Hi all,
I am contemplating which sup model to upgrade too. I am surfing a longboard McTavish 9'6 Fireball and mostly cruise in the Alley. I have been SUP paddling a 10' McTavish that we bought years ago, but I don't like the weight and the lack of sufficient nose rocker. I am approx. 83kg with wet suit.
I have tried the Naish 8'8 XE32 LE in small conditions and I wasn't impressed with the speed. In choppy conditions it was quite a challenge to stay upright. I think it may be too much of a "short board" style sup and too advanced for me. I would like a sup that I can grow into, unlocking more and more of its performance as I get better.
Browsing the catalogues, I am tending towards the 140-150L board range in as light a construction as possible.
The choices are:
JP Surf Pro 9'6" x31" 146L 8.4kg
JP Fusion WSG 9'8" x31" 152L 10.6kg - heaviest
Starboard 9'8" x29" Pro 141L 7.6kg - bad handle placement
Starboard 9'5" x32 Wide Point 153L 8.4kg
Starboard 9'0" x33 Hero 149L 8.1kg
Starboard 9'5" x30 Converse+ 140L 8.1kg
I would like to hear what you think, and I will try to demo the final choices before making a purchase.
Many Thanks
Henry
Hi Henry,
I am 54, 83kg also and have a JP surf Wide Body 8 8 for about a year now. Love the board! It has done me very very well. From 6" to 8 foot waves a super goer. I went the carbon model for extra live weight. The deck now is missing some paint from paddle strike but it is one tough customer. Beach or Reef break. Great board , super handler, stable.
I added a 5th fin box and now have three boards to surf according to which fin set up I am using.
Look my posts up on it.
Highly recommendable.
But, Demo, Demo, Demo! Try out what works for you
I have a Hero and yesterday tried a 9'5 Widepoint.
The WP surfs surprisingly good. Much better than my Hero.
For someone your sizes I'd suggest you should try both the 8'2 and 9'5 widepoints.
Cheers!