Hi all!

first post on here. But about me, I'm 31, 5'9 and 69kg. I've surfed for 3 years and got comfortably down to a 5'6 before snapping my archillies twice last year. Biggest waves I surfed werr about 3m or just over double overhead. I'm just in the final phases on my rehab plan which is what brought me in to sup-ing. The surgeon says I still can't surf for another 6 months but I've been surf-supping in my moonboot to avoid any further strain in the interim.

soo, I've become addicted and now trying to find the right board for my stage. I made the silly mistake of initially buying a 7'6 naish hokua gt that was 119l. Wayyyy too tippy for a beginner let alone in a moonboot and anything choppy.
i then came across a mctavish 9'0 x 29 x 4 1/4 at 130l which I've been using. The fuller rails, longer length and increased volume made a big difference but it's still quite a shortboard shape with a flyer swallow tail and pointed nose. I've been riding it with a 8" single and two small side bites. I'm getting the hang of it but it's not overly stable and almost impossible to stand up in strong wind or choppy swell.
Ive got the feel of catching proper waves on it the last few sessions with the biggest being about chest height and starting to do a few turns. I still find I miss some waves and can't catch them as early as I'd like.

heres where I would like some advice- I want something with more stability but without going much (if any) further in length and a board which can still surf well but also paddle fine in chop, and flat water etc. but also not be limited to only small mushy stuff when I get better and out of the moonboot.

There just seems to be soo many different shapes and sizes around that I don't know what would best give me what I'm looking for.
i was debating the Jp widebody 8'8 x 32 138l.
the nsp dc 8'3 x 33 140l.
the naish hokua x32 9'1 150l.
or something like the ****uda 9'0 x 31 134l.

is more width and curve better for stability or a more parallel board with wider nose but overall more narrow shape ie 30 or 31" wide instead of 32?
how do the super short, wide and high volume boards paddle like the nsp 8'3?

any ideas or opinions would be great?
im sure things will get easier once I get out of the moonboot. I also haven't tried a larger centre fin or running quads? How do quads go in terms of stability compared to the centre + side bites?

thanks!

Have you considered a longboard type sup? I think one might match your requirements well. Something like a Sunova Style, Fanatic Stylemaster, JP Longboard or Starboard Nut.

I would think that width will be your friend, so I would look at 32" wide (or wider).

That probably means that the board will have a pointy nose - but don't go too pointy. For example, if you compare the Sunova Flow to the Acid you will see the Flow has a fuller nose - I would go for a board with a fuller nose.

Some boards have a dome-deck (with sharper rails) and others are flatter (with fatter rails). Given your moonboot, maybe a flatter deck would help.

Given that you have short boards now, and you are thinking of using it on flat water, I would minimize the amount of rocker. I have the Naish X32 (8'8) and I would not recommend it to you because of the rocker.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the boards you quoted and I can't think of a board off the top of my head that fits your needs (as I have defined them).

Hi Benji

Because you are the same dimensions as me (5"9 and 69 kg) although exactly 1/2 my age I think that if you have the chance demo a Sunova Speed. I am on an 8'10" and 130 liters, 29 1/8th inch wide. Quite stable in chop. I have been flat water paddling it as well as surfing in 2-5' beach break and for me does both well. Very stable at take off when paddling hard. Solid construction. Sunova provides good value and customer service. Lots of reviews here and on standup zone.

Cheers

Bob

I came from a Newbie to SurfSup since last Nov16. I came from a seasoned Wave Windsurfing background and I'm a seasoned sailor too.. so sea state and surf was already ingrained.

I too looked for a board coming from an early choice of board, a Nah Skwell GetUp 8'10 which incidentally is way too stiff.. The Brand are popular over here in the UK, so at 32" wide seemed like the right choice.. sadly I didn't get on with it so sold it. I then looked hard for another board that would give me more float and speed with wave grip and I searched hi and lo and came on here.

I've gone with a Sunova Speeed 8'10 @ 29" wide, for me it's the right choice. I took the plunge without trying one, I read a lot about it, watched Supthecreeks vids and comments and then called a Guy over here in the UK thats importing them.. Bought it and it's been a fabulous choice, I've improved no end on it and now I've just bought a Sunova Flow 8'7 to compliment the Speeed.
The Speeed 8'10 isn't very wide at 29", but the length in bang on and the plan shape with the wide nose and volume in the middle of the board is perfect for paddling out and bogging on waiting for waves. Then when you paddle to catch waves the volume helps stability and the tail goes light, then the board flies off the front side and you step back and flick/flack and carve on the tail. A great wave board in fact. I will admit, many will, that the Speeed can be a little tippy in chop when side on waiting for waves but keep moving and it's a decent stable board.
I'm not affiliated to Sunova in any way, I just like the boards.

Thing is, I thought width would be my saviour when I bough the GetUp 8'10. Sadly that wasn't the case, it's the over all plan shape and volume that made the difference for me.

There are plenty of great surfers on here with vast amount of experience, I'm sure you'll find something to suit you but I just wanted to point out that board choice isn't always limited to width or length. Also, there are plenty of great Brands other than Sunova who produce some cracking good boards.

Enjoy your rehab, enjoy choosing a new board.

Thanks for the feedback guys. The Kazuma ****uda seems very similar to the Sunova speeed? Ie. a longboard style outline and shape?

I've narrowed my choices down to 3 options. The 9'0 Kazuma ****uda at 138L (although i'm a little hesitant about such a flat board and wide nose for progressing with surfing waves). This board has the increased width im after but still quite a low rail at 4 1/4".
The Kaumza classic 9'2 at 141L. Similar to the ****uda but more of a pointed nose and a couple of inches longer. Looks to have a touch more nose rocker.
Neither of these options can be run as a quad though- do you guys find much of a difference between quad and 2+1 fin set ups?
Is not having a quad option a deal breaker if i'm wanting to surf small and medium size waves (maybe up to head / 1x overhead)?

The last option is the 9'1 Naish Hokua X32. It's got the width and at 5" thick, also has 150L of volume but a much more refined nose, tail and nose rocker. I imagine this board would surf the best and handle the more radical / steep waves but how stable is it? Would it be the same or better than the ****uda at 12L less volume?

Hi Benjl,
Sorry I wasn't going to put my 2 cents worth in but for your weight, height & age I think there are better boards that are shorter & more stable...I was only just talking to a customer at a demo day the other weekend that it's amazing how we now have boards much shorter that are waaayyyy more stable than much bigger boards only 5 years ago...I use to help design the Oxbow boards for example when I worked for BIC & 9'6 & 10' boards back then were much more unstable than an 8'5 now...
I know guys who are much older than you & much heavier riding 8'5's & 8'11's & are surfing really well on them & not struggling at all with stability....A really GOOD shaper can distribute the volume & thickness perfectly across the board to give you stability plus performance at the same time...
I'd seriously consider the boards below-
The Jimmy Lewis Striker is the best 1 board quiver on the market...Stable yet surfs like a short board or nose rides like a longboard....It comes in an 8'11 at 130L or the NEW 8'5" at 116L...
Ride the Nose, Hit the Lip. Best of Both Worlds.
Low rocker and full deckpad for nose riding.
Down rails and tight carving tail for high performance turns...Self regulating Gore Vent.
Swept center fin and side bites. JL Signature I-Beam Construction.New:2017 models come in 2 NEW Sizes...8'5" & 10'0"New:2017 models come with Quad fin options.Low nose rocker for occasional nose riding and great flat water paddling, while the tail rocker and 5 fin set up gives the Striker great small to medium wave performance abilities, making this a ultimate all around board! Full length deckpad for posi-traction nose riding. Also available in Carbon Sandwich ConstructionNEW from December ALL with Futures QUAD Fin option..
8'5" & 8'11"- 7" JL swept fin and 4" side bites
9'5" & 10'0"- 8" JL swept fin and 4" side bites
SIZES8'5"x 30" x 4" (116L)8'11"x30"x4"
Or the Jimmy Lewis World Wide if you don't want the fuller nose-
This high performance board is very accessible to any rider who wants to have maximum performance in the surf. Added width and volume makes this board very forgiving stability wise, without sacrificing performance aspects of the advanced shape. The fast, flat bottom nose entry that feeds into the single concave creating lift and speed then flowing back into the double concave through the fin area which gives the board drive through turns makes this board highly responsive and maneuverable. The wider tail block gives the board added drive and thrust while the swallow tail keeps it responsive and allows for easier, tight turning. Also available in Carbon Sandwich Construction
5 fin box set up.Comes with JL 5 fin set. (allows for thruster or quad fin set up).Thruster set size- 4.5"Quad set size- Front 4.5" Back 4.0"SIZES7'9"x29"x3.85" (103L) - Orange8'1"x29.5"x3.95"x (112L) - Red8'5"x30.25"x4.20" (127L) - Yellow8'9"x31"x4.40" (141L) - Blue
Check out www.jimmylewisboards.com.au

I really like the rocker on the Striker.

Hi Jimmy lewis

thAnks for your response and interesting to hear about volume and stability overtime etc. I think my mctavish board is a 2012 so it's a few years old- hell of a lot more stable than the naish 7'6 I had with similar volume.


your striker model looks very similar to that kazuma fookuda model I posted in my last post? The dims are also quite similar.

do you think that shape at 130l would be more stable than say the world wide at 142l (I think the 8'8?)
how does a board that flat and wide in the nose go in steeper and bigger surf?
I live in Auckland Nz and will most likely surf the west coast which more than not is 3ft + and quite heavy (or at least that's what I will aspire to)

As an older guy at the same weight who had balance issues I found that wide, but THIN, with appropriate length and literage was the key.

The Kazuma pointy nose classic 9'2" would be a great choice. IMHO the Naish at 5" thick would be no fun to turn at your weight.

I had an Angulo Surfa 8'8" that was 32" wide, 4" thick and 140 liters that was awesome.

The JP wide surf 8'8" is another great board, stable, but is fine in juicier waves.
Have ridden it as well.

JL 8'10" Stryker is another good one. I preferred boards with a pointier nose, rather than the longboard style, but your preferences may be different.

Try to demo, beg, borrow, even rent and see what works for you. A wide 31-32 inch board that isn't a barge will work initially and continue to be fun as you progress.

Am not selling anything!!!

Hi benji .
i did have fuller nose boards after coming from the x32 shape but went back .
to the x32 shape ,with rocker .If your on. Juicy waves the x32 Hokuas are great fun
and made for these condition s .
steep drops ,loose ,and medium size waves .and very stable with the 32 width .
i have never nosed dived mine ,where the flatter rocker boards you have to approach
the wave different .depends how you surf ,
I have both styles of board but prefer the rocker line of the x32 .
you can really push these boards to the limits .

Hi Benjl,
It's more about the rocker line in the board than a flipped up nose...When you put the Striker on it's side you see it has a beautiful curve throughout & isn't flat at all....I surf my Striker in everything from small beachies to 6' reef breaks...
The World Wide for your weight you could go down to the 8'5 model which is super stable but turns on a dime with its rail outline...

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FRP said..
Hi Benji

Because you are the same dimensions as me (5"9 and 69 kg) although exactly 1/2 my age I think that if you have the chance demo a Sunova Speed. I am on an 8'10" and 130 liters, 29 1/8th inch wide. Quite stable in chop. I have been flat water paddling it as well as surfing in 2-5' beach break and for me does both well. Very stable at take off when paddling hard. Solid construction. Sunova provides good value and customer service. Lots of reviews here and on standup zone.

Cheers

Bob

Bob
how are you finding the transition from the Skate to the Speeed in terms of glide , stability , ease of catching wave and nose diving ?

I also assume Speeed is much more versatile

I'm roughly your size, and although I've been riding a bit longer, I will say that I would advise going with something thinner than 32". I rode the Hokua X32, and while it's nice and stable to learn on, you will progress past it really quickly.

I'm on the JL WW 8'5" and it seems to be a perfect balance of stability and performance (for now). I will eventually go down in volume again, that's just the nature of the beast.

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Gboots said..


Bob
how are you finding the transition from the Skate to the Speeed in terms of glide , stability , ease of catching wave and nose diving ?

I also assume Speeed is much more versatile

Hi Gboots

Thanks. Not sure if this helps this thread but.........for me after about a month of surfing the 8'10" Speeed can compare to the 8'10" Skate. The Speeed has better glide and interestingly because of increased stability when paddling hard for waves is easier to catch waves. The Skate at 32" wide is very stable in big chop and I still prefer in those conditions. Yes definitely the Speeed is more versatile and really enjoying flat water paddling it as well as surfing. Next board ....hmmm......8'4" Flow vs 8'10" Acid......please......do not tell my wife....Is there any cure for this addiction?

Bob

Thanks Bob.
I have been avoiding hanging around Sunovas due to the urge.....saw one the other day. So beautiful in the flesh.My wife has said if I ever cheat on her it can only be for a sunova . She reckons their a piece of art so I am halfway there . As a qualified artist her opinion is worth something

Hey guys

thanks for all of the replies!i tried this board out today - it's a Jc deep surf pro custom at 8'8 x 32 x 4 7/16 135l. It's the carbon version so very very light- maybe 2kg lighter than my 130l 9'0 mctavish.

i initially tried it in heavy off shore wind and found it a little tippy but manageable- first time I've tried a quad as opposed to a big single. I tried it again today on calm flat water and it was sooo stable, and still able to be flat water paddled.
tried my board again and it was soo much more tippy despite having longer length and basically the same volume- and that was with a big 8" single and side bites!

Think i might go ahead and buy this board, not sure how well it will work on small waves but I still managed to get my mctavish going on 1ft waves.
The one 2-3ft wave I did get on this JC board was super late and the quads were soooo fast and squirrelly! Might try it with my normal surfing thruster fins

Looks great. Lessee now, 8'8" x 32" x 135 liters. Perfect. Just as I foresaw it! LOL.
Try a nubster with your quads as well as some bigger thrusters. The nub will help with stability.

Haha it is very similar to your original suggestion.

Luckily a dude close to me let it go for $860 inc bag, carbon fins and leash do I couldn't say no!
Might look at a jimmy Lewis further down the track