Surfboards
These are surfboards over 9 feet. Longboards are what most surfers start out on.
It’s what I learned on. Some surfers never leave them. If you’re fortunate enough to surf long enough, it’s probably what you’ll end up on. My first board was a 9’ 6”. I surfed it at the same beach for a year and half. My second board was a 9-foot Pearson Arrow and a little narrower. I used it for several years even while trying other types of boards. Learn more about longboarding.
You can’t beat a longboard for paddle and glide. If I jump on a longboard now I feel like I’m sailing after a few strokes. But longboards don’t make as fast an entry as something shorter. I got tired of watching shorter boards get all the rides on certain days while my longboard crashed into my head/chest/other body part. I needed a smaller board for those conditions.
Endless Internet threads debate what to call these, but to me these surfboards are just mini-longboards. Their shape is similar to a longboard and they’re usually between 7 and 9 feet. I had a couple of these, one was an epoxy and the other was so mangled it became a decoration in my backyard. For me these made good transitional boards to shortboards. I prematurely made the switch from the 9-foot longboard I mentioned earlier to a 6’ 10” thruster, and it didn’t work so well for me. I ended using an 8-foot funboard most of the time.
There are several types of shortboards but the most familiar is the thruster. The standard design is tri-fin with a narrow nose and tail, and under 7 feet. These boards can’t be beat for high performance surfing. Great for tricks and fast entries into quick breaking waves, this is what most people want to ride if they can. After spending several years on the “big” boards, getting into better shape and learning how to judge waves, I got a 6’ 8” thruster. This board really opened up surfing for me. Not only was it easier to transport (I could fling it in the back of the car), but I could get into a lot more waves than before.
Shorter even than many shortboards, most fishboards are under 6 feet. These are my favorite surfboards. I have a couple of them. One is a 5’ 11” twinzer fish that I surf when it’s small and the entry’s not too fast. The other is a 5‘ 9” quad fish, made my Mandala, that’s somewhere between a thruster and a fish. It’s the best, most versatile board I’ve ever had. It’s not as high performance as your hotshot 6’ 2” thruster, but it paddles better and I can’t do those really fancy tricks anyway. I also have an epoxy fish that I have been very satisfied with. |
These are big-ass boards, with narrow noses and tails. They're for big 15+ foot waves and not for me – no thanks. I’ll take 6 foot and clean, no matter how many co-workers/relatives/strangers ask me if I surf Mavericks. If you’re crazy enough, these boards are for you.
You can always start with your local shops, they usually have boards-o-plenty. If your wondering if you should buy a surfboard online, check here for advice. If you want to see some surfboards online at good prices, click the above boards or check out these boards.. You spend so much time finding good surf, make sure to get the right surfing equipment to go along with your board. Read my advice on the finding the best surfing gear for you, including wetsuits and accessories.
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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Al merrick
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My 6 ft al merrick sashimi is awesome and so versTile my uncle gave it and I love I'm gettin a retro fish tomarow and I hope I love it to
Maui Foil
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I surfed on a Maui Foil for about 4 years in the mid-70's. This was a 9' round-tail with almost no rocker to it, and very hard rails. I liked it because ...
MY Hot Buttered
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I started on a 6foot 4 hot buttered shortboard
im only a 100pounds but it is an awesome bored
australian boards are awesome
especially if they are from ...
loved my board
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I had a great longboard that I really liked. I was bitten by a shark and it bit my board and now I'm looking for a new one. I have had no luck so far though....
Oldie, but not so Goodie
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I began surfing in the Summer of 1960. My first board, for which I gave $30, was a solid balsa board,PAINTED with green spar varnish. It was of course ...
Living Curl Trailer
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Check out
The Living Curl Trailer
on youtube
and let me know if you're interested
humming fins
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I just got a new board and surfed 3-4' solid surf in SD. When I cought faster waves, my board hums or whistels. Why is it happening? Does it mean that ...
The Ghetto Board
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I got this board when I was 14 years old. I had never owned a surfboard before that so I was totally stoked about getting it. My uncle surprised me with ...
Mandala Surfboard
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Mandala makes lots of quads. I got this one and it is one of my favorite boards....perhaps my favorite. It has some weight to it and is not as floaty as ...
Bluecoil Surfboard Review
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Bluecoil has warehouses in Santa Cruz and Ventura, California. You can buy boards directly from them. I bought this one for $417 w/tax. This is a quad ...
California Surfboards
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