So you decided that you are going to take your surfing to the next level and get yourself a new surfboard. Although it’s exciting, there are a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to getting a surfboard. Is this board good for my level? What size and length should I get? And is it better to get a brand new surfboard or a second hand?
In this post we will try to answer those questions, and give you some tips to make your decision easier!
VOLUME and LENGTH
Volume is just the amount of space your board takes up. It’s just a measure of how buoyant your board is, the more buoyant it is, the more it will want to float. By increasing your volume, you make the board hard to sink, and that can fundamentally change how that board functions so keep in mind when choosing your surfboard volume.
Length goes in hand with the volume, in most cases, the longer the board is, the more volume can fit. Length of the board will depend on what kind of waves you will want to surf and also is connected to your level and the style of surfing that you like.
Common mistake for beginners - intermediate is cutting the size of the board way to soon and not using surfboards that will help them build all the necessary fundamentals of surfing and is often resulted in creating a bad habit, so don’t rush too soon to get those shiny shortboards.
Your level
Important aspect is where you are currently surfing. For people that are figuring out how to catch an unbroken wave and slightly go to the side, it will be a better choice of a board, boards with thicker rails to provide you with more stability and less rocker (curve that runs from nose to tail).
If you are at the level where taking off on an unbroken wave is not a problem, you can consider boards with slightly thinner rails to help you sing the rails into the water, when doing a curve and also you will be decreasing the width of the board, thus also choosing a board with less volume. If you going to buy a surfboard, keep in mind that you will be surfing this surfboard for some time, meaning that slightly challenging surfboard can be good in a long term.
Buying NEW / SECOND HAND
Benefits of getting a new board is that you can easily choose specific models that could be hard to get from a second hand market and also have a specific length and volume of the board that will suit your level.
Second hand boards are a perfect option if you are on a budget, because you can pay half price of the brand new and still have a really good condition of the board that you are buying. Boards are in general things that last a long time, so even second hands can be a board that will be with you for a few years, but always check the condition of the board and if there were any major repairs!
To summarize, when you spot your new surfboard, you can ask people around for an advice or recommendation, if that one board can fit your current level. It's always better to try a similar board to the one that you want to buy, to see how it feels and if it's a good choice for a surf spot that you are surfing regularly!
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