I'm keen to getting into SUP's after a few lesson I had on holidays in Bali but the catch for me to be able to buy my 1st board is that I have to also buy my wife one. So I'm after a bit of advise to make it a positive and hopefully long term experience for her.

We have been to a few demo days but the wind (& chop) has been up on 2 out of 3 of them so it was not ideal condition for my wife to be able to feel the differences between styles of boards. (I got plenty of laughs watching her fall off but only on the inside so she didn't see!)

She will only be paddling in flat water. She is a bit on the heavier side at the monent @ 90kg's and about 5'6" or 5'7" in height but wants to use the sup to trim down. She has never been into sports so her balance is not great. Speed is not an issue as she is never going to get into any races but would like it to be enjoyable to paddle around on (eg does want to have to swap sides every 2 or 3 strokes). Also we have a couple of small kids that will probably want to jump on the front when we go for a paddle (once her skill level increases).

Can she go with a shorter wider board (10' x 34" x 4) which fits inside our 4wd and allows her to go for a paddle by herself (which would be ideal) or would she struggle with the lenght and be better off going for a long slightly narrower board (11 to 12' x 30 to 31" x 4) which would have to go on the roof racks ruling out her solo paddles and slowing down the rate of improvment.

I personal find the shorter higher volume boards suit me in both mal's (8'6") and shortboard (egg style) and will be going with a 10'6" alrounder in a sup so I can paddle with the wife in the flat water and also catch some waves. As I only know a bit about sup's I don't want to push her in the same direction if its off the mark.

Any advise would be great as the info the rep's have given her so far differs eg starboard rep pushing her towards the Avanti (11'2' x 36 x 4+ @ 230lts), the naish rep teller her that the Avanti is to big for her to handle so try the Alana (10'6.5" x 30 x 4 @ 160lts), etc etc....

Thanks in advance for any replies!

G'day Husky,

Unless your wife drives a Hummer, I can't imagine a 10' x 34" board fitting inside the car with enough room to drive safely.

My missus has the 9'5" Alana & she loves it. She is around 60-65kg though. The 10'6.5 Alana is the same board as the 10'6.5 Nalu. It just has that feminine colour scheme. It has a concave deck making it a very stable board with good glide. They both surf fantastic too.

As for taking kids on the front the 10'6.5s might be a bit too small. The 11'4 would be handle that nicely. I have one & it surfs great also.

By the way, I don't work for Naish. I work at Sydney Airport.

Husky,

If it's all about fun,family, and what fits in your life, go with your personal choice.
If 10' is as long as you won't to go than thats what to look for. there are lots of whoppers around i think they even do a whopper extra 10x36.
i'm sure your wife will feel better being able to take her board out when she feels like it
If you go longer and its only flat water maybe look at more touring type board like the Fanatic Ray.

Personally I would be eating toward the Wide Point or the Drive in the StarBoard range. 10'5 and 32"/30" wide respectively. Given her height I think the Avanti may be a little on the big side.

See as you want a family board that the kids can jump on (and usually thrash a bit) as well as her being able to get it in the car and go by herself with no need for it to be the fastest on the water... what about an inflatable??

There are also some great boards from NSP, that are very good value, tough as and would likely fit the bill.

Consider this is a board that you may keep forever, I think everyone needs a big floaty family board in the quiver that you can take places with friends and everyone can be comfortable having a go on. It certainly extends the use a lot.

Hey Husky

I think that the Starboard wopper will be ideal, its 10 X 34, Ive tried out a 10 X 32 board and used to own a 12ft, the 10ft was noticable more stable. I think 34 is the widest you should look at but if you would rather something longer then I'd say go with the 10'5 X 32 starboard wide point, it will be quicker for your wife but then it wont fit in your truck. Both these boards come in a feminane purple colour fade (2013 model) but if you are looking to buy the current model (2012) then it comes in a blue colour. Hope this helped!

Trev

I think at 5'6 or 5'7 your lovely wife might find the wider options being promoted here a tad wide for comfortable paddling.

Thinking outside the box for a minute...if your wife wants something she can manage in the car by herself, look seriously at one of the new inflatables*...Starby Astro touring or Naish ONE at 30" wide will be heaps stable for her, won't be too wide for an effective paddle stroke at her height and give her better glide and will track way better than some 10 x 34 or similar surf-oriented stick. AND these new inflatables are crazy light at about 10-11 kgs inflated.

There are a couple of good, recent threads on these boards here and on the 'zone.

(*Mrs Cartoon 's only about 5'1 and had some problems getting boards on and off the car by herself - solved with an inflatable. She and the kids love the pump-up and it means she can and does get out by herself. Plus she doesn't have to sweat about dinging the board or the car. We're seriously looking at getting a second one)

10.2 x 32 nsp coco mat would fit the bill perfectly. Super light (waaaay lighter than anything else on the market) very tough and super stable - well and truly stable enough for your missus and paasengers.

Hey Husky,
I reckon the main thing for your wife to know is what we all learn - what seems difficult, or even impossible comes with practice. So, the right board for the longer term, might be a bit tricky for the first few sessions. But the balance and skills will come. I reckon I had more exercise clambering on after falling off countless times when conditins were tricky (or there really must be a sniper in the sand dunes ) than all the paddling and surfing.
It is definitely handy to have a board that fits in the car. Think about 2nd hand. There are some good ones on this site. And if you decide to demo ask the people in the shop where the best, most sheltered spot might be. Up here on the Sunny Coast it's all howling northerlies at the mo, but there are still a couple of pockets to escape the gale. I reckon you are on the money with something at least 9'5 and at least 30 wide. Much over 10'ft and it might get a bit weighty/unwieldy for the times your wife may want to put it on the roof... Where are you located? - the Breezers could probably refer you to a trusted no-BS dealer - or even a bargain board. (Just for the record, i'm an experience surfer and i am on a Naish Nalu 10'6.5 and i reckon it's as close as you can get to a great allrounder. I am an experienced surfer - about 87kg - and i love it in the waves for a mal style of session. And it's good on flatwater too. It's a cracker, and i'd recommend it - but it won't fit the average car...) Anyway - good on you and your wife and good luck. You will both love this sport. Cheers, Dave

Think I will keep my board

Thanks for the reply everyone. Its great that you are prepared to give some time & advise to help others that are new to the sport. Its good to have some advise by people who are riders, not retailers, when you are paying out $2000+ for a couple of boards to get set up.

I had a measure up this arvo of the internal size of our Prado and with room for the driver only I think I can get a 10'6" sup in there. After thinking about it all day I have come to the conclussion the she will struggle with the glide on a 10' board (especially when the kids jump on the front). Will the extra 6" in lenght with a 32" width make much difference to the gliding or would she need to go to a 11' board?

Has anyone heard much about the Altantis Halo sup that keeps popping up on the advertising ad's on here for 'The surf Warehouse'? Nice looking Mal shape with pulled in tale for the surf @ a good price!

Also been thinking about inflatable as Human Cartoon suggested. Do they glide as well as a epoxy Sup and does the wind blow them around?

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Husky said...


Also been thinking about inflatable as Human Cartoon suggested. Do they glide as well as a epoxy Sup and does the wind blow them around?

The new 12'6 x 30 inflatables from Naish and Starboard are surprisingly good, I've been on both more than once and they offer better glide than a 10 or 11 foot surf/allround board. They can feel a bit corky for lighter paddlers (like under 70kg) but they can be "ride tuned" to some extent by adjusting the pressure. As has been pointed out they do feel different to a hard SUP, some like the feel, some don't. There are a few other good inflatables out there too, best to try a couple if you can (and if you do, make sure the missus gets a try at pumping one up fully...some folks reckon it's a chore, others reckon it's a good warmup )

attach a leg rope at your own risk!!

If only I could get her to use that type of board Bondalucci.

Yep, seriously consider an inflatable IMO. My wife's balance isn't too good, and she likes inflatables because when she does tumble there is less chance of her seriously dinging herself. Plus, on a pebbly beach or rocks, you can sunbathe on it afterwards, and the kids can muck about on it with no damage and less likelihood of injury as well. Until you are taking your SUPing seriously - or at least, semi-seriously - the downsides of hard boards (over inflatables) can outweigh their advantages. For just mucking about on, an inflatable can be a hoot, and you can attempt all manner of silliness on them that you wouldn't on a hard board.

If you are serious about getting into sup'ing, do not waste your time and money on an inflatable - yes, they can be fun but you are gunna get sick and tired of inflating/deflating it and they do not, and never will be as good as a real board for everyday use.

My partner has a BG soft top. It is 10'6 x 34" and is a great board. We have tried epoxy boards, inflatables and even plastics, but the BG soft top is our favourite. It is light and extremely stable. It doesn't scratch or chip like the epoxy boards nor will it blow a seam or valve like some inflatables. My partner especially likes it because the soft top is comfortable to kneel, sit or lie on. It was also very cheap. We bought it from Roar Industires at Currumbin Alley (2nd hand) on the Gold Coast for $400. If you are starting out in SUP I would highly recommend this board.