I bought the HP 7 8 115 lt Despite that it is a very stable board it is very difficult in choppy or windy (3, 5 bf) conditions . If there is no wind it is ok for my 87 kg (intermediate-advanced) The suggestion of starboard that the HN 7 8 could be ok for an up to 95 kg rider is inaccurate in my opinion.I am considering having an 9 5 nut for a complete solution.
Thank you

A short board in chop is always gonna be difficult ....
your doing well I'm still trying to master my 8'7 120 litre in chop .me 98 kgs.
but it's fantastic in clean waves ...that why I have a bigger 8'10 board for those ,not so nice days ..

stick it out you will get better ...it's hard to find a all rounder .

i have a 7.0 .its a wall poster . Until my nephew at 65 kg takes it out ..he rips on it ..little ****.

oh...you probably only have to go to a 8.6.

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geora said..
The suggestion of starboard that the HN 7 8 could be ok for an up to 95 kg rider is inaccurate in my opinion.

It depends on your level, I guess you just need practice. On first sessions on smaller boards, we always think it will be impossible to master, but if you practice regularly (e.g: twice a week), you will find your balance quite fast.

But if you do not get out very often, it is quite wise to have also a stabler board in the quiver...

I have Hypernut 7.2 x 28 what I learn on this board is better to wait sit on the board as regular surfer. No matters is choppy or not same issue is the balance can be tricky, also tried to balance on the board and the end, drain your endurance.

also this sshort board need to be on the line, is not so easy catch the waves as a longer board that you catch on while paddle.

The good is when you catch the wave are really fun boards

These shorter boards bring in to play fore/aft balance as well as the ever present left/right balance. So you need to learn some new techniques for managing these boards - standing in semi-surf stance being the most helpful tool for controlling that fore/aft and L/R. But if you are a long time "I'm packing 2 big coconuts parallel" stance sort of guy then its going to be more difficult to adapt, so baby steps - trying offsetting feet 10cm to start with and go from there. I find the choppier the water the wider my surf stance needs to be. Now I find I almost can't paddle parallel stance, surf stance is so ingrained. Using the paddle as a third leg also helps massively when things feel wobbly.

Just keep persevering and your small board water legs will develop. I'm 82kgs and have the HN 7'2". It was a glassy conditions board for me when I first got it, now its my allrounder, so stable.

I found the 7'8 HN was great in clean or semi clean conditions but windy/choppy was too much hard work. See if you can have a go on an 8' hypernut. The difference is amazing. The extra width and length make it work in any surfable conditions for me. However, of course, it's not as good on the wave as the 7'8. Anyway, I doubt you need to go longer than 8 foot, and if you do go up over 9' then I think the long board style wave boards are much more fun .... Fanatic Stylemaster is my fave at the moment.

defs stick with it - im 95 kgs and have the 7'8 hn as my go to choppy board as i find it so stable - yup tips are to sit on board between waves so dont tire legs and only stand up at last minute - stay low centre of gravity - ive used all the nuts except 9'5 (8'5, 9' and 10') - all ive tried have been very good boards and easy to use

i'm 93 kgs, and use the 8'0" HN. you'd definitely not need more than that. a friend has the 7'8", i've tried, it's doable but the 8'0" is far more stable, and i really didn't notice that much difference between the two on the wave. i can be on the 8'0" in any chop. i actually wish they'd drop the volume on the 8'0" to somewhere around 125 rather than its current 133L.

Agree with everything that has been said here. I weigh 85 kgs and surf the 7'4--the challenge is that when you go below 8' the forward-aft instability needs to be compensated for and this takes getting used to. I also have a 9'0x29.5 performance longboard SUP so while I haven't tried a Nut before, your idea of adding one to your quiver to go along with your hypernut is a good one.

Could the use of bigger fins help in lateral stability Like 5 5 4 7

I'm 76 kgs
i have a 8'6 hp x31.5
10' x30" fanatic stylemaster
went on the Stylemaster yesterday for first time in months, it was clean for a change.

I love the HN , I know it's on the big side, but it gives great stability on crap days, catches waves that aren't right amoungst the prone guys. Huge wave count and can throw it around a bit ( would love the 7'8 on the right days)

the stylemaster although longer is more unstable than the HP, but has that nice long board feel, down side is it takes some pivot turning.

I keep thinking of a smaller HN, but just think I would lose a bit of fun factor, plus I can stand on ithe 8'6 all day long.

Think what your conditions are like and where you want to be in the line up, and if you are prepared to scarifice performance over ease of use.

I dont want to be getting stressed in line up, I will get long board out for those days where your less of a Lepper,
i SUP for pure fun and high wave count.

in 96 KG's on the 7'4 and I have to sit between waves and need extremely clean conditions for it to work.

It also needs a bit of a wave- its less of a groveler at that volume at my weight (which i kind of wanted). Mine is currently for sale. I should have gotten the 7'8 but went in sight unseen. the 106L is great on the wave- but with the amount of work- its almost worth prone surfing.

Note it ran gL5 fins and the extra height helped stability.

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Jersey891 said..
Note it ran gL5 fins and the extra height helped stability.

What size of gL5 fins have you used ? Lg5 ---- Side Fins Center Fins -- FinArea 16.65 Height 5.10 Base 4.22 SYMM -------Rear Fin --- FinArea 12.2 Height 4.34 Base 3.69 SYMM
Starboard has an 5'5 in addition to 4 7 and 4 5 . I dont know if i could use this setup front 5 5 and rear 4 7 instead (Starboard uses front 4 7 and rear 4 5 in all Hypernuts)
Thank you

Thank you for your help
I found some jp fins 5 1 (R 7) which i will use like front fins and 4 7 at the back So i will keep the board and i will give it more time I will also buy a bigger board I am thinking about the nut but it is too big to fit my car so i will go for 8 6 or 8 hypernut for more windy and choppy days
THANK YOU

I read reviews on the 8'6 & 8HN, the 8'6 came out better, as both same width.
Out on mine today in pretty tough windy chop, not much fun but stayed upright most of time.

Big down side is it's a wide board, bounces abit, and tough to engage the rail.
But cant have it all

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rgmacca said..
I read reviews on the 8'6 & 8HN, the 8'6 came out better, as both same width.
Out on mine today in pretty tough windy chop, not much fun but stayed upright most of time.

Big down side is it's a wide board, bounces abit, and tough to engage the rail.
But cant have it all

at 76kgs, the 8'6" is too big for you. i've heard matching your size/weight is critical for these boards. at 93 kgs, my 8'0" HN seems a good fit, and i have no trouble engaging the rails. i've never tried the 8'6", but i think the 8 is actually a bit too big for me. the 7'8" is a bit too small for me. i don't understand why Starboard has the 8 and 8'6 the same volume...THEY NEED TO LOWER THE VOLUME on the 8!

I have the 7'2x 28 105l HN @85 kg.
I wouldn't want a bigger board under normal conditions but the board doesn't have a lot of paddle speed..

I am going to try smaller rears to make te board a bit more loose when the conditions are easy as in small waves and not to much wind.
And I want to try XL C-drive fins instead of the 4.7 fronts

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Camarillo said..
I have the 7'2x 28 105l HN @85 kg.
I wouldn't want a bigger board under normal conditions but the board doesn't have a lot of paddle speed..

I am going to try smaller rears to make te board a bit more loose when the conditions are easy as in small waves and not to much wind.
And I want to try XL C-drive fins instead of the 4.7 fronts

I had 3.7 rear fin starboard and I used on HN 7.2 x28 in effect the board is more loose but more unstable so is better to used on clean conditions

I ve tried the new bigger fins in 7 8 HN 5' in front and 4 7 at the back The bigger fins have added some stability but overall the changes were minor I could not find any balance in choppy windy conditions IT IS NOT FUN in that conditions In contrast in less choppy and less windy conditions the board feels very confortable underfoot It feels like much much bigger board No problems I have to go for another HN the 8 would be ok I know the 8 6 is better due to the thinner rails but it is longer (8 6) and weights 9, 4 kg almost 1 Kg more So i think the 8 would be ok for less ideal conditions
Thank you

Don't shoot me for asking this, but has anyone been on the inflatable 7'8 Hypernut? Wondering if the inflatables have more (or less) float? Website says the 7'8 hard board is 115L and ISup 165L, but regardless, I wonder if there's really that much difference when standing on the boards?
I'm 83kg and only used a Hero before (9'x33), but found after 2 years of use I could easily go smaller, so I reckon I'd maintain on the 7'8 hard board fine and if there's really that much difference in volume, the iSup should be a breeze.
Reason I need an inflatable is because I travel a lot with my job.

You can't compare. Watch this

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Gboots said..
You can't compare. Watch this

I agree, no comparison, but I have to get an isup due to circumstances. Hard board is not even an option.

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DH70 said..
Don't shoot me for asking this, but has anyone been on the inflatable 7'8 Hypernut? Wondering if the inflatables have more (or less) float? Website says the 7'8 hard board is 115L and ISup 165L, but regardless, I wonder if there's really that much difference when standing on the boards?

Inflatables are both more and less stable:
- stabler, because of the high volume rails and flat deck
- there is some "trampoline effect" to get used to

This said, my advice to SUPsurf with inflatable will be to get one:
- as small as possible: this way you will get less volume, and less length to minimize the dreaded "nose sticking to the water" of inflatables
- as thin as possible: but you may not find ones less than 4" thick
- able to stand high pressures: a model stated for 20 psi can be made much more rigid than one at 15psi
- with a pulled-in nose: as inflatables keep high volume rails in the nose, big noses will plough in the water insanely (and stick to it on the wave). I would be wary of an inflatable hypernut for this reason
- with fin boxes: the soft glued-on fins are hell because they bend on folding the board. It is a pain to have to heat them to redress then on each session. Or you could devise some casing (a foam block with slots?) to avoid bending them when rolling the board.

And some alternative solutions:
- semi-inflatable boards: the front part is inflatable, and the rear is hard, with true rails and fin boxes. pendleboard.com/en/home/ www.duo-boards.com/
- "deflatable" boards, that hardens like a vacuumed coffee pack www.tripstix.de/
- foldable boards, but the reliability of foldable surfboard have been very bad up to now
- SUP on an inflatable... surfboard, some (e.g. the Gong ones) have enough volume to be SUPed, and will be much nimbler (3" thick) than regular inflatable SUPs, if you are a light or good rider.

My Starboard Converse isup from 2014 is very good.
18 PSI
9ft and 30inch wide
Only 4 inch thick
All fins removeable

Had blast (no pun intended) in the surf last summer whilst I was on holidays

Feel bad for gatecrashing this thread with isups..... The Converse does look like a good alternative. It's a windsup, right? And your weight if you don't mind me asking?

65kg
46 yo
The Converse does not come in the deluxe construction anymore ....but my board is over 3 yo so things would have improved with the Zen construction .

You might also want to consider the Red Paddle Whip board

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Gboots said..
65kg
46 yo
The Converse does not come in the deluxe construction anymore ....but my board is over 3 yo so things would have improved with the Zen construction .

You might also want to consider the Red Paddle Whip board

Similar age, however about 20kg heavier. The hard boards cater for a variety of rider weights, but I guess with the inflatables it comes down to less of a demand, so fewer options. The Hypernut, Whip and one from Fanatic seem to be the most popular smaller boards, but they all cater for lighter riders. Then the options jump to like 200L + which is not great. Anyway, is what it is and have to make a call on either potentially too small or a comfortable bigger board which won't be as much fun in the surf.