Hi,

I'm used to surfing a 9'4 epoxy longboard and now that I have kids, thought a SUP would be awesome on the lakes to take our toddlers around. Tried a friend's sunjam and loved it (although i did have to concentrate on the 10', 30" wide board. The 33" wide version was a piece of cake, kid and all, but I figure it would be a bit challenging in the surf.

I'm after a board that I can paddle the kids on flat water for fun, and then once they grow out of that I can have a new toy to use in small surf (2 foot max).

A shop recommended the bic, but I'm worried the pvc board will feel like a boat or kayak? Any thoughts on this?
I found a 2nd hand oxbow 11' board at a great price but can't try it out first. Anyone have some feedback on that?
Lastly, should I just save the $$$ and try to get msyelf a sunjam pacakge?

I'm 5'7 and 80kg. The kids are about 18kg

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

My experiance with Oxbow was that they were pretty soft and dented easy.. maybe they're better now.

I've not seen or heard of sunjam..I'm guessing it's a cheap China board.

I'd be going with the Bic because of their quallity construction.. What size is the Bic.

If you want to paddle with kids bigger is better IMO.

Concider boards like an 11' and 11'6'' NSP or 11'6'' Naish Nalu.

DJ

Hi, have you thought about an inflatable, i just got one for the kids to use and also for me to start in the waves with (i have a 12'6 flatwater as well). it goes well, it will never compete with an epoxy board but i can roll it up and take camping the kids cant hurt it or them.

They do have a bit of flex but depends on what you want overall the board to do. Mine is a Hobie drifta 10", have a look at them online as there is heaps of companies doing them even the big names,

cheers Rob

Hi Snoopstah, the 11ft Oxbow was my first ever SUP. I had it for a couple of years and it was my learning board. I paddled it on flatwater and in the surf with and without kids on the front. I kept it after I upgraded to 12'6 and 10' boards, as it was such a stable learner with lots of glide. It spent a fair while under the feet/knees/bums of a couple of my friends that I intriduced to stand up. During it's hard life it had a few knocks and accidents before I sold it to one of my friends to learn on. I'm pleased to say that it is still going strong and I would gladly take it back if space and money were no issue. It glides well and (mine had an 8" single fin) paddled pretty straight. Also managed small waves well - it was the board that got me back into surfing. Not earth shattering performance, but like I said, I'd happily have it back.
They don't make the baord any more, however it's my understanding that they sold the licence to BIC to produce. The 11ft board in the Classic C-Tec range is the same shape, and BIC are well known for making bomb-proof boards. www.bicsport.com/language.html
I have never paddled the BIC, but if what I believe is true and the shape is the same as my old Oxbow, then I think it should feel ok too.
As for Sunjam, never paddled one, but see them out around Cronulla area a fair bit. They are a local company, based in Cronulla / Kurnell so should have good local support. I think you could probably demo one somewhere arounf Sydney without too much trouble. Don't know how they paddle or surf or where/how they are made, but they are out there in the waves at Cronulla quite a bit. Hopefully someone else knows a bit more, or give them a call.
Hope that gives you some ideas, but a 2nd Hand Oxbow, depending on condition and how well it's been looked after would make a good first board or a keeper. A new BIC may give you all the same attributes and have the advantage of being new and having a reputation for making solid gear. The SunJam has local representation.
Good luck, and hope this helps.

Thanks for the input. I love the idea that the bic is rather indestructible and light given I've got 3 yo twins to watch whilst unloading a board from the roof etc. I guess I've never really been a fan of BIC from a surfing point of view (they are still cheap pens to me!!!!!), and getting my head around a PVC board is hard to digest, but it seems like a smart family option as long as when I take it in the surf it will feel like a surfboard and not a boat. Just bothers me that the only people that seem to use it from what I can tell are those with surf paddle schools that need something resilient.

Has anyone used the bic??? I am debating between the 10'6 or the 11'6.

If you want to paddle with kids I'd defiantly go the 11'6"

DJ

One last model to throw in the mix..... The 10'6 fit ace-tec. It's a yoga style board but same width as the 11'6 so I imagine it would surf just as well? But has extra decking for the kids and more stability than the standard 10'6. Or am I kidding myself and just go the 11'6?

IMO a 10'6" is not a very big board once you put kids on board no matter how wide it is.. You need to try and demo first if you can.. I had a friend paddle my 10' Mana with her 3yr old on board once and for sure it's do'able but you need glassy water and the kid needs to sit very still.. These big 11'6" boards are much easier and they can be still great fun in small surf.. The only problem with these bigger and longer boards is lifting them on and off the roof of the car because they are often noticeably heavier.

DJ

Just thought I'd throw in an update in case anyone else was researching. After spending 1.5 hours at the lakes on demo boards, the Naish Nalu (or Alana) 10'10 won hands down. The glide on this board was just beautiful. It had plenty of stability for the kids on deck with me, but didn't feel like too much board on my own. I loved getting a good 10 strokes on each side and keeping a straight trajectory.. This allowed me to get up some good speed. So this may not surf as well as the smaller boards, but I like that it felt completely different to my surfboard, and to be honest, I'd probably only take it out in the surf when the surf is not suitable for my longboard (ie: TINY to 2 foot swell).

It is quite heavy to get on and off the car roof on my own, but I'm sure that will come down to mastering a technique.

Now to find a 2nd hand board I can afford :)

I have a 10' foot sunjam warrior grate sup board especially if you are a beginner it will allow you to still catch sick waves and still go out on the river, its a allrounder sup that just looks grate and you get a good price for it I bought mine in Kiama from a sunjam board seller and he included the leg rope and board cover with fins and paddle grate man sunjam you can trust for a good sup board.

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DavidJohn said..

My experiance with Oxbow was that they were pretty soft and dented easy.. maybe they're better now.

I've not seen or heard of sunjam..I'm guessing it's a cheap China board.

I'd be going with the Bic because of their quallity construction.. What size is the Bic.

If you want to paddle with kids bigger is better IMO.

Concider boards like an 11' and 11'6'' NSP or 11'6'' Naish Nalu.

DJ

check out the sunjam 10' foot you can take the kids out on it and still ride small swell or if that not what your looking for fanatic 11'footer is a grate board very stable and is grate in small surf good luck

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Air80 said..

Hi, have you thought about an inflatable, i just got one for the kids to use and also for me to start in the waves with (i have a 12'6 flatwater as well). it goes well, it will never compete with an epoxy board but i can roll it up and take camping the kids cant hurt it or them.

They do have a bit of flex but depends on what you want overall the board to do. Mine is a Hobie drifta 10", have a look at them online as there is heaps of companies doing them even the big names,

cheers Rob

I thought the sunjam would be pretty cheap but its actually a grate buy.. take my 10' foot warrior out on reefs lakes and I have surfed it up to 7 foot but I found that the paddles are pretty horrible but the board is grate but if your more experienced sup rider than go for a better brand

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DavidJohn said..
.........
I've not seen or heard of sunjam..I'm guessing it's a cheap China board.

I'd be going with the Bic because of their quallity construction.. What size is the Bic.
.........
DJ

Sunjam are based in Southern Sydney.
http://www.sunjampaddleboards.com.au/

I bought a carbon fibre paddle from Mark @ Sunjam.
He was really helpful.
Right paddle for me and exc price.
EXCELLENT care for shipping- not a single mark. Perfect.
After a bad experience with a board delivered (from elsewhere) with a MASSIVE ding, appreciated the quick delivery & care from Sunjam.

As with anything, try b4 you buy

I tried out one of the BIC AceTech SUPs (2012). It had a ridge all the way along the sides where plastic joined.
OK, but would describe as "budget", not 'quality' for this particular board.
Maybe other BICs are better, but still not cheap.

The 10'6 Bic Ace-Tec is the most durable & well price all-rounder on the market, it's light & has a 12 month warranty & retails for $1049.
Otherwise the NEW 11'0 Bic C-Tec bamboo deck is a beautiful board for $1399 & very similar to a Surftech Laird that retails for over $1700.
Great All-Rounder that tracks well & surfs well.

PS all the previous Oxbow's are now in the BIC range as they use to design & distribute the Oxbow boards globally for them :)