Good Surfboards for Moving From Beginner to Intermediate

The right board will make your transition from beginner easier. Beginning surfers use a type of board called a softboard. Softboards are pliable, forgiving and less dangerous for surfers who tend to fall off of their boards. Once you learn how to control your board and safely fall if you get into trouble, you can transition to either a Modern Classic Longboard or a Soft Longboard. These longboards offer more control, more comfort for surfers while paddling and more foot space on your board.

  1. Modern Classic Longboard

    • Modern classic longboards are high performance intermediate boards, ideal for surfers who want a fast board. Modern classic longboards are fiberglass, which reduces weight. They also have a triple concave bottom, which improves your maneuverability and speed in the water.

    Soft Longboard

    • Soft longboards provide the comfort and control of standard longboards, but with the extra foam padding of a softboard. These boards are ideal for surfers who are ready to move to a larger board, but not ready to move away from the safety and comfort of a softboard. The frame of soft longboards is more rigid than softboards, which reduces the in-water drag of your board and provides an increase to performance over a standard softboard. Another advantage is that soft longboards cost about half as much as a fiberglass modern classic longboard.

    Size Options

    • Longboards range from eight and a half feet to ten and a half feet long. Make sure that your surfboard is comfortable for you, as boards longer than ten feet are often clumsy and difficult to difficult to maneuver for beginners. Longboards range from 21 inches to 24.5 inches in width. Select a width that you can comfortably carry under your arm, so you can keep up with your board comfortably while you are carrying it to and from the water.

    Get the Feel

    • Place your longboard on a soft surface, such as carpet or sand, and stand on your board. Get a feel for how stable you are on the board. Longboards are very stable in the water, meant for you to rise small waves and cruise through the water. The stability you feel while standing on your board on dry land is similar to the stability you will feel on the water. Remember that the right surfboard should be the right surfboard for you. If you feel unbalanced while standing on the board, try a few other boards until you find one on which you feel comfortable.