Beoz

Hi All

Anyone know a good place to find an inexpensive, big and stable for a surfboard for a beginner in Sydney?

Gumtree is a little bare and ebay is a waiting game. Most surfboard shops seem to only cater for the experienced surfing athlete with rather flashy expensive boards.

moneypenny20

Have you been in and asked? They're bound to either have some older ones out back and be more than happy to welcome a 'newbie' to the sport.

oz miller man

Most surf shops on the northen beaches stock 2nd hand boards, Manly has lots of ex hire stuff but i always found the Manly surf shops a bit of a rip off. There used to be a great 2nd hand surf shop near the sands hotel at Narrabeen (up from fruit n veg shop) and Mona vale, Dee Why and Collaroy all have decent shops.

Saying that, some of the stuff on ebay cant be beat for price and most of the factorys are Sydney based so you can pick up
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Minimal-Su...Direct-Factory
$350 new, same as what something half decent 2nd hand is going to cost


A longboard (above 9ft) is the easiest way to learn but not many Sydney beaches are longboard friendly so the extra length becomes a hinderance. Go for something 7"-8" and nice n wide, mini mal or fish shape.


have fun

Beoz

Thanks for the replies. I think I need to stay away from the surf shop tourist traps of Bondi and Manly. Will check out the surfshops further up at Dee Why etc. Might be even worth a trek to Cronulla.

Thanks for the Ebay link. That looks OK. I was kind of thinking about a "softy". Big and stable and can be ridden at Tamarama when the flags go up.

furkew

we have bought and sold a couple on ebay here in Vic, but we actually got the best deals at a surf shop selling off some shop soiled/light damaged boards. ebay is good for selling boards but not buying IMO.

IvanM

Prices are similar north or south but it's fun looking around the different spots. Glamarama is not a beginners wave and breaks on rocks but can work well in some conditions if you are game.

Bondi is a scrappy crowded wave but good for beginners. The bra is the best east beach.

pomE

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/classifi...cw7s2Okg%3d%3d

oz miller man

softys are great for the first couple of attempts but not much use when your on your feet.
My advise for anyone wanting to learn to surf is to go with a surf school until you are standing up on the white water or even better a clean face.
If you find you are lacking confidence out in the surf then get a bodyboard and fins first, this will get you used to duck diving, following rips, getting out back and the general rules of the line up. The standing up riding the wave is the easy bit to surfing its all the other stuff reliant on your fitness level, ocean knowledge and confidence that makes it hard to master.
With a bodyboard you could skip the crowds and have fun at places like Collaroy, Narra, Mona Vale and Warriewood. On a surf board i would suggest Palm beach or Long reef as the best spots for beginners on the northen beaches. If you want to get away from Sydney head up to Terrigal or Soldiers beach on the Central coast.

Although i have never tried one myself, some of the boards on ebay are made from epoxy and are much stronger and lighter than a conventional board.....great for starting out with
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/M8R8-CUST...item2c5c9f8f0c

also on ebay is a $1200 surftech epoxy going cheap
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Mal-...item2eb80cd1e3

When i lived in Sydney I bought a 7`6 fun board of this guy at Mona Vale
http://www.ronwadesurfboards.com.au/web/index
even today seven years later its the board that gets used more than any other