Wavejammer's Surf Page

Wavejammer's Beginners Guide to Surfboards

So maybe you’ve surfed a few times and now you’re hooked. So you say that you’re having a tough time trying to figure out what kind of surfboard should be your first board. We at Wavejammer have put together this article to give you a good idea of what to start looking for and why. We have lumped the whole human race into three groups that we’ll now examine in terms of beginner surfboard needs.

Pre Teen: At this age level, a good beginner board would normally be about 6 to 10 inches taller than the beginner surfer. You can factor in an extra couple of inches if they are ‘big’ kids. Beyond size, the thickness and width of the board play a big part in whether or not a particular board would be good to learn on. Regardless of a beginners age group, a good beginner board should have some extra stability. A wider and thicker board will normally be more stable than a narrow thin board. As an example, an average size 5’2" pre teen would be likely to do well on a 6’ board that is 18 ¼" wide and 2 3/8" thick, but might have some real problems on a 6’ board that is 17 ¾" wide and 2" thick. Now we’re not suggesting that you have to start figuring out the volume of every board on the rack. But, we do suggest that you compare a board that you are looking at with other boards of similar size. Is it at least as wide and thick as most of the other boards that size on the rack?
      Generally with this age group, kids tend to pick it up pretty quickly. In our opinion it is not necessary to go with a small fun shape or fish for extra stability (for a little explanation of fun shapes and fish see the glossary at the end of this article). Do make sure that you go with a 3 fin board or a single fin. Generally, a 2 or 4 fin board with out a fin in the middle will be too loose in the way it turns for a beginner. Finally, buy a nose guard for the board to protect the beginner and the rest of us too.

Teen: At this age you have a lot more variables to factor into a good beginner board. The beginner board ‘golden rule’ of the more stable the better applies, but at this age you have to factor in three things: 1) How aggressively is this teen going into it? 2) What do their friends ride? 3) How often will they really be able to surf? For a beginner in this age group that has friends who surf ‘short boards’ or ‘fish’ and who can get to the beach often the ‘right board’ will be totally different than for somebody who realistically will get to the beach once or twice a week in the summer and who’s friends are just beginners too.
      For the teen who has friends that already surf and has daily access to the beach, the right board will likely be a short board or tri fin fish that is about 4 to 8 inches bigger than they are. As with pre teens, the more stable (wide & thick) the board is, the better. On the other hand, for the other category that isn’t so fortunate to be able to get to the beach as much, the answer for the right board would probably be a fun shape in the 6’8 to 7’6 range. A fun board is definitely easier to learn on but if the beginner is aggressive to learn and the people they surf with ride shorter boards, a fun board probably would get ‘old’ pretty quick.

Adults: At this age we make the assumption that you would have an idea of what you want to do. Do you want to be slashing turns on a head high wave in a year or two? Do you want to be hanging ten like Frankie in Beach Blanket Bingo? Do you just want to be able to catch a wave and stand up? If you are an adult that is super aggressive and can get into the water a fair amount, a fairly wide and thick short board or fish in the range of 6 to 10 inches bigger than you are should be good. Add more size if you’re a ‘large’ individual.
      For the individual that is into it but realistically has limited time in the water, a fun shape in the 6’10 to 7’10 range would probably be the logical choice. In buying a board like this to learn on, you’ll pick up on surfing more easily than on a short board. Plus, even if in a year or two you decide to go down to a short board or fish, you may want to hold onto your fun board for smaller days.
      Now we look at long boards. Long boards can present both the easiest board to learn on and the most stylish side to surfing. On one hand, if getting into the water once in a while to catch a few waves is all you have in mind, then a long board may be just the ticket. If you should come across one, a vintage long board may be fine for getting started. Just expect to have a lot more weight under your arm carrying it to and from the beach. A modern long board will be a fraction of the weight of a vintage board, which will make turning and maneuvering the board a bit easier. It should be mentioned that many people start surfing with no desire to ride anything but a long board because of the style and fun that they offer. In either case, the only downside to starting off on a long board is actually getting one. Vintage boards that were easy to find ten years ago are now in very short supply. Used modern long boards are sometimes available, but last year I think we had a total of four or five come through the store . If you are buying a new long board, you will be paying more for it than the average fun board or short board (more board=more $). But, as a wise man once said, "you can’t put a price on stoke."

Some Final Notes to Anyone Buying a Used Surf Board
The two main things to check out on a used surf board (aside from the size and shape of the board) are the fins and whether or not the board is water tight.
Fins: With the fins, if they are glassed on (permanently attached) to the board, are they on solidly? If they seem loose or have any ‘give’ at the base of the fin, there could be problems down the road. The price of the board should reflect that. If there are a few very thin cracks at the base of one of the fins, usually water will not get in there but there is a slight risk. If the board has removable fins, just make sure that all of the plugs or boxes are firmly attached to the board.
Water Tight: If a board has dings that will allow water to get under the fiber glass layer into the foam of the board, then these dings must be fixed. Surfing on a board that is taking on water will lead to discoloration of the board (usually a brown spot will grow) and weakening of the board in general. If a board has dings that have been repaired well, generally you are not likely to have further problems with the dings BUT you never know. Thus, as the number of dings go up the $ price normally will go down.
One further note on dings. Pressure dings are dents into the board. Unless a pressure ding has fractures around it in the glass (circular cracks in or around the dent), a pressure ding usually will not compromise the structure of a board. Pressure dings are common in used boards and are generally more a cosmetic concern than anything else. If a board does have an unusual number of pressure dings it can be considered a sign of a weak board. This weakness would be due to either a light fiberglass job or use of an ultra light foam blank or both. In this situation, you can expect the board to ding more easily in the future and have a shorter life span.

Glossary :

Standard Short Board :  conventional pointed nose, three fin surf board, usually a rounded pin tail, a rounded off square tail or a swallow tail (slight V shaped tail).

Fish :  loose term to describe a wider than normal short board that has a fairly wide swallow tail, all fish should have a wider tail and width than compared to standard short board, some boards have a fairly rounded off nose while others resemble a standard short board with just a little extra width.

Fun Board :  typically in the 6’8 to 8’ range with an outline similar to a long board, some fun boards will have a very rounded off nose while others may come to a rounded off point, what is important is that compared to a standard short board, a fun board has a lot more width through out and is thicker and thus more stable.

Long Board :  there’s a huge variety in shapes and design of long boards that range from 8’ to 10’6 plus, the most popular size that we see is in the 9’ to 9’6 range.