… How much do you weigh? Do you have an idea what you want to be riding once you have become proficient at surfing? How many days a week / month will you have to use the board and progress? How do you feel about soft surfboards vs. composite or fiberglass boards?
Weight: If this is the only information I have, I generally recommend a 6 to 7’ log softboard for riders under 75 lbs., a 7’ to 8’ log for riders up to 150 lbs., and I like to see riders starting out with atleast an 8’ board if you’re over 150lbs.
This is how I typically breakdown the board size for our rental boards, but this scale should be adjusted for someone purchasing a board that has more time to learn the sport /board, and may have longer term ideas of what she or he wants to be riding. For instance, if a beginner were to answer question #2 with, “it’s my dream to surf as many days as possible, enjoy the glide of a board, maybe even hang 5 or 10 one day”…. Straight to the longboards, and I’m confident you will learn quickly with a very steep learning curve.
If the customer says, “I don’t mind not surfing often, I have great balance, and all I want to do is rip, maneuverability is key for me”, well, you should still start with a log (preferably as soft board), but I’m going to recommend you shift down a size, so that when you do finally master the board, you are already 1 step closer to your short board or fish you desire, and ripping the swell up when it does show. I was this customer, and at 12 years old and probably 90lbs., a local surf shop sold me a 5’3” fiberglass performance board that I never learned on… I wasted 2 years with this board and regret purchasing from someone who was either ignorant, or just wanted to get that board out of his shop… either way, I don’t want my customers to ever feel that way about me.
If the customer says, “I haven’t thought about it, and don’t know what direction I’d like to take my surfing” or, “we are just getting this to goof around with and will probably never progress past this board”…. I will refer this customer to my above, rental board / weight breakdown… This gives the customer the best chance for success w/o spending more than they need (longboard), and maybe, just maybe, this customer will get hooked, and I can turn this goof around novice into a true surfer.
Ok, question #3, how many days a week or month will you surf… this generally only pertains to the customer that wants to push down to a smaller board to get on that maneuverable shortboard. The less time you have, (weekend warrior) the bigger the board I’m going to recommend. You need as many days with your feet on the board (sitting on your butt doesn’t count) as possible to progress. If you’re sitting on the beach all summer waiting, by all means, start with the smaller board and pick your days, but if you can only surf weekends, you will need a bigger board to get days on the board.
Soft boards (logs) vs Fiberglass boards (fun shapes or longboards)… 10 years ago, almost all surfers would turn their nose up at a soft board or Styrofoam board… they were basically junk… but today, softboards probably make up close to 50% of the boards in our waters here at OIB. Softboards have wood or fiberglass stringers and the materials are so much better than they were just 10 years back. Our softboards have so much more volume than a fiberglass, they are generally more durable (hard to ding), they are less likely to send you to the hospital if were to get struck by your board, and they are usually at least 20% less than a fiberglass board of similar size. We currently sell 4 to 5 softboards for every fiberglass board.
Fiberglass boards… When would I recommend a fiberglass board over a softboard for a beginner? The only time I would recommend a beginner start on a fiberglass board…. Would be, if that beginner were responsible (felt like they would not destroy the board the first day), they did not like softboards for some reason, and that beginner were in the group that wanted to ride a longboard… I can’t think of a situation that I would ever recommend a beginner that was goofing around, or wanted to graduate to a short board, start his surfing experience on a fiberglass board… Possibly if we had a great deal on a used funshape and thas was all that feel inside their budget… I’d still cringe watching it go out the door.
I hope this has been helpful, and if any questions… Please hit me up…