Establishing a relationship with a local surf shop is crucial for beginners. Surf shop experts have extensive knowledge about different board types and can provide personalized recommendations based on your skill level. They can guide you through the process of choosing the right board and offer valuable insights as you progress in your surfing journey.
Yes, many surf shops offer trade-in options for beginner surfboards as you advance in your skills. This allows you to upgrade to a more suitable board that aligns with your progressing abilities. By trading in your old board, you can continue to refine your equipment and ensure that it complements your current skill level.
Becoming proficient at surfing varies from person to person and depends on factors such as practice frequency, dedication, and natural aptitude. While there's no fixed timeline, consistent practice, proper instruction, and the right equipment can help accelerate your progress. Embrace the learning curve and celebrate small achievements along the way.
One common mistake is selecting a board that is too advanced or short for your skill level. Avoid comparing yourself to experienced surfers and instead focus on a board that matches your abilities. Additionally, failing to establish a relationship with a local surf shop or shaper can lead to improper board choices. Be honest about your skills and seek expert advice to make the best decision.
Choosing a beginner surfboard can be an exciting and rewarding process. To make it enjoyable, embrace the guidance of professionals like pro surfer Josh Kerr, who recommend starting with a stable, soft-top board. Embrace the learning journey, set realistic expectations, and relish the progress you make on the waves. With the right board and a positive mindset, you'll find joy in every step of your surfing adventure.
When choosing your next surfboard – you need to consider The BIG 3: Design… then Volume…. then Dimensions…in that order. Whether you’re looking for a groveler, hybrid, shortboard or even a noserider, these are always the characteristics and the order to consider before pulling the trigger on your next stick. Keep reading and get ready to have your next new board be a keeper!
You don’t have to travel too far back in time to arrive on a beach where there were only two types of boards: longboards and shortboards. Since most of the boards looked exactly the same, you picked your board based on length, as that was the only way to size them up or down. Designers were constrained by “what the pros were riding” as well as living inside a very small box of acceptable dimensions. Life was limited. Fun was limited. Performance? For the average surfer (most of us) this was VERY limited…
Surfboards are now available in literally hundreds of different shapes including longboards, shortboards, hybrids, fish, retros, quads, tris, twins and single fins. The restraints on “acceptable dimensions” have been removed by designers and the surfing world at large. In the past, 20” was about as wide as you could ever find a shortboard design. Now it seems like 23” is the new 20” and shapers freely roam in the 20”+ range with crowds of cheering fans. The same goes for thickness. Back then it was a rare day to see a board over 2.5” thick. Now it’s not uncommon to see 3”+ and all the way down to under 2”.
This brings us back to how surfers have always measured their boards. In the past it was almost solely based on length. This is because all the designs were fairly similar, and all the other dimensions were shackled to such a small range. Now that both of these have been freed up, it’s time to take a look at what actually determines the right board for you today.
The first characteristic any surfer should consider when shopping for a new board is the design. This goes for every surfer from first day rank beginner to WCT world ranked pro. It’s important to honestly and realistically look at how, where and how much the board will be used and in what type of conditions. This will give you an accurate list of performance qualities that you are looking for. There are a HUGE number of board designs available now, even within each board category. Knowing the differences will allow you to exactly match the design that is right for you, your ability, where you surf and what conditions you want the board to perform in.
1. Beginners want designs that are easy to paddle and catch waves. This can be anything from flatter rocker grovel hybrids to funboards to longboards (3 different “designs”).
2. You are an accomplished, advanced surfer looking at 2 small – medium wave focused shortboards. How do you choose between the two?
These are only 3 examples of literally hundreds, but all three of them lead you to choosing board designs, before considering length or other board characteristics.
It may sound completely obvious, but DESIGN should be your number #1 consideration before ever talking length or other info. Some designs require less foam (or “volume”) because they have wide tails and/or deep concaves to create lift. Other designs like more foam for paddling and offset that foam with a flat to vee bottom shape to help in turning. Let the design and it’s characteristics sink into your head before moving on to volume and dimensions. In other words, don’t order a new design that should be ridden shorter, at the same length as your 1990’s narrow needle….
3. Wider noses and flatter nose rocker make paddling and catching waves considerably easier, even when compared to simply adding length or foam (volume). This same nose design also skates across flat sections better since there is less drag.
5. Wide tails create more lift and speed, and also allow you to ride a board shorter when compared with the same board with a standard tail.
6. Narrower tails create less lift and allow the board to become more “neutral” and sit deeper in the water during turns. This can be used to your advantage in higher speeds on larger waves. Typically boards with narrower tails should be ridden longer than standard or wide tailed boards of similar design.
Look at the 6 examples above. All of them are design focused. That’s the number #1 thing to look at when considering a new board : Design. Let it sink in…
Volume is going to be a HUGE conversation topic this season. It is important, but is still behind design when matching boards with surfers and their demands.
Spyder Surfboard reviewsVolume is the measurement of how much flotation the board has. It is a function of length, width and thickness, minus the weight of the board. The weight of the board is never calculated into the stated volume – say 38cls – but boards with lighter constructions will always float a touch more than same sized boards with heavier constructions. CL stands for “Cubic Liters”. Many people shorten that down to just “liters” for convenience.
If you have never had a board with measured volume, you will have to choose your first measured board the old-fashioned way, and then use that volume number going forward. Your experiences on your first volume measured board will help you choose all boards going forward based on your need for more or less foam and flotation.
Smaller, lighter surfers want less volume. Larger, heavier surfers want more volume. Beginners to intermediates typically want more volume to help with catching waves and creating speed. Intermediates to pros typically want less volume to maximize maneuverability and speed (as well as making the board smaller/lighter when taking to the air).
*When building a quiver of boards, most surfers typically have their lowest volume board as their middle board (when conditions are ideal), with both their groveler and their larger wave board measuring in above that number. The added volume in the groveler adds wave count, glide, speed and the ability to really push the board in soft conditions. The added volume in your “step up” give you more paddle power to get into faster moving waves.
Why does VOLUME come before DIMENSIONS when choosing a new board? Knowing how much “float” you’re looking for each specific DESIGN, brings you to tinkering with the dimensions that will get you to that amount of volume. For example:
“I know I want to get a …Lost V2 Rocket or Roberts White Diamond. These are really good designs for daily driver hybrids. I’m 6’2 x 210 lbs and all the boards I’ve liked are in the 36-38 liter range. So my next step is to look where this board will fall in my quiver* and start looking for the dimensions (dims) that will produce the volume I’m looking for.”
Now that we’ve determined which design is best suited to your needs, and how much float (or volume) you’re looking for, now we can move on to dimensions. Most board models have “stock dimensions” that pair up length/width/thickness within a range to keep the correct proportions of the design intact. These stock dimensions are typically the best for any given length of that board, but you can also tweak the width/thickness slightly per length and stay within acceptable proportions.
Now that we’ve determined which design is best suited to your needs, and how much float (or volume) you’re looking for, now we can move on to dimensions. Most board models have “stock dimensions” that pair up length/width/thickness within a range to keep the correct proportions of the design intact. These stock dimensions are typically the best for any given length of that board, but you can also tweak the width/thickness slightly per length and stay within acceptable proportions.
Length is typically dictated by the design and in many shapes is based on your height. For example “ride this board at your height”, or “ride this board 2” shorter than your standard shortboard”. Taller surfers typically have wider stances that dictate a longer board. The opposite is true with shorter surfers. Length is the big mind-melt here, because most surfers do not believe they can ride a newer design, sometimes up to 12” shorter than what they are riding now.