People learning to surf in the majority of cases choose to learn on a longboard. Longboards are more suitable for beginners because they are the longest and largest volume surfboards compared to the shortboards. This makes longboards easier to learn on as they are offer greater stability when popping up. They are also faster to paddle on which means that one can catch waves earlier on a longboard than a shortboard. In this post we look at the 3 best longboards for beginners.
9ft Foam Board by the California Board Company
This is the ideal board to start surfing on because not only is a foam board, but it’s also 9ft long. This means that overall the board has a large amount of volume which gives it stability in the water. The board comes with a PU leash and try fin setup. It comprises of a foam care, so you won’t need any wax as the foam is already grippy.
Raystreak 8’2″ Crocodile Groove
This board is renowned for its durability. It’s 8’2″ long which makes it a little less stable than the 9 footer by the Californian Board Company. It comes nose and tail bumpers for extra protection of the board and ahot-pressed IXPE skin to be strong against scratches or dents. It utilises unique crocodile grooves for anti-slippery performance and has a HDPE slick bottom for speed and rigidity. This board also comes with a try-fin setup and PU leash.
Rock-It 8′ BIG SOFTY Surfboard
This board is very similar to the Raystreak board in construction. It’s a little shorter at 8 foot, so will be more suited to a beginner surfer who has good balance and is looking for a board with more manoeuvrability. It has an EPS foam core and comes with 2 stringers and a 6oz fiberglass cloth under soft top for enhanced durability. We can confidently recommend this board as one of the 3 best longboards for beginners.
As you may have noticed, all the boards we’ve recommended are soft tops. The reason for this is that soft tops have a number advantages for beginner surfers. These include safety, durability and price point. You can read about all the pro’s and cons of soft top surfboard on our Surfboards page.
It’s quite clear that learning to surf on a soft top board has many more advantages than learning a traditional PU/Fibre Glass board. This is not to say that one can’t learn on a hard top board, but for most people it will be more difficult as the learning curve is a lot steeper. At the end of the day the choice is yours. Speak to friends and surf instructors to get their views before making your mind up on what’s best for you.