Hi everyone, I've only just joined this form. An amazing wealth of knowledge and advice. A little bit about me before I ask my question. I'm 40yrs old around 6ft and weigh 82kgs I started riding a sup just over a year ago after riding a bodyboard and surfboard for 25 years back issues caused me to take up riding a sup. Started on a 9'6 x 30, 3 months later moved onto 8'10 x 29 118 ltr laird surrator, the another 3 months later moved onto a 8.0 x30 x 104ltr ppc carbon, and the board I have now is a 7'11 x 26x 94ltr sunova speed.I honestly never knew how addictive the sport is.
It's winter here in New Zealand so it's booties wetsuits gloves etc. I would say I'm an average sup surfer as I picked it up quite quickly, ie cutbacks snaps the odd tailslide, and ride anything from 1 ft up to about 6ft
My question is what size board would you guys recommend as another step down to a smaller board as I only have enough funds for 1 board. With my 7'11 speed I ride it in most conditions from howling offshores to 30knot onshores and absolutley love it. Its definitely a bit harder in howling onshore but I manage to stay upright most of the time. I'm all about challenging myself, and performance. To me my speeed now feels a little long in length size but good width wise. I've been looking at jp pros,sunova creeks but other than that I don't know. My thoughts are as long as I can balance on it I can ride it. Anyway I look forward to your thoughts and advice. Cheers

Gav

Sounds like its time for a custom?

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Gavsup said..
Hi everyone, I've only just joined this form. An amazing wealth of knowledge and advice. A little bit about me before I ask my question. I'm 40yrs old around 6ft and weigh 82kgs I started riding a sup just over a year ago after riding a bodyboard and surfboard for 25 years back issues caused me to take up riding a sup. Started on a 9'6 x 30, 3 months later moved onto 8'10 x 29 118 ltr laird surrator, the another 3 months later moved onto a 8.0 x30 x 104ltr ppc carbon, and the board I have now is a 7'11 x 26x 94ltr sunova speed.I honestly never knew how addictive the sport is.
It's winter here in New Zealand so it's booties wetsuits gloves etc. I would say I'm an average sup surfer as I picked it up quite quickly, ie cutbacks snaps the odd tailslide, and ride anything from 1 ft up to about 6ft
My question is what size board would you guys recommend as another step down to a smaller board as I only have enough funds for 1 board. With my 7'11 speed I ride it in most conditions from howling offshores to 30knot onshores and absolutley love it. Its definitely a bit harder in howling onshore but I manage to stay upright most of the time. I'm all about challenging myself, and performance. To me my speeed now feels a little long in length size but good width wise. I've been looking at jp pros,sunova creeks but other than that I don't know. My thoughts are as long as I can balance on it I can ride it. Anyway I look forward to your thoughts and advice. Cheers

Gav

Hard question to answer as everyone likes something different. If you can try a board about the same length as your speeed but with a pulled in nose and tail I would say you are on the right track. Look at the boards riden by the best SUP surfers and they are just enlarged surfboards. None use squared off vanguard style boards. What is easy to stand on does not turn well.

yes, GavSup as Thomo said, due to your fast SUP involvement jumping from step to a higher step, this is the time to have a custom. Your back issue is not a dead end of surfing it's just a new horizon and future
Let me show you what is the link between the large board and the narrow type pulling in curve nose. This is what I call the WTF with dims fitted to you as 7'2" 28.5" 3.9" 95 liters.
www.shape3d.com/Viewers/Viewer3D.aspx?Board=4745
Be opposed to what Hilly said about the enlarged Surfboard ride by the pro I reckon that this kind of shape as I show here which is not the Tomo type one goes very good and be very loose and paddle good for entry take off like it can be seen on this video It has a concave at the front of the board to paddle on for fast take off but you can use it to do some fun nose riding then there is a belly at the center which makes like a pivot (opposite to the Tomo type which has concave). The wing at the rear makes bite the front rail to the square angle of the nose because the wide point is pulled back on this outline. The square nose and quite a straight rail are very useful to trim along the wall. You already know that from the Speeed but in this WTF you gonna have the front foot closer to the nose or at least past forward the widest point of the outline. Just as a shortboard is! In last and not to mention all the parameters of this board, there is a channel through the tail to give more thrust at the Tri fin set and drive without a 4 fins set up, especially for the backhand surfing...I've been riding that custom for a few years now and it remains my best board until now I just draw it just a bit longer than the original one and I expect it to be better.

Thanks guys. Yeah I was thinking maybe a custom as another option as a local guy specializes in them aswell. The speeed is an amazing board and I disagree that they don't turn well.stomp the tail and they flick around like any other board. I ended up changing the stock find to more of a g5 size and a smaller trailer fin which livened it up even more and took awhile to get it sorted.i think the pulled in dumond tail is the key to it. I've had a go on a minion and a hypernut both feel a bit planky to me. I'm sure lots of people love them but not for me. Interesting the super short 6'5. I've never really thought of going down to to something around 7ft. Ooh the option lol!!! Thanks guys. It's nice to have a place to chat purely about sup!!

i have got a 7'10 sunova acid for sale , thats a good quiver builder i.m.o. ..dean

At 82kg, for a single board quiver I would not get too low in volume. Especially to take into account the weight of the winter wetsuit. I dont think it would be reasonable to go lower than 90 liters, you will reduce too much the length of session as you will tire much faster.

As others said, more pulled-in nose and tail will allow for more performance surfing, but I would advise to keep a generous width in the nose, kind of a semi-pulled in shape. This gives you stability, but is not cumbersome enough in turns to bother you (with SUPs, you do not perform the tight turns of a prone shortboard anyways). A stable nose also allows you to manage narrower main widths, that help for tight turns in hollow waves. You want the main width to continue 1' to 2' in front of the handle.

An exemple of the kind of semi-pulled nose shapes I love:

- semi-tomo: widths Front half-foot-off 20"7/8, main 29"3/4. Best up to a bit more than head high, too wide on bigger waves
https://gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2Fbox1707%2FProducts%2FGON9SUPFATPRO73

- bullet nose: 19"5/16 / 28"3/4 A good compromise for various conditions
gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2Fbox1707%2FProducts%2FGON9SUPKARMEN711PRO

- An example of what you do not want in a one board quiver (too tiring), if you are not a pro, in 105 liters like the 2 above:
gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/box1707/Products/GON9SUPCURVESPPRO78

Disclaimer: I am a Gong ambassador, these are just examples of boards I know well, with their full dimensions for reference, this is not a buying recommendation.

Short (less than 7'6") boards are exhilarating on the wave by the accelerations and compactness, you have everything under your feet. But they paddle slower, and often have a rounder outline limiting the top end speed on a straight line and making the natural curve radius tighter. Basically a short board is better if you turn a lot, but not so great for down-the-line surfing.