Recently my family and i took a SUP lesson and loved it. We are now looking for a board that will be good for the whole family to use, me wife and two small kids. In the lesson i used a 10ft starboard whopper which was ok but sank a bit with the kid/s on the front. We only plan to use the board for some flat water cruising and maybe some fishing so probably something big which has lots of volume.
Has anyone had any experience with the bigger sups, like the starboard or NSP ones. What other boards would suit. Eventually i would like to get a second board a bit smaller 10ft ish maybe.
Any advise would be helpful, and where is a good spot to buy from, there isn't a shop locally so would have to ship so doesn't really matter where they are.
I'd recommend the big 11'6" AST Naish Nalu or the 11'6" NSP as a slightly cheaper option.
DJ
I think the 11'6 NSP would suit me, ive had a look at them online and they look good, the wife likes the colour so thats half the battle.
WB
NSP is a great starter board and cheaper. I have an old 11ft NSP and I am 110kg and it is a very stable board. I use it to hack around on now with the kids and a loaner for friends. you will pick one up new for 1200 ish. Once you get the SUP bug you will want to go longer/faster etc but a good starter board.
Spend the extra money on a good paddle for yourself and a crap one for the kids. A good Kialoa is $500 but worth every cent.
One board not mentioned but that's GREAT is the John Amundson 11'3 Aquaglide SUP:http://www.aquaglide.net/client/Brochures/AquaglidePADDLE2010LR.pdf
My mate has the 11'3 as a board to lend friends etc-keeps it my place and my kids and my wife's friends love the board-I often paddle it distance with my mate too (he has a 12' foot PSH).
It has a soft deck-is amazingly stable and a great ride.
I couldn't recommend a better board to suit your needs.
As a side note-they are all over the place in Hawaii as rental/trainer boards-tells you they're safe, durable and stable.
Disc. John A is a mate of mine.
If its family fun you want and you are going to be putting the kids on the board with you then the 11.6 NSP is pretty hard to beat and they are very well priced and tough as nails.
I have the 11' NSP.
Great board for flat water and learning.
Very stable but glides fairly well too!
They are tough and also cheaper than most boards, which is perhaps why the surf schools use them
For family fun, with two on board, go for the 11'6. Lots more volume.
