Hi everyone, after have a couple of professional lessons on the sunshine coast and trawling through this great resource of the forum, I have joined up for peoples confirmation and advice as to my first board, and should not be too difficult as my options are limited however i'm still learning. I'll try and keep it to the point.

- I'm 125kg
- I'm 200cm ( 6'7" )
- Start learning flat water, and have option to play around in small surf at the mouth

the board I had lessons on 32" wide 217l think it was 11' long and found it pretty easy to pick up and learn but did not see any brand on it.
The guy said i'll be fine with anything above 180l 32" 11' long.

From my take on previous discussions on here people would agree with,

Naish Nalu 11’6″
Fantasic FLY 11’6”

The Nalu specs says up to 114kg, would that pose a problem?

Also the paddles maybe a issue, they were fully extended on the lesson , but i felt i would be more comfortable with it slightly longer. Did see a website for a custom one but looks like it will hit my pocket hard unless there was a cheaper alternative or the paddle he had was not the largest.
I know a few other brand names were mentioned in previous discussions for the big people boards but my local shop does not stock them i think unless i go elsewhere or find a second hand one, which i may get if a good condition one pops up over the month on the one i have concluded to get.

Just throwing it out there on peoples opinions on some of my concerns raised.


Much Appreciated.


I'm leaning to Nalu 11'6"

I'd also give the Naish Nalu 10"10 a go.
I had one for a while and it's got loads of float and surfed ok

As far as the Naish boards go I'd be recommending either the 10'10" Nalu for better flat water performance with some waves .. and the new 10' Mana for better wave performance with some flat water paddling.. Both should be good boards for you IMO.. Welcome to the Breeze..

DJ

Also look at Starboard Atlas. I have one, it's a keeper (am a little heavier than you, 5" shorter). Stable as a dock, relatively flat rocker through the middle for flat water cruising, generous nose and tail kick for getting into small-medium waves.

Hi I was 125 kg and 6'4" my first board was a starboard Avanti it would be my recommendation if waves are your priority I also have an Atlas it surfs ok but better in flat water hope this helps

If you're looking for a long paddle, Ke Nalu sell an extended ergo T handle to go on their paddles. Several people on here have the Ke Nalu paddles and they get a great review. I have the Maliko right off the shelf, no cutting and it is just right for me. I am 6'4 though, so you'd most likely need that extension. Also, they are not cheap either. I have ordered the Fanatic Fly 11'6, which should be here in the next few weeks, I can give you my humble opinion on it after it arrives.
I have tried HC's Atlas and it is great for stability!








http://www.kenalu.com.au/?page_id=3952

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DavidJohn said..

As far as the Naish boards go I'd be recommending either the 10'10" Nalu for better flat water performance with some waves .. and the new 10' Mana for better wave performance with some flat water paddling.. Both should be good boards for you IMO.. Welcome to the Breeze..

DJ

Good advice DJ.

Demo some boards too. Those 2 boards in particular, to start with.

Demo some 14 foot racers too... and enjoy.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I've taken a few boards out since my post , I really liked the starboard atlas and was thinking of going with that however I've been told by a few guys in the shops I will most likely grow out of it pretty fast once I start getting right into it. Said for a big guy I seriously cannot go wrong with naish mana 10'5" , yet to try it.

Ahh decisions decisions.

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Ash79 said..

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I've taken a few boards out since my post , I really liked the starboard atlas and was thinking of going with that however I've been told by a few guys in the shops I will most likely grow out of it pretty fast once I start getting right into it. Said for a big guy I seriously cannot go wrong with naish mana 10'5" , yet to try it.

Ahh decisions decisions.

Another good choice. Make sure it's the NEW 2014 10'5 mana which is a major revision and looks pretty slick. Avoid the previous versions, which were very large but that was just about their only redeeming feature.

On the Atlas, have had mine for almost 3 years and haven't outgrown it yet, I still surf it, cruise it, train on it in rough waters and sometimes even race it (but I have acquired a 'couple' of more specialised boards since )

I was told the 10'5" mana 2013 is exactly the same as 2014 in the shop, quick look online maybe because there is no 10'5" 2014?

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HumanCartoon said..

Ash79 said..

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I've taken a few boards out since my post , I really liked the starboard atlas and was thinking of going with that however I've been told by a few guys in the shops I will most likely grow out of it pretty fast once I start getting right into it. Said for a big guy I seriously cannot go wrong with naish mana 10'5" , yet to try it.

Ahh decisions decisions.

Another good choice. Make sure it's the NEW 2014 10'5 mana which is a major revision and looks pretty slick. Avoid the previous versions, which were very large but that was just about their only redeeming feature.

On the Atlas, have had mine for almost 3 years and haven't outgrown it yet, I still surf it, cruise it, train on it in rough waters and sometimes even race it (but I have acquired a 'couple' of more specialised boards since )

I have also been told the same thing about avoiding previous versions. I haven't heard anything about the new version, but Human Cartoon knows his stuff so I would take his advice on board (no pun intended). I was looking into the 10'5 mana at first due to the length/width/litres ratio but steered clear after numerous comments and research. The general consensus seemed to be that it was a great board to learn on in surf/SUP schools, but after that, didn't really shine in the surf or flat water. It was mentioned a few times that it was piggish in the surf and slow in flat water compared to other boards of similar size. Granted, I have never demo'd one before so understand that this is from reading articles and listening to personal reviews. Also, that particular model seemed to be the anomaly in the mana range as all other sizes were consistently highly spoken of.

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Ash79 said..



I was told the 10'5" mana 2013 is exactly the same as 2014 in the shop, quick look online maybe because there is no 10'5" 2014?

Ah...my mistake, it's the 10'0 Mana that is in a sharp new shape (and with reduced volume but extra width compared to the old 10'0), the 10'5 is now an 11'0...put it down to a senior moment. And the old 10'5 Mana? Ok for paddle schools but it's otherwise a bit of a nothing board, you'd outgrow one of those in an afternoon (unless you like paddling in circles, slowly).

At your weight and height, for a first board I'd still go with something with volume like the 11'6 Fanatic or the Atlas...with the Atlas having the slight edge for more flat water cruising, the Fanatic having the slight edge for small-med surf. Try them all, pick the one you're most comfortable on now. Will all due respect to shop guys, most of them have the best intentions but they aren't 125kg & don't speak from first-hand knowledge about big guy paddling.

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HumanCartoon said..

Ash79 said..



I was told the 10'5" mana 2013 is exactly the same as 2014 in the shop, quick look online maybe because there is no 10'5" 2014?

At your weight and height, for a first board I'd still go with something with volume like the 11'6 Fanatic or the Atlas...with the Atlas having the slight edge for more flat water cruising, the Fanatic having the slight edge for small-med surf. Try them all, pick the one you're most comfortable on now. Will all due respect to shop guys, most of them have the best intentions but they aren't 125kg & don't speak from first-hand knowledge about big guy paddling.

This is right


Firstly your first board won't be your last , the most important thing is to get the size right so you enjoy yourself and not find it a chore. I know a few people who were sold into something too small for them and really struggled to paddle it , spending hours on their knees in the surf , this is not fun. When they guy in the store is 5'7" and 65 kg , its very hard for him to relate.

I'm 6'5" 122kg , first board was a SB Avanti , and it has been awesome , surfs well for a board that size. Flat water paddles well enough for me , I dont do heaps of it . Could not have been happier with the choice.

I tossed up between Atlas and Avanti , and in the end I chose the better surfing option. If you are doing way more flat water , the Atlas is probably a good fit for you.

I've ridden other boards , quite a bit on a Naish 10"10" and its nowhere near as stable as the Avanti , and doesn't surf anywhere near as well as the Avanti either

My next board will be a Fanatic 9'5" or maybe a Whopper , but I'll always keep the Avanti for small days or friends or when I'm feeling fat and lazy and I just want to cruise about on such a stable board.

Good luck with the choice

Another great board choice for the 125kg entry level rider that is looking for an all round board is the Atlas Extra by Starboard.

Hi there Ash79,

First time i paddled on a SUP, I was 116kg, there where chest high waves and I was using a Mana 9'5. It was super stable, and even if I was crashing a lot due to the conditions, I got a few waves. On the same day, I tried a Coreban Performer on which I could barely stand on.
I bought the Coreban because I immediately felt I would grow the 9'5 Mana too fast.

My recommendation:Try to demo the following boards in flat water (you will see how they float you and as your technique improves a bit you'll feel ok in the surf):
- Starboard Whopper 10'x34 @171ltr - Really wide and stable with an outline and a rocker curve that makes it a lot of fun to surf (if wou need more volume, you have the whopper extra, but I don't thing you'll need it).
- Naish Mana 9'5x32" @163ltr - Never surfed this model, but it looks like a big improvement from the old model
- Fanatic Allwave 9'5"x32.25" @170ltr or 9'10"x33" @191ltr - Didn't surf the new models yet, but in the same volume range and sure bets

Try to demo any of these and don't stress if you're falling a lot. As long as the boards float you enough to stand and paddle in the flats, the rest will follow!