Board selection - design

ANYONE: I have not been involved in surfing for 10 years or so. That being the case, I don’t remember anything. The bug has bitten me to get into it again but I don’t know what size, style etc. board would work for me. All I can remember is that a board about a foot longer than my height as a general rule - and that’s it. I’m 5’-10" and around 165 pounds. Have been planning to increase weight to 190 so that poses a problem. If I increase my muscle mass, a board that is too short might not float me anymore. In addition to that, I doubt that I can even stand on a board anymore. Lastly, what price range can I expect nowadays? Thanks to anyone for your help.

Be truthful with yourself about how you surf, how you want to surf, where you surf and what kind of shape you are in. Where you surf and how you want to surf, in my opinion, are two of the most important factors. For example, if you want to learn to shortboard and do shortboard moves and you live in a spot where you get mostly wind swell mush, then it would make little sense for you to get a thin, rockered out shortboard. You should probably go with a hybrid type fun shape geared more to the shortboard side of things. What kind of shape you are in and what you want to progress to should dictate what kind of board you get. If you are way out of shape, a board with more volume will help you out. There are always trade offs with any kind of setup. Boards that work well in all conditions are verrrry few and far between (within reason of course). I know it all sounds kind of general right now, but you have to come up with some ideas of what you want and what will work in your area. Some might disagree, but I don’t understand why some people will pay a lot of $$$$ for a board that was made in another state (or country for that matter). Unless you are going with a specialist who makes something that will work for your area (like a Steve Brom fish, or a Jim Phillips longboard). You should be able to find someone in your area that does quality work and understands your local conditions. If you post some more info about where are from and what you expect, I am sure you will get a lot of good information here. Good luck.

Thanks for the honest feedback. It helps me a lot. My condition is very good. I weigh 160-165 at the moment and that is practically muscle. I ride long distances on road bikes and work out in the gym, so I’m in good physical condition. So, my weight and hopefully any gains, will be due to muscle mass not fat. The places I will most likely surf (closest) are Florida sites like Cocoa Beach, New Smyrna, East coast small waves. But, I would like a board that I can take to other places with bigger waves and use. I was thinking a hybrid would also be a good idea, but who knows. As I said, my skills are probably non-existent since I have not been on a board in a decade, so I am afraid a realy short board would be a bad decision for me at the moment. I would like to take my surfing as far as it can go, in terms of skill and ability. Become the best I can be and have the most fun from it, from beginning and on.

I live in New Smyrna and surf in Cocoa & Satellite from time to time so I know what you are dealing with. If you want to go with the shortboard route you could get a hybrid, which does not mean that your stuck with a 7’ something funboard. There are a lot of options out there. If you want to longboard then I would go with a larger egg or a mid size longboard (like around 9’ ). The reason I say this is if you went and got something real big then, sure you will be able to paddle into waves but you will have no control. At this point floatation is your friend, but you don’t want something with so much float that you can’t set the rail in the wave or you have a hard time turning. If at all possible you need to ride some different boards. If this means you have to rent something then so be it. If you have friends that surf, then hook up with them and see if anything they have is anything like you are interested in. If nothing else these boards will be a frame of reference. The main thing is to have fun with what you are riding, but get something that you can progress from. Good luck.