Guys Just purchased a 5.5 metre inflatable and the next purchase is a SUP so the wife can come out in Sydney harbour be dropped of at a hbr beach and do some Suping around to buildher core strength while me and my teenage boys go zipping around the harbour.
Keeping in mind it's all about getting back to fitness and the boys and I might have a go what should we be looking for. The drift I get is you need at least 30 inches wide for stability and an adjustable paddle with multi users. Material is epoxy simply heavier than graphite and more costly. Does one perform better than the other in the water (largely harbour chop)? What difference does the length and fins make? Hoping to buy a good 2nd hand one. Regards

I agree.. Ir recently got an ex demo nsp 11 for about $600 and put. Few $ towards a good carbon paddle that will last when I upgrade the board. I surf on the board twice a week , my young kids and wife also paddle it flat water. I often use it for Flatwater for fitness too...so it gets used a lot! Very stable, glides well on flat water and surfs easily - although it's more of a surf cruzer than a nimble surfing machine! They are a great low budget entry into sup.
Next year I plan to upgrade the board to a shorter surfer, but then the nsp will still get used by the family. Oh and they are really tough. Oh drawback is they are a little heavy to carry, but then mine is 11 foot. I'd go for the cocomat they are lighter than the one I have.
Cheers
Steve