OK, after hours of searching the net and Seabreeze, I am now just going around in circles, so it's time to put it to the brainstrust.
As the title suggests, I have surfed for 15 or so years (only ever a shortboard), I am 6 foot - 84kgs and new to SUP, and am seeking some recommendations for a first SUP. I have used the 'search' function on seabreeze, and whilst there is plenty of information available, I am sure opinions are continually changing and varying depending on SUPer's individual charecteristics and changing board models.
I intend to surf it probably 70% of the time - in beachbreak conditions usually onshore - waist to head high.
That said, however, for the other 30% of the time there are some ocean paddles I would like to do, maybe up to about 10km, not exactly sure of distances yet.
Ultimately I would like to retain the 'shortboard' manouverability and feel as much as possible, without sacrificing the ability to paddle distances, therefore I guess, I am seeking recommendations for a good allrounder.
A couple that I am considering:
2012 McTavish 9'6 (9'6 x 29 1/2 x 4 1/2 = 150 Litres)
2012 Naish Mana 9'5 (9'5 x 31 x 4 3/4 = 190 Litres)
2012 Naish Hokua 9'5 (9'5 x 29 1/2 x 4 3/8 = 140 Litres)
Coreban Performer 9'6 (9'6 x 29 1/2 x 4 7/8 = 153 Litres)
Has anyone got any comments on the above choices, or recommendations for anything not mentioned? Unfortunately I am not in a position to demo anything.
Thanks,
Scott.
9-6 is a good start but at sub 85 kegs you will soon go shorter , off the list you posted the Coreban performer is a nice pick and one that wasn't on it is the PSH 9-2 wide ripper all rounder also worth looking at.
You won't go wrong with any board you listed but none of them are for distance , yes you can do long paddles on any board given the right conditions , but you have listed all surfing boards.
Bite the bullet and go just for surfing.....low 9's or high 8's.You are at a good weight which will let you ride most performance Sups. The 9-0 Coreban Fusion is a good mix of stability and performance still at 148 litres for float x 29 1/2” wide x 4 1/2” thick and still give good glide.
You have obviously done your homework and picked some nice boards any one of them will be good but don't feel you need to go long for stability.
The pick below is of the Coreban Fusion 9-0. The fuller nose and tail gives it it's stability and glide and the rocker profile and nose lift lets you ride it like a short board.
The best advise you will get is go and demo some boards. Everone has an opinion on what to get but you will need to try a couple yourself to find out what suits you best. 
+ 1 as per piros,
9-6 is a good start but at sub 85 kegs you will soon go shorter , PSH 9-2 wide ripper all rounder also worth looking at.
Had a little go of one today in very tiny 2ft tops went awesome, really hard work for my 6' 115keg frame but man well worth the results
just demo as many boards as you can, thats the easiest way to find something you like, most of the main companies are putting out some pretty good equipement these days, most shortboard style boards will surf good but not paddle good ie 10km, at 84kg you could ride most boards out there it will just be a learning curve, you will fall off but you just have to get back on,its alot harder than some people make it look, but trust me its great fun, something like the hokua or a psh ripper would suit what you are looking for in shortboard style, they will be less stable than the mana or the performer but will surf much better in beachbreak conditions, but this is just my opionion, just get out there and demo as many boards as you can
Jarryd
I was in your situation about eight months ago as a long time surfer looking for something new and went for the 9'6 McTavish. I don't regret it for a minute, although as the guys say you will probably want to go shorter eventually. I reckon that's part of the process though. I now surf on an 8'5 pocket rocket which I love but I'm so glad I didn't learn on it. The McTavish is more stable but just as importantly it has much better glide so you get onto the waves earlier and much more easily. Getting onto waves earlier obviously means more waves for you, but also not so steep a take off. The faster glide also allows you to position yourself outside the main pack of surfers so you are safer as a beginner too. Better glide lets you cruise between breaks much more easily also. The glide/speed through the water is what you trade off for a shorter board. I tried a few other 9'6 boards before buying and all were good. SA 32" wide, a little more stable but less manouverable, harder to turn quickly to catch a wave and didn't surf as well, PSH 9'6 all rounder was as stable and surfed just as well although bit more volume and heavier I think. Fatter nose on the PSH gave it more of a longboard feel as opposed to the big fish shape of the Mc which gave it more of a shortboard feel. Hope this helps you out. Whatever you go for, you will never look back.
Thanks everyone for the well detailed responses, there's now a couple more I can look into.
I can definitely see the desire to go shorter in the future, I am a little concerned about going too short now and making it unneccessarily difficult, although it sounds as though length alone isn't the best indicator of a SUP's charecteristics.
Mick, 8 months on the McTavish and you have already come down a foot, I was expecting to get a couple of years out of it !!!
As mentioned in my first post, I am not in a position to Demo anything, one of the disadvantages of being in a regional area
Anyway, please keep the info coming in, it all helps!!!
Thanks,
Scott.
Mate a good rule of thumb is that 1kg = 1 litre, but as stated before length is not that important (where have I heard that before). Much better as a beginner to go a little wider, but not thicker. Thicker will make the board feel like a cork and will actually take away from your enjoyment. The balance is to match the volume with the surfer. Too much volume and you sort of sit too far out the water and the stability you were after will disappear, too little volume and the board will sink. If you want to go for distance paddles from time to time (and after you try them a few times you WILL want more) I suggest a good second hand 12'6 race board around the 30 inches wide. Don't be tempted into anything gunny to start off with I reckon. Thats my opinion anyway.
Thanks again Mick and Greg.
Greg, with reference to 1kg = 1L, do you think I should be going significantly lesser volume (forgetting any distance paddling for a moment) first up?
Longer term, i definitely see merit in having 2 boards, first up though I probably just need to get out there and see where i go with it. You have definitely got me worried now that I am going too long and too bouyant! (especially considering I am surfing a board with a miserly 35L volume)
Scott.
Hay Scott. My weight tends to vary 82 -87kg 6'4" tall and I surf a 9'6" Allwave I have surfed on and off for 40 years.I dont find any differance in the board with my weight varience, but that may be because Im used to the board. By the way a great surf SUP but I wouldnt use it for distance unless you realy wanted a good work out.
Hi Scott
Being in the mid 80 keg range myself (but unfortunately NOT 6foot) I can at least provide some info (in my opinion) for boards suited to what you are after & more importantly coming from a surf background.
The STARBOARD "WIDEPOINT" range is a range of SUPs designed to take in a lot of different abilities .. surfability .. stability .. flexibility ..
What you are getting in lets say the 8'10 x 32 WIDEPOINT is a board that with your 'surf experience' will most certainly perform in a way that you would be expecting with your ocean knowledge & reading waves, having said that you first need to be in a position to get out the back , stand comfortably , spot the waves & then paddle on .. Yep it is like becoming a young grommet all over again & the stoke will follow as will the addiction .. It is all good form here on..
You will appreciate the width of the WIDEPOINT during the initial learning phase & once you have spent a bit of time just learning to relax ( remember the images of the learner surfer simply unable to lay on his board) you then find that you are able to progress to paddling in to your first wave & this comes rather fast as you tap in to your ocean skills from many years of surfing.
At the start you will find that there is a delay between moving in to a turn & having the board react & again back to your surfing you need to change from ONLY heel - toe movement to actually getting your complete body to innate turns & move your back foot not just heel-toe.
Again this is a critical & huge benefit of the WIDE POINT range in the forgiveness that they offer .. you need to be able to have a few nice "getoffs" & be able to ride through them to understand what is happening & once you have a few of these rather than eating sh#t your learning curve progresses yet again .
The only thing I can see you having problems with would be that 10k paddle as most reading this post & certainly about 99.9% of those on the SUP Forum here in SEABREEZE have come to know is there simply is not one board that does it all , & soon you will find you have a SURF SUP & a flat water/distance SUP ..
So for the first one that you are looking to purchase ask your self what is the most you intend to use it for & buy relevant to this.
The addiction of being on the water & paddling will definitely have you using any board to travel distance & places that just seem unreal , it is over time you want to do it better, faster , longer , smoother & that is when the second purchase should be considered ..
I hope this helps a little .
Cheers Pete
**disclosure; Ive taken on a role in addition to my current position on the STARBOARD R&D team for the surf sup program along side Scotty McKercher to now offer assistance where ever possible to paddlers so that they can be standing on the boards best suited to them with correct information & the best possible service in locating their nearest outlet .. Cheers Pete
2012 Naish Hokua 9'5. Love this board I think this is my all rounder minus racing & ocean paddling...
Thanks Pete, great reply.
I have definitely come to the conclusion that the distance paddling is out, for now anyway 
I think the logical way forward will be to get something 'mid-size' for now, get some experience (and skill) and then go shorter for the surf as well as probably trying to pick something up second hand for the distance/cruising side of things, which is less important at the moment anyway.
Should I be at all concerned about going too wide for a first board? Obviously Stability will increase, and I do intend using it on those powerless onshore days, but does that sort of width inhibit surf ability in poor conditions? The 9'5 WP does look good, I think the 8'10 may be optimistic for me.
Scott.
N8WX, what sort of experience do you have, and what are your stats - height / weight? Also, what conditions do you typically venture out in?
Interrogation over
Scott.
Scott
The Starboard 9'5 Wide Point will get you on easy & have you cruising & able to innate turns once you have change your foot movement from the heel toe only to actually complete lift & move..
Scott the wide point range is NOT to wide nor is it non reactive to what you wish to do.
The key to enjoying this amazing sport is exactly that "ENJOYING" , if you find yourself in the conditions you mention "those powerless onshore days" you want stability to keep you on your board not in the water & the Wide Point absolutely prevents fatigue ..
You will find that in less than ideal conditions the Wide point again offers forgiveness which means those floaters etc are more often than not completed & you ride through to the beach , so I would say these are benefits perfectly suited to your conditions.
The one & only thing I think you should consider is that you may find the 9'5 WP means setting up for top turns etc a lot earlier then your currently doing in your regular surfing & this may mean that the 8'10 would be better suited to ensure you have a board that is going to still have you learning & allowing your progression due to the shorter length , you will not lose anything stability wise , but rather have a board that allows you to progress & crossover to SUP Surfing with a lot closer set ups to what you are use to.
Hope this helps & makes sense.
Cheers Pete
Hey Scott
how did you go ?
What are you paddling & hows it working for you ???
Cheers Pete
Hi Pete,
I shouldve posted the outcome earlier.
I ended up getting a fanatic Allwave 9'2, which went against the grain of my original intentions of retaining a 'shortboard' feel. Found the more 'research' I did, the harder it became to make a decision. The Allwave came up as an ex-demo at a fair price, and I figured it would be a good board to start out on.
Have only been out a handful of times, and only in tiny surf conditions, but so far I have been happy with it.
As you would be aware, stability is great and its really easy to get onto waves, so from a learner's perspective it ticks the boxes. I can see me progressing in 12 or 18 months onto something else, once I have a bit of experience and a better grasp on what will suit me best.
Regards,
Scott.
