I get a lot of questions about When to Buy a Surfboard. The quick answer is after you have learned the fundamentals and are sure you enjoy surfing. The more you learn, the more likely your first choice of surfboards will be a board that lasts you longer in your progress.
Parents sometimes buy their children a short board before the child or teen has learned to surf. Short boards are cool, but way beyond the abilities of a beginner. It may take a year to ride a short board if the surfer goes to the ocean often. Otherwise, a higher volume board will last the surfer much longer.
The Fundamentals of Choosing a Surfboard
Beginner surfers want to start with a soft top board on foam waves. This gives beginners the best chance to learn the fundamentals and enjoy the experience. So many things are occurring in the first lessons or trips to the water. If a beginner is not taking lessons first, they will soon see the futility of trying to learn on their own. Beginners need to learn water safety, handling the surfboard in the ocean, etiquette, how to get on the surfboard, how to catch waves, how to stand up, and finally how to ride.
Beginners should start with a soft top surfboard that is bigger than they will use once they have competence. I start kids that weigh 50 pounds on a 7 foot board, over 70 pounds on an 8′ board, and over 110 pounds on a 9′ board. I start most adults on a 9′ board. Most of my students are traveling or live inland and won’t get to the ocean often. Once every few weeks or once a month is not often.
If students learn the fundamentals and are riding easily to the beach, they can consider riding the next foot shorter soft top. Often, students are competent and they still like riding the bigger board. Higher volume boards are easier to paddle, catch waves easier, and are easier to ride. Why not have fun and make it easy? Stepping to a lower volume board too soon creates frustration.
Once a surfer has mastered the board on foam waves, they should paddle out and turn around to catch bigger foam waves and get used to the ocean. Then they should attempt small real waves. Once they can ride small real waves it its time for bigger real waves and riding in the pocket. At first, intermediates drive the pocket. Then they start learning maneuvers like bottom turns, cut backs, and accelerating.
At this point it is time to consider a hard board. Hard boards are faster and maneuver better than soft tops. The steps to smaller boards should be slow. First just drop six inches like to a 7’6″ hard board (fun board) and maintain the width 21+” and thickness 2 3/4″. This should last the surfer a long time or forever depending on how often they are in the water.
Read Other Posts:
Beginner Surfers Learn on Soft Tops
5 Steps to Improve Surfing Performance
3 Ways to Catch Real Surfing Waves
Training to Ride the Surfing Short Board
Short Board Surfing Techniques
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