Surfing might be a challenge to learn, but choosing the right surfboard can feel overwhelming. Everyone seems to have a custom board these days.  Even small kids on the beach have boards painted with sea life shapes.  Teens have wildly colored boards, each appealing to their personalities, and adults will often have unique boards that they’ve used for years.  There’s much more to choosing a surfboard than picking the color you like, though.  You need to consider what you’d like to be able to do with the board and your size when choosing the right surfboard to learn on.

If you’re enthusiastic about making rad moves in the waves and plan to learn to do more than the very basics, you’ll want a short surfboard that will allow for that more easily than most beginner boards. When you hold the board next to you on its end, it should be at least 6 inches taller than you, but not much more than about 10 inches taller.  If you’re built bigger than the average person your height, you can go with a surfboard that’s slightly taller. You’ll want the board to be a wider and thicker than average board. You might even choose what’s known as a fish.  A fish is wider than average and shorter, with a wider tail than a regular short board.

For someone who still wants to learn surfing moves but doesn’t have as much time to do so, then a surfboard of about 7 to 8 feet long will be good.  You’ll want to look for a board called a fun board.  Fun boards are more like the standard long boards, but they’re wider and thicker.  They offer a beginner more stability.  And for someone with less practice time, they’re a good option over the short boards or fish. It’s easier to learn on a fun board, though some exciting surfing moves are done easier on a shorter board.  The choice between a fish or a fun board should really depend on how much time you’ll be in the water.  If you’re going to surf daily or close to it, go ahead and get the shorter surfboard now.

Longboards are easier to learn with, and best for the very casual surfer. If you only plan to surf once in a while and would like to stay on the surfboard as much as possible during these few precious beach hours, then a long board is probably your best choice. Most long boards range from about 9 to 9-and-a-half feet.  The biggest drawback to choosing a longboard over short boards, fun boards or fish is the price difference.  Longboards are much more expensive than the other options.  You can buy a used longboard for less, but modern used surfboards aren’t that much cheaper.  Vintage longboards offer a less expensive option, but they’re more difficult to maneuver and harder to carry on the beach because they weight so much more than modern surfboards.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2009-01-08 14:16:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Guide to Choosing a Surfboard Are you just learning how to surf, or are otherwise looking to purchase a new surfboard? One of the most difficult decisions to make when it comes to surfing is choosing the best board for you. There are a variety of different factors that are going to influence your choice......
• Surf, Skate, Wakeboard: Gear and Accessories The thrill and action of surf boarding, skate boarding and wake boarding takes skill, practice, and receiving a few bumps and bruises. It also requires good equipment, since no amount of skill can make up for a board past its prime. Choosing the right board is a matter of preference,......
• Review of the Indo Fish and the Bing Single Wing Quad The Indo Fish The Indo Fish by Tim Stamps came about when the designer of the board was wondering how a fish board could work in the waves surrounding a boating trip in Indonesia, or any good waves anywhere else on the planet for that matter. The decision was to......
• Gear Basics for Surfing Surfing is a sport that does not require the use of a lot of gear, but the gear that you do need is essential. What this means is that it is important that you choose the right gear when it comes to the sport of surfing. There are a number......
• Review of the Sunova Nitro, 7S Superfish, Webber Fatburner, and More Surfboards With thousands of different manufacturers and distributors of surfboards, it can be difficult to learn how to find the best surfboards. After riding some of the best surfboards from the greatest brand names out there, here are some of the best surfboard reviews. Sunova Nitro - The Nitro surfboard from......

Related Websites

• Top Five Reasons You’re Not Catching Fish From the time when man first decided that fish tasted pretty good, we’ve been struggling to adopt new techniques and unlock the secrets to successful fishing. While we may not rely on fish as our main source of food anymore, the contest has not dimmed. For thousands, every open......
• Book Review: The LL Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing by Macauley Lord, Dick Talleur and Dave Whitlock When it comes to the great outdoors, LL Bean is probably one of the most recognized authorities on the subject. They have built up quite a following over the years with their outdoor clothing and accessories and it was only natural that instructional books would follow. If you are interested......
• Side slipping in Snowboarding pt 2 This is a guide to sidestepping on the toe side. Side slipping is all about sliding along the slope's fall line. This is an exercise that is going to teach you about using the edges of your snowboard in order to control your speed as you go downhill. There are......
• Tips for Snowboarding pt 3 When you first go about learning how to snowboard, you are going to want to consider renting equipment before you put a lot of money into buying your own. What this achieves is allowing you an opportunity to really test out different boots and boards so that you can decide......
• The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing by Scott Bannerot and Wendy Bannerot Scott and Wendy Bannerot are two of the most well respected personalities in the world of Cruiser fishing and this book was certainly well received and a needed resource for those looking to get into cruiser fishing. It really is a whole other world and you'll need to go in......

Online Stores

• Bag Bodyboards Surfing Surf Store
• 2 Stringer 39 Inch Bodyboards Surfing Surf Store
• Longboard Decals, Patches & Stickers Surfing Surf Store
• Bonzai Surfer Skimboards Surfing Surf Store
• Bing Surfboards Surfing Surf Store

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Surf Skate Wake, Surfboard Reviews, Surfing

Tags:

adults, average person, fish, fun board, long boards, personalities, practice time, sea life, shapes, small kids, surf board, surfboard, waves