Hi Guys, looking for some adivce from some of the more experienced guys..

Sitting around the 87-88kg mark (huge fluctuation I know)

Just wondering which would suit me better to get into a more surf performance board.

Corbean Vibe 8'0 x 29 x 4 1/4 (130lt)
Naish Hokua 8'5 x 28 x 3 3/4 (115lt)
PSH Wide Ripper 9'2 x 29 5/8 x 4 1/2 (126lt)

Currently riding a Fanatic Fly HRS 10 x 30, which I am going to keep for flat water and small surf but want to get something with more speed and performance.

Cheers in advance
B

Hi Brent , I'm a few more kegs heavier than you and here is my report on all 3 boards.

Coreban Vibe 8'0 x 29 x 4 1/4 (130lt)
This is a great little fun board with heaps of float and rocker with extra tail and nose kick , it will float you no problems at all. There are some con's with your weight combined with the flipped up nose it does push water paddling for fat waves , no problems if you are sitting nice and close to the peak though. Very easy & fun board to surf but not something you get onto the rail. My pick of the Corebans for you would be the 8-11 Lithium (120lt) if you want performance you can't go past this board , the rail to rail turns delivers incredible speed giving a really nice flow to your surfing. You only need to stand the Lithium next to the Vibe or the Fusion to see what I am talking about.

Naish Hokua 8'5 x 28 x 3 3/4 (115lt)
This board looks so good with it's sleek outline but unfortunately your are too heavy for this board .I rode it for a couple of hours the other week and it was murder for my size to stay up on it. The nose and tail are super thin and pulled in. I did catch quiet a few waves and once you were on it was electric to ride but as soon as I lost speed I just sunk it.

PSH Wide Ripper 9'2 x 29 5/8 x 4 1/2 (126lt)
PSH's old faithful , great all round board and the easiest out of the lot to stand on , this board is made for bigger guys who still want to throw it around , not a rail to rail performer but it does get close. It does still feel and ride like a big board , you need to be very aggressive to throw it around.

If you are going to keep the Finatic , you should be looking at sub 9-0 as second board.

hi mate

great boards, but would have to agree with piros the coreban lithium would be well worth looking at for someone your weight or if you like the naish maybe try the 9footer, definatley try and demo before you buy just to see what you like,

Jarryd

Hey Thanks Piros and Jarryd, great to hear some first hand experience on all three of those boards, I thought that may be the case with the Naish.

I am picking up the PSH to have a play on, I know its not sub 9'0 but close enough and I guess the performance difference should be noticeable from the Fanatic, now just need to prey to the swell gods.

I have also been recommended the 9'5 Hokua, but thought this may be too close to the 10'0

Other option is to just save, head south and demo what I can when I can. The Corbeans seem to have smaller boards with decent width and volume. :)

Cheers again
B

The new VB PSH models are worth a look really impressed with my 9 7 (105kg)

www.paddlesurfhawaii.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

If you really want to go sub 9' then the Fanatic 8'6" allwave is worth a look. Fun board to SUP with the extra width and reasonable tail kick for tighter turns than the Fly 10'

Have you thought about Starboard Pro? I'm 88kg and ride the 2011 SB 8'5" 29" Pro. It has surprising stability for its 125L and it turns off the tail nicely.
I would try and demo one if your looking for a progressive surfing board. 2012 has less around the nose/tail and is a bit wobbly for me - I hear the 2013 will be less so. Or you could keep an eye out for a 2nd hand 2011.

Hey folks

a small correction is that the lithium is 130l even though it says its 120.

+1 for the Lithium, its an amazing board Im 90kg and love it! its got some good stability with the vol centered around the standing area not wasted in the nose. the vibe awesome board but better for flatter waves in my opinion. Whereas the Lithium will charge in anything from waist high to 6' and beyond.

Its really quick down the line as well which really gets you out of some trouble some times.

Cheers

D