hi im 17 5'3 and 120 lbs. Also im very new to surfboarding. l bought a gun and tried to surf with it at waikiki (around 2 foot waves) but l didnt generate enough speed to ride teh wave. My friend pushed me from the back and l got the speed but it was hard to stand up. When l rode his longboard l could ride it with ease. Should l stick with this board and learn on it or should l sell it to get a longboard ,funboard or short board? l live like half a mile from the beach so l can go like every weekends

Good on you for getting into surfing!!
l learned to surf a couple of years ago on an 8''4 foamy. Foam boards are great to learn on and also good fun. About 6 months later l bought a NSP board 7''6. And just recently l bought a Wired 6'6. Moving up slowly helps a lot, Buy a longboard, but keep the gun and move up when you feel confident

At first l would stick to the bigger boards . Easier to keep your balance . Once you get use to it you will be able to pick up your speed and then handle the smaller boards. Keep it up , practice and more practice is what makes it fun. The more you learn the more you can ride...

well u picked a great place to learn!! a gun is designed for specific waves & if u r riding waves that large u need to be good the gun will not need for years to come l would sell it take the $ & buy a learning board. either a long board or since ur friend has one maybe a fun shape that is 7.5' -8 ft shaped like a long board. but smaller & moderatly more manueverable that way u both can benifit & have a board to advance ur surfing on. the rounded nose gives eccellent wave catching ability will the shorter legth will make it turn more easily. l have been surfing for 30yrs & have taught about 7 nieces & nephews to surf & the progression from the longbrd to the fun brd is perfect. then in months it might be too long & u will want to progress further into more performance shortboards.

l do not want to sound negative but if u bought a gun to learn on somebody screwed u over. Guns r designed for one thing & one thing only.big wave surfing. l am hoping that u r really misinterpreting what u have & that it is some sort of fun board. You r okay on length but u need width & stability.

If u really do have gun (ask on of ur more experienced frinds) sell if & get something more appropriate to learn on. Take on of those friends with u to pick out ur next board. A lot of people will start with a fun board because they r good for learning but l have found that most fund boards r not really that fun once u learn the basics. l would recommend a long board or mini-longboard. You will get way more use out of it down the road. Even if u more onto a short board there r always plenty of days that a longboard comes in handy. Plus itr really helps ur surfing be more rounded if u can learn to ride more than one type of board.

l tried to respond to ur message but it was returned as undeliverable. So here goes: Guns r pretty much made for being able to paddle quickly to allow you
to catch large waves & with enough rocker to allow u make the
bottom turn & outrun the whitewater. They r probably the most
specialized of the various board designs. They r not maneuverable at all and
tend to be narrower than most boards so this makes them pretty much
impossible to learn on. If u really like it because it looks great
then by all means keep it. l happen to feel that surf boards r very
artful so if it looks great display it. Save up some more dough & get
the right board to learn on. Try craigslist for used boards, ur first
board does not have to look good, all it needs to be is big & water
tight.

It’s wonderful that u started surfing & u picked a perfect location to. But u still picked the wrong surfboard. The gun is a board, meant for advance surfers.

l would keep it, put aside. This saves u money, from buying a new one in the future. If u r short on money, then yes trade it, in for a longer board.

A true surfer has 3 types of boards

A long board is meant: for small waves like Waikiki for example, easy to paddle, stand on the board, it will still be fun & easier to ride. This board is meant for beginners such as yourself or just to have fun on small swell. 2-5 ft waves

A short board: high performance easier to do tricks, maneuvers, & speed, more for intermediate. 4-8ft waves

A gun is a survival tool in the water it helps u fly; especially on the northshore.
Control well turns, maneuverable that’s were the magic starts. Flying through the barrels.
THIS BOARD IS FOR THE MORE ADVANCE SURFERS.
6-15ft waves


Well have fun

If you have not yet done exactly what ''kim_dude.'' said, then do it right away. He is exactly right.