hi as name states I'm looking at buying my first surfboard,
i surf in south australia mainly on the mid coast, generally small soft waves i generally surf at the moment 2-3 foot but the waves don't regally get to much bigger than that.
I've been surfing occasionally for years as we have always had surf boards around the house but last summer this winter and the last few months i have been surfing quite regually, I've been surfing on a 7ft mini mal made locally and occasionally when surf right on a 20yo short board (not sure on exact size)
but I'm looking for suggestions on a new board (or used if i can find one) that will help me improve my skills
i can do some cut backs and small re entries i am fairly short 160/170 cm ish weighing 71kgs reasonably fit.
if you guys could give me some suggestions
I'm finding it hard to decide as every person i talk to in stores and out surfing has completely different opinions.

I have looked at 7S super fish online and noticed there on sale for 550$ at the moment?
have been suggested firewire potato or something? looked very expensive?


my concern is buying a board to small and stuggeling to surf on it and loosing interest and waisting my money

any help will be appreciated

Welcome Alex.

Sounds like you are progressing from being a beginner... Some of the 7S boards are very forgiving, as they are wider and thicker than normal, so have a bit more stability and the extra paddle power from the increased volume. I have a SuperFish which I quite like - and surf that in anything from waist high to well overhead. For reference I am 5"11" and 110kg surfing the 7'3".

You'll get lots of different advice, and some of it will be conflicting, but at this stage I would stick with a wider, slightly thicker board until you feel that board is holding you back... If you go too narrow and opt for a performance short board you may end up regretting it.

See if you can either get a shop demo or have a go of your mates boards...

thanks,
yeah I'm waiting for some swell to come in on a weekend so i can take out some demo boards from local shops, only thing is they don't have 7s boards but that does not really matter because I'm still just looking into all boards,
would you say a 6ft in a super fish would be a good size?
would you have any other suggestions on boards to look into?

6ft in the 7S SuperFish model would be bang on for someone your size / stage of surfing...

There are tooooo many boards with so many variables it would be impossible for me to suggest any one of them... BUT IMHO I would have a look at those boards that offer a 'fish' style template - ie a little wider and thicker... also, maybe look for something with 5x fin plugs, as this will offer you the versatility to not only change fins, but go from a Thruster, to quad, and maybe even a Twin-fin configuration. Fins can make HUGE difference to board performance.

thanks for you assistance in pointing me in the right direction!
still will try and get some trial boards or something
do you know if i would be able to find a 6ft super fish trial board or probably not?

I agree 7s would be good. City beach surf shop sell good leaener mini mAls as well which are very cheap.

IMO don't bother with the 7S. Yeah they're forgiving and easy to surf, but you want to progress - you sound like you've got some of the fundamentals down, but you want to develop these - top to bottom, good strong lines, link turns, start surfing aggressively. Talk to your local shaper. Tell him your experience and what you want out of your next board and let him use his experience and skill to make you a good board. IMO, u want a shortboard type shape but with a bit more volume - forgiving but performance - wider nose and tail ( but not too fishy) a bit thicker than standard- a board that will let you develop strong fundamentals, but let you progress quickly.

I would look at something like a firewire dominator!!! or something similar to that shape they are a good all round shape thats a bit wider and thicker and paddles nice!!