Hi I'm new to SUP , but want a board to cross train for Surf Ski paddling. I have a few requirements, and am wanting some opinions on just what would suit.
I'm 6'0" and 80kgs , and want the board for mainly flat water paddling , but it must be capable of some down-wind as well.
I also want my wife to be able to paddle it on flat water , shes only tiny ...50kgs at a guess.

I have looked at Fanatic Falcons , Naish Glides , and JP Sportsters, and is there really much difference in paddling performance between glass and carbon models?

Thanks in advance!

If you are going to do DW's then get a 14', the Falcon is good better than the Naish, get the carbon if you can, it makes life easier carrying it around as well as it accelerates quicker being lighter.

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antonfourie said.. the Falcon is good better than the Naish

that should get the ball rolling

I say the Naish is better than the Falcon and there's no need to get the carbon..

Seriously.. I reckon go with a good 12'6".

Again with reasons

14' much better glide than 12'6, and will go a lot better in the ocean too, 12'6 is good for inland waters where there is not much swell or BOP racing.

Carbon, because, accelerates quicker when you want to power onto a wave.

Plus the 2-3 kg difference may not seem like a lot, but if your wife has to put it on a car or carry it more than about 100 meters that little bit is going to make a difference.

And as far as price and design the Falcon is about $1000 cheaper than the comparable Naish Javelin LE.

Get a 12'6 and then when you become addicted like the rest of us she can have the 12'6 and you get a 14'

try briskites i got my allwave from them shipped to syd free,

they have

2011 naish ast javlin 1299
2013 starboard allstar 12'6 1199
2013 starboard allstar 14 carbon 2029
as run outs

or i bought my first SUP from Supwarehouse

12'6 pro model (27.5 wide) and is great for flat water and will catch waves too 1450 + del includes bag, paddle and leash
talk to nick and he will steer you in the right direction he has 14' 31 and 14'29 models as well and also just released a couple of carbon models

Thanks, there certainly seems to be some differing opinions out there!!!

Is the carbon as durable as the slightly heavier alternatives?
and are any of the new era inflatables such as a Naish One , Starboard , Red etc worth considering ?

carbon is more delicate than the other materials. usually the lighter, the more delicate.

inflatables: i don't know how they perform in DW but on flat water they became increasingly fast over the last few years. if you have the possibility give it a try.

over all, if you have a test center near you or an event where you can test different tipes of boards, do that.
by trying different boards, you will be able to feel what kind of boards you like most (you will then be able to answer the naish/fanatic question by yourself ;) )

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foamballer said..

antonfourie said.. the Falcon is good better than the Naish

that should get the ball rolling

got the popcorn and a beer, ready to enjoy the show ;)

And here is one very different opinion :-)

Keep in mind that if your aim is training, thus spending some effort, it is no use spending heaps of cash for high end boards that will just be a tad faster but wlll be actually less effort to paddle. Any board will serve if you want to build strength, only spend top $ if you want to win races.

For your wife, the lighter the better, if she is to put in on the car alone... for this the new "training" or "fitness" boards are great, they are typically less than 12'6" (11', .... even 8'6") to ease storage and handling, and lower the price. But you wont be able to compete in any race.

For instance, myself I paddle on the flat to train for SUP Surfing, so I saw no point in having a 12'6". It just goes faster & straighter, so what? I just train on a 8'0", and sometime on a 6'8". Also you may want to consider the paddling speed of your Surf Ski. If a 12'6" paddles much faster than your surf ski, it may not be the best training, better use a SUP that has the same paddling speed than your surf ski to work at the same cadence.

Downwind is another game, there you need length. But I have no experience of it.

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antonfourie said..
Plus the 2-3 kg difference may not seem like a lot, but if your wife has to put it on a car or carry it more than about 100 meters that little bit is going to make a difference.

It may be easy to carry it down to the beach... but think about what it's like to carry it back to the car after a hard session. Every kg counts if you're carrying it and you're knackered.
Today, on my 500m walk back from the beach after a pretty grueling session in the onshore slop, I even found myself wondering how much (weight) of water was trapped in the ledge handle and whether I should empty it out. A 14' board is a lot to manage for a small person, so carbon would have its advantages.

On the flip side, your board will get beaten up if you're learning and/or downwinding. Paddle strikes and falling on to the board are pretty common, and then loading, stacking, unloading big boards in windy conditions - lots of chances to damage the board. I figure I'll probably go through 2 of the heavy boards before I have enough finesse to keep a carbon board in good condition.

I also heard that Naish were way better.

The original question was whether there was much performance difference between carbon and non-carbon boards. The answer is no..For a beginner the difference would be so small that it would be statistically undetectable. Sometimes, even, weight is an advantage.

So if you go with carbon, do so because you really need the lighter weight. They are more fragile and more expensive.

It sounds like you need to get your wife to demo some boards and if she is going to be carrying them, to try it herself. I was flabbergasted at how hard my wife finds carrying and loading my boards. And since she won't use a board that she can't carry herself, it pretty much ruled out 95% of the boards out there. If you are a fairly strong and experienced male (or female) it can be very hard to appreciate what an issue this is for some people. But you can get gear to help load and transport boards, and good technique makes a huge difference. So there is usually a way round it. It just takes a bit of planning and forethought.

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Robertf said..

Hi I'm new to SUP , but want a board to cross train for Surf Ski paddling. I have a few requirements, and am wanting some opinions on just what would suit.
I'm 6'0" and 80kgs , and want the board for mainly flat water paddling , but it must be capable of some down-wind as well.
I also want my wife to be able to paddle it on flat water , shes only tiny ...50kgs at a guess.

I have looked at Fanatic Falcons , Naish Glides , and JP Sportsters, and is there really much difference in paddling performance between glass and carbon models?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Robert and welcome,

As you can see there are lots and lots of different opinions out there some are personal preferences, some are performance based and some are competition based.

It all depends on what you want to do, how much you want to spend and how much use you will get out of your investment.
I am no authority but have paddled both 12'6" and 14' boards in flatwater and ocean conditions. I think there are a few basic principles that should be applied:
1. How much do you want to spend? New versus used. There are some fantastic used boards available.
2. Where am I going to store it? Even though there is only 1'6" difference in length, this, with the added volume and weight over the 12'6" makes quite a difference.
3. How easy is it to get on and off my car? Similar to above.
4. Am I going to race? 12'6" is the BOP size I think.
5. Do I want to downwind. 14' is better suited.
6. Am I mainly going to paddle flatwater? 12'6" would be a better choice for lots of reasons.

There are probably lots more. As far as brands go, any of the top line names are great choices but I would definitely be looking in the Seabreeze sales columns.
The new Naish Glide is about 16kg in the GS model and 13kg in the Carbon GX model. There is $1000 difference in price. Some people say that carbon flexes too much but I don't know about that.

Personally I paddle both flatwater and ocean inshore. I have just traded a 12'6" in on a new 14' and after a week or so of paddling I am absolutely sold on the 14'. But this is me.

I hope this helps you make a choice.
Good luck.

ET.

Thanks very much for all your input and advice! Went shopping today and looked at lots of options, and overall the one that appears best meets my requirements, weight to value ratio, and manageabilty...as far as I can ascertain is The Starboard All Star 14x28, got offered a great deal so went with that!
Time will tell, can't wait to get out on it!
Thanks again for your help

Great choice.. congrats..

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Robertf said..

Thanks very much for all your input and advice! Went shopping today and looked at lots of options, and overall the one that appears best meets my requirements, weight to value ratio, and manageabilty...as far as I can ascertain is The Starboard All Star 14x28, got offered a great deal so went with that!
Time will tell, can't wait to get out on it!
Thanks again for your help

Nice choice, Starboard are good boards, enjoy !