For some background.. As mentioned elsewhere, I currently have a 10.2 Wedge, an 8.8 Spice and an 8 Hypernut. I am very comfortable and consider myself very competent on all of them. I picked up a 2023 8.2 Starboard Pro in the full carbon construction about two weeks ago. I got a killer dealer on it that was too good to pass, since it's a 2023 model. No issue considering that the 2024 is just graphics / colour change. I am a big lad - 1.9m tall and currently 107 kgs - mostly muscle of course :D and 44 years old. I started surfing when I was 11 or 12. Back in August, or so, I had a chance to try both an 8.2x30.75x121l SB Spice and a 2022 10x29x123l SB longboard. I was comfortable on both, so I figured it's time to jump straight onto a 8.2x29x118l Pro.

Turns out I was wrong. I've had 3 one hour sessions on nearly flat days now. By the middle of the second session I was able to stay on and start paddling it. Paddling in a straight line is currently a hopeless dream though. This morning was the 3rd session with half a foot swell at 18 seconds and a gentle offshore breeze with the occasional tiny perfect peeler that would have been perfect for a bit of fun on the Wedge. I am now able to stay on for at least a few minutes, but fore-aft stability remains a problem, since I can sink the board if I stand too far forward, or too far back, and I still cannot paddle into a wave. There is almost no forgiveness and if my feet are not in the perfect place, off I go. This was a problem for me on the Hypernut initially too, until I got used to it. Now I consider it my most stable board and take it out on nasty, near gale force wind days.

Clearly more work and perseverance is required. The board itself is super light weight and I am chomping at the bits to see how it actually surfs, because I am sure it will be amazing on a wave. It's hard though to not get frustrated feeling like a complete kook out there. Temptation to grab another board is strong. Lesson here though is that, as people repeatedly point out, volume is not the be all and end all for stability - shape matters far more.

Select to expand quote

theSeb said..
This was a problem for me on the Hypernut initially too, until I got used to it.

That's the key here.

Getting on a smaller board is what makes you progress. It is a struggle at first, but staying on a too big board (if your goals is shortboard-like surfing) makes you kind of stagnate.

On a Pro shape, as you have seen, the sweet spot for the feet is much reduced. So take care that you keep your feet close to the handle and be aware of where you are moving them. And avoid laterally wide stances with feet close to the rail

Select to expand quote

colas said..

theSeb said..
This was a problem for me on the Hypernut initially too, until I got used to it.

That's the key here.

Getting on a smaller board is what makes you progress. It is a struggle at first, but staying on a too big board (if your goals is shortboard-like surfing) makes you kind of stagnate.

On a Pro shape, as you have seen, the sweet spot for the feet is much reduced. So take care that you keep your feet close to the handle and be aware of where you are moving them. And avoid laterally wide stances with feet close to the rail

Yeah, even though I am always in near surf stance, I've noticed it's not always perfectly in line with the centre, so that's the one thing I am working on. In other words, sometimes my front foot is a bit to the left of the centre and my back foot is a bit to the right.

The other is keeping my feel even closer together around the handle area than I am used to, even though I thought they were pretty close already. The big thing that I've noticed is that you have to react quicker, but gentler. Like, when the tail starts sinking, if you overcompensate too much, things will go wrong on the nose side. You can easily get away with it on a bigger board, but not on this one.

You think you are doing all of the right things already, and then you realise there is still so much to learn. It's good to keep pushing yourself, because otherwise, as you say, you will stagnate. Just over a year ago I went through the same learning curve and emotions with the Hypernut.

This is a good reality check for me. I'm looking for my next board coming from an SB 8'7" Wedge. I'm thinking the 8'3" Hipster Twin or 8'2" SB Spice but my ego says "oh, you can step down to a 8'2" Pro for sure!" LOL On the other hand, I'm only 180cm/88kg...

At a volume ratio of 1.1 that's getting a bit tough on that kind of shape, although it is reasonably wide. I recently tried a friends older 7'4 75 liter 25.5 starboard pro. It felt great on the beach super light but was miserable to paddle although I could catch waves right away. Fun experiment. The bottom line for me is if I can paddle faster on my stomach than standing it's a loser regardless of standing stability or wave riding. In addition to balance many of the pros are racers who are unreal paddlers. If your going to paddle a board like that paddle technique and bracing for stability is more important even than balance. Also how many days a week you can get out, it takes a lot of time to maintain skills on small gear. Not to discourage since you just got the board there is a lot of room for you to improve which can be lots of fun.

Select to expand quote

slsurf said..
At a volume ratio of 1.1 that's getting a bit tough on that kind of shape, although it is reasonably wide. I recently tried a friends older 7'4 75 liter 25.5 starboard pro. It felt great on the beach super light but was miserable to paddle although I could catch waves right away. Fun experiment. The bottom line for me is if I can paddle faster on my stomach than standing it's a loser regardless of standing stability or wave riding. In addition to balance many of the pros are racers who are unreal paddlers. If your going to paddle a board like that paddle technique and bracing for stability is more important even than balance. Also how many days a week you can get out, it takes a lot of time to maintain skills on small gear. Not to discourage since you just got the board there is a lot of room for you to improve which can be lots of fun.

I am out there pretty much every day. Bracing for stability is something I do already, but obviously every day is training day, as the saying goes. I'll figure this board out through sheer stubbornness, or by losing weight.

Select to expand quote

SurfKiteSup said..
This is a good reality check for me. I'm looking for my next board coming from an SB 8'7" Wedge. I'm thinking the 8'3" Hipster Twin or 8'2" SB Spice but my ego says "oh, you can step down to a 8'2" Pro for sure!" LOL On the other hand, I'm only 180cm/88kg...

Heh. Lack of padding in strategic areas I am sure will help. I can practically sleep on my 8.8 Spice in rough conditions. This was definitely a humbling experience, but a good challenge, nevertheless.

I can see that would be a tough drop cause you went down in size and to a pulled in shape, kinda like dropping an extra 10L of stability with that shape. I talked to guy here who was on a Spice-like custom board and then got a Starboard Pro of similar volume and he says he can barely stand on it, and for him it's a much higher L/kg ration; he's now going to get the Spice. Sounds like the Pro, one size up, is where you want to be right now, and the one you got is your 'reach' board. But nothing like paddling the reach board every day to dial it in.

I paddle my kids foamie SUPs (US center box only) which are at or a hair under 1.0 L/kg and I find they are doable with the race fin in, but when I put a 6" single fin in to try them for surfing, I can't paddle straight, can catch waves but basically just sit there sideways and turn in at last sec, a mess. But makes me wonder if you could make the paddling part a little easier by using a larger fin all the way back in the box. A big thing for me was having a memorized routine for getting up -- just like where you hold the paddle and how you go from one hand to two to start paddling.

Colas tipped me off to this web archive of the old Eric Antonson site, it's got lots of entries on paddling small boards -- if nothing else it helps me stay motivated!
web.archive.org/web/20180924211728/http://progressionproject.com/progression-journal-session-notes-tutorials-field-tests/

Keep us posted on how this goes. I've had my tippy pro shape board out in clean offshore conditions this week and I started to wish I had a smaller version of it.

That's the spirit, specifically if you haven't already review these carefully

supboardermag.com/2016/06/17/top-tips-how-to-paddle-a-smaller-sup-board/

and crucially keeping blade in water on return
supboardermag.com/2016/03/29/sup-videos-surf-brace-technique/

Also be sure to use blade when popping up and to help adjust feet


I like to keep some weight on paddle while I'm standing up and as I bring paddle forward for first time, even so I sometimes fall off in chop when standing which I hate especially with other surfers around

HEY Seb give it a bit of time ,but I have sold many small boards in order to keep my proud reputation ,lol.
I use to go out on my small boards and spend more time getting up than catching waves ,getting washed up on rocks etc ..
I would come in frustrated swearing and pissed off ,at 102 kgs bad back and almost 60 my 125 litre x31 flow is my limit these days and even that challenges me with the narrower rails which makes the board feel way smaller and un able to take swell form side on ,I think fun when out SUPing and catching more waves is more important to me ,
I now know my limits ,the board sounds good though ,I have a few starboard Isonics ,(WS) boards they are state of the art .
sounds like you are really challenging yourself .

Hi Seb, thanks for the post. I'm on the lookout for a used 8'0 Starby Pro so this is great intel. I like the look of the shape ie short, narrow but nose and tail somewhat pulled in while keeping the volume high.could be fun to prone surf too? I'm not as big as u, supping only 18 months but get out a few times per week if waves are good.
I have a few different ways of popping to feet depending on conditions and how body is feeling , Either way I find that forward momentum = stability. Eg do a few prone paddles before popping to knees, a few knee paddles before popping to feet, or straight from prone to feet. The technique in the video above is good also, but I have more success doing it w forward momentum.
Keep at it and good luck!

Select to expand quote

Saya suka SUP said..
Hi Seb, thanks for the post. I'm on the lookout for a used 8'0 Starby Pro so this is great intel. I like the look of the shape ie short, narrow but nose and tail somewhat pulled in while keeping the volume high.could be fun to prone surf too? I'm not as big as u, supping only 18 months but get out a few times per week if waves are good.
I have a few different ways of popping to feet depending on conditions and how body is feeling , Either way I find that forward momentum = stability. Eg do a few prone paddles before popping to knees, a few knee paddles before popping to feet, or straight from prone to feet. The technique in the video above is good also, but I have more success doing it w forward momentum.
Keep at it and good luck!

I've just seen the SUPboardermag article linked above also mentions fwd momentum.works for me and for others too it seems.cheers

Select to expand quote

Kisutch said..
I can see that would be a tough drop cause you went down in size and to a pulled in shape, kinda like dropping an extra 10L of stability with that shape. I talked to guy here who was on a Spice-like custom board and then got a Starboard Pro of similar volume and he says he can barely stand on it, and for him it's a much higher L/kg ration; he's now going to get the Spice. Sounds like the Pro, one size up, is where you want to be right now, and the one you got is your 'reach' board. But nothing like paddling the reach board every day to dial it in.

I paddle my kids foamie SUPs (US center box only) which are at or a hair under 1.0 L/kg and I find they are doable with the race fin in, but when I put a 6" single fin in to try them for surfing, I can't paddle straight, can catch waves but basically just sit there sideways and turn in at last sec, a mess. But makes me wonder if you could make the paddling part a little easier by using a larger fin all the way back in the box. A big thing for me was having a memorized routine for getting up -- just like where you hold the paddle and how you go from one hand to two to start paddling.

Colas tipped me off to this web archive of the old Eric Antonson site, it's got lots of entries on paddling small boards -- if nothing else it helps me stay motivated!
web.archive.org/web/20180924211728/http://progressionproject.com/progression-journal-session-notes-tutorials-field-tests/

Keep us posted on how this goes. I've had my tippy pro shape board out in clean offshore conditions this week and I started to wish I had a smaller version of it.

I actually agonised over this board choice for months. When I got my carbon Spice 8.8 in March I jumped on it and was carving the first session. I was actually slightly "disappointed" about how easy it was. The two initial choices for the next board in my head were a Spice 8.2 or a Pro 8.7. I got to try out a Spice 8.2 in August and it was easy, so I figured I am gonna skip the intermediate step and just go straight to challenging. Because I am super confident and stable on my 8' Hypernut, I overestimated my abilities and did not appreciate how much harder an 8.2 Pro would be. I was too confident and cocky. I still wasn't even 100% sure which board to order when I walked into the shop to place an order and decided to be brave at the last moment.

I've currently got the board as a quad, because I love quads, but I guess shoving a centre fin in there is a pretty good suggestion. Cheers for the link. I am gonna check it out.

Select to expand quote

slsurf said..
That's the spirit, specifically if you haven't already review these carefully

supboardermag.com/2016/06/17/top-tips-how-to-paddle-a-smaller-sup-board/

and crucially keeping blade in water on return
supboardermag.com/2016/03/29/sup-videos-surf-brace-technique/

Also be sure to use blade when popping up and to help adjust feet

I like to keep some weight on paddle while I'm standing up and as I bring paddle forward for first time, even so I sometimes fall off in chop when standing which I hate especially with other surfers around

I've trawled through pretty much all of Supboarder and Supboarder Pro over the last few years . I feel like I've already seen a shorter version of that pop up technique video in the past, or perhaps it was a similar video but of a different dude. I've actually tried this many moons ago on my other boards, but they are all too wide to get my feet up the way he does it from sitting down. I'll give it a bash on the Pro since it's narrower. I already use the bracing technique. I don't get "good clean" days often, so, in order to get waves, I am often out in the lineup with kite surfers, wind surfers and wing foilers trying to not get blown too far by the near gale force side shore winds and battling ground swells, wind swells and back wash. I was not expecting to be out on such days on the Pro, but I also wasn't expecting to struggle with it quite this much on calm days.

One thing that I don't do though is use the bracing technique when I am getting up, so that is something to work on. The other thing I've noticed playing around on my other boards and paying attention is that I pop up a bit too far back nearly every time. Both the Spice and the Hypernut are forgiving enough to give me a moment to quickly shuffle forward and brace / paddle forward / get my feet into the right place for fore / aft stability, so it's not an issue. If I pop up a bit too far back on the Pro, I don't have the luxury of that moment, so I go off the rear, or I quickly try to counter it with my front foot, but clearly too abruptly and I end up overcompensating and fall off the front. So, my conclusion is that the other boards have allowed me to get away with some bad and lazy habits that I need to work on.

The sitting pop up is the only way I can get going on narrower boards. I hear what you are saying about wider boards. There is no way I could balance my boards on my knees, I also think it is dangerous for your knees but I get it if that is the only way that works and a lot of people are standing almost the whole session once they are up anyway. I try and focus on popping up with my feet narrow and mark where my front foot will go relative to my hands, I also try and look up at the horizon. Along with the paddle it is a lot going on at the same time and it is hard to do a perfect pop up every time for me.

prone paddle pop up start is great too, it's too hard on my back which is why I stopped surfing to begin with, but you are younger so that might be a good option especially if you want to get to the feet quickly to kick the board over a wave when getting out. Hold the handle in one hand prone if you are going to do this.

Select to expand quote

theSeb said..
For some background.. As mentioned elsewhere, I currently have a 10.2 Wedge, an 8.8 Spice and an 8 Hypernut. I am very comfortable and consider myself very competent on all of them. I picked up a 2023 8.2 Starboard Pro in the full carbon construction about two weeks ago. I got a killer dealer on it that was too good to pass, since it's a 2023 model. No issue considering that the 2024 is just graphics / colour change. I am a big lad - 1.9m tall and currently 107 kgs - mostly muscle of course :D and 44 years old. I started surfing when I was 11 or 12. Back in August, or so, I had a chance to try both an 8.2x30.75x121l SB Spice and a 2022 10x29x123l SB longboard. I was comfortable on both, so I figured it's time to jump straight onto a 8.2x29x118l Pro.

Turns out I was wrong. I've had 3 one hour sessions on nearly flat days now. By the middle of the second session I was able to stay on and start paddling it. Paddling in a straight line is currently a hopeless dream though. This morning was the 3rd session with half a foot swell at 18 seconds and a gentle offshore breeze with the occasional tiny perfect peeler that would have been perfect for a bit of fun on the Wedge. I am now able to stay on for at least a few minutes, but fore-aft stability remains a problem, since I can sink the board if I stand too far forward, or too far back, and I still cannot paddle into a wave. There is almost no forgiveness and if my feet are not in the perfect place, off I go. This was a problem for me on the Hypernut initially too, until I got used to it. Now I consider it my most stable board and take it out on nasty, near gale force wind days.

Clearly more work and perseverance is required. The board itself is super light weight and I am chomping at the bits to see how it actually surfs, because I am sure it will be amazing on a wave. It's hard though to not get frustrated feeling like a complete kook out there. Temptation to grab another board is strong. Lesson here though is that, as people repeatedly point out, volume is not the be all and end all for stability - shape matters far more.

Sorry to read that. I sort of went the other way. Had an 8.2, 121l Spice which I found strangely unsatisfactory; all went really well right up to cleaner 5-6 ft but unstable (side to side) in chop and bigger waves. I ended up getting the 8.7, 130lbs pro which floats me at 200lbs. Oddly more stable side to side even though over an inch narrower. Almost an easy button for surfing - fast on virtually anything (I did put a quad in it) and allows for some really steep drops. I had first thought of getting the 8'2 but went for caution; I am keenly aware that I do eat a lot of cake and am unlikely to stop doing so. I agree that the carbon pro is something else; I've since bought the longboard surf in carbon pro too and it's something else.

Select to expand quote

SoCalYokel said..

theSeb said..
For some background.. As mentioned elsewhere, I currently have a 10.2 Wedge, an 8.8 Spice and an 8 Hypernut. I am very comfortable and consider myself very competent on all of them. I picked up a 2023 8.2 Starboard Pro in the full carbon construction about two weeks ago. I got a killer dealer on it that was too good to pass, since it's a 2023 model. No issue considering that the 2024 is just graphics / colour change. I am a big lad - 1.9m tall and currently 107 kgs - mostly muscle of course :D and 44 years old. I started surfing when I was 11 or 12. Back in August, or so, I had a chance to try both an 8.2x30.75x121l SB Spice and a 2022 10x29x123l SB longboard. I was comfortable on both, so I figured it's time to jump straight onto a 8.2x29x118l Pro.

Turns out I was wrong. I've had 3 one hour sessions on nearly flat days now. By the middle of the second session I was able to stay on and start paddling it. Paddling in a straight line is currently a hopeless dream though. This morning was the 3rd session with half a foot swell at 18 seconds and a gentle offshore breeze with the occasional tiny perfect peeler that would have been perfect for a bit of fun on the Wedge. I am now able to stay on for at least a few minutes, but fore-aft stability remains a problem, since I can sink the board if I stand too far forward, or too far back, and I still cannot paddle into a wave. There is almost no forgiveness and if my feet are not in the perfect place, off I go. This was a problem for me on the Hypernut initially too, until I got used to it. Now I consider it my most stable board and take it out on nasty, near gale force wind days.

Clearly more work and perseverance is required. The board itself is super light weight and I am chomping at the bits to see how it actually surfs, because I am sure it will be amazing on a wave. It's hard though to not get frustrated feeling like a complete kook out there. Temptation to grab another board is strong. Lesson here though is that, as people repeatedly point out, volume is not the be all and end all for stability - shape matters far more.

Sorry to read that. I sort of went the other way. Had an 8.2, 121l Spice which I found strangely unsatisfactory; all went really well right up to cleaner 5-6 ft but unstable (side to side) in chop and bigger waves. I ended up getting the 8.7, 130lbs pro which floats me at 200lbs. Oddly more stable side to side even though over an inch narrower. Almost an easy button for surfing - fast on virtually anything (I did put a quad in it) and allows for some really steep drops. I had first thought of getting the 8'2 but went for caution; I am keenly aware that I do eat a lot of cake and am unlikely to stop doing so. I agree that the carbon pro is something else; I've since bought the longboard surf in carbon pro too and it's something else.

Glad you found boards that work for you. I'll figure it out and I am sure this board and I will become great friends eventually. My next thing is to get a longboard next year, so I don't even want to entertain the idea of an 8.7 Pro ??

Select to expand quote

Saya suka SUP said..
Hi Seb, thanks for the post. I'm on the lookout for a used 8'0 Starby Pro so this is great intel. I like the look of the shape ie short, narrow but nose and tail somewhat pulled in while keeping the volume high.could be fun to prone surf too? I'm not as big as u, supping only 18 months but get out a few times per week if waves are good.
I have a few different ways of popping to feet depending on conditions and how body is feeling , Either way I find that forward momentum = stability. Eg do a few prone paddles before popping to knees, a few knee paddles before popping to feet, or straight from prone to feet. The technique in the video above is good also, but I have more success doing it w forward momentum.
Keep at it and good luck!

Yeah, momentum is great and I use it on my other boards in choppy conditions. I've not been out on the Pro since my initial post, due to 20-30 km/h winds with gusts up to 50-60 km/h. That means waves and where I live that is not always guaranteed, so I've been out on hyper nut and the spice and wing foiling a bit.

Select to expand quote

SoCalYokel said..

Sorry to read that. I sort of went the other way. Had an 8.2, 121l Spice which I found strangely unsatisfactory; all went really well right up to cleaner 5-6 ft but unstable (side to side) in chop and bigger waves. I ended up getting the 8.7, 130lbs pro which floats me at 200lbs. Oddly more stable side to side even though over an inch narrower. Almost an easy button for surfing - fast on virtually anything (I did put a quad in it) and allows for some really steep drops. I had first thought of getting the 8'2 but went for caution; I am keenly aware that I do eat a lot of cake and am unlikely to stop doing so. I agree that the carbon pro is something else; I've since bought the longboard surf in carbon pro too and it's something else.

Dang, now I'm really torn as to what I should get!! Seems like some people either love or hate the Spice. I was really hoping that was going to be my next step from my 8'7" Wedge.

Can you elaborate how it misbehaved on bigger waves?

It largely hinges on weight to volume ratio as others have mentioned...or at least this conversation does...
1.1 requires a lot of practice unless you are 18 or a top athlete.
At age 65 I am more than Comfortable on the pro 7'10 which like you I bought on sale as it is a 2023. But I only weigh 68 kg.

Maybe ozempic is the answer? (;

Any update Seb?
on low volume boards, any advice on paddle technique ie does it change at all from bigger surf sups or race sups? I find on a low litreage surf sup I'm more stable if I keep my torso still while paddling, but just using arms is hard on your elbows & forearms and antithetical to the hinge at the tips w straight arms as commonly taught.
cheers and thanks in advance

Select to expand quote

Saya suka SUP said..
on low volume boards, any advice on paddle technique ie does it change at all from bigger surf sups or race sups?

Smaller SUPs have no glide and more row effect compared to race boards.
So you want to keep the paddle pulling the board most of the time, whereas on a race board you can have burst of power with the paddle and let the board glide while you recover.

This means that on a small SUP I tend to pull the paddle with a steady force on as much length as I can. I paddle at a lower speed but for a longer duration, I spread my effort. And I keep the paddle shaft in a vertical plane (thus outside of the board) to avoid inducing the row effect.

An analogy would be pulling you with a rope on a slope (short SUP) where letting go the rope makes you stop or even slide back, and pushing a skateboard by one foot on the ground (long SUP) where you can put all your strength in a explosive kick and let the skate glide.

Select to expand quote

Saya suka SUP said..
Any update Seb?
on low volume boards, any advice on paddle technique ie does it change at all from bigger surf sups or race sups? I find on a low litreage surf sup I'm more stable if I keep my torso still while paddling, but just using arms is hard on your elbows & forearms and antithetical to the hinge at the tips w straight arms as commonly taught.
cheers and thanks in advance

None at all. We've had swell, so I've been having a great time on my hypernut and spice, albeit often in near gale wind conditions and I am currently on a ski trip. Forecast looks flat next week, so I'll be jumping back on the little Pro soon.

Select to expand quote

colas said..

Saya suka SUP said..
on low volume boards, any advice on paddle technique ie does it change at all from bigger surf sups or race sups?

Smaller SUPs have no glide and more row effect compared to race boards.
So you want to keep the paddle pulling the board most of the time, whereas on a race board you can have burst of power with the paddle and let the board glide while you recover.

This means that on a small SUP I tend to pull the paddle with a steady force on as much length as I can. I paddle at a lower speed but for a longer duration, I spread my effort. And I keep the paddle shaft in a vertical plane (thus outside of the board) to avoid inducing the row effect.

An analogy would be pulling you with a rope on a slope (short SUP) where letting go the rope makes you stop or even slide back, and pushing a skateboard by one foot on the ground (long SUP) where you can put all your strength in a explosive kick and let the skate glide.

Hi Colas
So short, sharp cadence strokes..as if paddling for a wave? By 'keeping the paddle in a vertical plane' you're not reaching out far in front on the first catch? An analogy perhaps is high RPMs and low torque? Sorry I'm confused then re paddle at lower speed but longer duration..as sounds like opposite
Is there a vid you can link?
cheers

I've got a 2023 8'2 SB Pro arriving tomorrow or Friday. Lost 14lbs last year and it has had the biggest impact on my surfing - more than anything else really. Now at 13stone (approx 83kg) my 8'7 is so stable and relatively easy in chop. Now a bit apprehensive about the new one. Am 60 and 185cm and fairly competent. Really looking forward to the challenge!!

Select to expand quote

Napnap said..
I've got a 2023 8'2 SB Pro arriving tomorrow or Friday. Lost 14lbs last year and it has had the biggest impact on my surfing - more than anything else really. Now at 13stone (approx 83kg) my 8'7 is so stable and relatively easy in chop. Now a bit apprehensive about the new one. Am 60 and 185cm and fairly competent. Really looking forward to the challenge!!

No doubt losing some weight would benefit me too. It's something that I am trying to focus on, but so many things are so yummy!

Harden up Bro. I'm 65 years old and ride a Starboard Pro 102 L 28" 8.0'. I weigh 80 kg and can stay out for 2 hours in smooth conditions. It makes a massive difference in nice waves with a bit of grunt to be on a performance board. Really worth the extra effort. Be patient and persist!

he's on a much more challenging board though

Select to expand quote

Dr Gas said..
Harden up Bro. I'm 65 years old and ride a Starboard Pro 102 L 28" 8.0'. I weigh 80 kg and can stay out for 2 hours in smooth conditions. It makes a massive difference in nice waves with a bit of grunt to be on a performance board. Really worth the extra effort. Be patient and persist!

It's all relative my dude.

102 / 80 = 1.275

Me at 1.275 = 136 litres. My other boards are 133 litres and 140 litres. I spent 5 hours yesterday (3 hours, 30 minute break, 2 hours) yesterday on my 133 litre board in 3-5 foot with 22 to 31 mph winds. "Luckily" I've managed to damage my 140l Spice, so now I have more time to practice on my new board until the Spice gets repaired.

This is what happens when you are so old school that length of ride is still a judging criteria in your own head and you really need to get that last manoeuvre in

Select to expand quote

theSeb said..

Dr Gas said..
Harden up Bro. I'm 65 years old and ride a Starboard Pro 102 L 28" 8.0'. I weigh 80 kg and can stay out for 2 hours in smooth conditions. It makes a massive difference in nice waves with a bit of grunt to be on a performance board. Really worth the extra effort. Be patient and persist!

It's all relative my dude.

102 / 80 = 1.275

Me at 1.275 = 136 litres. My other boards are 133 litres and 140 litres. I spent 5 hours yesterday (3 hours, 30 minute break, 2 hours) yesterday on my 133 litre board in 3-5 foot with 22 to 31 mph winds. "Luckily" I've managed to damage my 140l Spice, so now I have more time to practice on my new board until the Spice gets repaired.

This is what happens when you are so old school that length of ride is still a judging criteria in your own head and you really need to get that last manoeuvre in

Ouch!!

You just made your repair guy very happy. Impressed you are still charging but at his weight I'm sure the 8'2 he is trying to ride is harder, I found once I dropped below 1.3-1.2 there is a big loss in secondary stability i.e. once the board is tilting it's very hard to recover. It's surprising but once you are close to your stability limit for a given ability small changes in outline or volume can have a big effect.