Hi all

first post here so hello to all.

I sadly need to follow the opposite trend as everyone here and go bigger for my Sup.

I bought a gong cleaner (8'6 x 30 1/2 x 4 13/16 x 135L) when I was leaving on the coast. Now, I leave on in Canberra and to survive the cold have put on 15kg (92kg now) and became a fortnight warrior. I am a beginner/intermediate as I can bottom turn and top turn with zero radicality. But i'm Spending more time trying to balance on the board than positioning myself and catching waves. It's great entertainment for my surfing buddies but I want to increase the fun factor for me not them!

long intro for a boring question. What board should I go? I've look at allwave 9'0, mana 9'5, Quest 9'6. maybe Hokua x32 9'1 but I'm cautious with pull in nose as my board is like that and I find it hard to stand at the back (hard fore and aft balance).

i like my board on the wave when i'm On it and i'm Looking at purely a surf SUP.

Maybe Colas as you know gong board can you help? Or any one out there?

thanks heaps!!

I think you will ride this board in time with more practise .

but at 30 1/5 wide and 8,6 .it is smallish for a beginner .i think you need a 32 wide board to start .and a 9. or 9,5 .

the 9,0 x32 is pretty stable .the 9,5 mana is better .but the x32 surfs better ,

what about a 9,1 creek .?

32 is the magic number for me, 30 is good but find it a bit tippy

Hi Pelo, I do not think there was a "Cleaner" in the Gong line do you mean the Gong Cloud 8'6" ? it had 130 or 125 liters of volume depending on the years.

I would advise widening the nose and tail, this will give you extra stability. As you find out, pointy noses are more efficient while paddling, but less stable. Basically you want a modern longboard shape: the longboard outline for stability, and a modern rocker for avoiding nosediving and ease turns. Something in the 9' to 10' range, at least 30" wide and at least 135 liters volume.

In the Gong line, it would be something like the NFA, Freak, Moblog. But getting a board shipped from France to OZ may not be worth it, especially since I guess there are plenty of good boards available there. If I lived in OZ, I would have a good look at OZ brands like Sunova, JP, Smik, Atlantis, ECS, ... and all the custom shops.

Pelo

i had a 9"1 x32 hokua and loved it, stable and loose helped progress my limited skills by plenty... bought a9"1 creek this year. At first found it tippy and "stiff". I'm 98kg. Now love it and have put smaller fins on and this has made it almost perfect for me.
In bali at mo and took my old 8"8 jp wide over.. forgot how stable this board is and what funquads are...
thinking I might try the 8"10 creek when I get home to oz.
for you any of these three would be perfect if really depends on the conditions where you surf... also plenty of hokuas and jp boards for sale.
If your ever in vico happy for you to try mine

Thanks all for the feed back!!

yep from reading the forum, I was looking looking to widen the nose and length (hence the mana).
my conundrum was that my board feel good on the wave and I wanted to retain a short board vibe (hence not a Nalu 10'6).
if I had the time to put in my board, i'm sure it could be great but realistically I surf twice a month plus the week long surf trip in summer.
Tardy, the volume and shape of the creek look similar to my board. Do the extra length would solve the balance issue when waiting at the back?
Thanks bomberdave for the offer. I might try to find some demo of the board you recommend. I surf on the nsw south coast, there should be a few around.

Colas
definetly a cleaner. I had my parents travelling with it when they came to visit
will definitely buy something here this time.
Travelling with the board was actually the reason I went under 9' as I heard airline limit was 9' and I wanted to take the board to Sri Lanka.
here some dodgy photos of the board for reference

How you guys feel about the quest 9'6?

Hokua 9'6" x 29.5" LE.

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Pelo said..
Colas
definetly a cleaner. I had my parents travelling with it when they came to visit

Oops, you are right!

The complete specs are here:
www.gong-galaxy.com/shop/

It was part of a line made at a low price (500 euros = 790 AUD) of the "classic" Gong shapes but in a somewhat heavier construction. The Border (which I owned), was derived from the longSUP shape of the NFA, and I didn't recall the Cleaner that was derived from the performance shape of the "Curves", similar to the Hokuas, less stable than the "Cloud". This line was short lived, as it was replaced by inflatables, people interested in cheap SUPs just bought inflatables once they became available.

As you can see, the one foot off dimensions are small, indicating a pulled-in nose. Not really a board recommended for a beginner/intermediate. It was more designed for a good SUPer on good waves on a budget.

You definitively will want to get a "longboard" shape, not one with a pulled-in nose. So, not an Hokua.

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Pelo said..
How you guys feel about the quest 9'6?

I cannot comment on the 9'6 but I do have a Quest 10'8, this board is fantastic, super stable, easy to turn and no slouch on a wave.

the creek is very stable ...I'M 97 kgs and rode the 8,10 creek for 10 days ...
the extra width in the nose of the creeks really stabilised the board ...

i think you would out grow the 9,6 quest ,but in saying that ..its easy to ride ..it is big compared to what you have ,
at 170 litres and 33 wide i think ..its a cross between the mana and hokua ..the x32 9,6 is better .

you could ride the 9, x32 @ 150 litres .I liked that board ..but out grew it in time .but its was easy .wide and floaty .

i actually had the 9,1 x32 ,earlier model but the same .to many to choose from right .?

Exactly! too much choice! and small difference for a newbie like me.
At the end of the day, I'm sure they all good board (except mine maybe ) and the limiting factor is me not the board.

Right now, i'm thinking creek 9'4 or allwave 9'0. if the creek feel really stable, it appear a better board on the wave?

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Pelo said..
Exactly! too much choice! and small difference for a newbie like me.
At the end of the day, I'm sure they all good board (except mine maybe ) and the limiting factor is me not the board.

Right now, i'm thinking creek 9'4 or allwave 9'0. if the creek feel really stable, it appear a better board on the wave?

Hi Pelo, welcome to the Breeze!

Here's a review from a relative newbie, about going from the Allwave to a slightly bigger Creek.
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,33705.msg381099/topicseen.html#new

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Pelo said..
Right now, i'm thinking creek 9'4 or allwave 9'0. if the creek feel really stable, it appear a better board on the wave?

There is no a "best" board. It is all relative to your level, abilities, conditions...

It is all trade-offs: a stable board will resist rolling under you in chop, but will also be harder to roll onto the rail for turns... The best board will be the one which has the best compromise for you at the time. As you found out, it is not fun to get a board too lively for your level.

In doubt, just take the stabler option. What you need is something that allows to takes as much waves as possible. Stay away from any pointed nose.

would u call the creek a pointed nose?
does any one know were i could demo the 9'4 creek around bateman bay/jervis or Tathra?

Thanks supthecreek. I read somewhere the guy behind the creek is a good bloke.

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Pelo said..
would u call the creek a pointed nose?

Yes, but, the creek 9'4" will be wider than your cleaner by 1.5"
And the one-foot-off width at the nose will be 1" wider.
So it even more "pointy" than your cleaner (OFO relative to the max width).
This say, it will be definitively stabler, as it will have more width, length and volume.

But in the sunova range, I think you will have more fun on a One or Steeze. The Surf could be OK but maybe too narrow for you.

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colas said..

Pelo said..
would u call the creek a pointed nose?

Yes, but, the creek 9'4" will be wider than your cleaner by 1.5"
And the one-foot-off width at the nose will be 1" wider.
So it even more "pointy" than your cleaner (OFO relative to the max width).
This say, it will be definitively stabler, as it will have more width, length and volume.

But in the sunova range, I think you will have more fun on a One or Steeze. The Surf could be OK but maybe too narrow for you.

I've been on a "Steeze" kick lately (9'5)
Last night I decided that I really need to do a stability test between my 9'4 Creek and 9'5 Steeze... because I'm not so sure.
The Steeze has a wider nose, but the Creek is wider by a full inch and has 4 liters more volume.
Both surf entirely different.... so stability isn't the only thing to consider.

I'm betting stability is close, but different.
If my new Sessions5 arrives to film the test (delivery date was yesterday)
I'll load up the 2 boards for a head to head comp.

looking forward to the comp vid