There is enough SUB surfers out ther now to justify one of you pro makers to start making LIGHT boards in the 8' to 9' range for surfers who really like to surf these things......I mean really light.

Start quoting weights on your short boards....stir up the competition to make a better "lighter" high performance board.

You have done it well for years with sailboards, nothing new in technology, just a simple PVC sandwitch top & bottom.

Plus its a market waiting for you. The light short boards can also be marketed with kids, light weight people or learners in mind.

As Arnie says "COME ON YOU CAN DO IT"

WINDY MILLER said...

light windsurfers are great, but don't last... maybe 1 to 2 seasons if you use regulary (couple of times a week)... very prone to snapping and going soft...at 2 to 3 grand i want my boards to last.

will same apply to sups?? dont know?

What brand & type are you talking about?
SUB's are subject to FAR less stress than sailboard, even the lightest sailboard construction used in a SUB would be overkill.
My light boards are as weak as I can go, but they survive very well......

Actualy windy, now I think of it, JP often brought his old boards home to Torquay & sold them to his mates...they have been to hell & back....& now they are still in use here....
What are you doing to your boards that JP IS NOT?
I have a sawn in half JP here you can belt with a hammer & do very little damage.

Starboard know how to make a light/strong windsurf board yet their sup's are still pretty heavy??

DJ

I have the starboard 8'5, it weighs in @ 8.6ishkg, I thought that was pretty light for production SUP? Maybe I'm wrong? what's a PSH 9'3 weigh in at?

byronmaui said...

LSD some people on Maui prefer heavier boards because of the wind and chop factor here. Sometimes you will be out and the wind and chop hits fast in the morning (I guess that is why Maui is the windsurf capital of the Hawaiian Islands). I agree that lighter will be the future but on our windy island it may not be the best all the time given the conditions. I know Blane at PSH is experimenting with lighter blanks and those sorts of things now and in the future. I totally agree with the SUP being different than a blown up short board. Keep the board building going because I always look forward to seeing what you are doing in your neck of the world.

Aloha

Byron

Wind can an issue with SUP in more ways than you expect, I've just come in from a session at Bells, the wind is gusting to 29 knts, (although the break is in the lee of a 100' cliff) Its windy! Small fast clean waves up to 4' (a bit bigger than the other day below)


The issue I had with wind today was while I was showing the board to a guy that had been out with me on a 10'6"psh.......my board blew away The psh didn't move. (he wants 2.....in case one blows away!.....no, actualy, one himself & one for his daughter)
In the water I have found the shorter board no problem in wind, infact is some situations less of a hand full because of less windage, particularly when paddling into a larger wave, I can crouch paddling hard while standing on the nose.
We have had plenty of big swell & record wind in the last few months to try new stuf.
But having said that if I were in a big wind & wave location, certainly heaver & longer would be more appropriate

LSD said...

Actualy windy, now I think of it, JP often brought his old boards home to Torquay & sold them to his mates...they have been to hell & back....& now they are still in use here....
What are you doing to your boards that JP IS NOT?
I have a sawn in half JP here you can belt with a hammer & do very little damage.

i must be going 10 times harder than jp ,,, i wish.
his boards are probably custom made though?

i've had about 8 lightweight productions.. most went soft in gybe area or/and back staps at about 12-24 mths some as early as 6.....
seen a few productions snap in half, especially at lano.
i buy custome boards now, re-enforcements in the wright areas, weight around 7kg...for me 5-6kg boards arent going to last.

billboard said...

Cam Gillies said...

The starboard doesn't seem to get that much airtime on the forum either, it's funny how everyones raving about Naish's new range, Mana (10ft x 32) but when the whopper came out it was pretty much thought of as a joke and too wide, IMO the pocket rocket 8'5 is a very under rated board, I think a lot of people would be surprised at how user friendly it is and how well it surfs

IMHO - Starboard for at least the past 2 years and currently have the best range and are the most user friendly production sup on the market. Its a shame that everyone is so quick to jump on the naish/psh bandwagon before seeking out and trying a starboard.

I agree.. I've been trying to get the local shops to stock their boards.. There doesn't seem to be anyone pushing or promoting them here.. Don't know why.

DJ

I reckon Starboard penetration would be about 60-70% here. They suit the crappy waves we get here in Metro Perth and the guys at Airborne do a great job with customer service also.
They certainly are user friendly but feel pretty weird ...(maybe a little too stable for mine) after a PSH. That said the feedback on the new sub 9 footers is fabulous.
I don't think you will see too many guys at Margarets/Yalls riding them.

With your boards being so light do you find you get problems with foot indentations - how do you get around that?

How do you achieve the best strength weight trade off?

oliver said...

With your boards being so light do you find you get problems with foot indentations - how do you get around that?

How do you achieve the best strength weight trade off?

Yes I have two large foot dints in my board...how do I get around that?....I step over them
Latter editions will have either a localised 4mm PVC sandwitch, or carbon 450gm double bias deck patch
At this stage I'm not interested in strength, I have made them weak to be able to see the areas that need added strength.
No point in making a strong & heavy board, then scratching your head trying to work out where weight can be saved.

Scotty Mac said...

to be honest i challenge any one to actually notice the difference between six and eight kilo gram board by surfing. Its only sometiming you feel carrying it on the beach. The rest is hype unless your competing on the world circuit.

I could notice it with my windsurf boards and to be honest it seemed more a disadvantage most of the time.. But then I'm more old school.

I'm looking forward to trying my new 9' SnowBoard and see how that weight difference feels.. I'm sure it will be noticeable.. and better.

DJ

Bnaccas said...

Dean, will an extra deck patch around standing area help stop the foot prints?
I guess I should try eliminate this from happening before it does.

I am going to go 2 layer of 6oz on the bottom (instead of your 1 layer) in case I flook it and the board goes
good enough to take to the mentawiis or gnarloo (haven't decided yet).

On top I was going to go 2 layers of 6oz with extra patch around standing area. I have a full sheet of
12mm divynacell and a sheet of 3mm divynacell that I could maybe use in some way?
If so would I need to vacuum or can I just epoxy it on?

The "H" may still dint in time with 3 layers of 6oz. Adding more layers won't really solve the problem, in a single skin layup. An "I" beam skin needs to be made to spread load on soft EPS.
I used a patch of double bias 450gm on Glenns & DJ's boards, this stuff is very stiff & will certainly spread the point load, minimising feet compression dint in the standing area.
The 3mm PVC routered into a foot patch would work very well. Just make the recess, glass the EPS side of the PVC then hold down any way you can, no need to vac bag, plastic bag with a bit of sand will do the trick. But just be aware when doing localised "stiffening" it can leed to stress focus points causing cracking. Epoxy being more flexable than polyesters, this may not be such an issue.

Scotty Mac said...

to be honest i challenge any one to actually notice the difference between six and eight kilo gram board by surfing. Its only sometiming you feel carrying it on the beach. The rest is hype unless your competing on the world circuit.

Hi Scotty,
I now have two 8'2"s one 7kg (heaver now because of all the doggy repairs) & an 8.3kg
The extra weight on mine is in the tail, so should still swing like a 6kg.
We will take up the challenge, will be interesting,
Will let you know.
Cheers
Dean

Just from pictures the 9'6 WAA looks a very different beast to the DC 9'4. Maybe a better comparison would be to the 9'6 WR

Scotty Mac said...

to be honest i challenge any one to actually notice the difference between six and eight kilo gram board by surfing. Its only sometiming you feel carrying it on the beach. The rest is hype unless your competing on the world circuit.

In my limited experiance on smaller sups I tend to agree with you. The smallest sup I have paddled/surfed is a 9.0 Starboard which feels about the same weight as my old Naish 9'6 and I don't think it surfs any differently weight wise in comparison to my 10'0 laguna or other similar length boards. Yes, it does handle differently due to its shorter length but that is not weight, its plan shape and board length and rocker. I honestly don't think that super light boards are the answer for performance - it comes from better shapes. I don't know what my boards weigh but I would imagine somewhere around 9-10kg. At the end of the day sups cost way too much to have them team glassed - so apart from the fact I don't think less weight is an advantage - it is not economical if the board only lasts six months in my opinion.

I don't understand how people can't see that light weight boards will offer higher performance.
It is as plain as day!!!!!!!!! Besides being easier to throw around it means the rider will be less fatigued.

All surfers on the ASP surf lighter boards, the elite competitive mal guys have comp boards that are lighter.

The perfect example outside this industry, the best tennis rackets are super light for better swing weight.

Comparing varied weight heavy boards is going to be hard to notice a difference. Jump on a 5kg board and you will freik out!