Buying a board can be really exciting, but with literally hundreds of boards out there in the market, how do I know what will suit me? Firstly, you need to know what sort of riding you want to do - Freestyle, Surf style, wake style, or freeride. If it is just freestyle, then you only need to know what kind of wind strengths you want to sail and what the water conditions are like at your fave spot. If it is really windy, then a smaller board will be better than a bigger board. If it is choppy, then a single or double concave is really nice with a little flex in the tails. A twin tip is probably the answer. For very flat water, less rocker and shorter will be fun. For wake style, something like a twin tip or wake board will be good, preferably something you can screw bindings into, if that is your thing. A wider tail with tail flex will give you awesome pop in powered moves.

For surf riding, a choice of powered riding i.e. small twin tip or Mutant style (Semi directional) will be perfect, whereas for real surf style a proper surf board shape will be better (5'9"' to 6'6"). For surf a soft rail, and generous rocker in the tail will be fun in small waves. And general purpose is generally twin tip with progressive flex, slight concave, tri stage rocker, wideish tail for early planing and shaped ABS rails for hard knocks and good feel. Above all else, consider the above questions and then ask for a demo board or to have a ride on the board before you hand over your money. Boards are like underwear, a very personal choice and what does it for someone else might not do it for you ;-) Test ride first!

As a general rule, beginners ride with a larger board than an experienced rider becasue larger boards give better stability and plane at lower speeds.  The more experienced rider will be able to ride much smaller boards depending upon wind strengths.

As a general rule of thumb, an 80-85 kilo beginner rider should be looking for a board of around 138cm x 40.  A heavier rider 90 kilos plus, should look at something from 142-144 x 41-42.  A rider of around 60-70 kilos should start with something in the realms of a 129-132 x ~38.