Beginners often have a predilection for which board they want to ride or are influenced by what everyone tells them. If the surfers are young they will generally tend toward the short board because that is what their peers are riding.
Once into your twenties and beyond the board selection should balance how you want to ride with your physical capabilities. Once you begin, you will see that paddling, standing up, and riding, create experiences you had never imagined.
Give yourself a little time to experience a high volume beginner board before you make a final determination on which arena you plan to enter.
The Soft Top Boards for Beginners
The soft top boards that are generally 8’ long are
great beginner boards if you are under 180 pounds. They are thick, wide, and mostly flat to make them easy to paddle, easy to catch waves, and easy to ride. They are designed to function with minimum wave energy near shore. I now use 9’ boards more often for instruction.
Once you learn how to stand up and ride waves near shore in the foam, these boards will go outside. I stayed with mine for months as I increased my paddling stamina, learned to carve and take waves at an angle and rode waves that were 5’ plus.
My neighbor started on a soft top board and jumped too quickly to short board. Now he started over again on a soft top board and is having the time of his life riding every big wave Mother Nature offers at Oceanside. You should only drop down is board size about 6” at a time and maintain the thickness and width of the longer boards.
Beginning instruction classes use soft top boards because they can get propelled by waves at the end of their energy curve. When waves have broken and turned to foam, they are on their way to dying on the beach. The foam that reaches close to shore would not propel advanced surf boards. Beginners who buy the board they want to eventually own, unless it is a long board, and try to learn in the foam are quickly disappointed with the difficulty of catching a ride.
Learning to surf is easier if you follow the lead of those who understand the process. Beginners belong on high volume boards. The advantage of the soft top over the fiberglass or epoxy long board is that they are not as likely to hurt you if they hit you. They also cost less and make the initial entry into the sport more affordable.
The soft tops make learning the sport much easier. Many people get up on their first ride. My younger daughter, at 18, tried surfing with her high school friends on their short boards out where the waves were breaking. She could not do it. When I started her on a soft top board riding in the foam, she popped up on the first wave. She rode about 25 waves in two days.
An instructor can only do so much. You personally have to battle the surf and take the tumbles. After you have been in the water a few times you will probably decide if this is a sport for you.
The beginning surfer might have a few realizations. They might say this is more difficult than I thought it would be. I never realized how thrashed one can get trying to fight the surf. I am not in condition for this. Or this is the challenge I want to conquer. This is the sport for me.
Starting on a smaller board or “short” board is a mistake, because the skill needed to catch and ride a wave is too great for a beginner. They are also harder to paddle. Their lack of volume causes them to sink below the water surface creating a great deal of resistance.
Their small volume requires vigorous paddling to create the speed to catch a wave. Their small volume will not allow them to be propelled by foam. They are very unstable for a beginner to stand up on. Their design often requires that a rail be edged in the pocket of the wave for stability which is not possible in foam.
A long board of fiberglass, epoxy, or polystyrene which is a board over 8’6” is a good beginner board because it has volume. It has the disadvantages of being expensive, hard surfaced if it hits you, and more likely to pearl in the waves close to shore.
High Performance Short Board
The dimensions of boards are basically what gives them their riding and performance dynamics. The shorter the board and thinner the rails, the more maneuverable it will be. There is a great trend right now to the 5’7” to 5’9” boards by amateurs and professionals alike.
These boards are optimum for ripping and shredding. They can be manipulated to go fast and make radical bottom turns, rip the lip and get aerials. The high performance short board is usually under 6’10”, is 18” to 19 ½” wide, and 2” to 2 ½” thick.
Hybrid Short Board
The hybrid board has most of the dimensions of the high performance short board but will be altered a little to make the ride more stable. Many surfers who want to rip and shred want easier paddling or a more stable pop up and ride.
By making the board a little wider such as 20” to 22” and thicker such as 2 ½” to 2 ¾” the board becomes easier to paddle, easier to catch waves, and easier to pop up and ride.
These are usually custom boards tailored to the rider’s specific capabilities and desires.
The older (over 30) surfers often want the speed and maneuverability of the high performance short board but an easier time paddling. Once you enter the work force, you might not have the time to keep up on your paddling strength and stamina.
Mini Long Board (fun board)
These boards offer some great opportunities to enjoy the short board experience with some of the long board characteristics. They are generally about 7’6” in length 21” wide and 2 5/8” to 2 ¾” thick. They are easier to paddle than a short board and more maneuverable than the long board.
They are a good transition board to short boarding from the soft tops or long boards. They are a good compromise if a surfers conditioning and skills are not quite up to short boarding.
Long Board
Not to take anything away from long boarders, but compared to short boards, they make surfing easier and therefore more fun for the proponents. The boards are generally longer than 8’6” and wider than 21” and at least 2 ¾” thick.
The long board can catch the wave before any other board other than a stand up paddle board. They have volume and weight that allows them to be pushed by the smallest wave energy. Catching a wave early allows a more leisurely pop up. Standing up while the wave is still small allows quick stability and early maneuvering.
The board is also easier to ride in collapsing foam waves as the size allows a more controlled drop. The disadvantage is that in big wave days or rough seas, the board’s volume makes it more difficult to paddle through waves and drop down steep faces. The boards do not have the quick maneuverability of the short board and require more movement up and down the board for speed and carving.
Soft Top Styrofoam Boards
These boards come in various lengths from 6’ to 9’. They are generally at least 22” wide and 3” thick. They are easier to paddle because they float on top of the water. They are easier to pop up and ride on because the width keeps them more stable.
The beginner will not think they are easy to paddle because their muscles are not used to the tremendous demands of paddling. Once they are in shape and jump to a small board, they will realize how easy to paddle was the soft top.
The disadvantages are the same as long boards in that they are difficult in rough waves and do not maneuver like a short board.
Paddling and the Board You Choose
The relationship you develop between paddling, wave riding, and stamina may determine the type of board you like. When I started with my soft top board the paddling was a great effort. As I developed stamina and muscles, it became easier. I didn’t realize how easy the soft top board was until I got on thinner boards and then got back on the soft top.
Later when I had been on my two short board hybrids for months and then got on thinner and narrower high performance boards, I realized how easy to paddle were the hybrids by comparison.
The difference is noticed when you want to paddle for waves or move to a different break. A difficult to paddle board makes you feel like you are in a dream where you are paddling and nothing is happening.
When hybrids or long boards are at 2 3/4 “ to over 3 “ thick and your weight is at 160 to 230 pounds, the paddling is extremely easy. At over 3 inches thick and with a lot of volume, a board can glide across the water on calm days with great efficiency.
I learned I could catch a third more waves with a thicker board because it was faster, easier to catch the small waves, and I didn’t get tired as quickly. Older surfers, those over 30, and definitely over 40 who cannot surf everyday definitely enjoy boards with more volume because they can paddle easier and surf longer. They often go for longer boards or now the hybrid thicker shorter boards that deliver short board results with long board volume.
My original ambition was to start with the 8’ beginner board and move to the short board where I could do more athletic maneuvers. Everyone recommends to people over 30 that they start with a learner board and go longer after that. Then if they want to go to a short board after a few years, make the move.
One reason I wanted to go to the short board is that on rough days, the short board can be duck dived under raging foam and with the longer or higher volume boards you are going to take a beating or may not even get to the outside.
My first six months at Oceanside had a disproportionate share of rough days. Since then, it has been more balanced and I might have made a different decision. I am still glad, however, that I have taken the short board route.
The wisdom of moving to a longer board first, escaped me in my own stubborn determination to have free will. What became more evident as I tried shorter boards is that they paddle slower so catching a big fast wave is more difficult unless you can beat everyone in the line up to the peak spot of the wave (more later).
As time passed, I did see the wisdom in the philosophy for “older” surfers that the idea is to catch as many waves as possible and have more fun. Paddling with less physical stress and catching waves at almost any point on the break does have a lot of advantages.
In board selection, one has to consider that fast paddling in the line up is almost more important than the board’s maneuverability features. You have to catch the waves to be able to maneuver.
I hear my surfer friends over 40 ordering custom boards that are 2 ¾” or even 3” thick because they need the ease of paddling. They are willing to admit that their strength of youth has waned and now it is time for a little help.
I am in pretty good surf condition because I am in everyday, and I do additional exercises for strength, stamina, and flexibility. Weekend warriors or surfers not in great shape realize the short comings of not being in paddle shape because they have to work too hard. The teenagers and early 20’s surfers can overcome most of these obstacles because they have energy and have probably not worn down any body parts.
Surf Boards Defined from my book Surf Instructions Beginner to Advanced on Amazon
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