Looking for advice..
5 months supping, catching waves and turning on my 9'5 163l Naish Mana. Too much volume for anything sucky or overhead tho.
I've got longish legs and a high centre of gravity, so I've really gotta squat low and press hard on the tail w my back foot to avoid nose diving, whether surfing or supping. Any recommended SUPs with plenty of nose rocker (to avoid nosediving) yet still enough volume to be stable? I can bottom and top turn decent enough, tend to fall quite a bit (rely a lot on paddle for stability). 85kg. Don't think I'd wanna go below 125L. Bonus points if 8'0 or under so that it can fit in my garage easily. I'll keep the Mana for smaller days.
Many thanks and merry Xmas.
Li

Have a serious look at the 8'3" x 31" = 123ltr
Smik twin

The Jimmy lewis destroyer 8'5 seems like it might work for what you've described.

I had the same board 9,5 mana ,I dropped to a 8,10 x 130 litre mana , found the wide nose not necessary in the mana's ,then dropped to a 130 litre Sunova flow which was 31 and a half wide as i remember ,,and 130 litres ,then 9,1 Acid
I would look more for a no nose shape that will be of more benefit to giving you the Performance you are looking for
you have many choices ...I would look for a 9 foot board.and 130-140 litres .You will benefit by not going to small staying with a 9
rather than under ,it is the best size stepping stone as a intermediate ,I still have my 9,1 from years ago ,I learnt so much on that board and crossed many challengers ,you are at a exciting part of your SUP career ..enjoy .and merry christmas

8'8 Speeed.
Under 125 L but due to shape will feel much more stable .
Plenty of nose rocker and works in small to larger conditions . Easy to paddle into wave

Sorry won't fit in car . If you could still get one I recommend a 7'5 or 7'11 ECS slab . Super stable and fun in conditions up to 3ft

Going shorter by itself will prevent a lot nosediving. 8'0" or less will be nice.
A 9' needs to be nursed a lot in steep drops (dropping at an angle).

Keep some width for the stability.

I don't think a big nose rocker is the only key to avoid nosediving. Having a low volume tail and a nice tail rocker also helps immensely, preventing the waves to push on the tail and catapult you. With a more pulled-in tail, moving a bit your weight backwards on hairy drops can be very effective.

I second everything Colas says just adding how I perceive what the ideas of shorter and wider mean for me in steeper waves.

The shorter length is relative to height. Meaning the taller you are, the longer for stability purposes. I am taller so I go a little under 9. What is most important about the shorter length is your back foot naturally being over the fins at take-off without a stomp, shuffle, or step back. This allows you to just shift your weight back when you have a critical takeoff. The slower the wave more weight forward the more critical more weight back.

As well, with your back foot over the fins naturally, at take-off, you can get parallel just by weighting your toe or heel without a shuffle or step back to the tail. I tend to project out on steeper waves and then fade back to the pocket.

Hence a shorter board allows you to weigh the tail and head to the bottom on take-off if that is your preference or to get parallel and project out with very little effort or time.

One last thing that I do not think people mention often, is I prefer boards that have a quick lift at take-off. Usually with a little less nose rocker. This lift along with my foot always being over the fins allows for a lot more maneuverability on steeper waves. This may be a little counterintuitive but the more nose rocker, generally the less lift. The less lift, the less time you have when it gets critical at take-off. Also generally, the more nose rocker, the less front-to-back stability. I really only see the best Sup surfers being successful with highly rockered boards at the nose.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense but I surf my share of steep beach breaks and this is definitely how I think about it.

5 mos is not very long, most people would not be able to jump to more of their ideal performance board size after such a short amount of time. Falling is ok and its good to challenge your balance as you improve, but at a certain point if the board is too unstable its just counterproductive if you cant paddle well when going for the wave. I would take Tardy's advice of a 9' seriously as he has the most relevant experience for you. Pulling in the nose even a little can make a world of difference. You don't describe the kind of waves you want to ride and how much paddling you need to do to reach them and get back out but this can also make a big difference in the kind of board to select.

I don't know about standing over the fins on takeoff on a 9' board castawaycove you must have some long legs for that. Sure widening your surf stance a bit on takeoff is good for steeper drops.

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slsurf said..
I don't know about standing over the fins on takeoff on a 9' board castawaycove you must have some long legs for that. Sure widening your surf stance a bit on takeoff is good for steeper drops.

That's why I advice not to take off in a real surf stance, but facing forward, in a "fencing stance".

A side split is very hard for men, and especially older ones :-), but with a fencing stance, you can reach the fins.

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slsurf said..

I don't know about standing over the fins on takeoff on a 9' board castawaycove you must have some long legs for that. Sure widening your surf stance a bit on takeoff is good for steeper drops.

I did say sub 9ft. Over 9 requires me to shuffle back to the tail!

"Fencer stance".....interesting way to put it! Never thought about it like that but a great visual! Simply weight shift is all that is required! So much easier on steeper waves.

Wow that back foot really is over the fins, I'll have to stand corrected on this one. Here is my defensive crouch on one where it looks like I'm trying to get forward while catching it. I'll have to try the fencing stance a little for fun. I feel pretty good about shuffling back after I catch the wave now and I can't remember pearling my 7'6 in the last 2 years. I do feel more secure with my back foot across the board surf style especially with the typical cross chop and side bump on takeoff. When I was regular surfing more I never felt like I could just stand up with my feet far enough back on anything over 6'3 in length.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. Given me a lot to ponder. I'm thinking of doing both i.e going short, wide and stable for hollow waves and steep drops .maybe an 8'0 Wedge. As well as trading in the Mana for something slightly smaller w better performance eg 9'4 Placid. Can't hurt to get a quiver going and compare.

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slsurf said..
I'll have to try the fencing stance a little for fun.
[...] I do feel more secure with my back foot across the board

I stopped prone surfing because I was so stiff in my hips that I cannot sit straddling a 19" surfboard anymore.
But as you can see, I can still crouch a lot on takeoff with a fencing lurch, my rear knees nearly touches the board:



And the rear foot can be an at angle, no worry: (my rear foot is also at a right angle on the pic above)

We've found the Sunova 8'8 x 31 Flow awesome and very stable for its size in all conditions.

Also the 9'1 x 31 Creek is an excellent around stable sup for any conditions and size.

The 9'4 Placid is a huge volume sup? If you're going that size volume, might as well keep the Naish?

Happy Supping

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SupChickadee said..
We've found the Sunova 8'8 x 31 Flow awesome and very stable for its size in all conditions.

Also the 9'1 x 31 Creek is an excellent around stable sup for any conditions and size.

The 9'4 Placid is a huge volume sup? If you're going that size volume, might as well keep the Naish?

Happy Supping

Thanks, I'll look at the 8'8 Flow.
so you don't think the difference in rocker,
thinner rails etc would make enough of a difference to bother (going from Mana to Placid roughly same size)?

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Hello123 said..

SupChickadee said..
We've found the Sunova 8'8 x 31 Flow awesome and very stable for its size in all conditions.

Also the 9'1 x 31 Creek is an excellent around stable sup for any conditions and size.

The 9'4 Placid is a huge volume sup? If you're going that size volume, might as well keep the Naish?

Happy Supping

Thanks, I'll look at the 8'8 Flow.
so you don't think the difference in rocker,
thinner rails etc would make enough of a difference to bother (going from Mana to Placid roughly same size)?

Hello123 i haven't ridden the 9'4 Placid only trialled the 8'3 which was quite stable for its size, but my husband struggled on it. The 9'4 Placid is 33.5 wide, which is super wide, but yes thinner rails will help, but seems over big for your weight. My husband is the same weight as you + or - and he really enjoys the 9'4 x 32 Creek in bigger conditions and reef breaks, but also loves his 9'1 x 31 Creek for the beach breaks and also enjoys the 8'8 Flow x 31 on the beach breaks (when i'm not riding it and he gets a chance on it!).

Have you also considered the 8'10 x 32 Placid or 8'10x32 Hipster Twin. This size is super stable but moves quite well for its size, gives the wave count/comfort factor and super popular with the "mature" guys. They rarely come up for sale 2nd hand, which is an indication they are keepers.

SuptheCreek gives some excellent reviews on this forum regarding Sunova sups length, width and performance, which are really informative.

Hi Li, having just brought a 8'6" x31.5 SMIK Hipster Twin and weighing 95 kg you would easily find all the stability you need on that board. At your weight I would agree with Mick on the 8'3" Hipster.

I just posted my first thoughts after five surfs and around twenty hours on the Hipster if you are interested.
Steve.

Scrolling through this forum it definitely seems like the Hipster T is a favourite - stable yet rippable. I'll look into it. Great write up Steve.