I'd thinking of trying an 8'5 supboard. At age 57 and 90kg I'm looking at something shorter and still comfortable out back.

The two boards I looking at is an 8'5 Sunova Ghost and Infinity RNB 8'5.
My two current boards are the 8'8 sp25 & 8'11 blurr V2.

Hi Steve ,don't know if this helps ,SP BOARDS do have lots of volume ,i have the 8'7 SPX @133 ,my flow is 8'8 ,126 litre

I could not ride any smaller than 126 litres ,so too me volume is a factor when choosing a board ,i also like 8,7 and above
as the wave catching and paddling is way better ,i had a 8,5 but it felt so short and harder to catch waves ,I am 98 -100 kgs
so i am a bit heavier ,try the 8'8 flow its a magic board ,it will challenge you coming off those two boards ,but still give you good paddling ability ,I would love to try the ghost but 8'8 sounds right for me

Thanks Tardy,
You're right,
I think the Ghost is about 120 litres and the RNB about 133 litres. I guess it's wanting to feel what a shorter board is like. 8'8 has always been the shortest board's I've had.
Cheers.

Hi Steve, I am the same age and around 5kg heavier, I have the 8'6 Smik Hipster Twin and could not be happier with it. Super stable paddling out over waves, solid waiting out the back too.

And what it's made for, electric on the waves, picks up speed with ease, pumps like a much smaller board and plant your back foot over the fins and it turns so well. I mainly surf east coast beach breaks, some on the punchy side and the original swallow tail is fantastic for most of my waves. If I surfed waves with more punch I would like to try the new Twin Pin version, and if I do I will step down to the 8'3 size as I find the 8'6 very easy to manage in any type of water conditions.

The new Ghost looks like a great option, and one I will look at down the track, but for me it's hard to believe any board with give you the same feelings on a wave as a Hipster, while still being so easy to live with in all water conditions.

Cheers.

Steve.

Thanks Steve,
I forgot about smik. I'll check it out.
Cheers

Just to make your choice harder.what about one of these? I have an older JP surf wide version of this board which isn't carbon and it is super stable and super fun to surf. Looks like they have given it the carbon treatment, tweaked the tail, rails and rocker line. From what I have heard it rips, super stable and super light. jp-australia.com/p/sup/composite-boards/surf-plus/

Struth Slab,
Where did these things come from!!!
More research to be done. Lol

I have the Jp 8/3 x 30.5 Surf Plus and can confirm its awesome.

Hey rossal was hoping for an update, Cheers;-) Hard to come by on the east coast seems JP don't distribute all that widely at a guess-not many distributors or stock.
Wondering if anyone in the know re what the dickens JP is doing in Oz?

Yep. There's not much on them as far as advertising and sellers.

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backbeach said..
Hey rossal was hoping for an update, Cheers;-) Hard to come by on the east coast seems JP don't distribute all that widely at a guess-not many distributors or stock.
Wondering if anyone in the know re what the dickens JP is doing in Oz?

Will do BB, its my current go to and seems to be the ultimate allrounder, being shortish , 30.5" wide and a sensible 125 ltrs and VERY stable yet is agile and nice and loose when cutting back. Pity about the FCS 1 box's though. These boards have flown completely under the radar and I only came across it when I went to buy a new paddle bag from my local surf shop in Perth.

Hi Steveo1

I am down to 97 kg, so my goto Ghost this summer is the 8'10.
I am very comfortable on it for long sessions.
I would really like to get an 8'8, which would put me at about the same volume to weight as you on the 8'5
For me the 8'8 might be a clean day board at 76 years old, but for youngster like you the 8'5 should be fine.

Here's a picture of me standing around on the 8'10 Ghost.
The board sits low in the water but I stay out for comfortably for 2 - 3 hour sessions.
There is a video on this 8'10 in "Standup Paddle" section

Jeez Rick you've stripped some weight!
After owning and selling a number of sup board's over the years I've found the board's that suit me best are Sunova and infinity.

That said, How would you compare the Ghost to the 8'8 SP25. Also, would you prefer to surf the Ghost as a quad or a thruster?
Cheers
Steve.

I've forayed repeatedly into shorter boards over the years with no success, and have invariably end up selling them and being back in the 8'6 to 8'10 range depending on the plan shape and intent of the board.

Having had a few boards with it now, I feel the hip design is the special sauce for a SUP.

I cant agree with @drivethebus enough - the 8'6 hipster is a cracker. I've ordered the twin pin in the same size, looking forward to it arriving next month.

A word of caution from my experiences - the 8'3 hipster is a whole different beast to the 8'6 in terms of stability and useability.

Another good option to consider would be the 8'7 placid. The 8'9 flash is also a great board, for different reasons.

Thanks JB,
There's no doubt that smik are a great boards. I did own a spitfire .However, for me, I just didn't find it as tough as sunova or infinity when it came to dings. So if I'm going to layout big dollars I want what I feel is a strong board.

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Rossall said..

backbeach said..
Hey rossal was hoping for an update, Cheers;-) Hard to come by on the east coast seems JP don't distribute all that widely at a guess-not many distributors or stock.
Wondering if anyone in the know re what the dickens JP is doing in Oz?

Will do BB, its my current go to and seems to be the ultimate allrounder, being shortish , 30.5" wide and a sensible 125 ltrs and VERY stable yet is agile and nice and loose when cutting back. Pity about the FCS 1 box's though. These boards have flown completely under the radar and I only came across it when I went to buy a new paddle bag from my local surf shop in Perth.

Rossal....this week I am surfing my old 8,8 JP x32 136 litres surf wide..it's my travel board and it only gets used when I am on my annual hols. I'm used to surfing longboard SUPs back home but I can jump on this JP and surf it quite comfortably after a couple of hours. It's more stable than my 9,6 New Deal! It's the shape of the board that makes it so stable and the fact that it has a superb flat deck...the JP you have will be a much more refined board but the template is very similar so will deffo be very stable.

I would love to put the JP Plus up against the Sunova Ghost...the JP would be lighter made from carbon..

might want to check the 8,5 SPX out still good litres and reasonable width

Thanks everyone, certainly lots to consider not just in board shapes but wave catching ability due to size ect.
You guys are a wealth of information so thanks again
Definitely need to look at the new JP along with others.
Cheers everyone.

Hey Steveo, I ride an 8'6x 30 3/4 Custom Sunova Placid and I'm 90 kg and 64 yo

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Steveo1 said..
Jeez Rick you've stripped some weight!
After owning and selling a number of sup board's over the years I've found the board's that suit me best are Sunova and infinity.

That said, How would you compare the Ghost to the 8'8 SP25. Also, would you prefer to surf the Ghost as a quad or a thruster?
Cheers
Steve.

Hi Steveo
I have been on the road for a few days, so slow responding.
They both surf amazingly well and share similar stability, but all my testing indicates the Ghost edging out the SP25 in overall stability.... but I do not have either in the exact same size (more on this below)
One of the primary goals when working on the Ghost was to get a board that surfed as well as the SP25, but with a nose that was less technical, more user friendly.
The pointy nose of the SP25 that connects to the wide middle creates "shoulders" that require me to keep back foot control as I drop in. I need to keep the shoulders from catching in my first turn, when I am typically front foot heavy.
The more traditional shape of the Ghost nose simply means it requires no technical surfing to avoid digging the forward rail on takeoff.
I may be about to acquire an 8'8 Ghost next week, so I can do a real head to head test with my 8'8 SP25. Pretty stoked to match them up.
However, that is not something I post or make videos on, I'm not looking for a "winner".... I simply do it to answer questions like this.

I have had the 8'8 SP25 in my van all summer, but I keep reaching for the 8'10 Ghost.

I surf the Ghost as a Thruster with Quobba large sides and Medium center.
Lately, in small summer surf, I have been using my 3.6" Ho Stevie rears in a quad setup with Large Quobba sides.
That setup is super smooth and snappy. (pic below)

Thanks Rick,
That answers my questions in relation to the two board's. I was just wondering if they surfed similar. I love my SP25 and would never get rid of it. It's sounds like the Ghost is an easier ride.
Both board's are winner's.
Thanks again.
Steve.

Well here is the update. I just took the 8'5 infinity RNB for a demo and loved it. Super light and super fast. I liked it so much a bought it. Lol.

Nice wide nose Steve should be nice and stable for a shorty

Definitely stable Tardy. I took it out as thruster but I'll change it to quad. I've just got to get a handle on the speed.

Hey Steve what s the dimensions of this board ,?
Totally agree with going Quads with the wider tail ,

8'5 x 31. 133 litres Tardy.

And that's my babies together. The 8'8 sp25 and the 8'5 RNB.

I'm 65, 90 kg and ride a custom Sunova Placid 8'6" x30 3/4 x 120 L .
I tried the stock 8'3", was nice and small but thought it might limit my time on the water in lumpy conditions

There is a new 8/5 on the horizon that has got my interest already.

Infinity B-Line Twin 8/5 x 31" @ 125 ltrs, designed as a twin with small trailer, wide point and fins well back, looks a nice go to board for a 85 - 90 kg SUP'r

The new B line and Blurr v3 were sooooo tempting but I went for comfort and speed. I just got back from Bali and my RNB ripped. I've still got my 9'4 Hobie CM pro and Sunova SP25 8'8 sp25 in my quiver.

I have the 8'2 x 30.75, 121litres Starboard Carbon Spice which is super stable, easy to throw around and a good fast fun board.

Definitely worth considering as it's only slightly smaller.

I'm 5'11 and 95kg advanced rider.

I wanted a board I could ride in all conditions, catch heaps of waves and surf it like a shortboard.