lance parma said...
- Will use this board for:

75% flat water paddling in Port Phillip Bay
25 % wave riding around Westernport and on the West coast at suitable locations - i.e Crunchies, Flinders (lefts and rights, big left), Possos, Pt. Roadknight etc...(i.e Rolling waves)

NOTE: I like the look of the Naish 11'6 and 10'4 - would one work better than the other based on my needs? Should I consider another make / model

Lance, the board I think you mean is the Naish 11'4 and it should be a great option for you. its still got the size and glide for flat water and mucking around with the family, but has thin enough rails and a good fin setup that allow it to rip in the surf.
I would definately reccomend this over the Naish 11'6 which although a great entry level board, doesnt handle good surf too well.
for the brakdown of uses above you dont want to go too small, but the 11'4 will still let you get some good waves when they are on.
obviously the other option is go for two though, a performance SUP and a flatwater model...
a

I agree with Bomber the 11-6 is a big volume board and you will quickly out grow it , the 11-4 gets heaps of raps on this site and would be a much better choice , but I still reckon you can go smaller because of your size , I havent tried the 10-4 naish but I have surfed heaps on a Gerry Lopez 10-3 it's a great paddler and just rips in the surf and very stable , I think that size range would be much better for you .

My advice is don't buy anything untill you try it all the imports are around the 2k mark but you can buy a custom local for much less. At 75kg you can ride much smaller and less stable boards than us 90kg units so visit all your local surf shops and demo anything you can get your hands on , you will progress very fast try the boards in flat water first and don't go out in the surf if it's blowing it's guts out just go out when it's nice and you will soon feel whats right for you.

Rob

The 11'4" Naish is a great board and very suitable for a 75kg person on flat and in the waves

This would be our recommendation for you

Denning
the 11'4" bus

The oxbow 10'6 is the board on the front cover of the stand up journal just showing how well it surfs

DavidJohn said...

I recomend the big Naish 11'6" AST..

Sorry DJ, I have to disagree. At 75 kg the Naish 11'6 is WAY to big!
With all the boards on the market now I personally would only recommend the Naish 11'6 if you are topping 100kg plus. 5 1/2 " is a LOTTA foam if you are 75kg!

But that's only my opinion, the best advise LANCE - is go try them all -Naish, Oxbow, Starboard, PSH etc etc. Quite a few of opinions being expressed here are 'industry' (myself included) and you need to read between the lines and get out and try the boards yourself - it is way more than half the fun!

One observation we are making on a weekly basis is that most clients get into Stand Up to 'only surf small waves and paddle around'. What we are finding (in Sydney) is that the vast majority of these clients get totally hooked on surfing with a paddle and wish they had bought a smaller first board.

Any way mate - enjoy the journey!

Andrew.A

PS: I have always had a bit of a 'thing' about the Naish 11'6 being WAY too big for most people. The best thing they did was bring out he 11'4!

Lance

I suggest you come down to the bus and try a couple of the boards and have a chat to the local crew who hang out at the bus. There is a wealth of knowledge amongst the guys about SUP, surfing, windsufing, kiting etc.

Nothing beats spending time in the water before you fork out the big ones.

My suggestion though is to go with a board that suits the place you are going to spend the most time i.e. 75% flat water...then get a flat water board that can be riden in the surf. If you start to spend more time in the surf, then trade the board in for something else. At least while you are learning you will have something stable that you and your friends (if you are prepared to lend it out) can enjoy. DJ is on the money with his suggestions.


Cheers

SUPB Team

JonathanC said...

Hi Lance - the other great all-round board is the Starboard "Ultimate Blend" 11'2" that you can get from RPS in Elwood. But you know I'm beginning to think that any board that can do both is a bit of a compromise. I have the 12'6" Starboard and it really is a fantastic distance cruiser in the bay, also surprisingly good in small waves. That was my first board and I can't ever imagine selling it, thought the 11'2" would be my wave board and also other board to paddle in the bay with friends/kids. But the inevitable happened, spent too much time on this forum and ended up with a 9'6" Naish for the waves, so now there are three...
Maybe the Naish Glide has the distance bay ability but also some wave ability, keep it forever and add a second true wave board when skill/finance allows. Being able to take friends out because you have two boards is a real plus IMO. I think that going shorter than 12' in the Bay means you really miss out on the distance "glide" part of the sport.
Welcome to PM me if you would like to try one or all of the fleet.
Good luck!

Not another one!!.. Sheesh!.. Another new owner of a new Naish 9'6".. .. Congrats Jonathan..

btw.. How'd you go in the w'surf race yesterday and who won?

DJ

If you want to paddle on the bay in prime conditions then any SUP will do ok. (Swapping fins will make a surf-oriented board easier to paddle straight on the flat.)

If you want to go out in a bit of breeze and catch swells then go big.

If you want to catch waves and trim and go for long rides with not much turning any SUP will do even on waves up to head height.

If you want catch ripples go big.

If you want to slash waves to bits, go smaller.

If you buy a mid-range board and you get hooked on SUP then it is almost certain you will want to replace it very soon. There's really no such thing as growing out of a SUP in terms of skill. It's not that hard to do. You stand-up. You paddle.

What does happen is that your focus changes and the board you have is not suitable for what you want to do.

If you get hooked on flat water paddling then you will want something bigger and faster than your mid-sized board.

If you want to slash and bash waves and have access to perfect surf then you will want something smaller.

If you want to actively do surf and flat water then get a bigger board for flat water to start with and get a more pure surf SUP later.

If you just want to SUP and only want one board and don't intend to focus on a particular discipline then get a mid-size.

BTW I've got a Starboard Ultimate Blend Tufskin 11'2" and I weigh 80kg. It works fine on the flat and I have a great time in the surf. I'm more of a trim surfer than a slasher. I put a bigger fin in it to make it paddle straighter. The only complaint I have is the Tufskin gets dirty easily. It's easy to clean.

I reckon a Naish 11'4" would be a nice allrounder.

JonathanC said...

Yep DJ just got sucked into the SUP more gear vortex. Ian Fox won the Breakwater to Beacon (5th time!!) - I came somewhere much much further back but I was on a wave board and actually made it, unlike quite a few that got freaked/smashed by the shore break or had the good sense to realise how far out and how far upwind the beacon was from the start. Good fun but not as much fun as doing it on a SUP on a glassy day with a friend.

I thought Ian would win.. I wished him luck and then said I take it back.. He does need any.. ..How did Luke go?

Good for you doing it on a wave board..and next time you paddle to the becon count me in.. I'll be on my new Glide..

DJ