hey guys

im curious to get a bit of a poll or people's thoughts / preferences on flat vs rolled decks.
i didn't realise how much I preferred one over the other until I got my sic carve 8'6 which has a flat deck. Instantly
it felt roomy and comfortable- especially when going over big waves with heavy whitewash.
i took my other board for a spin yesterday that is actually
more stable / has a wide nose but with a rolled deck and although it was more stable
in other ways i loved the feel
of the flat deck on my sic carve.

i don't seem to see many boards these days going for a flat deck and most seem to be going for an incredibly rolled deck.
I get pros and cons of both but curious to see how many people would prefer if their board was one or the other or if they wished it was a flat deck

Im Pretty sure the rolled deck is so the rails can be pulled down more to
help performance. A lot of flat deck boards ive owned have had boxy rails although my deep boards are quite flat yet the rails are pulled right down???... maybe I'm wrong about it??

Like Loz79 said:

- flat decks allow for a more forgiving standing surface relative to your feet position. It is especially useful for beginners and intermediates, who often have a too wide stance while paddling, and to pros that attempt insane manoeuvers like airs or 180s with their feet landing a bit blindly all over the board. The Old Starboard pros had flat decks, and when looking at what Zane was doing with them, it is understandable (or Mo Freitas boards). But the flat deck means high volume boxy rails, which are stabler and forgiving but less easy to put on the rail, unless you have a very narrow board.

- domed decks allow to "hide" the volume away from the rails, and get very low volume rails on SUPs. They are a joy to carve turns with, but can get tricky if you paddle with your feet wide apart, or move your feet out of the center line. On the opposite, I like them because when you move your back foot towards the inside rail, you can feel where you are. Some people also do not like the added height in the stringer, and the feel to be higher on the water.

- stepped decks are a compromise to get the advantages of both. But I never used them so I cannot comment more on them. Or you can have a flat deck which "domes" at about 4" from the rail...

So I'd say flat decks are more forgiving both for beginning and improvising extreme tricks, but you wil love domed decks if you like carving and rail surfing.

Stepped decks were everywhere in the early days and I was very used to them but give me a flat deck any day. Shapers have got a lot smarter now with different rail profiles to keep the decks flat yet still keep important volume .