Hi all,

I am contemplating which sup model to upgrade too. I am surfing a longboard McTavish 9'6 Fireball and mostly cruise in the Alley. I have been SUP paddling a 10' McTavish that we bought years ago, but I don't like the weight and the lack of sufficient nose rocker. I am approx. 83kg with wet suit.

I have tried the Naish 8'8 XE32 LE in small conditions and I wasn't impressed with the speed. In choppy conditions it was quite a challenge to stay upright. I think it may be too much of a "short board" style sup and too advanced for me. I would like a sup that I can grow into, unlocking more and more of its performance as I get better.

Browsing the catalogues, I am tending towards the 140-150L board range in as light a construction as possible.
The choices are:
JP Surf Pro 9'6" x31" 146L 8.4kg
JP Fusion WSG 9'8" x31" 152L 10.6kg - heaviest
Starboard 9'8" x29" Pro 141L 7.6kg - bad handle placement
Starboard 9'5" x32 Wide Point 153L 8.4kg
Starboard 9'0" x33 Hero 149L 8.1kg
Starboard 9'5" x30 Converse+ 140L 8.1kg

I would like to hear what you think, and I will try to demo the final choices before making a purchase.

Many Thanks
Henry

Hi Henry,

I am 54, 83kg also and have a JP surf Wide Body 8 8 for about a year now. Love the board! It has done me very very well. From 6" to 8 foot waves a super goer. I went the carbon model for extra live weight. The deck now is missing some paint from paddle strike but it is one tough customer. Beach or Reef break. Great board , super handler, stable.
I added a 5th fin box and now have three boards to surf according to which fin set up I am using.
Look my posts up on it.
Highly recommendable.

But, Demo, Demo, Demo! Try out what works for you

I have a Hero and yesterday tried a 9'5 Widepoint.
The WP surfs surprisingly good. Much better than my Hero.

For someone your sizes I'd suggest you should try both the 8'2 and 9'5 widepoints.

Cheers!

The JP Fusion 9'8 is also available in the Pro construction. It's the same weight as the 9'6 Surf.