128 posts
65 yo 155 lbs wet. Currently on Starboard pro 7'10
thinking as i get older my paddlingnot so strong and on days with wind and big waves my wave count is going down !
like the board ON a wave to be sure
what board my pair well with this? Somesay twin fin? some say longer pro, and some say spice...
open to all suggestions
VIC
827 posts
Depends on your preferred style of surfing...and the type of waves you prefer to surf.
I went for a Sunova Point Break in a custom (11ft long). Pretty much covers everything from ankle slappers to as big as you'd want to go out in. I've found I end up taking it out on 80% of my surf days now. I do already own a Smik Hipster Twin and a custom Sunova Longboard...
You could look at a step-up style of board slighty oversized. Like a Jimmy Lewis Stun Gun, a Sunova Ghost Up, a Smik Bonza or Spitfire. Or, you could simply just go a bigger Starboard Pro...
I tend to look at different style of board for each board I get, as I then have an option depending on my mood and the conditions.
Don't know if I've helped or not 😂.
5428 posts
You should go wider for balance.
And if you get stiffer (like me, at 66), and struggle to get on your feet as nimbly as before, longitudinal stability becomes more critical, so more board length and/or wider tips will help.
[1] going to a Spice is the safest bet, The only drawback is the wider tail that means that on powerful fast waves, it may feel harder to go rail to rail, and increase the spinout risk at bottom turns.
I got a spice-like board (Gong Karmen) that I had to mount as a quad to fight spinout in hollow sections.
But since then I had a custom made Karmen made with thinner tail rails, which hold nicely as a thruster, even with a smaller center fin.
[2] going to a bigger pro will keep you the nice fluid rail to rail of a narrower tail, but the extra volume may bring a cork effect when paddling around in chop.
Choose your poison :-) ... or go custom with a wider "pro" but with not extra volume.
312 posts
I think you should go custom so you can increase length and width but keep volume down. 8'6 mid length shape with paddle friendly forward width and outline but performance tail and rocker.
376 posts
check the Smik Hipster twin longboard in 9.0 in the pintail option
QLD
5380 posts
I Would stay with a board you know ...if struggling on your 7,10 ,just go the next size up 👍
128 posts
So i have since tried the 8'3 (a model with a air valve so i think 5 years old?) and the paddling was easier for sure and then the 8'7 and that paddled into anything easily BUT was very hard for me to turn without literally stomping on the tail.
WA
171 posts
At 75 y/o, I have found myself gradually moving to larger boards over the past 10 years. I have found that going to different fin setups, smaller surface areas and less rake, can loosen up my new larger boards so they can surf closer to my previous smaller boards. My limited experience with Starboard SUPs is that they ofen have fins with a lot of surface area, especially the rear fins. I think this works great on smaller boards like your 7'11" which may benefit from the extra drive, but can be too stiff on larger boards like the 8'7" you tried. Maybe try some fin experimentation as you demo different boards.
