|
.....BUYING A BOARD 
What kind of board should I buy?
There are many different kinds of boards: Longboards, shortboards, mini-mals, malibus, softboards, fish etc.
First of all, you should avoid buying a shortboard as your first surfboard, this is because it is not thick enough, long enough or wide enough for surfers in the beginning phase. Gone-surfing.com's advice would be to acquire a Mini-Mal (Ideal beginnerboard). These boards are really good, they are in the skill-level beginner->advanced, which means that this is a board you can develop your skills on(compared to for example a softboard, which is only made for beginners, meaning you would have to trade it out fairly quickly).
A Mini-Mal have the boardabilities that a beginner needs. It's wide, which will help you with stability. It's long, which gives you extra balance and stability. And last, but not least, it's thick, which will guarantee you a very good buoyancy/floating ability. This boarddesign makes the Mini-Mal really good to paddle, due to it's buoyancy it is quite fast in terms of acceleration/speed in the water. This, together with the good balance on this board, makes it easier to catch waves (which is relatively essential for you to progress as a surfer, isn't it?
Here's a handy guide you should keep in mind when buying a board:
.....BOARDGUIDE
Boardsize
Mini-mals are found in the size category 6’8” to 8’4” (this number describes the length of the board).  A good size for beginners is approx 7’6” to 8’4”.
Remember what was mentioned earlier in this article. (1)Wider board = More stability
(2)Longer board = Extra balance and stability (3)Thicker board = Better buoyancy/floating ability, thereby easier to padle, which makes it easier to catch waves.
A ultra thin, light shortboard will make it very hard for you to develop as a surfer, if you're not already at the level where you are ready to add a shortboard to your boardcollection. A shortboard like this, based on you not being ready for it (skillwise), can end in pure frustration. Which will lead to you having less fun out there, as you're not catching anything. This will lead you into a vicious cycle were you surf less and less, and before it has even begun, your surfing career might be over.
Now that you've done a little bit of research, and know approximately what kind of board you want. It's time to invest.
Buying a USED board?
In the UK, we got a site called http://www.surfclassifieds.co.uk/ This site provides a market for both new and secondhand surfboards and also new and secondhand wetsuits etc.
Buying a NEW board?
You might want to check out amazon.com , which basically is a collection of all the best sellers out there. Here's a board from amazon, which is very beginner-friendly:
Surf Systems 8'0" Epoxy Mini-Longboard
Other sites which sell surfboards. UK: Sorted surf shop, Bournemouth-surfing.com
Buying abroad?
In countries where the surf culture is especially booming, such as the US, Australia, France, Bali etc you might be able to make a fantastic deal! So, if you're planning a holiday to a surf friendly country, why not do some research and check if you can hook up any smooth deals? I.e. I bought a 7'6" Dave Berntsen Custom in Byron Bay, AUS for only £85, which is quite a good deal.
>>1.3: Wetsuits! Wetsuits! It's all about the wetsuits', baby!
<<1.1: Get Inspired, start surfing..
<<Return to the guide |
