For starters, taking a surf lesson at the closest beach will give you a great idea of the type of surfboard you should be riding as you building your surfing skills. Another good hint is to pay attention to the surfers who frequent your home break and keep a mental note of the boards they have strapped to their car racks. The guys who rip are likely to have wafer-thin, high-performance thrusters, while the less-skilled surfers will probably have much longer, wider boards. As with all things, there are always exceptions to the rule, and sometimes even top-notch surfers will elect to ride something other than a high-performance short board. In general, however, it is recommended that beginning surfers choose longer, wider, thicker boards to provide a stable platform for learning the proper techniques and fundamentals of surfing. Below are four types of surfboards that are great for those just getting their feet wet in the sport of surfing.