What board to buy

So I am looking a getting a new board...I would say I am a intermediate surfer. I was looking at anything about 5'6" I am 6 foot and 210 lbs. Any advice out there???

Hey Ryan, I may be confused are you just looking for a list of boards in the 5'6" range that will allow you to surf, or did you have any other specific criteria? Such as: Is storage in a wakeboard rack important? How about cost? Will you be using it to teach others to ride, or will it just be your stick? Are graphics a consideration?

If you could give us a description of the things that are important to you in this purchase, we'd be better able to zero in on recommendations. If you just want a list of 5'6" boards I'm sure that we can get that too.

ok thanks Jeff...Right now i am using my buddies hyperlight 5'6" thats a few years old. I am looking for a faster board that i can start to break free for spins and some more techy moves. Storage no worries, price 300ish, and yes i will be teaching some riders or letting beginners ride too. Another question is...5'6" a good size for me...I know shorter can be more fun but more difficult to learn on. thankx for the help

Ryan, I have the 5.6 HL Broadcast, and weight just a bit more than you. That a good started board, I've had good success teaching first timers on it.

I've been working on my surface 3s, mostly on an Inland Surfer Yellow, a little on an IS Blue as well. I found the Broadcast difficult to spin so I removed the center fin. The board is still much more difficult to spin than the Yellow is.

Although the Yellow is short it’s a really fast board. Jeff just did a review on the new ’07 Yellow, sounds even faster.

There are plenty of good surfboards out there. The Walker Composite X might also be a good board, but I don’t have any first hand experience with it. I have ridden the Walker F-18. That particular board was small for me but one I figured it out I rode it until my legs turned to mush.

Hey Ed S,

I think that I have misinformed you at some point. You haven't ridden "the F-18" you've ridden "one version of the F-18". The WP F-18 comes in sizes from 4.0 to 6.0 feet, literally with increments of 1/4" so there would be something like 194 different length versions of that board. There isn't a standard size or configuration in the F-18

http://www.thewalkerproject.com/category_s/3.htm#

Ryan,

The $300 price tag is going to limit you some. If you can find a used board, there may be more options. 5'6" is a decent size for you, but is probably longer than you need as an intermediate rider. Quite frankly at that price range and length you're looking at a WP Composite X 5oh or one of the big 3 offerings. The Composite X will be the fastest of the lot and is stable enough for teaching newbies. It doesn't have EVA traction, instead a version of Huladec...some folks don't care for the gritty surface.

For even a little bit more ($375 with eva traction) the Walzer Alpha comes in a 55" length.

Any chance you'd be willing to expand your budget?

Jeff, I know that Mike boards are highly tailerable. I had a pretty good ride on the demo board that Mike sent to the Scioto Wakefest and the Morse Lake gathering last year.

I think that you said that you asked Mike to build in a little extra rocker which may have made that particular board a little slower than the norm for an F18. On top of that the length of the board was a little short for my weight. Still though I liked the board so much I modeled Recycle This!! after the F-18.

The first time I figured out the F18, the only one that I’ve seen, I slashed up and down the wake for a half hour. By the time I was done my legs just felt like rubber.

I think that most folks are accustomed to buying equipment for behind the boat in stock sizes, rather than the customization that is available by manufacturers like the WP and Walzer. I am the worst with this over-simplification...I really should say my Fast 50 in a 4'9" length, 22.5" width, 3.5" Nose Rocker, 7 degree toe-in, etc

BUY A WALZER ....... IT IS BAD ASS BOARD ... WE JUST PICKED UP A CUSTOM BOARD THAT SEAN DID FOR US AND IT IS SICK .....