I have been learning to surf on and off for a few years, but am getting more opportunity to go now with various mates and it fits in with the family better than my other hobbies. So just wondering what people are recommending to purchase. I have been advised that a good wetsuit is essential for winter surfing and that I shouldn't cost save in this area. Board wise I am 6 2" and 13.5 stone, and have been advised that a NSP or Cortez board at 7 6" or 8 0" would be a good place to start. Just wondered what peoples thoughts are on trying to find a better quality longboard over a beginner board.

Get to a shop that does "Try before you buy" and try as many as you can over a couple of days. I'd be inclined to go down the mass produced makes route – BIC, NSP, Cortez etc etc until you know how boards handle.

Don't forget booties, gloves, headwear, thermal rashvest when surfing in winter – you'll be amazed at how cold you get.

Yeh a good wetsuit is essential as well as boots and gloves, if your an odd size have a look at the custom wet suits from Snugg (Newquay) or Second Skin (Braunton) if you an 'average' size then any of the good surf shops should be able to set you up with a good fitting suit. Make sure you get a suit thats double stitched and has glued/taped seams.

Board wise I would look at getting a second hand mini mal or magic carpet style board (6'8" up to 8'ish and anything inbetween), there are loads of good second hand boards to choose from (take a look at Sharkbait forum classifides section). Or if your after a brand new board support the UK shapers and have a look at Fluid Juice Surfboards (Padstow), adrian makes some of the best UK boards ever (been using his boards for 23 years now and cant fault them). You will get a better board if you have it built to your size, weight, experience, foot stance, etc.

Im can heartily recomend trident wetsuits, I've got one of their suits with removable arms so its good for 90% of the year, several years of surfing and sailing and its still looks like new.

Rash vests are much of a muchness (IMO) as long as the seams aren't chafeing.

^ ditto what glenn says ^

Wetsuit warmth is all about fit. Get the best fitting suit you can afford.

Getting an all round popular board is a good idea to start with. As you progress and improve you can then start talking custom shapes to suit you and the type/style of surfing you do. The popular pop-outs generally hold value well and you can easily sell on.

"surfing's a source, man. Change your life forever!"

and repeat endless point break quotes….

go for a 5mm suit, it won't be too hot for most of the summer, then you can pad out with a thermal rash vest for the winter/spring.

i have found that while you might not be 'as' warm in a cheap suit compared to a top of the range one, the cheaper ones do tend to be more durable…my posh £250 oneil superstretch lasted a year, my £100 tki suit is 3 years old and still going strong.

You will need at least a 5mm wetsuit if your going surfing in winter and boots, gloves, possibly a hood depending how tuff your are, if your not going to take a hood then definately think about earplugs. Board wise if your just learning and can ride basic waves then go for a mini mal or a 7'8" being the smallest unless you can slash (cutback), throwing tail (sliding the tail in a turn) etc, etc you'll need a smaller board 6'8" to a 7'2". Good luck hope you get amped!

Wetsuit – make sure you get a surfing oriented one. Water Ski or Diving suits will not be cut/reinforced for your range of movements. Boardwise in Cannock – also known as wetsuit warehouse http://www.wetsuitwarehouse.co.uk / have a massive selection (if you know your size).

Board – make sure you get one that's right for a beginner at your usual spot. Go to a local shop and talk to the guys there and be honest about your abilities.

I have an old mini Mal which is covered in dings and needs a repair to the nose, I work in Harrogate and can meet you half way if you're interested in buying it, I want £50. It will include a leash. It's basically solid and in good order, but you'll need to buy some ding repair (epoxy resin or something), fill and sand the dings. If you're interested I'll send you some pics. I think it's 8' long, It's a great board for learning on. If you wanted to view it, you're welcome to come over and look it over.

Paul

Just get to a shop. Its as simple as that. You can't get a suit without trying it on first. When I got mine, I must have spent about 2 hours in the shop, talking stuff over etc – what I wanted, what level I was at etc etc and the staff were amazingly helpful.

This is a useful topic.

I used to paddle a surfski in Oz. I haven't done it here yet because the water here is cold. Any recommendations for surf ski wet suits?

BTW it's a Stewarts Surfboard of San Clemente, California.

Robin Hood Watersports near Huddersfield has a massive selection of Suits.

Eve, send me a pic to matt at greentangerine dot co dot uk, cheers…. have you got a bag for it too?

Epicyclo, I used to surf ski a bit and used my 'regular' surfing wet suit, but if you want a 'specialist' suit have a look at the Snugg web site, they do suits for most watersports as well as the surf lifesaving club and triathlons. They are a lot more expensive than off the peg but for about £165 you can get a custom suit that fits properly and will keep you toasty on those cold feb early morning sessions, I have had about 5 of their suits over the last 15 years and they are worth the extra cash. Dont let the cold put you off as autumn/winter is the best time for good sized surf in the UK.

Sorry, no bag, I'll send some pics of the board and close ups of dings when I get home tonight after 10.30pm. I'll also give you the dimensions.

Paul

Thanks GlennG.

That's good to know. I'll try a standard surf suit then – got some nice beaches in Harris and Lewis I want to try. (Though I'll probably need custom fit because my long range fuel tank means I don't have that streamlined shape of real surfers) 🙂

Hi

try before you buy is essential.
I think for your weight the boards are maybe a bit small (I'm 13st and on a 8ft 6, 22 x 3 -ie width and thickness help as they alter total board volume) but might be ok if you're pretty fit, strong arm swimmer etc. My mates (ligher than you love Southpoint 8ft 4s and couldn't really get the nsp 7ft 6s going) but to be fair I get to surf so few times I'll go out in 2ft mush. (NSP, BIC Southpoint all seem fine to me).

Wetsuits – an ok wetsuit + rash vest is maybe more flexible than a really good wetsuit. Try on different fitting (zip, velcro, stretch) – personally I HATE velcro and stretch. My fav is zip and batwing (a very thin flap that goes behind zip inside suit and makes zip waterproof(well seals it). Fit is mainly what makes a wetsuit warm then contruction (you want blind stitched and sealed seams – ie the stiching DOES not go through completely – so no holes and is taped over – ie is truly waterproof). fit – tight everywhere, good fit ankles,wrists and neck, make sure you can do butterfly or front crawl arm stroke comfortably whilst trying on and that zip etc dont rub/stop movement.

My winter suit is titanium fleck batwing zip 4/3. Can do 2 hours easy. Hats are handy in winter.

Whoever said that you can get away with a 5mm in Summer is either bonkers or surfs in the North East. I was in a couple of days ago and was roasting in my wintersuit.

Equipment is very dependent on where you live/surf. I lived and surfed in Yorkshire for a couple of years and it was **** baltic compared to South Cornwall. It's actually noticeably colder in North Devon than South Devon too. The thinner your wetsuit is, the easier it is to move, but you don't want to be cold. Too hot also sucks. Same with. Board dimensions are dependant on so many variables, it's imposible to say what's right just by your size. Go and speak to a few shapers and see what they reckon.

As for Bic/NSP/Cortez, etc, I'm not a massive fan, although they're a good idea for beginers as they don't ding too easily.

I surfed reasonably regularly in the North East in winter up until about 8 years ago and I was always gimped up to the max +11

This lot are cool + very helpful, plus S Bay Scabs is a good place for beginners.
Fluid concept
The Surf shop down the front at Saltburn is great too.

IMHO a decent volume board is useful for the NE as swells are short lived + fickle so even if you progress fast having a decent mal or fish is handy in yer quiver.
To throw something else into the mix, quads ride really well, are stable enough and fast, but fairly forgiving.
I've gone from riding progressive longboards to a 6'2" but wide (21") quad fish since moving down to Pembs + they are ace. Bit like a Cotic soul, forgiving enough but loves being pushed hard + will reward you for courage 😉 TBH I always hated minimals, the Marin full sus of the surfing world, board design has moved on allot + bigger volume fish are great for mushy, smaller conditions, but a good un will still go like sht off a shovel when its cranking.
It depends where you are at with your surfing. I spent a fair amount of time getting hammered at Pumphouse when I was learning, + the board I was using took a hammering, but I learnt allot. If you're a stage on from that investing in something that will help you progress is worth it, as is talking to a local shaper (+being honest about where you're at)
If you're going long, + there are loads of good longboard breaks on that stretch of coast, the SMSC folk are dead freindly + helpful too, some class mal riders (both trad + progressive in the club).
Longboarders
I too am getting rid of a stewart, LSP Mal shaped by bill himself, but its in Pembrokeshire, so not much use to you.
Class setups on that stretch of coast, i miss it, but don't really miss the baltic conditions or paddling out through dry weave topsheets. 😉

personally I would go for a proper longboard but I'm old and fat, you can get out in big surf the technique is just harder. The deciding factor should be the break you are going to surf regularly and whether you want to socialise with your mates in the line up.

three things with suits to think about

get a design that minimises flushing, if you don't you will regret it

arm flexibility is important is you don't want to tire yourself out paddling out

you need to be able to get out of it when it's wet and you are cold knackered and can't feel your toes or fingers

get decent boots and gloves, I would also get a selection of rash vests and a hood (I used to try and last 3 hours at Scarborough in Jan)

All my winter suits are 5mm body (single skin neoprene on chest) 4mm arms (for flexibility) and 3mm side panels, thats the joy of getting custom made suits as you can spec the suit for your local conditions. Feel toasty warm at my home break (Bude) but suffer a bit surfing the North East/Thurso so use a 2mm rashie underneath. TBH custom suits are a little more expensive but the benefits far outweigh the extra cost.

TBH board length isnt as much of an issue as volume, thickness and width, I am 13 stone and 6' and ride a 6' twin fin or 6'2" quad which both pick up small waves as well as good upto overhead surf. As someone else pointed out I also dont like mini mals but theres no denying that they are ideal for learners, would rather have a mini mal than a 'big' thruster and would steer clear of a full mal to start with as its hard work getting a 9'+ plank out the back when its big/blowing on shore (respect to the guys who do it and still rip rather than hogging the waves and just cruising in).

Word.
Not sure his boards are ideal but his fella isn't too far from you + I'm guessing you'd get a bargain.
couple of boards

I'd hold out for a wider shorter quad if you're going the fish route.
Big fellas stil rip on short wide quad fish
2nd section shot not a million miles from you.

The fit of the suit is really important Xcel MT's fit me perfectly + so I managed fine with a 5:4:3 all winter on the NE. A hooded suit is warmer + less flush through than a suit plus hood. the Hotline suits Fluid Concept
sell are bonkers warm.

Oh + be prepared for your career to go down the toilet, you to have less domestic bliss + pints of the north sea to unexpectedly flow out of your nose onto important documents when you start sneaking dawnies in before work.

I had a gul 5,4,3mm without a hood that is fine on the north east coast in the summer but once the warm water (ok, cold water) changed to very cold water i splashed out on an Xcel infinity 6,5,4mm. ive been in the water around melvich,thurso etc for over 2 hours at a time with 3mm boots and 3mm gloves on and lay there wondering what all the fuss is/was about. (read so much about it being so cold in mags over the years)

the thing is,wetsuits are very good these days and the infinity winter suits are unreal.the gul i had wasnt as good a fit as the xcel the north east coast waves hammering yer head in feb is enough to put you off for life! the front entry on the xcels are good. my one is a snug fit all round and takes a bit of time getting out of but its worth it. all you get is a cold face.

epicyclo, check out xcels sizing chart.large-short might suit you.. or something similar? lots of measurements are shown.

HIJACK

GlennG, what's the riding like down your way? I've been around North Cornwall on my road bike, but never on my mtb.