don't tell me to get a mini-mal

[smigan]

hey there
i'm just getting into the surfing and want to get a board, everyone i've talked to said " get a minin mal, it's bouyant and is this it's that'
i'm a 23yr old female, 5ft and 45kg therefore unless i take up body building and my arms stretch a foot i can't carry one.
is there anyone out there that has learnt on a shortboard? a friend said there are some shorties around that are a little thicker.
any tips or should i just get used to lugging the thing up the beach, any advice is helpful

[Longboarder]

Get a fish or a very fat shortboard for bouyancy.

[the kalakau kid]

Smigan,

have you tired any good shops? ones that stock more boards than clothes? They should be able to help out - there are heaps around manly/nthn beaches. These days there are plenty of boards under 7ft that have dimensions suited to a beginner.
Most of them will probably be as longboarder indicated - fishy type things ( do you understand what a fish is? )
there are even - dare I say it, some epoxy boards that will suit you.

learning on a std shortboard is possible but i think you will progress much faster if you have a board suited to learning. Longboards are the ultimate beginners board but they are heavy, wide and difficult to handle in waves of any size - for a beginner.

my personal advice for learing to surf is to ride a longboard in small waves with as few people around as possible.

need more info?
post back.

aloha

[Bigpete]

Hi Smigan, welcome to the tribe.
The only benefit to getting a longer or fatter board is that you can catch your wave and get to your feet earlier and easier. You decide what kind of surfing you aspire to and get the equipment to suit.
As a young, fit female you should be able to pick up waves fairly easily. Upper body strength is the key. Remember you can't surf if you can't catch the waves.
Why not go to somewhere like Dripping wet at North Steyne and see if you can rent a few different boards to see how you go.

[dan]

hello

i learnt on a shortboard, a performance shortboard.. and what a trial that was. so damn hard its not funny, I swear I was a kook for about 6 months but now im very well in tune using shortboards and ride them confidently. One drawback from not starting off on mals, I cannot use them at all! (this may not be a problem to you?) They scare me for their lack of control, plus cause of the weight, one hit in the head with one (a real one made of fibreglass) and you're looking at a pretty nasty injury depending how it's done. but shortboards can be equally as devasting.

best shortboard to learn on is not a brand new performance board. get a 2nd hand 6" 2 thats nice & wide, and very thick. It shouldn't be heavy either, so dont buy one that happens to be heavy. They made alot of these in the early 70's & 80's

[BEN]

get a 20 inch fish, bout 5''11 tall.

[donfugo]

i disagree with the kalakau kid, i don't think longboards are the best beginner boards (especially for girls) they are too heavy, to hard to turn... i don't like mini-mals either, i think they combine the disadvantages of both short- and longboards. i learned on a 6'8" shortboard and let me tell you it was not easy, it took me months to learn. on the other hand i am quite confident now with surfing a shortboard (6'3"), although most of the times i am on a mal (9'2") but thats because of the wave quality around. if you have the time and commitment go for it on a longer shortboard 6'5 - 7', preferably quite wide and thick. my second board was a 6'8" was shaped for a really big guy, i progressed so much on this thing. i would look for something like that!!!!

enjoy!!!!!

[kateontour]

I learnt on a standard volume 6'8" (like a big blokes board - not a gun)
It was difficult the first 20 times, but once I could catch the waves in the right spot and got up on the wall of the wave, I really picked it up quickly and now I surf a 6'2"

I tried a minimal once and it felt like a giant barge. Duckdiving - you can get out so quickfor another wave - getting out in a decent swell on a mal would be a nightmare.

I'm 62kg's so I guess it'll be even easier for you if you can paddle well and have an idea of where to catch the waves. Go the shortboard and leave the Mals to the old farts and fat guys!
I like the fish idea too!

[SIR WOO]

Fish would definitely be the better option for you.

I learnt on a mal about 5 years ago and when I switched to a shortboard I had to change my whole approach which made me look like a kook for a few weeks - I am still a kook but atleast I look like I know what I'm doing now

[AC]

I had trouble too carrying my first 'real' board under my arm - so I carried it on my head. It was 5'11" Otton special & I was 7 years old and in 1976 singles were still the norm.

Seriously - get an old clunker until you can both control the board & also have developed surf sense (very important for the beginner). Otherwise, consider a soft-top so you don't hurt yourself & others. You will make faster progress & get more waves on the more stable platform of a mini-mal provides - then progress quickly to a real 'shortboard'.

[Patto08]

At 5 foot you are a wee one. Two years ago I hurt my back and had to get something easier to paddle.
I bough this weird looking thing from dee why beach next to the bg fish and chip shop.
It looks like a minimal shape but is the longth of a normal board. I have surfed in 10 foot Bali and 1 foot manly and it really goes off. My back is so so and I went back to a real short board this summer and my surfing has actually improved.
The problem with mals and minimals is it is a differnt knid of surfing. If you only ever want to be a summer cruiser, then that's ok. If you want to progress, get something that is a multifunctional.
I do agree with the earlier post, before you over committ, buy some shit box single fin out of the manly daily for $50.
Also work on the upper body strength is critical.

[smigan]

thanks guys
it helps to hear from people that have had the trail and error and not just trying to sell me a $700 board.
let me get this straight, if i get a mini-mal once i've mastered that and go onto a shortie i'm still going to spend ages struggling anyway? thanks for everyones, input

[AC]

Smigan,

Not entirely correct - a mini mal or larger more stable shortboard (old clunker) will allow you to master the essential fundamentals - surf etiqutte, paddling, positioning, standing up, the bottom turn etc - much faster than a shortboard. Then you can apply these basics to a shortboard in a short period of time (surely enough of us have old 6'2" thrusters gathering dust under the house we may be able to donate).

Remember that if you skip the basics you'll struggle forever - learn properly and you'll be still ripping well into retirement.

AC

[zzz]

Smigan,

My 2 cents worth:

A mini mal would be easy for the very basic stand up in the foamies stage and catching waves and trimming along them but plenty of people (probably the majority of shortboarders) have learnt to surf without ever riding a mal. That being said, hiring a mini mal for a couple of days and mucking about in the shorebreak wouldn't be a bad starting point.

Given how small/light you are, I think the advice of a standard shortboard designed for a larger person is a good idea. I also agree that buying a new board is probably a waste of time till you've learnt the basics.

If you can find a board under 10 years old thats fairly light and in good condition (no big dents in the deck, gouges out of the bottom or dodgy repairs etc.) About 6'6" - 7' in length, about 19"+ wide and >2" thick I reckon it would be a good starter for you.

If you look at a second hand board you'll usually be able to find the dimensions written underneath the board near the stringer (line that runs down the centre from point to tail).

I hate to say it, but I think you're also more likely to get better treatment out in the water if you're on a shortboard. Though on the flip side, its easier to get waves on a mal and you don't have to take off as deep, so in crowded Sydney the mal might be the go for learning on. You'll get into waves pretty easily on a larger shortboard as well though.

[vidman]

I got my minimal years after learning (it took ages) on a short board, I love riding it when the waves arn't that great and it has taught me more about riding because it's like everything in slow-mo and more stable, when I get back on my shortboard I have more controll and confidence, minimals also last longer as the glassing is usually better. I say get the mini, then the short once your standing, it's somethig different in your quiver.

[donfugo]

I hate to say it, but I think you're also more likely to get better treatment out in the water if you're on a shortboard.

this is true but only if you can handle it, you can identify a beginner on a shortboard immediately, lying on the board like dead fish, nose pointing to the heavens, i was like that too when i started

[jeepers]

Hey Smigan, I'm a newbie like you who just recently got a surfboard. Like you all the salesman were trying to sell me huge mals that was imppossible for me to handle. I went to Manly 'Aloha' and found a hybrid. You should try those out because they're thick and wide but smaller and easier to handle than a mini mal. I got a second hand one and it's been alot of fun on it. In fact I prefer the hybrid to the mals I hired while learning to surf. You just have alot more control and it's probably safer for anyone else around them. When I was learning how to sit on it, it poped out between my legs and over my head. If that was a mal I'm sure I would have knocked out myself and anyone else swiming past!