[AnnieC]

Aloha!

Well im buying a board for myself- hopefully round xmas time and there are some great deals on the net that have free leash, wax, fins etc etc.

on some of them you can have a free bag or tailpad. I know i will be getting my moneys worth with the bag but with the tailpads are they any good?

Im a sort of beginner but can stand up etc and I just wondered A) what they do and B) if its worth getting a tailpad or just do without.

thanks

Annie

[Sid's Surf Shack]

tailpads help go grip at the back when ur throwing the board about....probably wont need one at this stage!

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[Tricky23]

yeah...don't let the tailpad influence your decision.

you do need to choose carefully tho. When i had reached a reasonable standard and got my own board I had three very different experiences on 3 mini mals:

The first I used was from a brand which i later found out has its boards made in China but I though was a Uk brand... it seemed okay but I didn't feel like i was surfing well on it.

The second was hand shaped by a UK guy in Mimizan, France. It was great and so responsive. I was suddenly able to catch waves better and really took my surfing to a new level.

Then I borrowed a board (same size as above two) made by 'Bilbo' and again had an experience like board 1! I was shocked.

You really can notice the difference between well made, hand shaped boards compared to those made in factories in the far east!!

Try and choose a UK shaped board, it should not cost much more but will be sooo much better. And its the greener choice too!