messup said...
hi high as a kite , yeah got mine a few weeks ago and I'm sort of reluctant to do a review . I'd rather leave that to casso who has heaps more surf experience with sups than kooky beginner me , but i can tell you why i got one and why i'm happy (sort of)
1. i'm a dad with 2 young kids who doesn't get a lot of spare surf time . most days i'm lucky if i can get 1 to 1&1/2 hrs to get wet and get back , the closest beach to me collaroy is ok but can be a nightmare with backwash and chop cause its exposed ( thats the northern end of collaroy) ANYHOW i have a great 11.6 laird sup but its only 28 inches wide and backwash ,chop a slight breeze and for me 28 inches wide is like balancing hell you can only climb back on your board so many times before its just plain exhausting and my times up , its a great board for smoother conditions or a more experienced person , i love that board for narrabeen lagoon so i figured for me the wider the better and i was right the whoppers 34" totally changed the nightmare into stability heaven and has allowed me to concentrate more on getting into the wave and enjoying it . the laird has probably less volume than the whopper even though its a foot and a half longer .
2. the 10 ft whopper's got a lot of rocker and for a board that i was hoping to be a good all rounder it isn't . on flat water the glide comparison to the laird is incredible . i can paddle a certain distance on the laird and say do it in 45 mins comfortably and the same distance on the whopper took 60 mins and i was stuffed .
3. its wide really wide and thank god they put a handhold in the deck .
the deck is covered from top to bottom with deck grip which is raised slightly in the standing area ,nice.
and also has 2 leash plugs either side which will also adapt nicely to put a strap between .
i dont know if the perfect all rounder is out there,
that all been said i love the whopper its perfect for kooky me and those certain conditions i've explained ,
i welcome casso to borrow it and give it the surf review it deserves ...
tom
I would love to have a go on one, If its perfect for you Tom, that all that counts mate, One thing i do like about starboards is there rocker outline, they seem to have heaps of rocker, which Im into.