i currently ride 10 6 pearson/arrow/laird. it is a good board but i find it too long off the water and on the water. i dont do any flat water paddling.
i am 81 kg and 171 high, reasonable in surf in right conditions - did a lot of sailboarding when younger - keep fit now but just went over 50.
I enjoy the surf in small manageable conditions and also a local enclose bay break that works on an easterly swell.
i want to do more sup in the surf and want smaller board - and am open to having two boards eventually. should i sell the laird and get something around 9' - 9' 6 " and then something around 8' 8'6" - longer board for the fuller days and bay break and smaller board for the beach breaks ? or keep laird and go straight to short board
or can i get away with one board and what recommended size/litres
thanks
If I were you I'd get a proper Surf SUP at 9'6-9' around 120-140L @30" wide as your 'long' board and get that dialled in then you'll be in a better position to know what shorter board to get. Don't get too hung up on length as width, volume and rocker has a bigger affect. For example for your short board you might want to try the Minion style of board which are sub-8' but stable as a traditional 8'6 shape. Also a 'long' board like the 9'1 Naish Hokua X32 has a lot of rocker and volume and might not be the best in fuller waves but can rip in beach breaks. Maybe keep the 10'6 until you are fully comfortable on the 9'6 or 9' then sell it to fund the short board?
Board recommendations are always such a tricky issue. StevO makes some great points. What are the conditions commonly like where you surf? Do you want to go out when the wind is not in right direction? Do you get a lot of chop and water movement? As you have no doubt read, stability is a big issue and there is no need to push too hard until your legs are stronger and your brain/balance is re-trained. I was 15 kg heavier than you when I moved to a 9'5" board in my very early days of supping so you could go a little smaller. The Sunova Speeed is more stable than its length/width may suggest, and it is fun in the surf (but not cheap). I have the 8'10 but maybe you should look at the 9'2" with 148 liters. If you go with a traditional shaped board then you should go longer and wider.
Hope that helps.
I was where you are only a couple of months ago. I'm similar size to you and learnt on a 10'6" x 33" board (no idea of volume but huge). It was good to learn the basics on but turned like an oil tanker. I've just purchased a Blue Planet Noosa (9'6" x 30" x 4.25" x 154L) as I wanted a longboard style SUP. I also tried a 10'2" x 32" board.
The drop in width seems to be the biggest change, with a big difference in stability (wasn't much between the 33" and 32" wide boards). It's a great board and lots of fun but I'm glad I didn't go any smaller (narrower). I also read on here someone said go one size bigger than you think, which is not bad advice.
So as said above it's hard as there are so many variables:
- what suits your local breaks: fat waves = more glide, hollow = more rocker
- what style you like to surf: longboard cruiser vs shortboard smashing the lip
- how often you can get in the water: a big drop in size will take more work to feel comfortable on
So try to trial a few boards (maybe at trial days) and don't get talked into buying something the sales guy wants to sell you.
Finally for me it's about having fun. I've wasted money in the past by trying to go to small to fast and not enjoying it, then having to sell boards and buying the board I should have got originally.
Cheers Mark
I'd recommend keeping the Laird and going for something around the 8'5", 110-115 ltr, might be a challenge to start off with but well worth it.
Thanks so far for all replies, the laird is a good board, i will go 9-9 6 and then work out next step.
It will be second hand stuff , bit of trial and error so hopefully wont drop too much if i have to resell.
