getting into the sport

[rie20]

I live in the portland area and want to get into surfing kind of. what is a good cheap board i can get for around $100 or is there? should i search used cause i'm probably not gonna go that often. im 5'10" 145 lbs

[peterslovo]

I live in the portland area and want to get into surfing kind of. what is a good cheap board i can get for around $100 or is there? should i search used cause i'm probably not gonna go that often. im 5'10" 145 lbs

Your best bet, of course, would be to go used. Honestly, the plastic boards (such as NSP, Bic, etc.) are good starter boards since they will take a beating but keep on ticking. They surf rather poorly, but will get you in the water and learning. You can always resell.

I would say start with something in the 8'+ size (longboard), that is around 21-22" wide. Craigslist would be one of your best bets, or you could check the used board racks at your local shops. You'll need a wetsuit as well, so check in with your local shops for those.

[Bud]

if you're just starting out, don't run out and buy a real fiberglass surfboard right off the bat (unless you can find an already beat-to-hell longboard)...you'll ding the crap out of it in the first few weeks crashing in the shallow whitewater. if you do shop for a fiberglass and foam surdboard, look for any yellowing of the foam (water damage), or soft spots (areas where the glass has delaminated from the foam), or any areas with large spiderweb cracks (a delam or water problem waiting to happen).

five years ago when i started surfing i found a 9' Bic on craigslist for $250...it looked marginally less kooky than running around with a soft-top board, but it was bomb-proof....i spent a summer flailing on it, then passed it along to my girlfriend who used it for two summers. sold it last year to another beginner for $250... talk about holding its resale value.

you might wanna check with Gorge Performance in Portland...they've got a huge used board selection and they often sell off their demo boards at the end of each summer...so you might find something you're lookin for. Boards that are appropriate for beginners seem to get snatched up quick on craigslist, so its worth checking each day.

I'd be very surprised if you could find something for $100....maybe a shitty shortboard, but that would be painful and frustrating to learn on.... my two cents would be to save up another $100 and budget $200 for your first board, that might get you something big and floaty and ugly.