what board would you recommend? I am wanting to surf off the east Coast of Northern England. Any advice would be appreciated, am currently looking at an Al Merrick M13 8ft board and an Anacapa Bandit 8ft or perhaps Al Merrick Waterhog 7'10'' Just looking for a board that should see me well into the intermediate stage!

You're a big guy. When l started surfing l was 5'10'' & 165lbs. The first board l stood up on was a 10' ''tanker'' at Waikiki. It was at least 3 inches thick & heavy! Although this board was what most would consider a boat, it was successful in hooking me in the sport of surfing. Bottom line, the larger the board, the easier to paddle & catch waves.very, very important in the beginning when you're easily discouraged. Drawbacks of a big board, hard to punch through the waves & not good for dumping beach breaks. I'd say the bigger the better. Also big boards r always in demand. At least here in Hawaii they are!

tried surfing very hard to do. Stood up once as a beginner. Done it in Sydney, Australia.

8' boards might work for you. However l do not know you athletic abilities.
As a general rule you want to start with a bigger board when you start then as you progress you can come down in size for a smaller board.
l am 5'10'' my shortboard is 7'2'' and 4'' thick and 21'' wide.
My longboard is a 12'.

Bigger is better. Go for the biggest and thickest you can get and do not buy brand new as you will be most upset when you ding it for the first time and believe me you will ding it. So buy a nice second hand one to begin with

Definitely the waterhog. Great choice for it is size and shape and your size, level and waves in your area.

hi mate if l were you i,d look at a bic board they arent the prettiest on the block but they have got loads of float which you,ll need and if you go for a 9 footish long board you,ll catch some waves and if you ding it you wont be looking at massive amounts of damage as you would with a custom board .

I've never ridden the Merrick & Anacapa boards, but I'd recommend for someone of ur size that u get at least the 8' board. l am 6'1 & 170 & l ride a 9'4'' long board that l learned on (after 1 lesson on a soft top.)

l do not know how big the waves r in ur area, but a 9 footer will give u more float & allow u to catch the smaller waves more easily. It will also be easier to learn on because of the extra floatation. 1 foot makes a huge difference in that bouyancy. l had troubles when l originally tried surfing on shorter (7-8') boards because l was so used to the high ride l get on my board.

I'd recommend taking a lesson & specifically trying both a shorter 8' board & the longer 9' just to see how much difference there is in floatation for you. If you're comfortable on the 8' softtop, get the 8' board.

Do not buy a Bic as they wo not be satisfying after you've actually learned how to surf & can stand up. They have a lot of float, but they're simply not good boards. Both the Merrick & the Anacapa have good reputations, so if the size works for you, I'd go with whichever feels better to you. Thicker boards will be more durable & offer more floatation too.