Hi Martyn,

Heaps of good boards for first timers out there. The most stable boards around would be boards like the Starboard 12'6", Laird, and Mistral Pacifico. Of these guys they are probably in order of which would surf the best.

If you're looking for something to take you a little bit further you could look at boards like the Naish 11'6", Jimmy Lewis 11', and the Starboard 12'2". The first 2 are still super stable but should allow you to progress a little further with your surfing as you improve. The smaller of the 2 Starboards looks like it should surf really nicely (haven't tried it yet) but because it's a little narrower it won't be as stable. Maybe Auswind guys could tell you more about that one.

All in all there is plenty of good gear on the market but be careful not too go too small with your board as it doesn't give you an advantage like going smaller in windsurfing or kiting can do.

Sam.

Going for the STARBOARD, thanks for the advice.

Hi Scotty,

Good to hear from you. Kind of thought you be paddling around somewhere. Are there many other guys down your way getting out there?

I love the 10 footer as an allrounder but I've been lucky enough to get out most mornings lately. I kind of think it may come down to how much time someone is going to put on the board. If you're out there once or twice a week then it might be a good idea to go a fraction bigger for comfort rather than feeling out of sorts when you hop back on the board.

Best thing in most cases would be hop on a couple of boards and see what you can feel you can deal with. If you start big then go down a bit later I doubt it'll be hard to move on your big board.

All the best,

Sam.