How thin is too thin?

Production boards are getting down to 3 3/4"- 3 1/2" thick now, how thin do people think SUPs can go before they snap in half too easily or fail to float anyone over 60kg?

I reakon a 3" board would float me, and feel more connected to the wave, but pretty expensive mistake if it folds in half after the first pounding in the surf.

Still looking at people with their feet underwater and wondering how they get onto the wave if their board is subsurface.

It will be interesting to see where this sport goes in the next few years re short-board design: whether people will go back to bigger boards and surfing or pursue the ultimate hybrid [although ultimate and hybrid sound like a paradox on reflection].

Anyway that's enough from me- unleash thy opinions!

IMO the trick is to keep the volume in the center and middle of the board and reduce the volume in the nose and tail and in particular the rails.

My DTM custom is 4 and half inches thick at the thickest point but thins out considerably towards the rails via a domed deck. This provides enough volume (approx 102 litres) for me to paddle fairly well even though the water does lap much of the deck.

If you go thinner you have to go wider to maintain the same volume; this is detrimental to performance IMO.

Some people will prefer bigger more bouyant boards, while some - like myself - don't mind wrestling constantly with the ocean in return for the quantum leap in performance. The other trick will be to not go too short like some of the 'egg plan shapes' we are seeing on the sub 8 footers. I reckon 8'6" is about as short as i will go on a pointy nose design at 82 kilos.

Thin rails are definately the go IMO - as for step decks, haven't tried em, but can see how they would work. From a production point of view they would be a hassle to do in a custom board.

I only read your 1st/top post. But 3" in obviously very common for malibu surfboards. But yes, I know malibu's are prone to snapping in bigger waves like double overhead Bells..... More board, more area, gives the waves more leverage to snap it.

Stringers are used for a structural reason, but I am still surprised that so many SUP's are stringer less.

But yes, a certain amount of flex is good, but board snapping flex is not good !!

There's one or two guys doing very nice flex tail work with mid length short boards, like 7'0 and above.... (not SUP).

I was speaking to this fella in the lineup last week he told me he'd been on a Josh Constable SUP in Noosa that was 3 1/2" thick and went like a dream. He said it was roughly 11' in length but as it was so thin it had a real longboard feel to it. I have to admit i'm dreaming up dimensions for something similar.

Yeah we had a wave roll through...

I had one of those Mickey Munoz boards a while back and it was ok, I was sure it was 4" thick though?

I saw on the news last night about the swell you lot are about to get

That's awesome thanks for that..

Just about to have some therapeutic time by sitting down and watching 'Living the Stoke' for the first time on my new tele...first time I've got the tv to myself my copy of the movie has been here for a few days!