Im ready to buy a new board!
But im torn, & i dont seem to be able to get the chance to demo what i want.
1st not sure if i should go with a board 9'2", 9'3", 9'6". Im surfing 98% of the time with only 1 or 2 flat water paddles very couple of wks.. Dont really surf anything big but keen to.
2nd I like the looks of dale chapmens boards,dan mc donalds boards & luke shorts boards but i also like the looks of the C4 Watermans & the PSH boards & Naish boards. I currently ride an epoxy board & i like riding my mates glass board.
so overall come at me with all your words of wisdom.
I'll never buy a board that isn't laminated with epoxy resin - but that's me.
Length - couldn't help you.
As for who, if there's a board from a production builder you like go with that (flame suit on). Having said that I really like the DC's especially the look of his 14' that he's working on at the moment (that I'm saving pennies for), the joy of a custom is exactly that it custom to suit you not the average and you get what you want. In reality the custom SUP's these days aren't really that much more than the pop outs.
What I can do to help is share only my experience from coming off 12foot 30 wide mal as start up and 3 years later surfed 11ft epoxy, 10ft epoxy,14ft gun fibreglass PU, 10ft mal nose 5in thick, 9ft PU , 9ft4in PU , 10ft 6in McT epoxy sup, 9ft 6in 4 1/4 thick round tail, 9ft 6in swallow 53/4 thick PU, 10ft 6in 5in th PU round tail.
At 100kg I found length the advantage, as I went shorter it was hard work, surfing performance way up but no run ups catching waves under 10ft.
The 14fter such fun on any size waves(absolute ball on bigger stuff due to weight).
The thick 9ft 6in for surf was great but I had to sit closer in to the break and drop into the wave. Yet 10ft and above the run up to catching waves was surely an advantage when surf was bigger,and who tuns that much when its bigger anyway.
So i have finished up with 14fter, 12fter, both gun shapes and PU. Narrow nose 10fter and mal nose,Both PU and finally 9ft 6in 5 1/4 thick square tail for fun small days up to 4-5ft. I found at my weight I can't go shorter than 9ft 6in and 5 1/4 thick just too tippy. borrow what you can't find in the shops, but Balmoral Boards have pretty much the range and so does Collaroy Sail and Surf. Have fun trying them out.
