I can do it on a 130 l Vol board which surf well but want to go smaller, however feel insecure about standing around waiting for a wave,

Advice welcome

If you have to sit down and wait for waves you have officially bought the wrong board - period.

Depending on your weight and experience there are some very comfy 8 1/2 ft boards around. eg: I am 75kg and generally ride a 9x30 but have absolutely no trouble on an 8.5 starboard pro/8.6 psh wide ripper and a couple of others. Yes I know I am a bit of a starboard fan but their shorter sups are very very stable and I am sure that other brands would have some stable shorties but I haven't tried them. People on here are gunna tell you that you can go small and grow into the board but seriously there a several boards in the size that you are looking at that will not require growing into and you will be very much at home on them day 1 - it aint meant to be hard work IMO - it's meant to be fun.

Just go smaller and don't stress about it. Your surfing will thank you for it. Your balance will improve because you've pushed it. You will lose weight because you'll get more of a workout. You will fall off while waiting out the back but so what.

You've got to push the boundaries to improve. Go shorter or be happy with a plateaued performance level.

The next board I wanna try is the Starboard 8 x 28. Now that would be a challenge

Riding small boards can be challenging, providing you don't go too small it's all about being relaxed and patient. If you don't want to have to sit and use your knees (as said above - you've bought the wrong board), you have to allow for more yawing, and possibly having to keep forward motion to maintain stability. I have riden and caught a wave on the Naish 8'0" which was rediculous at my 95kgs, and I'd never do it again, but riding their 8'4" and the Fanatic 8'6" is enjoyable especially on the wave. As Casso said, if it's the direction you want to go, then make an educated decision and go for it, your balance will improve and skills increase so long as your patient, relaxed and focussed.

Things to be cautious of though is, the smaller you go, the more you close the advantage gap of a SUP with regular surf craft. The ability to swiftly zip in and out of the line up and pick up waves from way out the back and be able to relax looking at the sharks swimm by. However the surf advantage is awesome.

I personally prefer the smaller board as I am willing to sacrifice a little ease of use for superior surf handing and performance.

Best thing you can do is Demo. If it's a little hard straight up, you'll master it pretty quickly with water time, so work out how much you want to push it and maybe go a little further if that's the direction you wish to go with you SUP surfing.

BTW - I ride a Fanatic ProWave 8'10" x 29" @ 122 ltrs. and it's prpabably the best of both worlds. Easy and very high performance. however I have also been riding and Fanatic ProWave 8'6" x 27.75" @ 110 ltrs with ease. I am 95kgs x 6'2".

Enjoy, Demo, get out there!

regards,

JB

rahams said...

its simple if you want to go shorter you have to go wider.
the shorter and wider you go,the more curve you get in the outline.
but if you take it too far it turns into a beach ball

Hey Graham do you think there is a formula for length x width or are there just to many other variables. So what is too far.

micksmith said...

rahams said...

its simple if you want to go shorter you have to go wider.
the shorter and wider you go,the more curve you get in the outline.
but if you take it too far it turns into a beach ball

Hey Graham do you think there is a formula for length x width or are there just to many other variables. So what is too far.

there are an infinate amount of variables.the thickness can make a huge difference
imo .ive found the thinner weve gone the more stable the board feels.ive ridden really thick wide boards and they feel really corky and unstable.its all about trying as many different boards as you can and working out whats best for you
as far as too far clegs just done a 9 3 x 36 looks unreal but havent tried it yet
you can never go to far

rahams said...

ive found the thinner weve gone the more stable the board feels.ive ridden really thick wide boards and they feel really corky and unstable.

Agree. The thinner boards sit lower in the water and the chop washes over the deck instead of slapping into the rails. Less corky and more stable. I'm down to 3.75" thick now and am thinking of going thinner on my next one.

I'm nearing 110kg, new to sup this year, never surfed and on a 8'9"x30, so you should be able to do it. I struggle a bit with staying on at times (windy, choppy conditions) and need to keep moving whilst waiting for a wave, but the challenge & workout is worth it, especially when I finally catch a wave.

warwickl said...

I can do it on a 130 l Vol board which surf well but want to go smaller, however feel insecure about standing around waiting for a wave,

Advice welcome

Hey Warwick I normally ride pretty sinky, narrow customs around that length and am 80 kilos. They are a bitch to stand on out the back but luckily I prefer to sit when surfing with shortboarders so doesn't bother me. More than makes up for it in the performance stakes and no matter what anyone on here says you will never carve in the pocket as well on a wider board with fat rails.

That said, I got to use a PSH 8'6" wide Ripper for a week on the Gold Coast a while ago and had a ball on it. If you stand on the tail it cranks off the bottom with the Quad Set up and although the rails are fat in the mid section they thin down beautifully at the tail - super fun board.

To me it was like standing on a pontoon, super stable but would recommend you demo.

Ali Cat on here leant it to me and she had it for sale at a very reasonable price last I heard and it is in immaculate condition.