Hi all - first post
Looking for some advice on the first SUP...mainly for waves but don't want to rule out a little coastal paddle if no swell. I'm a bit of over 90kgs, surf a longboard/midlengths but would like to try my hand at a SUP. Not much chance to demo boards where I am so will probably need to take a chance on the first SUP.
Looking at a Whopper, Fanatic allwave 9ft 6, Mana 9.5 or Widepoint 9.5 or maybe a 9ft 8 Element?
Any views very welcome. I hope to get a board that will keep me going well for a good while....very frustrating when you get a board that is great right away but then you reckon after a few months it is holding you back....wonder if the Whopper might be in that category. Thanks all.
Welcome to the Breeze
Starboard Drive for you 10.5 x 30, surfs longboard style and is a nice flat water paddler for a dude our size.
Check out the fanatic Allwave range around the 10 foot length.
Welcome to the Breeze
Mate I have a 9,11 PSH Hull ripper it is a surf orientated board, but has a bit of length and width to make it a good board to go for a paddle on its not real good in small surf but comes into its own when you surf from the back of the board in anything over 2 foot I love it I am 95 kgs and 6,1
Cheers Boof
the allwave will be great to start on. they surf great and paddle ok. Ive paddled mine between leighton and cottesloe when i was particularly bored and it went ok, not as good a paddler as the 10 foot mana but a better surfer. For smaller or non perfect waves to 4 foot it leavs the whopper for dead. if youre in the low 90,s in weight youll probably find that the 9.2 allwave would be a better proposition. still super stable but a bit looser.
starboard Blend has the feel of a longboard with the snap of a shorty, then progress fright through the starboard family. Its addictive what can i tell you:)
OOOOO then go for the 9-5 wide point its a rocking little board and I have used it in everything since I bought it a few months ago. I know there are heaps to choose from but for my money you need something that is a bit stable and allows you to throw it around a bit. A few mates have Corebans and they look like a good board but I reckon the wide point is still the pick of them. Look just my opinion but I am yet to find a board that does as much as the wide point but still handles like a shorty.
Think I have discounted the 9,5 Mana - sounds like too much volume for me....reckon after a couple of months I would be finding it limiting.
So, the 9.2 or 9.6 Allwave or 9.5 Widepoint may be the board of choice.....unless there's other out there that I haven't thought of?
The 9-11 Hull paddlers are built for big guys , shot these last year in Hawaii , the 9-11 on the left and these boys cracks the scales at 130kg and they just rip it.
Hey Slab,
Welcome to the sport. You are asking for the impossible; a board that surf's well, and paddles well too. You will be making a compromise in either or both areas depending on your choice.
We get asked this question all the time. If you want a great surfboard, then you lose the paddle ability, if you want paddle ability, then you compromise surf ability. If you want both, there is a compromise on both sides.
What you haven't mentioned is where you are and more importantly, the type of waves you get at your local. Do you have short sucky beachies? Fat, quick, unbroken waves, reef breaks? Pointbreaks, predominantly large or smaller waves etc.
The point is, the type of board you are looking for may well be a more old school style longboard like the Hobie ATR, or the Starboard Drive if you have longboard type waves and fancy cross stepping for trim. If the waves are a little more punchy and steeper but under 4-5 foot, then the Allwave 9'2" would be my pick, but you then start to sacrifice paddle ability for distance. The ATR and Drive will paddle beautifully over distance.
If you get a range of large to small waves, then something else may be more suited. There are hundreds of boards to choose from which will do what you want, but only a few will be the ideal board with the least compromise.
My suggestion to end the flippant, "off the cuff" recommendations is tell us your wave type you want to ride in, where you are in Oz, then work out realistically, the ratio between surfing and paddling. Also if anyone else will be using the board or is it solely for you. I think then you will get much clearer ideas on what will be most ideal for YOU!
DM
Of course...very good points you make there.....these are the sorts of issues that have influenced my surfboards in my quiver at the moment. I suppose these were factors that I had already considered in my own mind when I was suggesting those boards. My currently surfboard quiver consists a 9ft 6 semi pig and an 8ft 2 nugget.
The spot I surf mostly if a wide open beach break. The waves are mostly windswell but we do have good days. They are not steep and punchy or powerful in the main. The period tends to be around 8 on average and 10 to 12 on the good days. The beach is affected by wind quite a bit. Compared to other breaks it is seen as an easier wave....a bit flatter. The wave does get steep when the tide is lower and longboards can get eaten!
I think I will be using the SUP when the waves are knee to chest high and clean. I think the 8ft surfboard tend to be the go to board for most conditions...except in summer when surf is smaller.
What do you reckon then DM?
Great recommendations and advice ScarbsSup. I think you were bang on with the Allwave 9'2 going by Slabs description of his local conditions.
They are definitely more suited to a slightly shorter, wider board like the fanatic. The Allwave 9'2 seems like a fairly reasonable paddler from what I have seen. Our local breaks sound similar to Slabs and I'm often amazed at how fast some of the guys paddle out back after catching a wave.
They are also plenty of board for a 90kg rider.
Hi Slab,
Judging by your answer, the main focus is on waves and surf ability, if that is the case, then the Allwave in 9'2" would be ideal for your weight. It will suit the waves and the added volume and width will help with the wind chop and bumpiness in the break whilst waiting for waves. I think stability will be an important factor in the board for you due to the less than ideal conditions most if the time.
The short length and wide body of the Allwave combined with plenty of nose and tail rocker will suit the waves you're speaking of overall.
There are other good boards too, which I'm sure, in light of your wave clarification will be nominated by others.
Cheers,
DM
Hi Slab
Ive read over & thru many of the points raised & I think you really need to consider that you are a beginner to this awesome sport ..
My suggestion would begin to point you toward the nose rider or the element as you really need to have the glide to get you on to waves rather than being frustrated at just missing getting over the edge ..
As you then progress you will find that these boards will progress with you & with options of fin set ups you will be amazed at the different behaviors you can find with each of these boards & how you find yourself riding them on any given day ..
Please let us know exactly where you are & Ill do my best to locate a demo option for you over there , so that you can trial a few options to find what fits best..
Cheers Pete
**disclosure; Ive taken on a role in addition to my current position on the STARBOARD R&D team for the surf sup program along side Scotty McKercher to now offer assistance where ever possible to paddlers so that they can be standing on the boards best suited to them with correct information & the best possible service in locating their nearest outlet .. Cheers Pete
Go the 9'5" widepoint!
I am just over 90kgs and 6'5" tall. I recommend a board that is wide for the stability ie around 32" for your weight and also if you are tall as well, like me. I started on the Whooper and it was great to learn quickly on in the surf, as it is so stable but I outgrew it quickly. After that I demo'd all the other starboard boards to find the next one for me. The Drive was good on a wave with a long board surf feel but wasnt as stable as the 9'5' widepoint. The old model Widepoint 10'5" was a bit corky ie too thick and the 'V' in the bottom made it surprisingly a bit unstable for its size, but I assume this has been corrected in the new model. The 9'5" widepoint is very stable and surfs amazing! Concave right through adds to stability. So I bought it and I am very, very happy. Can pump it ie do speed turns along small waves and do re- entrys on close outs without much difficulty, my level improved very quickly on this board in the surf. I am amazed at some of the things I can do on it; at times feels like surfing a short board, which was very different from the Whooper. I am amazed how stable it is also. So basically, you are on the money - it is an amazing board! I havent tried the Allwave Fanatic - it looks a bit 'fishyer', so might be good in weak waves but that is just a guess.
Hi Big John - I got myself a second hand 9ft 6 Nah Skwell allrounder. Working well for me so far...surfs well and light.
