what would be a good beginner surfboard

[TyFenn]

I'm going to need one now that I live in wonderful So Cal.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Oh, any tips for a beginner would be appreciated - thanks again.

[stevepaa]

Go to San Onofre. Good people who will help and welcome you.

First tip would be to go to Lahaina for lessons on nice waves.

[widebody911]

The bigger the better, and for learning, more rocker and softer rails is easier. The more time in the water, the better you'll get. My fat ass hasn't seen surf in over a year

[TyFenn]

HAHAHAA!! I was just there this afternoon - too funny. I'll look into San Onofre though.

Thanks

[4to8m8]

Try and get your hands on a 9'6" soft board. There great for learning. 9'6" is a pretty genaric size for all beginners. Most important is to learn how to paddle correctly. Have fun.

[TyFenn]

so by soft board do you mean a foam board?

I was watching today, trying to get the hang of it but all I got was sun-burned. Hahaaa.

More rocker and softer rails - how would I identify this? By asking the place where I rent the board? I want to buy one but I don't know my "a$$ from my elbow" ...to quote Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye

[mikester]

There is a few places that actually teach it and it's not a bad time (hot chicks trying to learn too). Where in Socal are you going to be living?

If you're near huntington Beach I would start there as they have a fellow there who teaches. Just hit one of the surfshops there and ask them about it.

[gavinlit]

You want a board with maximum stability and something that's easy to paddle (ie floats well). To that end you want well rounded rails (soft rails), moderate curve in the board from the tip to the tail (moderate rocker - this can be seen by placing the board flat on a surface with the fins off) and something nice and long and thick. Basically go to a shop and look at all the sleek dangerous looking boards. You want the opposite. Round, thick and fat with as few sharp edges as possible.
Tips - it will take up to three months to turn on the wave properly so don't give up.
- practice, practice, practice.
- avoid the violent looking waves to start with. Crumbly, fat and soft waves is what you want when you're learning.

[TyFenn]

Where in Socal are you going to be living?

-Right now I'm in Clairemont but onthe 1st I'm moving to Pacific Beach.

gavinlit - thanks for the information. I've got plenty of time to practice with no job yet...

[Flatbutt1]

Whew it's boo koo years for me too. But if you can find an old school board, it'll have the soft rails, moderate curvature prolly a single skeg, but it will be considerab;y heavier than a new board. The extra weight will make it more stable and easier to learn how to pop on. Look for an old Gordon and Smith . I have one in the basement, what a tank!

[GettinHeadStuds]

This is a porsche forum... granted there are surfers here... myself included... but I recommend you post your question here:

http://jamlongboarding.com/forums/view_forum.php?id=1

There you will find some very well-informed life long waterman that'll help you. My handle over there is swellsearcher. =)


As far as what I can do to help you answer your question...

First we need information from you...

-How old are you?

-How much do you weight?

-Where do you intend on surfing? beaches, rock bottom breaks?

Answer those questions and I can give you a recommendation...

For these guys to be saying "more rocker with softer rails" or "no rocker with harder rails" is not sounds advice.

An old school board, that is flat, thick and has 50/50 rails is not going to be an easy board to learn on. No rocker means 'angling in' on take-off. An old school board will usually have a sinle fin, which means turning from the tail. Not easy things to have to learn to do...

On the other spectrum, a short board with rocker, hard rails and a thruster fin setup isn't going to be ideal either. There's little stability when compared to a "longboard". The board won't glide, it'll sink, unless you pump and turn it. Hard as hell to paddle and even sit on.

By the way, if you're scratching your head thinking, "what the hell is rocker?" Check out the Harbour surfboards website. IIRC, there's a surf dictionary section that is very comprehensive.

Ok, I'm on a roll, he is some very general advice. Look for a used, but surfable condition mid length hybrid / funboard.

Used: Dont spend more than $200-$250 for your first entry board. Being that you won't know if you'll want to shortboard or longboard in the future.

Mid length: 7'6 - 8'6

Hybrid / funboard: Will have rocker, pulled in nose, thickness through the middle section of the board, harder rails, and a 2+1 or thruster fin setup.

Here are a couple examples:

Becker hybrid: leaning toward more aggresive from the middle...

http://beckersurf.com/ProductDetails.asp?product_id=5590&product_subgroup_id=154

Becker LC-3: I'd say this board is pretty smack dab in the middle of what you'll see in the water.

http://beckersurf.com/ProductDetails.asp?product_id=5593&product_subgroup_id=154

See you over on longboard.net!

[GettinHeadStuds]

One more thing... go to your local surfshop, introduce yourself to the guy/gal in the board room and ask them your question. Do that at three different surfshops and see how much you'll learn. Aloha.

[jim72911t]

I don't know how you guys ride those longboards. I started on a shortboard in the early eighties and to this day don't know how to make anything over 7'6" turn. (Actually, back in high school I bought a vintage '60's Harbour to take to SanO. All I had to do with that thing was point it toward the beach and paddle once or twice.)

That being said, all of my old surfing buddies are going to longboards now, so if they can figure it out, maybe I can too.

You're going to have a blast, and thanks for reminding me that I have to cancel my trip to SanO Sept 11th-13th because of a wedding. Would have been a fun trip: German Auto Fest Sat-Sun, SanO through Wednesday. Maybe next year.

Jim

[kycarguy 935]

Morey Doyle? I dont know if they still make those. I have never used one but some friends used them to learn back in the late 70's.

If your close to Seal Beach the river getty is a great place to learn because the waves are slow and the water is warm. I learned there and in Baja, Mexico.

[TyFenn]

As far as what I can do to help you answer your question...

First we need information from you...

-How old are you?
--33 (going on 25)

-How much do you weight?
--180-185lbs. ok shape. I can run 3 miles without a cardiac arrest - hahaha. Could probably do 50 push ups.

-Where do you intend on surfing? beaches, rock bottom breaks?
--I guess mainly beaches for a while and then branch out from there...