Looking for my first SUP. Done a little homework and some people say tall people have a different centre of gravity and need a wider board. I am 6'5 (95kgs) and have been using a wide windsurf board. Looking at Naish Nalu 10'10 which is 32 inches wide. Thoughts?

I'm 6'4'' and 95kgs.. You're right.. Taller people do need more stable boards.. and IMO the 10'10'' x 32'' Nalu would be a good choice..

A better flat water paddling board would be the new 11' x 34'' Glide Touring.. [my next board]

If you're after a better surfing performance board this new 11' x 31'' Nalu would be perfect..

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DavidJohn said..
I'm 6'4'' and 95kgs.. You're right.. Taller people do need more stable boards.. and IMO the 10'10'' x 32'' Nalu would be a good choice..

A better flat water paddling board would be the new 11' x 34'' Glide Touring.. [my next board]

If you're after a better surfing performance board this new 11' x 31'' Nalu would be perfect..

Thank you, will check them out. Have took the Nalu 11'6 for a demo. It was ok, even in a little wind but just felt just a little wider would be perfect.
I am looking for something that's good for flat water but would also love to try some small surf.

Yup, width must be proportional to your height.

That is, to get the same stability as a 150cm guy/gal on a 28", a 200cm guy will need a ( 200 / 150 ) * 28 = 37.3" wide board...

Volume must be proportional to your weigth.

Length should be proportional to your height only on very short boards for surfing (< 7'6"), on longer boards the rider height difference becomes less meaningful.

In real life though, tall guys tend to use boards too narrow for them, because of the limited board choices,, so they are forced to get better balance, so end up not needing boards as wide as they should. And on the other hands, short people like me can impress their tall friends by managing "narrow" boards that are actually quite wide relative to their height... But the proportion rule stands true for beginners: tall beginners need VERY wide boards.

+1

but don't buy a new board whatever you do. If you've got decent balance for windsurfing you should come down in board size pretty quickly, so save your hard earned for a decent board in a couple of years when you have the hang of it. Just go second hand til then, you'll lose a lot less money.

All great advice. Really keen to try the Nalu 11" 31in wide. This is the size board I was looking for earlier in the year and am
so glad Naish are now doing this size. Hoping it is ok to sail as well. Will also consider the second hand option and maybe a Naish 11'4 Nalu.
I do have intermediate windsurf ability and often SUP a 35 inch Windsurf board so not a total novice. Thanks guys, really helpful information I was looking for.

meh, its all in your head........6.1 and I learnt on a 27.5inch wide board

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husq2100 said..
meh, its all in your head........6.1 and I learnt on a 27.5inch wide board

Yep, as I said tall guys/gals often don't have any choice... In France the first production board was 12'x26"...

But why suffer and progress slower nowadays?

I'm 6'3" and started off on a 10'10" Nalu. The longer I SUP, the more I bend my knees and lower my ar5e to surf, and the more I'm enjoying smaller boards. Like husq2100 said, it's all in your head........once you get the swing of things.

I'm 6'9" and about 105-110kgs with questionable balance. I bought a Starboard Avanti - 11'2" x 36"- as my first board and it was awesome, it got me from doubting the whole SUP thing (having previously ridden Windsurfers to try the sport) to being a complete convert.

Having said that, i grew out of it pretty quickly. That had a lot to do with being more interested in down winding and flat water racing - i bought a 14' 2014 Glide GS - though. I've kept the Avanti as i want to have a crack at it in the surf before i consider its future...

It kinda all depends upon what type of paddling you think you might be doing as to what type of board you end up with.

And they're devious bloody things these SUP boards, you turn your back on them and they've a nasty habit of multiplying…!!!