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Used to surf a fair bit (was always decidedly mediocre) but been out of the loop for a good few years and things have moved on - super wide shortboards and epoxy etc. I fancy a board for holidays and the odd U.K. session but not sure where to start. The old MSW forum used to be the place for advice but seems dead these days - where else to turn??
The beach ?
Still loads of folks surfing...
I thought I’d start with somewhere on the internet as it isn’t a 2 hour drive away...
... and here sprang to mind!
`I wouldn't bother going on forums. I would go and speak to a shaper who is vaguely local to you (as you say you are 2hrs from beach), be honest and use their experience to get the right board for you. It won't be any more expensive than a reputable board from a shop... chances are it will be a lot better made too.
I can highly recommend Luke Young from South Devon, he makes great boards and has a lot of experience shaping with marks recycles eps blanks and bioresin. Shaping is such toxic industry, using recycled or 'green' materials is so important.
Where abouts are you?
How often will you be in the water?
How mediocre were you?
How big/heavy are you?
Any aspirations?
These will affect the board choice massively. Shaper of a good local shop is the best idea but if its a generic fun shape for the odd session some deals can be had online..... answer those q's and I or someone else will give you some ideas......
Only one board?
Got three I use regularly and another 4 in storage..just bought a karma longboard that’s getting the most miles at the moment.
Tons of good s/h boards on eBay and Facebook groups, no need to buy new unless you are really specific in what you want.
Actually, buy this so I don’t...
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143363887087
As a not-often surfer I find a Mal's where it's at, actually a Chops Lascelles 9'9 cruiser in my case, big and floaty and makes up for lack of fitness and technique. Great fun though and this one's been to many, many breaks. Go large.
Ask tdog, his brothers in the surf regularly bashing tourists and generally being mr point break.
So answers to some of those questions plus some more background.
Where abouts are you? Manchester
How often will you be in the water? Handful of times a year - hols and the odd weekend near the sea. I'm not going to be obsessively checking MSW and planning trips around good surf - just too much else going on in my life at the minute.
How mediocre were you? Can catch waves, bottom turn, work down the line but then never quite got the hang of a decent cutback.
How big/heavy are you? 76kgs, 182cm
Any aspirations? None, other than being able to catch waves and have fun. Prob 2-6' range, nothing steep, shallow, big etc. Short and fat board would be good from a travel / transport perspective.
Always had boards shaped by Graham Bunt at Local Hero in Wadebridge. Top fella and would be my default for ordering a new board. But I've noticed lots of mega short, mega wide stuff online (like this https://www.surfdome.com/Maluku-Flying-Frog-Eco-5-Fin-Surfboard/sd5067896.htm?colour=Green+White) and no sign of anything like that on his website. Plus he was very conventional manufacturing and, whilst I'm a massive fan of supporting small businesses, I was wondering if "surftech" style epoxy boards had moved on as I got a bit fed up of patching fibreglass boards after every flight!
My last board was a 6'2" quad fish - easy enough to paddle when I was fit but I suspect I'd struggle on something as short now. Here it is in Morocco 🙂
poxy photobucket watermark shizzle!
I'm not a fan of these short, corky boards even though they might be easier to transport. I see a lot of people on them scratching around, trying to generate speed.
Unless you are planning on surfing anything big or heavy then a good mid length will still be reasonable transportable but will up your wave count massively. there are some pretty refined ones out there. my favorite board once it gets above head high is a 6'8 version of this:
http://www.fcdsurfboards.com/huevo-ranchero
lost have just brought out the smooth operator that looks pretty similar
https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/lost-smooth-operator-surfboard.html
https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/surfboards/mid-length-surfboards.html
I've been riding a 7ft 2 Golden Nugget for the last 12 months and have loved it. I had a load of fun on it all weekend at Saunton and got a few waves at Croyde on Saturday evening despite the crowds.
https://www.gul.com/surf/mens/surfboards/cross-golden-nugget-surfboard
It's probably a bit "Halfords" compared to the ones suggested above but at that price it's not the end of the world if it gets a ding.
some of the imported board prices are a bit eyewatering since the dollar has dropped so far but there are plenty of barely used bargains around.
I must stop looking at used boards on eBay after buying a barely used Roger Cooper 7ft 6 mini mal with pink flower design on it a couple of weeks ago. It was a bargain for what it is, but I really didn't need it. I think the pink leash with "ANGEL" on the velcro band was the best part (laughing face)