The board is 36 feet long and weighs 400 lb

The surf at Lusty Glaze beach in north Cornwall was too big for the attempt, said the board's owner Tim Mellors.

The 36-feet long board is officially the longest in the world and weighs in at 400lb.

"The surf had got to be really small, because it is a dangerous item," said Mr Mellors, who owns Custard Point Surfboards manufacturers in Newquay.

"It is bigger than most ocean-going racing yachts," he said.

There is no official record for the mass wave ride, although 12 people did ride the giant board when it was launched in 1999.

A New Zealand team went one better and managed to get 13 people riding a wave on one board.

So Mr Mellor's board, which usually hangs outside his Longboard House surf shop in Newquay, was prepared for only its second taste of the waves.

"We are desperate to get back in the water again - there is no question we can set a world record," he added.

Another record attempt is planned for St Ives, west Cornwall, on Tuesday, he said.