Howdy!

I have been surfing short and long boards for about 20 years. I have SUP'd on rented boards a few times and have no problems maintaing balance. I have been leaning towards a Naish Mana board. I was considering the 9'5", 8'0", or 8'5". I'd like to be able to travel with it and the flight restrictions is about 9'6". that being said, I want a fun board for head high waves and less. I am 6'2" and about 90kg. I'd also like to be able to paddle around the river on the flat water for exercise. If that makes or breaks the deal for a smaller size, let me know. If there is another manufacturer i should look at, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

Lopez 8'11 lil darln will do the trick. You can rip on it travel with it paddle around on it and it's tough and well made. Its a quad setup and super fast. I have many boards all different shapes but the Lopez is the best shape most versatile board of all. It's still my go to board after 5 years of owning it.

The 9'5" Mana would be perfect.. IMO..

I'm about your height and weight and I'd recomend not going any smaller..

right on! good looking board, seems right about what I am looking for AND they are available on Amazon... 8'11" and 28.5" wide....would this fit me alright?

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DavidJohn said..
The 9'5" Mana would be perfect.. IMO..

I'm about your height and weight and I'd recomend not going any smaller..

GT or GS? I can get a shop around me to order the GT for like $1850, which is really steep IMO...What do you think about the Gerry Lopez board mentioned above?

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Opinionator said..
Lopez 8'11 lil darln will do the trick. You can rip on it travel with it paddle around on it and it's tough and well made. Its a quad setup and super fast. I have many boards all different shapes but the Lopez is the best shape most versatile board of all. It's still my go to board after 5 years of owning it.

whats your height and weight? thanks!

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readc said..

DavidJohn said..
The 9'5" Mana would be perfect.. IMO..

I'm about your height and weight and I'd recomend not going any smaller..

GT or GS? I can get a shop around me to order the GT for like $1850, which is really steep IMO...What do you think about the Gerry Lopez board mentioned above?

GT or GS.. i just sold my 2014 GS and bought the new 2015 GT.. Same shape..

btw I've been SUP'ing for about 10yrs (almost daily) and I could not paddle an 8' or 8'5" or even 8'10" Mana because they are too small for me..

I think you'd be mad to get anything smaller than a 9'5'' Mana.. and the Gerry Lopez board mentioned is much smaller.. Great board but too small for you IMO..

Here is a couple of vids of my old 9'5'' GS Mana in small waves.. I'm sure I'll have some vids of my new GT board soon..

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DavidJohn said..

readc said..

DavidJohn said..
The 9'5" Mana would be perfect.. IMO..

I'm about your height and weight and I'd recomend not going any smaller..

GT or GS? I can get a shop around me to order the GT for like $1850, which is really steep IMO...What do you think about the Gerry Lopez board mentioned above?

GT or GS.. i just sold my 2014 GS and bought the new 2015 GT.. Same shape..

btw I've been SUP'ing for about 10yrs (almost daily) and I could not paddle an 8' or 8'5" or even 8'10" Mana because they are too small for me..

I think you'd be mad to get anything smaller than a 9'5'' Mana.. and the Gerry Lopez board mentioned is much smaller.. Great board but too small for you IMO..

Here is a couple of vids of my old 9'5'' GS Mana in small waves.. I'm sure I'll have some vids of my new GT board soon..

You are the man! Before I saw you posted this, I actually already ordered the 9'5" Mana GT. Found it online for $1299, which is $500 less than locally, so I went for it! Now I need a paddle recommendation! thanks!

Check out the jimmy lewis world wide range , there's fella on here who's about your size ,that reckons they are the ducks nuts!!!!!

That's great.. What year is it? .. They changed the shape in 2014 and they are now much better than the pre 2014 boards..

As for paddles .. I'd recommend a fixed length rather than adjustable.. and a small'ish blade.. 8" width or less..

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DavidJohn said..
That's great.. What year is it? .. They changed the shape in 2014 and they are now much better than the pre 2014 boards..

As for paddles .. I'd recommend a fixed length rather than adjustable.. and a small'ish blade.. 8" width or less..

thanks man! Yes it is a 2014.

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readc said..
Howdy!

I have been surfing short and long boards for about 20 years. I have SUP'd on rented boards a few times and have no problems maintaing balance. I have been leaning towards a Naish Mana board. I was considering the 9'5", 8'0", or 8'5". I'd like to be able to travel with it and the flight restrictions is about 9'6". that being said, I want a fun board for head high waves and less. I am 6'2" and about 90kg. I'd also like to be able to paddle around the river on the flat water for exercise. If that makes or breaks the deal for a smaller size, let me know. If there is another manufacturer i should look at, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

Select to expand quote

DavidJohn said..

readc said..

DavidJohn said..
The 9'5" Mana would be perfect.. IMO..

I'm about your height and weight and I'd recomend not going any smaller..

GT or GS? I can get a shop around me to order the GT for like $1850, which is really steep IMO...What do you think about the Gerry Lopez board mentioned above?

GT or GS.. i just sold my 2014 GS and bought the new 2015 GT.. Same shape..

btw I've been SUP'ing for about 10yrs (almost daily) and I could not paddle an 8' or 8'5" or even 8'10" Mana because they are too small for me..

I think you'd be mad to get anything smaller than a 9'5'' Mana.. and the Gerry Lopez board mentioned is much smaller.. Great board but too small for you IMO..

Here is a couple of vids of my old 9'5'' GS Mana in small waves.. I'm sure I'll have some vids of my new GT board soon..

Select to expand quote

readc said..
Howdy!

I have been surfing short and long boards for about 20 years. I have SUP'd on rented boards a few times and have no problems maintaing balance. I have been leaning towards a Naish Mana board. I was considering the 9'5", 8'0", or 8'5". I'd like to be able to travel with it and the flight restrictions is about 9'6". that being said, I want a fun board for head high waves and less. I am 6'2" and about 90kg. I'd also like to be able to paddle around the river on the flat water for exercise. If that makes or breaks the deal for a smaller size, let me know. If there is another manufacturer i should look at, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

If you want to stand and glide like old mate in the vid then get his board. If you want to progress and really surf get the Lopez. I am 85 kg 6'0 not far off your size. The Lopez will keep you happy for ever. The larger boards will get boring if you want to get more aggressive on the wave. But like all of us addicted to this sport (which is more addictive than Crack) you will end up with a quiver of various sizes and shooting up waves in all conditions. Welcome aboard brother. By the way there is no rehab for SUP addiction. Good luck.

It's funny how so many people (that don't know me) assume that the only surfing I do is stand and glide on tiny waves..

The he truth is whenever the waves are good the last thing I want to do is muck around with cameras.. I just want to get out there..

I had a good day at Big Left the other day on my new (man colour) Mana.. Big Left always surprises you with the odd big set..

So surfing chest to head high waves and turning this board on the wave is doable?

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readc said..
I'd also like to be able to paddle around the river on the flat water for exercise. If that makes or breaks the deal for a smaller size, let me know.

If you are a surfer, and want to paddle on the flat for exercise, don't think you do not want to compromise with a longer board, as:

- for exercise, anything goes. Shorter boards being harder to paddle, they offer even better "return on investment" (effort per time spent)
- you want to exercise on your surfing board, so that exercise also trains you on the actual board you will use in waves.

Also:
- Brands who do a lot of sponshorship are more expensive (there is no free lunch: ad & contest money must come from buyers pockets). Some cheap brands are to be avoided as they are just businessmen ordering generic chinese product on alibaba, but there exist cheap but good quality brands that often reduce the costs by no sponsorship, less ads, and less middlemen.
- You are a surfer, so you know to read the waves and get the power from it, so you do not need a very long board. Longer boards will ease the first steps of learning the paddle technique, but it can be learned on flat water. At your heigth you do not want something too narrow
- If you travel, you want something durable & not too heavy, with a wide planshape to allow for an overall shorter length. Mini-Simmons shape, fish, etc... In the Jimmy Lewis boards for instance that are renowned for being especially tough, the kwad is the kind of shape you want. 9'1" should fit you. You could even get shorter, for instance a 8'0 mini simmons could be a killer for you if you can find one at least 30" wide and 130l volume. I would of course never advise such boards for a SUP beginner with no surfing background.

Hi all,

I have no experience in surfing but I've learned to SUP on a 10" board which I have sold in order to learn to catch small waves at Southeast Queensland river mouth and quiet beaches.

i am 1.72 cm (5.8) tall and weigh 68 kg. I did demo a 9.5 JP but I felt a more volume will be needed in order to learn how to catch the waves faster.
I looked in Internet at Mana 9.5 GT, Coreban 9.0 Easy Ride(width 33"!) and AllWave 9.5.

I would appreciate your recommendations which of these or any boards will do the job for the next 2 years for me. I am open to any board suggestion. I have learned to stay on the board even when is choppy but I have to learn how to surf the waves and will appreciate your comments.

Thanks in advance!

FWIW, I went out on the 9'5" Mana GT on the flat water around my house and it was fantastic. Perfect balance and feel, glides well. Feels exceptionally maneuverable. Very stoked to get on a wave. Seems to be the perfect board for my height and weight. Also, the Kialoa paddle I bought is excellent as well. Light and feels great through the water. Thanks for the advice all!