Is there a board suitable for paddling distance (exceptional glide) in the ocean in chop... yet possible to ride the odd wave.
I was thinking about a downwind or touring board (eg Sic Bullet) but have alao been looking at the Smik longboard style SUPs and wondering how they might compare.
I have never tried one of the long thin downwind or race boards. Not interested in racing but do find myself a k or so off shore from time to time... a long paddle on my current board (Smik Spitfire).. so was wondering about something more suited.
I also do interval training on my sup several times a week, often 2 or 3ks, so a longer thinner board would be better.
Interested in others experiences/oppinions.

I'd look into the Sunova Search or Sunova Search Pointbreak -

12' or bigger for glide and a surf-ish shape for versatility I reckon.

Surfing waves is always my priority over flat water paddling, so I guess that's why i'd favor these over a touring board...

Hi mate, if it's more distant paddling you want in the ocean the Starboard Generation would be the pick, the 14 foot will be best for riding chop or paddling down wind. The 12 footer will be fine for riding small waves too.

As Hoppo mentioned the Sunova search is an option, SUPBoardermag on their website has plenty of videos showing what the Generation is capable off.

Cheers.

Steve.

12.6 x 26 Starboard Generation

Great glide and super stable, even for the larger gentleman like me. I had a chance to try one in 15 knots onshore wind. Paddled into wind and cross shore easily.

Thanks all - some great options there. Yep certainly like the versatility of the more surf styled boards like the SB Generation and Sunova Search over the more downwind/race specific boards.

12' would prob do - will this pickup ocean swell or do you need a 14 footer for that? -Actually just happy to be able to ride early waves that come into a bay (like Mooloolaba - I was watching a group doing that - looked fun - but now I think of it they were all on race boards so prob 14' and very narrow)

What width?? I found my old JP pro 8'10x30 too tippy and now ride a Smik Spitfire 8'8x31.75 - much better (I'm 80kgs - 6' and 51). I heard on one review that 12x28 is good if you rode a 10'x32'.. so maybe I could handle a little thinner... but really I'm after comfort when out wide in chop and a ton more glide than the spitfire.

Out of interest what would one of these be like compared to a Style Lord or Hipster Long - they have straighter outlines due to fuller nose so suspect paddle fast.... 10' would also fit in my van ;-)

Sounds like a 12 x 28 will suit you well. You could look at something like the generation in 14 x 28 size too. This will be more compromised in small waves, but will ride swell better. The sunova is also a wonderful option.

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thuffam said..
Is there a board suitable for paddling distance (exceptional glide) in the ocean in chop... yet possible to ride the odd wave.
I was thinking about a downwind or touring board (eg Sic Bullet) but have alao been looking at the Smik longboard style SUPs and wondering how they might compare.
I have never tried one of the long thin downwind or race boards. Not interested in racing but do find myself a k or so off shore from time to time... a long paddle on my current board (Smik Spitfire).. so was wondering about something more suited.
I also do interval training on my sup several times a week, often 2 or 3ks, so a longer thinner board would be better.
Interested in others experiences/oppinions.

Reading your first sentence the 12'6 x 28 Starboard Generation covers all your requirements. I have one in my quiver and it definitely covers all of that . I don't see the point of the Generation in the 14' if I'm honest . Plenty of great used 14 race boards around .
I'm a similar height and weight to you . 12'6 x 28 will work fine for you.

I've got a 12"6' x 29 Surftech Mickey Munoz ( similar shape to SB Generation )I've had this board for over 10 years, I still enjoy this board everytime I drag it out, it catches anything upto about head high, no dramas on flat water or chop, it has plenty of glide, I've even fished off it a couple of times. A good addition to any quiver. I'm 6"2 and about 100 kegs.

After weighing up the options, decided anything over 10ft is impractical for my uses - largely due to the cost of installing roof racks on my van but also because its a 500m walk to the beach which I do regularly with my SUPs - and I put more value on surfability over touring and downwinding is probably not something I'd end up doing much.
So went for the Smik Style Lord 10' x 29" @130L. Looking forward to testing it when it arrives. Not that sure about the stability but the 29" width should provide the glide that I'm after while providing an excellent ride while also making it easier to catch waves.
Will report back.

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thuffam said..
After weighing up the options, decided anything over 10ft is impractical for my uses - largely due to the cost of installing roof racks on my van but also because its a 500m walk to the beach which I do regularly with my SUPs - and I put more value on surfability over touring and downwinding is probably not something I'd end up doing much.
So went for the Smik Style Lord 10' x 29" @130L. Looking forward to testing it when it arrives. Not that sure about the stability but the 29" width should provide the glide that I'm after while providing an excellent ride while also making it easier to catch waves.
Will report back.

I have a 10'x28" style lord and it's an awesome board, have ridden its side by side with the 29" wide and stability won't be a problem, the 28" wide is a bit more lively but the 29" is a bit more comfortable but still surfs great.

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Hoppo3228 said..
I'd look into the Sunova Search or Sunova Search Pointbreak -

12' or bigger for glide and a surf-ish shape for versatility I reckon.

Surfing waves is always my priority over flat water paddling, so I guess that's why i'd favor these over a touring board...

100%

FYI, I had a similar thought and have just ordered a custom 11' version of the Sunova Point Break and titled it 'Bodhi' on another post... I wanted a do it all surf type of sup that wasn't a longboard. Something for paddle training on and small waves, but also can handle well OH stuff too.

I also say a 12 foot gun type board. PSH gun if you could find one. Or even the Atlantis Venom. I know there's one on marketplace at the moment.

So the Style Lord wasn't my cuppa tea. Great board to surf (i can imagine ideal for competitive SUP longboarders) but with negligible glide (I think because of its crazy rocker), i found my Spitfire had better glide and caught waves easier... so...
Swapped the SL for a 10'2 SB Wedge.... wow.. what a board. Best glide I have experienced on a SUP it catches the smallest bumps with ease and super stable. My friend who has not supped before caught his first wave in seconds in the ****tiest of conditions (onshore 10knot chop).
Perfect for what I want (glide, stability for ****ty conditions).
To be clear, the SL surfs waaay better (in another league altogether) and weights probably 1/2 the weight. The Wedge is a weight lifting exercise (starlight construction... should be starweight instead) but i think this weight lends to its glide and ability to handle going out in windy conditions.. And i get a workout in the process :-) it also punches through the lineup like nothing ive experienced which was a surprise.. again prob due to weight.. like paddling an aircraft carrier really.
Definitely would have preferred something 1/2 or 1/4 the weight.. but thats compromises.
It has got me thinking..as I love the Smik boards, if a custom 10' Spitfire would be possible as a better alternative. (Obviously my budget is well blown for now.... maybe next year).
On another note.. picked up a cheap 8' Hypernut on gumtree... what a fun little board. Initial 4.5" fins were useless but with some 5.5" fins.. amazing. Super stable, tracks amazingly and catches everything.. not quite as well as the wedge but just as stable with glide similar to the Spitfire (8'8) but tracks way better and surfs waaay better than the wedge (less weight and length). Its a really interesting comparrison.. And this is starlight construction that is actually very light. Definitely a board worth looking into!

I just got the 10' x 32 Smik hipster longboard, it's super stable , light , and fun to surf and distance paddle , best board I've had !

I've just picked up a used custom Smik Hipster twin Longboard, 9'2 x 27" x ~95litres.I was thinking 27" wide would be tippy but surprisingly I'm finding the specs perfect for me (72kg, 5'11, 63yo). My only other board is a 2014 Starby Pro 8x28x96L and I find the Smik a lot more stable. I've have two sessions first in howling offshore, low tide and small surf, 2nd sesh moderate offshore and tiny tiny surf but I could still catch and ride the waves on offer. The glide is insanely good and I'm learning to put more effort in to get it to turn. Overall stoked!!!I am a kitefoil addict, I actually rarely sup surf but this board is changing that thinking.


(Excuse the bin supports)

What a find! That looks fun

Hi Slack, yes longer boards take more effort up the back to turn.....I love the glide of a longer board but would still like to turn it from the middle like my surf skate.....always a compromise......you probably have tried this but have you tried the middle fin all the way forward? That will make it a bit easier to turn as will the smallest middle fin or no middle fin or even just one middle fin. I have tried them arw pros and cons with each fin set up.

I had a brilliant surf on my 9,6 New Deal...it's superb at holding a line on steeper stuff but also great on 2ft peelers. Best board I've had and I've had a few. It would be a total weapon if surfed by someone with good skills.

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Supster7 said..
Hi Slack, yes longer boards take more effort up the back to turn.....I love the glide of a longer board but would still like to turn it from the middle like my surf skate.....always a compromise......you probably have tried this but have you tried the middle fin all the way forward? That will make it a bit easier to turn as will the smallest middle fin or no middle fin or even just one middle fin. I have tried them arw pros and cons with each fin set up.

Thanks Supster7. Too early and no surf to play with the fin setup. ATM has the large sides and small centre fin which is in the middle of the box so I guess first change might be to bring that forward but really I need to learn to get some weight towards the tail of the board.

On longboard sups you really have to get your rear foot over the fins to get the board to boogie. If it is a fatter wave, aim to have a wider stance also. If you want to slash the board at the top of a turn, you'll also need to move your back foot from one edge to the other on the board.

To help explain footwork: here's a video of Rick's footwork whilst doing a turn. :

With such a small centre fin on the hipster it won't do much moving it forward. You'll likely lose drive also.

Thanks for that Hoppo, I'm lacking waves to get into it but I did notice my board initiated a turn better if my rear foot was on that side of the board. Interesting and I am enjoying the longboard style. Cheers Slack

Note: I won't be slashing anything

Weirdly enough I have the same boards as the OP: a 10.2 Wedge and 8 Hypernut. I use the Wedge when it's marginal (either flat or around 1 foot), I use the Hypernut when it's 2-4 and rubbish. I use the Spice for everything else and a week ago I got a Starboard Pro 8.2 x 29, which I am still getting used to and will be reserved for the "good" days. Having said all that, I've taken the Wedge out in 5-7 foot conditions and it worked pretty well.

However, I am kind of in the same situation where I am thinking about where to go next with the Wedge. I keep looking at longboards, but I don't think they will be as versatile as the Wedge, since I have a lot of flat days in the summer. But then again, maybe I should get proper race board or something like a Generation for the flat to 1 foot days and get a nice longboard. I cannot make up my mind though about which longboard to get - i.e. something easy like a 9.6 x 31 New Deal, or 10x31 Starboard. But maybe I would be happier on a 10 x 29 longboard, even though it won't catch waves as easily.

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Slack said..
Thanks for that Hoppo, I'm lacking waves to get into it but I did notice my board initiated a turn better if my rear foot was on that side of the board. Interesting and I am enjoying the longboard style. Cheers Slack

Note: I won't be slashing anything

Yeah, you really need to get into moving your rear foot to the edge on these big boards. Once you do, you will be shocked how well they can turn.

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theSeb said..
Weirdly enough I have the same boards as the OP: a 10.2 Wedge and 8 Hypernut. I use the Wedge when it's marginal (either flat or around 1 foot), I use the Hypernut when it's 2-4 and rubbish. I use the Spice for everything else and a week ago I got a Starboard Pro 8.2 x 29, which I am still getting used to and will be reserved for the "good" days. Having said all that, I've taken the Wedge out in 5-7 foot conditions and it worked pretty well.

However, I am kind of in the same situation where I am thinking about where to go next with the Wedge. I keep looking at longboards, but I don't think they will be as versatile as the Wedge, since I have a lot of flat days in the summer. But then again, maybe I should get proper race board or something like a Generation for the flat to 1 foot days and get a nice longboard. I cannot make up my mind though about which longboard to get - i.e. something easy like a 9.6 x 31 New Deal, or 10x31 Starboard. But maybe I would be happier on a 10 x 29 longboard, even though it won't catch waves as easily.

Hi Seb
my two penneth. I have a 10'2 wedge for the same reason but I haven't paddled it much this year as got 9'6 ND at the beginning of Summer. I've paddled it on the flat and in everything from ankle up to about shoulder. the ND is a very good board. I find it stable in anything and I like the stock fins. I haven't missed the wedge and thinking of moving it on.
the wedge has slightly better glide but I don't do miles.
Had the older SB longboard 10x31. Super stable but couldn't really get it working in the surf. Just found it too big really. I wonder if the new one will be more lively. I hear good things about the 10x29 but a bit narrow for me.

Seb,

It depends a lot on the type of longboard you want, your waves and your surfing style.

Your Wedge does everything a longboard will, except give you that old school longboard vibe.

If you want that 60's log vibe, a JL black and blue is mint and probably the only true log sup out there. If you want a slightly more higher performance nose rider, the Sunova Style is mint too.

Basically (to me) almost every other longboard sup out there is more of a high performance longboard, mostly to be surfed from the tail. Perhaps the only exception to this would be the Smik Style lord.

Do you want to walk, cross step, nose ride and pivot turn? or do you want to surf shortboard style from the tail? If from the tail is your preference, stick with the Wedge.

I've got a custom 10'4" x 28.5" Sunova HP longboard sup and am picking up my new 11' x 30.75" Sunova Point Break on Friday. I know there will be overlap with the two boards, so i'll swap the longboard's fins from a thruster to a 10" or 11" single fin, to try and change up how I will surf it (nose ride more). The point break has more outline curve so it should 'surf' more and also turn from the middle better. It will be surfed as a thruster with a smaller centre fin and I don't plan on trying to nose ride it at all.

Thanks J and Hoppo for the thoughts.Shortboard surfing is what I grew up with as a kid. I now have 3 other boards that I can do that on, so keeping the Wedge feels pointless.

There are days when the waves are bit flat and bowly that seem perfect for some longboard style. Despite surfing for decades I have never done a nose ride, for example. I suppose I am looking for a longboard that can do both. I enjoy running up and down on the Wedge towards the front when I want more speed and towards the back when it's time to turn. I would probably be doing the same thing on a longboard, but I would also want to give this whole nose riding thing a go. Watching people, like Beau from supboarder, do those weird, yet beautiful, cross step turns makes me think, yeah, that looks amazing.

The sensible thing for a big guy like me is probably to take it slowly and go for a longboard that is 31' wide and get used to that first.

Seb, take a look at the Sunova Style mate. A nose riding and pivot machine!

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Hoppo3228 said..
Seb, take a look at the Sunova Style mate. A nose riding and pivot machine!

I would love to try a Sunova, but stock / choice is limited and prices are high where I live. More realistic options would be a Smik or a Starboard

Oh yeah. I cannot edit the post now, but Infinity New Deal is also an option. That's the one that has me most tempted and the 9.6x31 seems like the sensible all around choice for me.