Next board

[lastexit]

Hi, Im looking to step up from my bic board and am after some advice please.
Ive skated as a kid and surfed from 13 to 19 ( i think on a 6'6 vitamin sea ) but have only just returned to surfing. . . . .
Im 40 yrs old and going between 13 and 14 stone. I have moved back to cornwall and with my young kids got back into the water on a body board and fins.
Anyway as my kids have grown up the have both started to surf on foam boards and love it which has meant i no longer spend my time in the red and yellow flags! Woo!
I got a cheap 7'9 bic board off ebay in march and a decent 5,3 wetsuit and can''t get enough off it and try to get in the water at least once a week with the kids and more if i can get away from work for an hour. Anyway i bought the bic board really cheap but feels as if im steering the ark royal back to shore. Money is tight and i dont wont to buy another board and within a month be thinking i have made a mistake!
Im not a teenager any more and cant paddle at 60mph to catch anything but feel as tho im restricted with my current board and want to know where to go from here please?


Cheers.

[Bearded Gimp]

Sounds similar to a mate of mine. He surfed for a few years (3 I think) between about 12 and 15, then went in a bit on a boogie board. Can't exactly remember how well he could surf, but nothing startling. Like you, he also skated to a decent enough standard as a kid. A year or so ago I took him in for his first surf in over 20yrs on a surftech 6'6 mccoy nugget and he did fine, despite the waves being shite. So I would guess that the Bic is a bit on the primitive side for you, based on your previous experience.

I'm sure you'll get back pretty much what you paid for your Bic, then you can have a look around for a board that's got a bit more going for it. Many manufacturers now quote a volume figure for their boards, so if I were you I'd look for something in the 6'4 -6'6 range with upwards of 35 litres of volume. Maximising the volume will help enormously with paddling and will also mean you're better supported when you're up and riding.

Use these sites to get an idea of the sort of thing that would be suitable:

http://cisurfboards.com/suggested_boards.php
http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/quive ... e_calc.php

Surftechs also quote volume http://www.surfcom.co.uk/app/content_cat/4 - they don't have a board selector tool, so you'll have to look at the Board review for each shaper's model to find out how much each one has got.

Once you've found something you like the look of, post back up here and I'm sure you'll get some opinions

[surfrat]

suftech mctavish micro.....will be perfect. if u can find one second hand!

[lastexit]

Hi, thanks for the replys.
After much deliberation and chatting to lots of people i went for a nigel semmens 6"10 fish and can't get enough of it.
Just need to move somewhere with a consistant wave now lol.