Any advice for me?? I am stuck between a Starboard 8.2 WP a 8.10 WP a 8.5 PR and the 9.1 Pro as my board for the surf. I have a 11.2 Blend and I prone surf shortboards 6.0 FW Dominator and 6.2 Lost Stealth when the waves cooperate the east coast of Central Florida. I want to do more paddle surfing and not on the monster blend. I'm 5'9 and weigh 80 Kgs, should be 76. Most of the waves here are a bit choppy and onshore with some glory days sprinkled here and there. A lot of people have recommended me not to go shorter than 9 feet for glide. I am looking for 1 of these 4 boards to compliment my Blend for a 2 board quiver with the #1 intention to ride waves, but also to go for the occ paddle with a chica. I am leaning towards the new 2012 Pocket Rocket with a new shape, more volume 130L and 5 fin configuration. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

chriscrossed said...

Any advice for me?? I am stuck between a Starboard 8.2 WP a 8.10 WP a 8.5 PR and the 9.1 Pro as my board for the surf. I have a 11.2 Blend and I prone surf shortboards 6.0 FW Dominator and 6.2 Lost Stealth when the waves cooperate the east coast of Central Florida. I want to do more paddle surfing and not on the monster blend. I'm 5'9 and weigh 80 Kgs, should be 76. Most of the waves here are a bit choppy and onshore with some glory days sprinkled here and there. A lot of people have recommended me not to go shorter than 9 feet for glide. I am looking for 1 of these 4 boards to compliment my Blend for a 2 board quiver with the #1 intention to ride waves, but also to go for the occ paddle with a chica. I am leaning towards the new 2012 Pocket Rocket with a new shape, more volume 130L and 5 fin configuration. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

IMO you wont regret owning the 9.1 Pro as an all rounder. I'm 5'9, 75kg & surp my 9.1 Pro in all conditions. I use the standard 4.7 & 4.5 quad set up and find the turning & drive response just magic. A friend who is 5'9 & 100 kg has the 8.10 WP. He find's it too short when the condition's get a lil bumpy & has to revert to his 10'6 PSH...
Hope this help's...Happy surping...

In my opinion if you are considering a 9ft board then the converse is a much much better board than the 9.1 pro. Its stable, fast, light and surfs as good as any 9fter on the market (and better than most)
If you are considering going under 9ft and looking for performance with comfort then look at a more serious sub9 board like the 8.5 pro of 8.2 widepoint or maybe even the 8.0 (depending on your weight). IMO if you are good enough or dedicated enough to want a more challenging board, then rather than wasting your time on a bigger, narrower board you should go shorter and really step up the challenge and in turn the rewards.