Here is the deal, i'm 80kg, 6ft, and 48 years young. I'm riding a 7'10 simsup s4 117l all the time and loving it, catching waves of all shapes and sizes (most Atlantic swell not that great conditions). Now i would like to go to a 'real' surf shape as I have never owned one and drop down in liters at the same time. What would minimum liters be (rawson is 97 and JL is 105) and would it kill the enjoyment or would it be fine after the first 3 weeks of falling in all the time like with the Simsup (board before that was naish mana 8'10 135l not that great). The two boards in pic seem similar, maybe someone has tried one, although i know they are new and not massed produced. Maybe someone can tell me if they have a similar shape and liters board they recommend. I have also been told the liters are never accurate and usually show less than reality. Basically, I want to go to the most 'surf' oriented board, and as radical and small as possible for good surf conditions like you would find in Costa, Nica or wherever. Thanks for any useful insight.

You won't get much info on the "super tech" here as they haven't made it into the country yet, not far away, but you might want to think about adding a jimmy lewis "stungun" to that list of yours, think it could be what you are after, been riding one for over 2 years now and still love it

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JohnnySUP said...
Here is the deal, i'm 80kg, 6ft, and 48 years young. I'm riding a 7'10 simsup s4 117l all the time and loving it, catching waves of all shapes and sizes (most Atlantic swell not that great conditions). Now i would like to go to a 'real' surf shape as I have never owned one and drop down in liters at the same time. What would minimum liters be (rawson is 97 and JL is 105) and would it kill the enjoyment or would it be fine after the first 3 weeks of falling in all the time like with the Simsup (board before that was naish mana 8'10 135l not that great). The two boards in pic seem similar, maybe someone has tried one, although i know they are new and not massed produced. Maybe someone can tell me if they have a similar shape and liters board they recommend. I have also been told the liters are never accurate and usually show less than reality. Basically, I want to go to the most 'surf' oriented board, and as radical and small as possible for good surf conditions like you would find in Costa, Nica or wherever. Thanks for any useful insight.

tuff choice mate!!!! There was a fella a few months back , showing off his new rawson sup,and that was the first time I've heard off them , so I did the quick google squizz and thought not bad , not bad at all but I'm a sucker for diamond tail ,I love the way they release, but I can't go past a JL , I know I know I'm really helping, so long story short both boards would wicked!!!! You'd be frothing so hard you'd probably pass out first time you got good waves but for me , JL by a nose ,only because I haven't had a chance to see a rawson first hand ,good luck with your choice

yeah, both look sweet i'm sure i can't really go wrong, especially with a JL. What about the 8'2 stun gun will that float me or will it just be a battle with only 98ltrs. I have never tried anything less than 115ltrs. I really like the look of the rawson and the fact that its short. My 7'10 simsup is killer but i want to go smaller and more traditional before i'm too old.

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JohnnySUP said...
yeah, both look sweet i'm sure i can't really go wrong, especially with a JL. What about the 8'2 stun gun will that float me or will it just be a battle with only 98ltrs. I have never tried anything less than 115ltrs. I really like the look of the rawson and the fact that its short. My 7'10 simsup is killer but i want to go smaller and more traditional before i'm too old.

yeah it would a bit of a handful at 99l? I personally ride the 8"7 and I hover around the 70kg mark , the stun guns a great board I ride it as quad and love it the rounded pin gives extra bite when needed off the bottom and smooth transitions in the turns coupled with a nice rocker sort of half way between a Mano and a kwad , which gives you the confidence to surf after all types of waves which is nice, I prefer having the extra litres because I hate struggling between waves and I like that little extra glide , it lets me focus on the job at hand and that's just chase down as many waves as I can until I froth out too much and need to have a break , if you know your own style of surfing well enough just go with the board which going to enhance your water time , it's just the same as buying a new surfboard pick the one which is going to help you not hinder then the choice becomes much easier

Having tried neither, here is my uninformed opinion :-)

First, for your 80kg, 95l is quite doable but tiring, and 105l quite comfy.
95l would be nice for clean hollow conditions, 105 l for big gnarly ones.

This said, I personally would take the Rawson, his surf shapes are totally legendary...

As the fella who posted my Rawson, the Focus/Rawson boards are awesome if they "fit" you. Lighter than the production boards, and perhaps a little stronger. My 8'2" custom has become my go to board all summer.

I saw a local shredder on the 7'10" which he preferred to his Airborne, and Pro. But he had to return it. BTW his Airborne is the narrow one. I tried it - not ready for 97 liters yet!

Obviously demo them both if you can - otherwise I agree with Colas Rawson baby no doubt.

Not affiliated in any way - full retail plus air from Hawaii and worth every penny!

Good luck!

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colas said..
Having tried neither, here is my uninformed opinion :-)

First, for your 80kg, 95l is quite doable but tiring, and 105l quite comfy.
95l would be nice for clean hollow conditions, 105 l for big gnarly ones.

This said, I personally would take the Rawson, his surf shapes are totally legendary...

Rawson may make a good surf shape but this doesn't mean he can produce a good sup !! just look at the mctavish boards

Jimmy on the other hand has produced some of the best shapes on the market and has the experience in this market !!

The new Supertech will make all other HIGH Performance boards on the market look silly

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hilly said...

hmmm looks wicked !!!!!! Decision's decisions

You lads want pics..

More..

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WOK said..
Rawson may make a good surf shape but this doesn't mean he can produce a good sup !! just look at the mctavish boards

Of course, but unlike Mc Tavish, from what I read Rawson has been shaping quite a bit of high performance SUPs, with close involvement with very progressive riders (recently Mo Freitas).
Also he shapes custom SUP and makes them evolve, rather than just put a label on a molded design that stay the same for years.

... So things are not so black and white :-)

Colas - You expressed my sentiments exactly. Off the rack or custom for you!

Rawson/Focus production vs Jimmy Lewis latest obviously one would have to demo them both and see which one they preferred!

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colas said..

WOK said..
Rawson may make a good surf shape but this doesn't mean he can produce a good sup !! just look at the mctavish boards

Of course, but unlike Mc Tavish, from what I read Rawson has been shaping quite a bit of high performance SUPs, with close involvement with very progressive riders (recently Mo Freitas).
Also he shapes custom SUP and makes them evolve, rather than just put a label on a molded design that stay the same for years.

... So things are not so black and white :-)

Jimmy Lewis SUPS are ridden by top performance riders and he has brought out new designs and tweaked current designs that are proven to work well but after getting feedback. They are also very well made.....in can say that confidently. I have no experience of Rawson or McTavish but as with all things SUP if you can test them then great.