About a year ago l bought a new surfboard.It was a 6'4 Challenger shorboard.l bought it used for 225$.The board was very hard to learn on and it took me a while.l got the hang of it know and when conditions are good l have a lot of fun on it.But it seems like the board is way to small for the summer flatness and its hard to catch some waves. l wanna get a new board what size and what kind of board do you think l should get?l want a bigger board but l also want a board l can play around with and whip.l dont wanna spend to much probably around the 400$ range. Please help.
By the way l live on Long Island
l weigh about 145 pounds

It depends on how much you weigh, along with your abilities (which seem good, being you learned how to surf on a short board). Check around your area for surf shops that sell used boards. They will be able to recommend the proper size that would float you and allow you to have fun on. Good luck.

l do not know u weight, so it is hard to recommend a board. If u mastered the 6'4 pop out board, l can guess: a 5'6 fish. Fish r perfect for flat & mushy waves. They r also fast & can rip. You do not see many champs riding them because they consider the fish to be 'cheating'. A fish is wider & thicker than a short board, that is why u ride them shorter. Speak to someone at a local surf shop to find out which fish will be right for ur weight, skill, & surf. l have two fishes & they're my favorite boards for Florida.

http://surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=803

Challengers r mass produced Chinese popouts. They bought the rights to the name ''challenger'' about twenty years ago when the Chinese fist started manufacturing surfboards.
http://bp3.blogger.com/_hPACOtZKKko/RkST.

l have one in my garage that my son had years ago, it is severely delaminated & water logged, typical of popouts. l really think that popouts r only good for beginner boards and/or rentals. Unfortunately, there is not much out there that u can buy new for $400. You r at least $100.00 short of a good board.

http://mckevlins.com/nopopstory.htm

l suspect that u probably would make out best with a nice fat little fish. There r a ton of them out there. The wider & fatter the better for riding the small stuff like a longboard, & still giving u some neat moves in the big stuff.

Be careful of what u read here on line. There r lots of really well meaning young folks who have neat about surfing, but at 55, l tend to classify anyone under 25 as a kid. After l found this site, l figured that l could answer a few questions, & spread the 'good news' of surfing. After u learn to swim & master the ocean, get ur REAL advice from a surf shop, where industry professionals earn their rent money selling surfboards.

Good luck!
16 hours ago

Try checking out craigslist for your area. Either go longer (as in longboard) or go shorter (as in fish). Both have their own appeal. l love the feel of when l get my LB trimming in the pocket but you sacrifice maneuverability (not necessarily a bad thing if you happen to enjoy traditional longboarding though). You can ride a nice fat fish WAY shorter than you think and still ride small surf due to large volume in them, very maneuverable too.

l would buy a high performance longboard. It will ride like a short-board and be able to paddle like a longboard.

The Surfboard Man
http://thesurfboardman.com