Buying your first board
Author: Alf Alderson
A beginner's guide to choosing the right board - taken from Alf's book, Surfing A Beginner's Guide
Choose something suitable for your ability
Get a surf board that will help you to improve rather than one that simply looks good. A soft board or pop-out is the best option but if you really want to go for a custom board, a funboard or a mini-mal style is best. What you’re looking for at this stage is flotation and stability in the board, which will make the difficult task of balancing on it that much easier. Ideally you should look for something between 12 in/30 cm and 18 in/45 cm longer than you are tall. Most boards these days have three fins, although for a beginner a single-fin board is perfectly adequate (and is also two less fins to potentially get bashed by when you wipe out).
How much?
You’ll find that prices vary from area to area, so shop around. Unless you have plenty of cash, it’s also well worth considering a second-hand board as at this stage you don’t actually know if you’re going to like surfing (although if you don’t you should seek medical advice as it’s quite possible you’re dead). A good second-hand board can be picked up for around half the price of a new one, and some surf shops may even let you give it a trial run which is never the case with a new board.
Get advice you trust
A good surfshop should be able to advise you on what sort of board is most appropriate for your skills. It’s best if you can also take along a friend who already surfs to provide some advice.
A few tips when buying a second hand board:
- Be careful with second-hand boards, they’ve all had their fair share of knocks.
- If the foam is starting to discolour in too many places (where it’s let in water through a damaged surface) it’s usually best to leave it.
- Also check for soft spots on the deck where the fibreglass may be delaminating from the foam.
- If the board doesn’t have changeable fins, ensure thereare no cracks around the base of the fins where they join the board.
Article taken from Surfing A Beginner's Guide by Alf Alderson
Copyright John Wiley and Sons 2008
