Hello everybody,
Please I need some help.

I have a custom board of 8,1 X 29'' and 107liters. I weight 90Kg (sometimes a little bit more...).
My Sup level is advanced but not proficiency. I spend a lot in the water and I am a tenacious person. I have been paddling for 7 years.

I am happy with my current board as it is quite stable and for overhead waves works very well. It is important to have reduced volume with medium-big waves and even more important with strong waves but of course in small waves it can be a little bit slow for my weight.

But it is time to change for a new one.

The point here is that I do not know which board is suitable for me between Starboard Pro 8'3 (110L) or 7'10 (104L)?
I have seen in the video from Sup Magazine review that the Starboar pro 7'10 with 104 Litres is suitable for 90Kg but Starboard recommends up to 85kg. Also it is stated that the board is very stable.

I am unable to test any one of them and I have to choose. I am worried if the 104 litres can be so reduced volume that is going to be too slow or sinked or .....I like that it is 7'10 as the 8'3 seems to be too much.... I do not know.

Can you please help me? Anyone that I have tried both board?

Thank you very much.

Get a custom. Speak to Scotty at SMIK. He can guide you to the exact size and shape you need. I find his shapes have heaps of stabiity. Even my 94L 8"0'x27 is pretty stable. Scotty is da man????

Thank you very much for your prompt response,
Unfortunately, I live in Tenerife and I would prefer a dealer in case of guarantee needs. Smik boards at the moment are not available in a surf shop.

Sorry please, any comment on my topic?? thank you

If you can do 8,1 X 29'' at 107 liters and find it quite stable, chances are good you can do 7'10 x 28. Is your custom board a similar shape?

Not really but my custom is 29' as the 7'10 Starbord. I have heard that the 7'10 is very stable but I have not tried any one and that is my concern.

What shape is your custom board? Are the nose and tail pretty wide? If the nose and tail widths aren't too different you should be fine.

Hi, thank you for your reply. My custom board is more wider I think. the 29'' is wider on the full board compared to this starboard.
Finally I have tried for 10 minutes the 2019 starboard 7'10 x 29'' and 104l from a person who came for holidays. Thank you!
It is a stable board and not much problem to be on. The point here is that I feel very short. I miss the nose. I would need some hours to be ready.
I have the back feet sinked and the front feet 60% times sinked.

The main problem I foresee is how I would paddle fast to ride a far away wave? I mean, I feel very slow to ride a wave in 20 meters away from me....

Does this feeling (or not feeling) would change sometime? is this going to be a nightmare? Any one who is riding a low volume that can advise me?


Thank you!

Select to expand quote

Antone said..
Does this feeling (or not feeling) would change sometime? is this going to be a nightmare? Any one who is riding a low volume that can advise me?

Low volume boards will be slow. With practice, you learn to not struggle to go as fast as possible, but just maintain a steady speed by catching the water well in front, pull steadily, and get the blade back to front quickly. The idea is to minimize the time where the paddle is not active, as the board stops as soon as you stop pushing it.

So, with technique, it is not so bad for paddling long distance.

But for catching a peak 20m away, no miracle, you will have to anticipate more where the waves will be. It can be done, just like in "The Tortoise and the Hare" fable, start moving early!

But it will be always more tiring than a board with a bit more volume. At 100 kg 2 hours on a 105 board is as tiring for me as 4 hours on a 120l board. But when the waves are good and there are no crowds, I will choose the 105 liters anyways.

It is a tradeoff: does the waves are powerful enough, and have you the technical expertise to perform tight critical maoeuvers so that it is worth shortening your sessions and taking less waves? A quiver with low and less-low volume boards is quite nice.

Hi, thank you very much Colas.
I totally understand your reply and I agree with it.

2 boards is compulsory at the moment for me.

Thank you very much!

I got the 2020 7'10/28 pro 102 l and had 3 surfs on it now, 1-4 foot, I weigh 87 and am an intermediate paddler but persistent and 35 yrs old so love the workout. I also e-skateboard which helps balance. Best board I have ever surfed and it does leave me tired after a three hour session. I'll get some video soon Soloshot is in repairs. I like naps.