[sarah86]

Hey
i've been surfing for a few months now at my local breaks saunton and croyde and in NZ. Im only just standing up so im a real slow learner but i really love it so hoping to get my own board soon. I've tried the NSP and Bic boards a few times but most of the time i have used the softops which i feel most comfortable with. Do you think it is worth me buying a second hand foamie from a hire shop or do you think i should get myself a mal and try and get used to the feel of that. I really would like to buy one soon as im starting uni in a week and hiring just becomes a pain and is expensive in the long run.

Thanks for your help

[jeffb]

Hello Sarah,

You seem to be in the same position as me, i.e. with a bit of learning under your belt... Having asked much the same question on here and other sites the first thing I have generally been asked is what direction I intend to persue, i.e. do I want to progress towards a shortboard or longboard... Do you know where you want to head???

The reason for establishing this is that if you're heading for a longboard life you can (from what I gather) pretty much buy a longboard to suit your hight and weight (seek advice from shop staff about this) and get going on this...

However, if you want to be a shortboarder in the future then you are best advised to go for a mini-mal, again the length depending on your size.

From what I gather you want to try and get off the foamies/swell/softboards as soon as you can cos getting on a mini-mal etc will feel very different and will pretty much mean almost starting the learning process over again. Hoestly you may as well bite the bullet and get to it strait away, that's what I did and within a session I was up and enjoying a totally different and better ride on a mini-mal...

I'm heading for a shortboard and so will first be buying a mini-mal to cut my teath on and learn the ropes...

Hope this helps and good luck,

Jeff