Hey, I've only been paddle boarding for a month or so (been stealing my wife's waterborne evoke 10'6 32inch think its about 165l) been going OK on it And have lately taken to small surf/ river waves And love it though pretty crap. Now I need my own board and think I could sacrifice a bit of length or width? (Only on the board no where else) I do like the stability of the evoke, is it better to sacrifice one or the other or both or neither for a relatively newbie? I generally park at the river about 2km inland and paddle to the surf so thinking probably needs to be a bit of all-rounder still but maybe leaning to surf a bit. Im about 92kg and 6'2. Cheers

A 10 footer sounds about right for you .10x32

I would reduce the volume. You should be able to be still comfortable on a 140l board, but it will be more responsive.
I would keep the width. At your height a narrow board wont be fun.
You could reduce the length, but do not go under 9', you need to build up paddling technique before going shorter.

Thanks for the input, any thoughts on a 33' or 34' wide and not as long. Any advantages or disadvantages to that?

I think your board is about 180lt
You might want less width or volume but the length would depend on the style you want. Maybe play it safe and aim for something 150-160 litres.

A 10' Evoke is 169L.

If the budget can go there - I'd buy a 10'6 x 30" (160L) Naish Nalu or Jimmy Lewis Striker 9'5" x 31" (147L) or Sunova Surf 10'6 x 30" (158L) . Especially as these are allrounders but rip in the surf.

The longer length and flatter rocker helps glide for those 2k paddles, but being a little bit narrower than the Evoke will help on wave performance. Also, the Striker especially will be way lighter than the Evoke which will make a big performance difference.

Ask nearly any guy on here who has supped for a while and most will say they've never regretted going longer, but they regret too much volume and width.

I went from a 10'x 32" Carbon Evoke, to a 9'2 x 30.5" Sunova Speeed, now a Sunova Custom 10'4 x 28" (140L) and i'm about to order a Jimmy Lewis Superfrank 8'6" x 30.5" (130L) for a Shortboard style board. I'm around 107kg (and dropping)and have been surf supping for 14 months - but did surf beforehand.

The 3 Boards I mention are boards you'll never let go of - so no matter how quickly you progress, or how good a surfer you become - they'll still work really well.

If I had to pick 1 of the 3 mentioned - i'd err towards the Striker (they also do a 10' version which would be great too)

Good Luck

Hi sinky

There's one bit of info, I didn't see, and that is your age.
It makes a difference for most people.

It sounds like you want to push it a bit and go shorter, so I'm guessing you are under 50?

At your height, weight and experience, I would say that you may want to explore a board in the 9'5 x 32 range at between 150 and 160 liters.

There are lots of good boards out there at that size.
The good ones surf well, and should be stable enough for you to learn and most importantly... grow on.

The fact that you will paddle 2 km out a river to the break is a plus.... it will give you good paddle time on flat-water before entering the surf... that should set you up pretty well to bend the learning curve in your favor.

I say 9'5 because at 10' you are in the "longboard" style surfing, and it sounds to me like you prefer a shorter feel.

If you are older, and struggle with balance, then 10' x 32 is a good starting place.

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supthecreek said..
Hi sinky

There's one bit of info, I didn't see, and that is your age.
It makes a difference for most people.

It sounds like you want to push it a bit and go shorter, so I'm guessing you are under 50?

At your height, weight and experience, I would say that you may want to explore a board in the 9'5 x 32 range at between 150 and 160 liters.

There are lots of good boards out there at that size.
The good ones surf well, and should be stable enough for you to learn and most importantly... grow on.

The fact that you will paddle 2 km out a river to the break is a plus.... it will give you good paddle time on flat-water before entering the surf... that should set you up pretty well to bend the learning curve in your favor.

I say 9'5 because at 10' you are in the "longboard" style surfing, and it sounds to me like you prefer a shorter feel.

If you are older, and struggle with balance, then 10' x 32 is a good starting place.

Cheers S.T.C
I'm 38, I think I'm reasonably fit and get out there whenever I can. All good advice I think I'll have a look at the Striker either 9'5 or 10' like Hoppo suggested. Ta

Your a young dude ..go the 9.5 .
have you heard of the naish ..9.5 mana @163 litre ..@32 wide ,it surfs real good
and easy to paddle too.has good speed ..... lots around ..I still have one ,can't bring myself to sell it
as I always go back to it .
i use the 8.10 mana .now .
but if you stick to those dimensions you should be fine ..
it sounds like you've progressed quite fast ..in the time you've been SUPing 1 month, and you may out grow the 10 ,where you 9.5
will be more of a keeper .

Hey Sinky,

I, like many others would stick with the 32" wide boards... stability and comfort is all in the width.

You could easily drop to a 10, 9'6 or even the low 9's, say a 9'4, 9'2.

Keep it in the higher range in thickness 4.5" to 5"thick and it will have plenty of literage to float you.

I own just about every brand under the sun and generally don't advise on brands but one of my favorite all rounders is the All wave by Fanatic... nice and wide and paddles on the flat like a dream and is a bunch of fun in the waves.

I haven't tried the Waterborne Evoke but I have a Atlantis Bam Bam from the same company and at 6'10 and 31 wide it's stable as can be (as I said width is key to stability). Wouldn't recommend it as it's far to small but shows how width plays the most important part in your decision.

Hope that helps you narrow your choices a little, theirs heaps of brands and choice nowadays. Only other recommendation I would make is make sure it has a 5 fin setup as many boards ride better as a Quad.

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Hoppo3228 said..
A 10' Evoke is 169L.

His is a 10'6"

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CheaterFive said..
Hey Sinky,

I, like many others would stick with the 32" wide boards... stability and comfort is all in the width.

You could easily drop to a 10, 9'6 or even the low 9's, say a 9'4, 9'2.

Keep it in the higher range in thickness 4.5" to 5"thick and it will have plenty of literage to float you.

I own just about every brand under the sun and generally don't advise on brands but one of my favorite all rounders is the All wave by Fanatic... nice and wide and paddles on the flat like a dream and is a bunch of fun in the waves.

I haven't tried the Waterborne Evoke but I have a Atlantis Bam Bam from the same company and at 6'10 and 31 wide it's stable as can be (as I said width is key to stability). Wouldn't recommend it as it's far to small but shows how width plays the most important part in your decision.

Hope that helps you narrow your choices a little, theirs heaps of brands and choice nowadays. Only other recommendation I would make is make sure it has a 5 fin setup as many boards ride better as a Quad.

Width is not really the only key to stability. The rail shape, structure and refinement plays just as much a part.. Please also keep in mind that although some boards will perform much better as a quad, They also loose some stability and a lot of there directional paddle ability. The rocker line of the board will also determine its lateral stability and paddle speed. The best thing to do is demo what you can to find the board that you are comfortable with. The most important thing is to find a board that will allow to progress. There is no point spending good money on a board that you may have out grown in 6 - 12 months...

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seaFreaks said..
There is no point spending good money on a board that you may have out grown in 6 - 12 months...

True, but a board that would be good for you in 12 months will be too hard for you in the beginnings, and dramatically slow your progress. So do not expect to be able to keep your first board long, but instead minimize your loss.

Consider your first board(s) as something you will resell (or keep for wife/kids), so try not to spend too much money on it: Use a beginner board of a popular brand that will resell well, or a second hand one.

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colas said..

seaFreaks said..
There is no point spending good money on a board that you may have out grown in 6 - 12 months...

True, but a board that would be good for you in 12 months will be too hard for you in the beginnings, and dramatically slow your progress. So do not expect to be able to keep your first board long, but instead minimize your loss.

Consider your first board(s) as something you will resell (or keep for wife/kids), so try not to spend too much money on it: Use a beginner board of a popular brand that will resell well, or a second hand one.

Well said colas ....everybody has to learn first ..

My first surfboard was a 10 mana ,I learnt so much on that board .and am greatful to have owned it .
how to catch the waves ,when to change stance ,how to read the waves as a SUPer ,not a surfer .
and I still had the luxury of flat water paddling .

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seaFreaks said..

CheaterFive said..
Hey Sinky,

I, like many others would stick with the 32" wide boards... stability and comfort is all in the width.

You could easily drop to a 10, 9'6 or even the low 9's, say a 9'4, 9'2.

Keep it in the higher range in thickness 4.5" to 5"thick and it will have plenty of literage to float you.

I own just about every brand under the sun and generally don't advise on brands but one of my favorite all rounders is the All wave by Fanatic... nice and wide and paddles on the flat like a dream and is a bunch of fun in the waves.

I haven't tried the Waterborne Evoke but I have a Atlantis Bam Bam from the same company and at 6'10 and 31 wide it's stable as can be (as I said width is key to stability). Wouldn't recommend it as it's far to small but shows how width plays the most important part in your decision.

Hope that helps you narrow your choices a little, theirs heaps of brands and choice nowadays. Only other recommendation I would make is make sure it has a 5 fin setup as many boards ride better as a Quad.

Width is not really the only key to stability. The rail shape, structure and refinement plays just as much a part.. Please also keep in mind that although some boards will perform much better as a quad, They also loose some stability and a lot of there directional paddle ability. The rocker line of the board will also determine its lateral stability and paddle speed. The best thing to do is demo what you can to find the board that you are comfortable with. The most important thing is to find a board that will allow to progress. There is no point spending good money on a board that you may have out grown in 6 - 12 months...

Agreed. However typically a board that's 32" wide will have a soft and thick rail geared towards a beginner/intermediate... so a safe bet.

You will be hard pressed to find something thin like 3-4" thick in a 32" width, most will be 4-5" with a lot of literage and great for a beginner.

Rocker and concave will effect the boards performance as will tail design. It's also worth noting that just like surfing, suppers typically should have more than one board in the quiver to suit varied conditions.... So choosing the right beginner board will make for a good small wave board later and not a wasted investment.

And Sinky, its daunting buying your first board, I hope we all haven't inundated you with too much info

This has been great information for sinky, I'm stoked to see so much good information being posted, thanks crew... As a shop owner I see all to often the lack of education poking it's head through on a daily basis. It is a daunting task buying your first board however, as colas mentioned, it is a great idea to consider reselling. You will always be placed in better stead if you stick with the bigger brands as they do tend to hold there value alot better. Once again well said guys, glad to see so much passion and good advise.... Good luck sinky and no doubt someone from this forum will be out ripping with you one day.....
Stay Stoked and go get wet

Yes thanks everyone for offering advise, it's good to hear experienced opinions.
I'm currently searching everywhere for either second hand Mana or Allwave in the range between 9'5 ish and 10' x 32'.
If I can't find this (soon) I'll have to save a bit more and go new! In the meantime I'll keep taking the wife's board.
Ciao

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sinky said..
Yes thanks everyone for offering advise, it's good to hear experienced opinions.
I'm currently searching everywhere for either second hand Mana or Allwave in the range between 9'5 ish and 10' x 32'.
If I can't find this (soon) I'll have to save a bit more and go new! In the meantime I'll keep taking the wife's board.
Ciao

Hey sinky, welcome to the forum. Mate all the boards above and comments are great advice but why not stick with what you have and try a 9'2 evoke. It'll be a tiny bit slower to paddle compared to your current one but I reckon you probably won't even notice the difference. It's still 32" wide which you want to keep to help stability.
Ive got 2 mates who are late 40's and both round 113kgs and surf them no worries with both never surfing before.
I'm mid 40's, 95kgs and have been surfing a 7'11 evoke for years and have upgraded twice (no problems with them, just wanted a new one) and still have my orange one but I've surfed all my life. I've recently got an 8' vex and having a blast and the evoke is sulking in the shed.
They are truely great boards and excellently priced and reckon you can't go wrong with a 9'2 green evoke. Good luck!
cheers Whitey