Hello wonderful people

I want to buy a sup but have noooo idea what brand, size ect to go for...I live in Albany WA so i dnt have access to places to go try out boards so your opinions are greatly welcome!

Im 168cm tall 60 kg, i have some board skills ( surfer and kiteboarder )
im looking for a small wave/ fun cruising board.

Also any info i may need about the paddle?? Lol

:D Sonya

We all know what's coming!

I'm have a similar background and I'm 174cm,63kg.

My advice with your experience and size/ weight is don't go to big.
A Fanatic 8.6 Allwave 13O lt,very stable (30in wide) and will float you easily.A good all round board to start.
Good on waves and OK for cruising.

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sonya rachel said..


im looking for a small wave/ fun cruising board.

A short board [less than about 9'6''] will cover the small wave part but won't be much good for cruising IMO.

I'm thinking something about 10' long [min] x 29'' wide [min] should be what you need.

Something like the 10'6'' x 30'' Naish Nalu would be a wise choice for your first board..



For paddles I'd suggest something like this in the smallest blade size.

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Helmy said...
We all know what's coming!

I know :-) i see the same thing happen in the kite forums all the time haha
That being said i am a sponge, I will absorb all infos thrown at me :)

Totally agree with BobbyR on the AllWave. I just bought an 8'6, following on from a Naish Mana 9'5. The AllWave is very stable, easy to surf, can handle chop, wind, bumps etc and is excellent value. The Mana is really good for a first SUP too, but in retrospect I wish I'd gone a little lower volume first up.

I'm 6' and a bit, 81kg, surfing for many years, SUP'ing for 2.

A few photos of the AllWave below. The shortboard wasn't there for comparison or anything... I was just fixing a crack around the stringer (heavy front foot as you can see).

yes ....surely the naish nalu 10'6 can't be the correct answer to everyone's question

My advice would be to try out a bunch of hire boards to get an idea of size. Then go for a second hand board that fits the bill. There's always plenty of people looking to upgrade and therefore selling decent boards that they've grown out of. That way you can save the best part of your cash for when your skill level has increased and probably trade your second hand one in for cash. Buy the best quality paddle you can afford. . Withthe right care yyou'll have it for years.

hi sonya
I believe you would be better test riding boards , also . I am sure you will find the larger boards to easy , in a short period of time , therefore , potentially wasting your money . Look for something from an 8'6 allwave as your minimum size . I lent my old 9'0 x 30 about 140 ltrs to a novice of about your dimensions and she loved it .She started in the lake and within a week she was riding small waves in the surf .

Thanks! Im in country Wa so test riding boards isn't really possible unless i take a trip to the city :)

Yes, you can't go far wrong with either the All Wave or the Naish 10-6 Nalu. But I agree with DJ that the Naish is much more of a Do-it-all " board. It's the sort of board you'd always hang on to. A predictable choice but not a wrong one.

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Sharper said..

My advice would be to try out a bunch of hire boards to get an idea of size. Then go for a second hand board that fits the bill. There's always plenty of people looking to upgrade and therefore selling decent boards that they've grown out of. That way you can save the best part of your cash for when your skill level has increased and probably trade your second hand one in for cash. Buy the best quality paddle you can afford. . Withthe right care yyou'll have it for years.

Hi! sonya rachel follow Sharper's advice. Not the others
Also if you are already do surfing with a small board, like it seems to be watching your front foot printed in the deck of your board, choose a SUP with 100 liters max flotation no more, 40 liters more than your weight is already a lot , otherwise you may have a ponton to surf with.
About paddle, choose a flexible shaft with no glue handle because once you will master paddling, you might want to cut out at your height and stick back the handle at new position.
Shaft paddle are usually stiff once you cut it at 1,70 because they are made to be adjust for longer length. So choose souple long one , it will become stiffer when shorter.
Anyhow you will have fun

For your size an 8 6 x 30 board will be stable and great for waves or even cruising up a river, as mentioned second hand is good and you may find a cheap Starboard pocket rocket at 85 x 30 would also be a good start, Try to have a testpaddle before you buy, at 60 kg even a 28.5 wide board will probably be fine, just see what is available locally. A smaller lighter board is a lot easier to carry around too.

Also have a look at the Fanatic Pro Wave range, 8'5" LTD would be a good bet

Fanatic Pro Wave for a complete beginner who wants to go cruising....really?

Definitely the best advice here is to buy something cheap secondhand and/or demo until you know what suits you. There are boards being recommended here that some newbie friends of mine (even light ones like you) can't even stand on, never mind enjoy. People differ hugely in their balance abilities so it's always hard to make recommendations without knowing the person. A board that is too small for you will make you miserable. Whatever you get, within 6 months you will want something else. So buy a cheap board that will be easy to sell on, and that you can be pretty sure you will be able to cope with. Have fun!

Hey Sonya,
I am similar height and weight as you and my first board (4yrs ago) was a 9'5 naish mana. Good first board and could cruise and catch waves on but I found I grew out of it and needed a new board quite quickly. I moved onto the starboard converse 9'0 x 30 and it's a great board! Have since moved to a smaller board but still love and use the converse! IMO I wouldn't go anything bigger than 9'0.

Go for Fanatic Pro Wave range 8?0? x 28 1/4" 92 Litres or that kind of board if you are already surfing, d'ont waste your time and money on a big board

I want something that i can have fun in the waves with but ill still surf on my short board, I don't want to compromise the 'cruising' part too much by going too small? If that makes sense?
Thanks everyone

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sonya rachel said..

I want something that i can have fun in the waves with but ill still surf on my short board, I don't want to compromise the 'cruising' part too much by going too small? If that makes sense?
Thanks everyone

What i reckon about going on size like 8'0" x 28 1/4" 92 Litres standing easily your 60kg, i reckon it's like a shortboard "turbocharged" or powerful, loose shortboard able to catch any weak or hollow waves you want to surf . Before you will have to appropriate the use of paddle ... Paddle has to become like an hand's extension .
If you want to cruise and take waves and ride easy, i d'ont know any production boards could fit yours 60 kg. Most of boards are made for big guy... so you should order a custom board, 9'28"100liters longboard shape...

Sounds like you've got the right idea to me, Sonya.

Hi Sonya,

If you are looking for a board that will work well in the surf with a cruisy feel without compromising the flat water performance, the 10'6" Naish Nalu does just that. For its longer length, it is surprisingly really refined and only sits on 160l of volume. With a person of your weight, it is easily managable. Obviously the beautiful thing about paddling a longer board is that it generates that much more glide speed, allowing you to get into waves earlier and maintain that glide speed on the flats.

A lot of people are suggesting smaller 9'0" length boards, the problem with going that small is that you will really struggle on the flat water. You need to decide if you want more performance in the surf or if its gong to be mainly flat water stuff. Obviously smaller boards like the 8'5" Naish Mana or Fanatic AllWave will achieve that surf performance, however your going to loose a glide speed and increase the yaw a lot by going smaller.

Anyone that thinks a 10'6" is too big as it won't surf is dreaming...



Bigger is better for most :)

Cheers,

Marcel

Sonya, don't listen to OceanAddicts :-)

Big boards like the Naish 10'6" are actually more technical to use in the surf, especially for someone your size.
I have 2 daugthers your size (55 & 65 kg) , and what I can offer as advice is:

- do not take a barge, especially since you are a surfer. bigger than 10' could be OK if low volume and thin rails (i.e. not the naish 10'6" :-) and you want to surf longboard style
- keep in mind that paddling technique takes some time to learn, and boards shorter than 8' should be avoided at first till you build your paddling technique
- anything will cruise. I mean, if you want to go fast while paddling, go with a 12'6" flat water shape. Surf shapes wont paddle very fast, unless very long (see point #1)

This said, I'd advise something in the 8'6 to 9'6' range, 110 to 130 litres, 28.5" to 39.5" wide, not too much rocker, and not pulled-in nose. Ligthter is greater, but more expensive. My daughters liked the Gerry Lopez 8'10" and the Gong empire 8'3" to give your reference points. The Gong 7'7" nano was great once on the wave but they felt it was too hard to catch waves with it. They had a 9'10" longboard shape, but I found out it was a bit too long, and so too technical for take off (avoiding nosedives). 8'6" seems a good length, with a wide planshape and with thin nose rails and not too much front rocker as not to push water. Think of a big "fish" kind of board. Do not take boards designed for overweight old males :-)