I'm trying to not have any bias for or against in my text, but looking for some genuine information. I broke my SUP today, the second one in 10 months. Neither board was broken in extreme conditions, though to be fair, today was a hollow little wave on top of some big rocks. The first board was just over 11' and today 10'5". I'm looking for a replacement around 9' to say 9'5" and around 32" wide. Are there any brands that are more resistant to breaking? From what I can find so far the standard construction is pretty univeral - a light expanded foam core with a thin shell of a couple of layers of glass and probably a thin layer of ply in the deck. Does anyone have anything stronger to suggest? Are the brushed carbon boards stronger?

Jimmy Lewis boards are very strong but paint chips so use rail tape. Divinycell wrap like windsurfer.

Fanatic Allwave. Perfect for what you are looking for. Since you said 9' to 9'5... I'd guess 9'1 Allwave will suit you...You did not state your weight and height, but the Allwaves are extremely stable and surf quite well.

I believe, after beating on 3 sizes for 2 years, that they are THE toughest board in the market. My beach break folds a LOT of boards. Last week a longboard and a shortboard within hours... plenty of broken SUPs since they hit the lineup. I surf a lot... and have never had an issue with my Allwaves, except for a small leak in a new handle, but it was covered by warrantee. The Allwaves only come in the HRS construction. It is light enough and fairly bulletproof.... it does not chip and scratch like most, but the side "Fanatic" paint will scrape off easily.

9'1 x 31.75 @ 160 liters

I have ordered a 2014 Prowave in the HRS construction because I can NOT afford to fold boards.

Take a look... see if they suit you.

Good luck.... it sucks that you broke 2 in a year

First, every board on the market will break in half if it gets in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even in 1' waves. In small waves, you also run the risk of the board leveraging on the bottom...

What helps resisting breakage in half:
- a thick stringer
- more fibers in the skin, carbon being much stronger than glass, with as less weave of the longitudinal fibers.
- Sandwich doesnt help, it only help against local impact (dings, foot pressure)
- a foam blank with a quality bond between the beads
- strongness of the rails: when breaking a board tend to have a shearing force moving the deck & hull skins longitudianlly , so the stronger the rails, the stronger the skins will be kept in place and provide a strong global "sandwich effect". This could be the more important factor.

So, the more fiber layers you have in the rails, and a stringer, are the most important factor.

But the real prevention is to be aware of the waves, and not let the board get into a position where it may break: avoid falling lips and do not stay in the impact zone or shorebreak. I bet supthecreek will never break a board of any brand, but give any brand to a beginner and he may break it.

I think the construction used by Naish in their X32 Hokua range is incredibly tough!! Carbon/Kevkar. I had a 9'1" and had several "OH SH**" moments with it. But it came out completely unscathed!!

Inflatable?

Thanks for the replies:
-Yeah I put long boards in the wrong place, wrong time.
- Interesting, I tried a Fanatic 9'1" on the lake in choppy conditions and it felt great. Definitely on my list of alternatives. Just looking quickly though I didn't think the HRS would be significantly more resistant to breaking. Impact resistant yes.
- Have heard other good reports on Jimmy Lewis. Not sure our local dealer is still selling them, and not much to choose from in what I am looking for.
- Not inflateable. Haven't found one that I could surf on.
- I am only about 82Kg, experienced surfer, but 60+yrs old, finding 30" wide just a little unstable to relax on, and the bigger boards hard to surf in less than good conditions.
- All good sense Colas. Any suggestions? I can't find boards with stringers or particularly strong rails. I have been on Starboards. Strange that they put a stringer in their short surfboards, but not in the SUPs. See above what I thought about the Fanatic HRS, sim ilarly I guess the Jimmy Lewis. I think the Naish GT with ply all over sounds a choice but here that means, as with carbon, a 40% cost premium. Is the non absorbing foam any stronger?

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Tayloria said..
All good sense Colas. Any suggestions?

Hard to say. Manufacturers can tell you the relative strengthness of their different constructions, but comparing brands is tricky.

I had some info from a repairman 2 years ago, and there was a lot of breakage with the cheap construction of a major brand, but the other construction were fine in the same brand for instance.

Jimmy Lewis and Allwave are very good suggestions. I have both and are very strong boards.

If you have a Sunova dealer near you they are worth a look. I've never broken a SUP so I can't say my current Sunova is tougher than any other I've owned but their construction method is different to most and they have some short, wide boards in their range which may suit you.

http://www.sunovasurfboards.com/equipment-stores/

I've also had a Jimmy Lewis before and agree they appear to be well constructed.

Jimmy Lewis hands down best constructed boards on the market !!!

Used to sell the other WINDSURF boards and don't bother anymore, had soooo many returned it was painful, all made in the same MASS production factory and quality is getting worse, they just look pretty.

Towball says Jimmy Lewis boards are bullet proof.....but think his one is in the hospital getting fixed lol

The Fanatic Allwave 9'5" and Naish Mana 9'5" are both super tough and fit the specs that you're looking for. Brush carbon including the X32 Naish Hokuas are certainly not as strong as the standard GS Naish and HRS Fanatic constructions. Carbon is super stiff but also very brittle. :)

all i can say is starboard Whopper good tuff all rounder and surfs well for its size

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GizzieNZ said...
Towball says Jimmy Lewis boards are bullet proof.....but think his one is in the hospital getting fixed lol

I agree , I've absolutely given my jimmy.a fogging still going strong , you get what you pay for

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Gassa said..

all i can say is starboard Whopper good tuff all rounder and surfs well for its size

Obviously haven't ridden much then